嵇康詩小論

Abstract

Hsi K'ang 嵇康 (221-263), one of the outstanding poets of the Wei dynasty, seems to have preferred the four-word poem to any other poetical form. About half of his poems still extant are composed in this style and moreover can be regarded as the best part of his work. In his predilection for the four-word line, Hsi K'ang stands unique among his contemporaries, who generally tended to use the five-word style. Chung Jung 鐘嶸, in his "Shih-pin" 詩品 or "Classification of Poets" states that the four-word line is less apt to express human sentiments and describe things than the five-word line. Considering Chinese poetry in general this opinion is quite justified. But Hsi K'ang's four-word poems have some unique features, which make them interesting and valuable: among, them are two important cycles, entitled "To My Brother Who Entered the Army" 贈秀才入軍 (18 poems) and "The Feast" 酒會詩 (6 poems). The diction is modelled on Shih-ching, the Odes, the archaic vocabulary and structure of which is employed with skill and even genius. This similarity is particularly striking as it is offset by an emotional depth and spiritual complexity quite far from the simplicity and naivety of the Odes. In "To My Brother Who Entered the Army", the poet sets out relating the sorrows occasioned by his brother's absence, but with each poem the work gains complexity and metaphysical depth. Gradually, the cycle develops a fantasy about the whole cosmos, intermingled with Taoist philosophy, yearning for immortal life, and hatred of shallowness and vulgarity. This complicated state of mind of the poet accounts for the many difficult and obscure passages in his work.