) I could give
you many instances to the contrary, though not from memory.
you many instances to the contrary, though not from memory.
Li Po
And then, what about modern Chinese poets?
Do any of us know
of any? In my intercourse with the Chinese I cannot recall a modern
Chinese who was a poet. It is possible that I may have met one, and
that he concealed his poetic gifts. (Laughter. ) Our lecturer tells us,
however, that he knows certain Chinese poets. It would be interesting
to know if they are publishing their poems, and how they would compare
with the work of the older poets in our possession.
Mr. L. Y. CHEN: I should like to join in congratulating Mr. Waley on
his very learned paper and beautiful translations. It is quite true
that there are no epic poems in Chinese literature. This form of poetry
has not been introduced in China, but I differ with your statement,
Sir, that Chinese poetry lacks imagination. (Applause.
) I could give
you many instances to the contrary, though not from memory. The last
speaker's remark that the present China is different from what China is
in Chinese poetry may be true, but I may well retort that the England
as represented in Shakespeare is very different from the England of
to-day. (Laughter and cheers. ) And Li T'ai-po lived many hundred years
ago, but Shakespeare lived at a more recent period. Human nature has
two states, the spiritual and the practical. You can combine the two.
If you have the practical it does not necessarily follow that you are
lacking in the spiritual. As for present-day Chinese poets, there are
several famous ones in China.
Since the lecturer has raised the question whether Li T'ai-po or Tu
Fu is the greater poet, I would say that the Chinese of the present
day consider Tu Fu to be the greater. It strikes me as curious that
European people who know something about Chinese poetry should prefer
Li T'ai-po. Perhaps very few people have heard of Tu Fu. Certainly
there is no translation of the most important of Tu Fu's poems in the
English language. In China every child who has studied poetry knows
something about Tu Fu's poems. Tu Fu is placed first by the Chinese
because he is the greatest national poet. He expresses national
feelings in a way that can be appreciated by everybody. Li T'ai-po's
poems deal chiefly with wine and women, love and sensual things, but
Tu Fu's poems are full of men and women, elderly people and children,
their joy, their anguish, the hardship of the soldier, and things of
that sort.
of any? In my intercourse with the Chinese I cannot recall a modern
Chinese who was a poet. It is possible that I may have met one, and
that he concealed his poetic gifts. (Laughter. ) Our lecturer tells us,
however, that he knows certain Chinese poets. It would be interesting
to know if they are publishing their poems, and how they would compare
with the work of the older poets in our possession.
Mr. L. Y. CHEN: I should like to join in congratulating Mr. Waley on
his very learned paper and beautiful translations. It is quite true
that there are no epic poems in Chinese literature. This form of poetry
has not been introduced in China, but I differ with your statement,
Sir, that Chinese poetry lacks imagination. (Applause.
) I could give
you many instances to the contrary, though not from memory. The last
speaker's remark that the present China is different from what China is
in Chinese poetry may be true, but I may well retort that the England
as represented in Shakespeare is very different from the England of
to-day. (Laughter and cheers. ) And Li T'ai-po lived many hundred years
ago, but Shakespeare lived at a more recent period. Human nature has
two states, the spiritual and the practical. You can combine the two.
If you have the practical it does not necessarily follow that you are
lacking in the spiritual. As for present-day Chinese poets, there are
several famous ones in China.
Since the lecturer has raised the question whether Li T'ai-po or Tu
Fu is the greater poet, I would say that the Chinese of the present
day consider Tu Fu to be the greater. It strikes me as curious that
European people who know something about Chinese poetry should prefer
Li T'ai-po. Perhaps very few people have heard of Tu Fu. Certainly
there is no translation of the most important of Tu Fu's poems in the
English language. In China every child who has studied poetry knows
something about Tu Fu's poems. Tu Fu is placed first by the Chinese
because he is the greatest national poet. He expresses national
feelings in a way that can be appreciated by everybody. Li T'ai-po's
poems deal chiefly with wine and women, love and sensual things, but
Tu Fu's poems are full of men and women, elderly people and children,
their joy, their anguish, the hardship of the soldier, and things of
that sort.
