View/Open - University of Victoria
View/Open - University of Victoria
View/Open - University of Victoria
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99<br />
non-Chinese languages <strong>of</strong> the Fan and Hu node are juxtaposed and described. Besides resulting in a<br />
presentation <strong>of</strong> local languages as different, or “not-Chinese” 237 , the spoken pronunciation <strong>of</strong> the Hu<br />
language 238 is analyzed without any reference to the speaker; the poet-narrator makes note <strong>of</strong> the Hu<br />
language but divorces the language from its producer.<br />
In “Offered to Accompany General Feng At a Banquet: [I Have Received 'Campaign' as my<br />
Rhyme Word] 239 (At the Time General Feng Also Held the Position <strong>of</strong> Chief Minister <strong>of</strong> the Court State<br />
Ceremonial 240 )” (“Fengpei Fengdafuyan dezhengzi shifenggong jianhongluqing” 奉 陪 封 大 夫 宴 得 征 字 ,<br />
时 封 公 兼 鸿 胪 卿 ), the poet-narrator reflects on a banquet attended by both Chinese and non-Chinese<br />
military <strong>of</strong>ficials during a pause in frontier conflict. While the phenomenon <strong>of</strong> local languages is<br />
addressed through a means similar to that <strong>of</strong> “Impromptu About Luntai”, that is through a paradigm <strong>of</strong><br />
difference, the speakers <strong>of</strong> non-Chinese languages in this poem are not extracted from the language but<br />
are present and socializing with their, albeit “uncommon” for the poet-narrator, verbal tools <strong>of</strong><br />
communication:<br />
西 边 虏 尽 平<br />
何 处 更 专 征<br />
幕 下 人 无 事<br />
军 中 政 已 成<br />
座 参 殊 俗 语<br />
乐 杂 异 方 声<br />
醉 里 东 楼 月<br />
The Lu <strong>of</strong> the western frontier have been completely<br />
pacified,<br />
What need could there be for more orders to launch<br />
further campaigns?<br />
Subordinates in the administrative tent have nothing to do,<br />
Within the army government decrees have already been<br />
completed.<br />
At the banquet there are different customs and languages,<br />
A miscellany <strong>of</strong> music, the sounds <strong>of</strong> other places.<br />
In my drunkenness the moon at the east building,<br />
237<br />
Were “Chinese” a feature for linguistically describing a language, then the languages in “Impromptu About Luntai”<br />
would be (-) Chinese whereas Chinese itself would be (+) Chinese.<br />
238<br />
Or more generally language <strong>of</strong> the non-Chinese peoples along the frontier.<br />
239<br />
At banquets, the host or master <strong>of</strong> ceremonies would assign rhyme words to the poets present, and these were frequently<br />
mentioned in the titles <strong>of</strong> poems (Daniel Bryant, personal correspondence, April 2013).<br />
240<br />
“Lit., chief minister for making loud announcements” . See Charles O. Hucker, A Dictionary <strong>of</strong> Official Titles In<br />
Imperial China, p. 264.