View/Open - University of Victoria
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59<br />
clearly encroaching upon the literary-cultural construct (wenhuaxing 文 化 型 ) <strong>of</strong> the frontier in Li Qi's<br />
poem. 44<br />
A gritty and depressing aspect <strong>of</strong> war on the frontier, a frontier which though framed by a<br />
militarized conceptualization does not even <strong>of</strong>fer a remote chance to prove one's mettle or to have one's<br />
efforts acknowledged, commands the nadiral atmosphere <strong>of</strong> Gao Shi's “Tribal Song” (“Buluo qu” 部 落<br />
曲 ), a poem which acts as a poignant contrast to the firm resolution which once frequently<br />
accompanied young brave men portrayed as valiantly galloping towards the frontier to repel invading<br />
forces: 45<br />
藩 军 傍 塞 游<br />
代 马 喷 秋 风<br />
老 将 垂 金 甲<br />
阏 支 着 锦 裘<br />
Barbarian 46 troops roam along the frontier,<br />
Dai 47 horses neigh in the autumn wind.<br />
Armour hanging <strong>of</strong>f old generals,<br />
The wife <strong>of</strong> the Xiongnu chief wears brocaded furs.<br />
雕 戈 蒙 豹 尾 Engraved lances covered by leopard tails, 48<br />
44<br />
Ng, Kam-lung, “Tangdai biansaishi yanjiu”, p. 155. Hong Zan summarizes war-themed poetry <strong>of</strong> the Early Tang as an<br />
idealistically driven subgenre in which patriotism, a desire to serve those who could <strong>of</strong>fer significant acknowledgement<br />
<strong>of</strong> one's efforts, and a yearning for honour and fame through frontier service characterizes many works <strong>of</strong> martial<br />
inclination. See Hong Zan, Tangdai zhanzhengshi yanjiu, pp. 72-74. This attitude can be equated to the way in which<br />
during the early years <strong>of</strong> the dynasty, “when humiliating defeats and the horror <strong>of</strong> barbarian sway during the period <strong>of</strong><br />
disunity [<strong>of</strong> the Northern and Southern dynasties] were still vivid memories; patriotic sentiments [would] naturally [be]<br />
strong and the response to frontier levies enthusiastic”. See See Marie Chan, “Kao Shih's 'Yen Ko-Hsing': A Critical<br />
Exegesis” in Ronald Miao ed., Studies in Chinese Poetry and Poetics (San Francisco: Chinese Materials Center, 1978),<br />
p. 228. Even while <strong>of</strong>ten following such treatments as noted by Zong, the marked difference in High Tang frontier<br />
poetry <strong>of</strong> a strong war theme is that it <strong>of</strong>ten enlarges the range <strong>of</strong> responses to war on the frontier without making a clear<br />
and decisive break from literary precedent. Marie Chan again finds a correlation between the historical situation as it had<br />
developed since the early days <strong>of</strong> the Tang dynasty and the maturation <strong>of</strong> sentiment in High Tang frontier poetry. It was<br />
in this later period that frontier “campaigns were expanded [into] a hitherto unknown scale. Their motives, too, ceased to<br />
be purely defensive...[and] by the time <strong>of</strong> An Lu-shan...the consensus <strong>of</strong> opinion was that the majority <strong>of</strong> the frontier<br />
expeditions were unnecessary and were conducted mostly for the personal aggrandizement <strong>of</strong> the commanders”. Chan<br />
further speculates that the “movement from optimism to despair [in attitudes towards frontier war in many High Tang<br />
works] may reflect a historical reality [captured in the poetry, one that] savour[s] both...early enthusiasm [for frontier<br />
war] and...later disillusionment [with it]”.<br />
45<br />
Cao Zhi's “The White Horse” again illustrates the former fervency for frontier service which is called into question in<br />
the High Tang : “To the frontier walls come many alarms/ The nomad horseman are always on the move/Urgent<br />
commands come down from the north/He will urge his horse up the high ridge/To the west he tramples the Xiongnu/To<br />
the east he turns to hold back the Xianbei/He throws himself amid swords and lances/Surely he can't value his life”.<br />
Modified version <strong>of</strong> Terrence C. Russell, tr., “The Poetry <strong>of</strong> Ts'ao Chih”, 183. 边 城 多 警 急 , 胡 虏 数 迁 移 . 羽 檄 从 北 来 ,<br />
厉 马 登 高 堤 . 右 驱 踩 匈 奴 , 左 顾 降 鲜 卑 . 寄 身 锋 刃 端 , 性 命 安 可 怀 . YFSJ 63.915.<br />
46<br />
Literally Fan ( 藩 ), non-Chinese peoples <strong>of</strong> the frontier .<br />
47<br />
Name <strong>of</strong> an ancient kingdom noted for producing fine horses.<br />
48<br />
Not actual leopard tails but rather leopard pattern pennons tied to the lances.