Chinese Literature: Wrestling with Emotions in Lyrics (Essay Sample)

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Essay Proposal
Topic:
Wrestling with Emotions in Lyrics (Owen, 559-590)
Scholars have identified the lyric (ci 詞 ) form as one devoted to expressing emotions or feelings ( qing 情 ). Choose one to three lyrics and discuss what different techniques they use to portray emotions. How would you describe the emotions being expressed? What sort of emotional resolution or conclusion is reached by the end of the lyrics?
The Texts
Bowing to the new moon Geng Wei (Anthology of Chinese Literature, 850)
Bowing to the new Moon- Dun Huang (Anthology of Chinese Literature, 850)
Thesis
The lyric Ci has been used over the years by scholars to signify emotions and feelings. This paper aims to show how this happens by thoroughly analyzing two poems constructed in different eras but with the same title. Through this, we will be able to see how emotions are depicted within the same eras to arrive at different meanings.
Outline
Within the two poems, emotion is illustrated in three major ways. One of these is the use of symbolism and imagery in which various words and terms are used to represent a hidden meaning. Additionally, a variation in the length of the lines and their rhymes is also used to convey emotions. Lastly, there is the use of direct and indirect language in the lyric to convey emotions and feelings. These three aspects will be discussed in depth within the essay.
Two Other Sources
In addition to the content provided by the book ‘Anthology of Chinese Literature’, two other sources will be used for this essay. These include ‘Love and emotions in Traditional Chinese Literature’ by Halvor Eifring and ‘Empresses, Art, and Agency in Song Dynasty China by Hui-Shu-Lee. These sources will provide additional insight into the expression of emotions and feelings through the Ci lyric.
Essay
The use of the Ci lyric in the Dun-Huang manuscripts is different from its use by the elite lyricists of the period. In the poem Bowing to the New Moon written in the late 8th Century and attributed to Li Duan, emotions and feelings are expressed in a simple four lines. This indicates brevity. It points to the fact that the expression of emotions during this period was not overly dwelt on. Writers expressed emotions in a brief but efficient manner. At this time, emotion and feeling were supposed to be given as little credit as possible. In the long run, the works of artists and poets paint a true picture of the society in which they live. For this particular poet, the picture we get is the suppression of feelings. The elite people were not allowed to express their emotions in depth and length as it was seen as a sign of weakness. They had an image to maintain and so they desisted from the explicit expressions of emotion.[Eifring, Love and Emotions In traditional Chinese Literature, 107.]
On the other hand, in the poem ‘Bowing to the new Moon’ (Dun-Huang) emotion and feeling is expressed in length and depth as there are twenty lines in the poem. This indicates a freedom of expression for this period. The society allowed people to express how they felt in depth and length and it was not seen as a sign of weakness at all. Since the Dun-huang manuscripts were works of popular folk, they do not shy from expressing the feelings they have towards particular subject. They do not have appearances to maintain and so they speak freely and deeply regarding the topics and subjects that matter to them.[Ibid] [Owen, Anthology, 560.]
Additionally, the lines in both poems have varying lengths and rhymes at different points to put emphasis on various sections. In the Bowing to the moon poem attributed to Li Duan, the lines are relatively of the same length. This means that the writer does not intend to draw attention to any particular sections. To this writer, all segments of the poem carry equal weight and all of them are equally important. Moreover, there is a significant use of rhyme. The line “…at once she goes down the stairs and bows” rhymes with the last line “…on her skirts sash, the north wind blows”. This brings an aspect of musicality to the poem. In this way, the poem delivers its expression of feelings and emotions in a subtle way. By doing this, the poem has a light feeling to it, there is not much emotion attached to it. Instead, it is meant to entertain and not burden people with serious issues such as love, heartbreak and abandonment.[Ibid.]
However, in the second poem attributed to Dun-Huang, the writer uses varying line lengths to draw attention to various parts of the poem. The shortest line in the poem reads “…he still has not returned”. This is meant to draw attention to the fact that the lady’s beloved continues to be absent from home for years in a row. This provides the backbone for the entire poem because the woman goes ahead to describe how the absence of her beloved makes her feel. She further tries to understand why her beloved goes away for such long periods of time. She later concludes that it is because of bad karma and her unlucky destiny. All this happens because the young woman is trying to find answers to the absence of her beloved. The answers she comes up with enable her to validate her feelings. It enables her to feel that it is okay to feel lonely and sad and at the same time helps her to come to the conclusion that despite her beloved’s absence for a long time, she will continue to be true to him, to not betray him. By doing this, the poem causes the reader or the listener to deeply think about the emotions being presented by the poem. It causes one to ponder deeply over the emotions of hope, religion, fate and love presented therein.[Ibid]
Further, emotion is expressed differently in the two periods through the use of symbolism. In the Bowing to the moon poem attributed to Li Duan, a lot of symbolism is used to express emotions and feelings. The expression is indirect and never explicit. The woman does not out rightly express her emotions and readers are left to infer the meaning of her words from the described surfaces. The poem does not allow the reader to form a visual picture of the woman’s feelings. The verse describes a young woman making prayers about her beloved. The sound of wind against her Sash indicates how lonely she is. The only audible sound is that of the wind blowing. The fact that she prays silently also goes to show that the elite people were not expected to show that they felt, that things such as emotions affected them. Further in the verse, it is stated that she bows down to the moon. This indicates a sense of religion. People in this age believe that their fate and that of their loved ones was in the hands of a higher power.[Lee, Empresses, Art, and Agency in Song Dynasty China, 120.]
On the other hand, the poem Bowing to the New moon from Dun Huang manuscripts is very explicit. It directly and vividly explains that the reason why the young woman is making prayers is to seek for the safe return of her beloved who is another land. It clearly describes that the woman feels lonely and that she misses her beloved dearly. From the poem, we also get to understand that her beloved has been away for a long time because it is stated that “…already now it is the New Year, and he still has not returned”. From the poem, we also get to know that the woman feels like she does not have any control on where her beloved goes and how long he strays away from home. Instead, she blames this on bad Karma an unlucky destiny. Even though she faults her beloved for leaving her alone, she still vows to be fa...