The Beauty of Chinese Poetry

Chinese poetry is considered to be some of the most beautiful poetry in the world. In the poem “In Early Summer Lodging in a Temple to Enjoy the Moonlight” by Po Chu-I the author’s use of nature, the city of Ch’ang-an, and his friendship with the others that join him is truly a symbol of balance from Chinese culture. In this poem Po Chu-I discusses the destruction of beauty and the loss connection with its boundaries. His use of words paints a picture of a beautiful scene that would capture the imagination of any reader. Is Po Chu-I’s poem a clear reflection of Taoism’s views of balance?

In this poem Po Chu-I uses nature to reflect the beauty that is missing in the city that he and his friends now live in. In one example, “When the wind has stolen the shadows of new leaves and birds linger on the last boughs the bloom…” the author’s use of nature allow the reader to know that it is early summer when him and his friends go on this journey outside of the city. Also, another example, “And the South-East was still clothed in red…” the author’s use of words along with nature allows the reader to know that it is sunset.

With simple use of nature the author has let you know where this takes place, what time of year it is and time of day. Po Chu-I use of nature is a key element of this poem and shows the beauty of nature to the reader. In the city of Ch’ang-an the author and his friends have been trying to get rich and have decided to take a break and leave the city and go to the temple of Tao. In this poem the city represents the destruction of nature and a place where they feel unfulfilled. One example of this is: “In Ch’ang-an, the place of profit and fame, Such moods as this, how many men know? The author refers to this as a comparison of the city to the beauty of the nature that has been destroyed by the city life. Po Chu-I used the city as the opposite of nature, he even explains how the city is separated from the nature with a gate. Ch’ang-an is a symbol of the unfulfilled happiness that the author and his friends are feeling by living in the city. The friendships that Po Chu-I show in this poem are clear to the reader.

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“Till day broke we sat in her clear light laughing and singing, and yet ever grew tired…” is a good example of the author’s friendships that he has and how they all traveled out into nature to sing and dance under the moonlight. It shows the connection that the author and his friends share with one another. A similar example “To the western cloister we carried our jar of wine; while we waited for the moon, out cups moved slow…” The author and his friends all share this common bond of being unfulfilled living in the city, and all travel outside of the city to bask in nature, share a drink or two, and dance under the moonlight. This is an example of nature and the city being connected by the authors’ friendships.

In the poem “In Early Summer Lodging in a Temple to Enjoy the Moonlight” Po Chu-I used many techniques to connect the ideas of Taoism into his poem. He incorporated nature, friendship, and the city of Ch’ang-an. All of these techniques helped to create a poem that not only appeals to the imagination of the reader but also the complex problems of feeling unfulfilled with a disconnection with nature. Po Chu-I used all these techniques and created a perfect balance between nature, city living, and friendship. This conveys the balance that is taught in Taoism in Chinese culture.

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