P e n ta s y l l a biC Sh i P oe t ry : l anD s C a P e anD Fa rm s t e aD P oe m s 1316 Bamboos glisten in frosted strength. 團欒潤霜質 (tuán luán rùn shuāng zhì)
The stream winds about, its water often losing its way, 澗委水屢迷 (jiàn wĕi shuĭ lǚ mí)
8 The forest stretched far, crags ever more dense. 林迥巖逾密 (lín jiŏng yán yú mì)
I looked westward, expecting the rising moon, 眷西謂初月 (juàn xī wèi chū yuè)
10 I gazed eastward, wondering about the setting sun. 顧東疑落日 (gù dōng yí luò rì)
I walked until evening, having stayed from dawn to dusk, 踐夕奄昏曙 (jàn xī yān hūn shŭ)
12 Even the most secluded spots have all become familiar. 蔽翳皆周悉 (bì yì jiē zhōu xī)
“Decay” at the top: best to serve no one at all, 蠱上貴不事 (gŭ shàng guì bú shì)
14 “Treading” in the second place: extol good fortune. 履二美貞吉 (lǚ èr mĕi zhēn jí)
A recluse will always walk a level step, 幽人常坦步 (yōu rén cháng tăn bù)
16 His lofty aims, so remote, are hard to match. 高尚邈難匹 (gāo shàng miăo nán pĭ)
A yes and a no—how far apart are they? 頤阿竟何端 (yí ē jìng hé duān)
18 In quietude, I entrust myself to all-embracing Unity. 寂寂寄抱一 (jì jì jì bào yī)
As tranquillity and knowledge conjoin, 恬如既已交 (tián rú jì yĭ jiāo)
20 From that point on, one’s nature begins to heal. 繕性自此出 (shàn xìng zì cĭ chū)
[XLYJJZ, 56]
One fruitful approach to a difficult text is to analyze first its structure and iden-
tify the function of its components. Modern scholars have described the struc-
tural pattern of Xie’s landscape poems as journey narration, scene description,
stirred emotion, and philosophical meditation. While this outline is not inaccu-
rate, it omits a place in the sequence for allusions to the Yijing (Book of Changes), a
recurrent source for citation in Xie’s works and an important key to understanding
his poetic practice. For Xie, the Yijing imitates, corresponds to, or represents in
microcosm the realm of heaven-and-earth. It is thus a handy guide to the ongoing
processes in the realm of heaven-and-earth, the study of which may aid people in
determining their actions. The relationship between the realms of heaven-and-
earth and human society, with the Yijing as mediator, is often duplicated in Xie’s
landscape poetry by the structural sequence of natural scenes, Yijing allusions, and
a decision on a new course of action.
The allusions in lines 13 and 14 require some explanation. Line 13 alludes to the
Top Yang of the hexagram Gu (Decay): “He does not serve kings and princes, / Sets
himself higher goals.”15 Line 14 is drawn from the Second Yang of the hexagram
Lü (Treading): “The path to tread on is level and smooth, and if one secluded here
practices constancy, he will have good fortune.”16 The allusions to the Yijing, taken
together, present a story of a man whose pursuits lie well beyond the fame and
wealth that officialdom has to offer. Prospects of worldly success do not seduce
this recluse, who constantly keeps to the level way, which has implications of both
the Dao and a path that is free from dangerous obstacles. To particularize the sig-
nificance of the allusions with regard to the poet’s situation, these lines may mean
that by not allowing the affairs of government to shackle him, the poet enjoys the
good fortune of visiting the gorgeous sites for which Yongjia is famous. They may
also be interpreted allegorically as political criticism: the decadent Emperor Shao