134 t He siX Dy na s t i e s
posed in line 11: “‘Releasing’ and making bring about what ends?” The allusions
to the Yijing mark unequivocal changes in both the style and the perspective of the
poem. The description of the landscape that precedes the allusions is written with
a grand scope and robust style, while the descriptions that follow have a touch of
subtlety and delicacy. The lines preceding the allusions (lines 1–10) contain sub-
lime scenes of mountains and waters, in which the season is not discernible. They
contrast with the scenes of minute springtime detail, such as the purple buds of
new rushes and the green skin of early bamboo, which appear after the allusions.
This difference in perspective coincides with yet another set of stylistic changes.
In roughly the first half of the poem, we find the antithetical binaries of dawn and
dusk, dark path and bright island, and trees below and torrents above. In the lines
that follow the allusions, we note the complementary pairs of early bamboo and
newborn rushes and springtime shore and mild wind. This shift from antitheti-
cal to complementary parallelism seems to correspond to an increase in intimacy
between the poet and nature. The appearance of the Yijing allusions (lines 11–12)
marks the beginning of the poet’s union with nature, which is revealed in his
understanding and appreciation of its workings (lines 13–18). That the allusions
appear immediately before the passage revealing the harmony between the poet
and his natural surroundings, moreover, suggests that the Yijing serves as a cata-
lyst to this union.
The poet’s engagement with nature is further specified in the last four lines of
the poem. The absence of a like-minded companion may be a source of personal
regret for the poet. But the possibility that the principles (li) recorded in the Yi-
jing and manifested in the natural world might go unappreciated (in the sense of
both admiring and grasping) is a concern that assumes precedence over individual
want. The poet has made it his task not only to enjoy but also to probe into nature’s
workings. For Xie, nature is not merely a source of sensuous pleasure but the em-
bodiment of the Dao. The contemplation of natural landscapes may thus lead the
viewer to enlightenment.
Certain formal features of the poem augment its semantic points. For example,
each of the lines describing springtime growth and activity (lines 13–16) contains
a shiyan (verse eye), a masterfully employed word (often a verb) that animates the
entire line, hence providing a focal point (thematic table of contents 4.2). The
characters bao (enwrap) and han (hold) imply a gentle hold that is appropriate to
the handling of delicate new growth. The verbs xi (sport) and nong (play with)
render the subjects dynamic: seagulls are not merely seeking food on the vernal
shore, ascending and descending according to the tides carrying their bounty, but
sporting with it; pheasants are not simply brushing the temperate wind, flapping
their wings as if to take flight, but playing with it. It is little wonder that critics have
long marveled at Xie’s use of verse eyes in his landscape poems, which ingeniously
enliven the scenes described.
In addition to actual landscapes, symbolic ones in some cases may become the
site for meditations on the way of life. In “Climbing the Lakeside Tower,” the bi-
nary of retirement versus service underlies the entire poem: