r e C e n t-s t y l e Sh i P oe t ry : quat ra i n s 221wai zhi yi), “flavor beyond flavor” (weiwai zhi wei), and “lines that end but meaning
that does not end” (ju jue yi bujue)—all clearly refer to strong closure.
The closure functions akin to the way musical phrasing can create an emotional
response. Let us first consider how semantic rhythm contributes to closure. While
there are no strict rules for this aspect, frequently jueju poets present patterns of
the final trisyllables in the four lines, which aid closure. For example, in “Quiet
Night Thoughts,” both lines in the first couplet end (2 + 1), while both lines in the
second couplet end (1 + 2). Closure is particularly evident in “Lament of the Jade
Stairs” and “Red Cliff.” In both poems, the lines in the first couplet end (1 + 2).
Line 3 changes to (2 + 1), while line 4 returns to (1 + 2) and the familiar pattern.
Jueju rhyming schemes, whether xAxA or AAxA, also help to create closure.
In the former, rhyming characters are present at the end of each couplet, but the
reader or listener experiences the rhyme only once—at the very end. The repetition
of couplet structure and the rhyme integrate the two halves and complete a stable
pattern, engendering a gratifying sense of closure. AAxA also leads to closure, but
in a different way. The ringing of the rhyme in line 2 marks the first couplet as a
seemingly finished unit. The poem in a sense starts again in line 3, and the reader
or listener has a certain expectation that the second half will follow the pattern of
the first. The omission of the rhyme in line 3 then presents a disquieting break in
the sequence. However, the return to the familiar rhyme in line 4 confirms the
original pattern and unites the two couplets.
It is also revealing to consider the tonal patterns in terms of closure of both
couplets and entire quatrains. Since the patterning is determined by the opposi-
tion of tones two syllables at a time, and because the lines have an odd number of
characters, maximum contrast within the single line will always be imperfect. Only
when two lines with exactly opposite tonal patterns are combined does the prosody
balance perfectly. The reader or listener perceives the completion of the couplet
structure, confirming expectations created by the ongoing sequence.
The tonal alternation of two couplets again emphasizes closure. Remember
that the various line combinations result in only two standard couplets. In xAxA
rhymed quatrains, one of each is required, yielding either standard type I or stan-
dard type II. Consider the resulting structures from the perspective of the reader
or listener. The first couplet presents a unified and complete prosodic structure
of maximum tonal contrast. Yet, rather than repeating the pattern, line 3 begins a
different pattern; only when line 4 is finished does it become apparent that the sec-
ond couplet also presents a structure of maximum tonal contrast. The two couplets
affirm an identical structural principle but do so in different ways. The revelation
of this dual quality of sameness within difference and difference within sameness
creates closure. Put another way, it is because the pattern of the second couplet
differs and yet follows the same principle that closure is ensured: if both couplets
used the same pattern, the prosody would be merely repetitive, and no ending
point would be implied.
When the rhyming scheme is AAxA, the prosody indicates closure in a some-
what different way. In the variant patterns types Ia and IIa, the first couplet does