108 t He Han Dy na s t y
about the evanescence of human existence: “Man’s life is as transient as a sojourn,
/ His frame is not as firm as metal or stone.” In the poems of the wandering man,
such depressing statements abound:Between heaven and earth is man’s life, 人生天地間 (rén shēng tiān dì jiān)
Rushing like a traveler with a long way
to go. 忽如遠行客 (hū rú yuăn xíng kè)
[Poem 3, lines 3–4; WX 29.1344]Man’s life does not reach a hundred years, 生年不滿百 (shēng nián bù măn băì)
Yet his heart is filled with the worries of a
thousand years. 常懷千嵗憂 (cháng huái qiān suì yōu)
[Poem 15, lines 1–2; WX 29.1349]Such philosophizing about human transience is not found in pre-Han poems.
Only in historical or philosophical writings before the Han do we come across
statements on the brevity of human life. But in the “Nineteen Old Poems,” such
statements occur with a frequency probably unrivaled by any other poetic collec-
tion and thus constitute a defining feature of the collection.
In the last part of poem 13, the speaker turns to a search for a solution to human
transience. He first dismisses the Confucian pursuit of ming (a name) as useless,
since even sages and all others of great name must die just as common people do.
Next he ridicules the popular Daoist practice of taking longevity drugs, declaring
that those taking such drugs will only shorten, if not end, their own lives. Finally,
he settles on the idea of carpe diem as the only sensible thing to do in this world.
So he exhorts himself and all others to seek the pleasure of fine wine and clothes.
This advocacy of carpe diem, too, abounds in the “Nineteen Old Poems”:Let this dipper of wine be our entertainment; 斗酒相娛樂 (dŏu jiŭ xiāng yú lè)
Little as it is, we do not think little of it. 聊厚不爲薄 (liáo hòu bù wéi bó)
[Poem 3, lines 5–6; WX 29.1344]The day is short and the night too long to bear 晝短苦夜長 (zhòu duăn kŭ yè cháng)
Why not take a candle and go out wandering? 何不秉燭遊 (hé bù bĭng zhú yóu)
Seek out pleasure while there’s time, 爲樂當及時 (wéi lè dāng jí shí)
How can we wait for next year? 何能待来兹 (hé néng dài lái zī)
Fools are those who grudge all expenses, 愚者愛惜費 (yū zhĕ ài xī fèi)
Only to be laughed at by later generations. 但爲後世嗤 (dàn wéi hòu shì chī)
[Poem 15, lines 3–8; WX 29.1349]This Chinese version of carpe diem seems to be a poetic rendering of the hedo-
nist ideas attributed to Yang Zhu (fl. third century b.C.e.):The myriad creatures are different in life but the same in death. In life they may
be worthy or stupid, honorable or humble. This is where they differ. In death