futility of human existence in general; and also the sense of conviviality,
as in sharing stories over a campfire. Echoing the aforementioned
discussion of the poet’s trade, this depiction of the vagabonds
swapping their directions is the kernel of Zheng’s bittersweet cogita-
tions over the vagaries of life (Cf. Wong 1979: 274–275). Zheng has
moved beyond the specific personal trajectory of his own life, and
beyond even the historical reality of Chinese society in the twentieth
century, to opine upon the nature of the human condition in all its
frailties. We are all vagabonds, Zheng would argue, in the sojourn of
life. This point is accentuated by the bizarre image of the camels with
“fate” hanging from their necks and the tearful loneliness of the
travelers riding them. Why would the image be so somber if not for
the uncultured, infirm and, perhaps, hostile territory in which our
lonely lives are thrown? But Zheng is not despondent. He appeals to
the rustic yet convivial image of the vagabonds cooking around a
campfire, eating and drinking together in a makeshift attempt to
create the semblance of home out in the wild, “uncouth” Ñterrain in
which the poem is set.
The last poem under discussion was written slightly later than the
previous four. This poem, entitled “Borderline Bar” øù酒Ò,extends
to a degree themes from the previous poems. The previous poem refers
to a bar. Drinking is clearly a favorite theme of Zheng’s. That poem
takes place in a remote, wild, or, as I have worded it, “uncouth”
venue. “Borderline Bar,” while not containing the conviviality of the
former, nevertheless does feature drink and song. Yet the poem is even
more solitary than early poems of Zheng that I have discussed, such as
“Error.” In “Error,” there is evidence of at least a potential relation-
ship between the speaker and an unknown “you,” articulated in the
form of an apostrophe. In this poem, however, there is no indication
whatsoever of any kind of communion, be it between supposed lovers
or between drinking companions. The poem is instead preoccupied
with the issue of borders and border crossing. In traditional Chinese
culture and thinking, borders are viewed as unsafe places. Political or
State borders are naturally dangerous in that they can represent the
delineation between two political entities that are antagonistic to one
other. Even in friendly situations, the border nevertheless denotes the
difference between one’s territory and another’s. Even if two such enti-
ties were on the best of terms, there must be some need for such a
delimitation, and this international delimitation is generally dealt with
cautiously. But more deeply than this, borders of all sorts exist on
many different levels and are consistently treated with the utmost care
in the Chinese reckoning, not just in the political sense. They represent
Zheng Chouyu and Lyric Poetry 41