The Poetics of Sovereignty
Page 44
方陪東覲禮，104
to the “eastern ceremony of audience,”
Offering the jade bi, I would wait in attendance upon
奉璧侍雲亭。105
the Yun and Ting peaks.
Zhangsun Wuji, in his poem, turns from the recounting of the battle in
the first three couplets to the depiction of a peaceful empire in the rest of
the composition, showing how military violence gives way to the spread of
civilization. The fourth couplet is the pivot from the violence of war to a
new peace: “Before, your mood cracked lightning and thunder, / And
now, your feelings bestow rain and dew.” Righteous anger gives way to
imperial grace, just as the virtues of wu must be succeeded by the virtues
of wen. In the next couplet, Zhangsun notes how the old sites of battle are
now covered with human settlements and the flourishing of nature, a flat-
tering response to Taizong’s desire to see the tracks of the battle. If “no
—————
enemy. For an example of the former, see Bao Zhao, “Rhapsody on the Dancing Cranes”
舞鶴賦, in Wen xuan, 14.632; for the latter, see Song shu, 84.2136.
101. “Rainbow pennants” were silk pennants of five colors used in standard imperial insignia.
102. Though there is a “Goose Pass Mountain” 雁塞山 in Liangzhou, here the term refers
in general to northern mountain passes.
103. The “dragon city” refers here to the Tang capital of Chang’an.
104. Jinli 覲禮 originally named the ceremonial of audience between the Son of Heaven and the feudal lords but was later used generally to refer to imperial audiences. The ritual is detailed in two sections of the Yili zhushu 儀禮注疏, 26B.143c–27.152a, in Shisanjing zhushu, pp. 1089–96. Here, Zhangsun is alluding to the sage-king Shun, who performed sacrifices at Daizong (Mount Tai) and then held audience ( si jin 肆覲) with the eastern lords. See Shang shu zhengyi, 3.15b, in Shisanjing zhushu, p. 127.
105. “Offering the jade bi” is an allusion to the story of Bian He’s jade disk, which Qin sought to get from Zhao in exchange for fifteen cities. As Qin was stronger than Zhao, the king of Zhao could not refuse. Lin Xiangru 藺相如 promised that he would take the disk
to Qin in exchange for the fifteen cities, and if Qin was not sincere, that he would bring the disk safely back to Zhao. See Shi ji, 81.2439–42. The phrase fengbi was later used to mean bringing something back to its rightful place. It would appear that Zhangsun is comparing himself to Lin Xiangru. Yun 云 refers to Yunyun 云云 and Ting 亭 to Tingting 亭亭, the names of peaks in the vicinity of Mount Tai where the ancient kings supposedly performed the Feng and Shan sacrifices. See Shi ji, 28.1361.
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The Significance of Court Poetry
249
old traces” can be seen, it is because the emperor’s grace has allowed the
signs of war—charred earth, broken weapons, and human detritus—to
give way to the scenery’s pristine beauty, which Zhangsun describes in the
sixth and seventh couplets.
Turning to the eighth and ninth couplets, Zhangsun’s poem reintro-
duces the imperial presence, now in the form of the inspection tour’s pro-
gress back to the capital. The last couplet, while unremarkable in a literary
sense, carries considerable historical resonance. Zhangsun first alludes to
the eastern audience ceremonials of Shun and then suggests that the time
has come for Taizong to perform the Feng and Shan sacrifices, the grand
announcement to Heaven and Earth that an era of peace had begun. As it
would turn out, Zhangsun would soon become one of the most reliable
court voices in support of Taizong carrying out the Feng and Shan sacri-
fices. At the beginning of the very next year, in 631, the histories record
that the court would request that the emperor carry out the Feng and
Shan, though Taizong would refuse with a handwritten decree ( shou zhao
手詔).106 Taizong was, of course, cognizant of the significance of the Feng
and Shan, which, prior to the Tang, had only been performed three times
in imperial history, and in his later years, sought actively to gain the con-
sensus of the court so that he might become the fourth celebrant of the
august ritual. Zhangsun’s poem (knowingly or unknowingly) is an early
rhetorical salvo in the later court debates over the appropriateness of the
Feng and Shan, and as a courtier, he is able to articulate the kinds of com-
parisons that Taizong himself would never be able to speak. While it is
epideictic convention to compare Taizong favorably with a sage-king such
as the Yellow Thearch in praising a military victory, the overlaying of the
acts of Shun on Taizong’s own deeds is quite another matter. Taizong is
not simply “like” Shun; he is Shun reborn to the Tang.
The second poet, Yang Shidao, from the Shaanxi region, was married
to the Changguang Princess 長廣公主 (one of Gaozu’s daughters, also
known as the Guiyang Princess 桂陽公主). Yang was known for his liter-
ary ability and skill in calligraphy.107 His poem reads:
—————
106. Jiu Tang shu, 3.41; and Zizhi tongjian, 193.6086. For the translated text of the decree, see Chapter 7, where the significance of the handwritten decree is also discussed.
107. For Yang’s biography, see Jiu Tang shu, 62.2383–84; and Xin Tang shu, 100.3927–28.
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250
The Significance of Court Poetry
Presented by His Subject, Yang Shidao, Chamberlain for Ceremonials,
Commander-Escort, and Dynasty-Founding Duke of Ande
Commandery 太常卿駙馬都尉安德郡開國公臣楊師道上
The phoenix annals had just received the augural register, 鳳紀初膺籙，108
And the dragon visage, in days past, was in the fields.
龍顏昔在田。109
Sounding shrines lean on the cliffs of Longzhou,
鳴祠憑隴嶂，
Summoned rain steals into the streams of the Jing.
召雨竊涇川。110
When you got the command, you awed Cinnabar Banks,
受律威丹浦，111
—————
108. The term “phoenix record” ( fengji 鳳紀)—or, more commonly, “phoenix calendar”
( fengli 鳳曆)—denotes the customary recalibration of the imperial calendar at the start of a new reign. The Zuo zhuan relates the story of the appearance of a phoenix omen at the moment the ancient king Shaohao had been installed. Because of the auspicious sign, Shaohao proclaimed his people to be people of the phoenix and began his calendar from that moment.
See Zuo zhuan, Duke Zhao, 17th year / Chunqiu Zuozhuan zhu, p. 1387. On the significance of the bird totem, see Lewis, Writing and Authority in Early China, p. 46. Lu 籙 or “augural register” is, according to Michael Saso, “the list of loyal officials in the visible world and the list of subordinate or helpful spirits in the invisible world.” See Saso, “What Is the ‘Ho-t’u’?”
p. 408.
109. The “dragon visage” originally referred to the distinctive features of Han Gaozu, but has since become a standard figure for the emperor. The image of the dragon in the fields is a reference to the commentary on the hexagram “Qian” 乾: “When one sees the dragon in the
fields, one will be blessed
with seeing the great man” 見龍在田，利見大人. Later, the
phrase li jian 利見 was used in courtly language to denote being favored with an imperial audience. It is likely that Yang also intends to allude to a later sentence in the commentary:
“When one sees the dragon in the fields, all under Heaven will receive cultural enlightenment” 見龍在田，天下文明. See Zhou yi zhengyi, 1.4b–4c, in Shisanjing zhushu, p. 16.
110. “Summoned rain” may refer to the legendary battle between Chiyou 蚩尤 and the Yellow Thearch, in which the arch-rebel Chiyou “requested the Wind Earl and the Rain Master” 請風伯雨師 to aid him. The Yellow Thearch, in response, summoned the Celestial
Woman Ba 天女魃—a drought spirit—and stopped Chiyou’s storms. However, Ba could
not re-ascend to Heaven, thus creating droughts wherever she went. Rain rituals would thus have to be performed. See Yuan Ke, ed. and annot., Shanhai jing jiaozhu, 17.430. This passage is translated in Lewis, Sanctioned Violence in Early China, p. 182. Also see Lewis, The Flood Myths of Early China, pp. 67–68. The phrasing zhao yu is used in another version of the Chiyou story, preserved in Li Fang et al., comps., Taiping guangji, 56.345.
111. The Wen xuan commentator Li Shan, in a note on a poem by Shen Yue, says that the sage-king Yao and the Youmiao 有苗 tribe fought on the banks of the Cinnabar River. See Wen xuan, 20.972. The battle with the Miao people, however, is more commonly identified with the Yellow Thearch. As Mark Edward Lewis notes, the “Punishments of Prince Lü” 呂刑 chapter of the Classic of Documents relates how the Miao invented punishments but had no legal system, and thus offended Heaven by blurring the difference between punishment and crime. See Lewis, Sanctioned Violence in Early China, pp. 196–97.
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The Significance of Court Poetry
251
When you raised the troops, you shook Ban Springs.
揚兵震阪泉。112
Halting the use of spears, you laid a foundation for
止戈基此地，
this
land,
Taking hold of the tally, you crashed against this year.
握契硉斯年。113
The carriage reins transport the autumn scenery,
六轡乘秋景，114
The three-sided battu covers the broad fields.
三驅被廣
。115
Frozen reed-pipes pierce the morning, whistling,
凝笳入曉囀，
Departing wings mix with the wind, suspended above.
析羽雜風懸。
The clouds of the borderlands enfold the setting sun,
塞雲銜落日，
The cities of the passes convey the broken smoke.
關城帶斷煙。
The turning carriage ascends the former ramparts,
迴輿登故壘，
At imperial stations, we think upon wilderness roads.
駐蹕想荒阡。
The years and months are already in the distant past,
歲月方悠敻，
But the divine achievement is now even brighter.
神功逾赫然。
Your worthless servant hopes for appointment
微臣願奉職，
To instruct in the rites before the kingfisher banner.
導禮翠華前。116
In comparison to Zhangsun’s poem, the ending of Yang Shidao’s poem, in
which the poet takes on the role of an office-seeker, is somewhat trite,
even ungraceful, conjuring an image of obsequiousness ill-matched to a
person of Yang’s position and rank. The poem as a whole, however, is a
better example of courtly rhetoric, describing the scenery through elegant
substitutions and ornamental diction.
After opening with praise for the founding of the dynasty, Yang turns,
in the second couplet, to take note of the “sounding shrines” ( ming ci 鳴祠)
above the Longzhou cliffs and the “summoned rain” ( zhao yu 召雨) that
slips invisibly into the Jing River. The shrines stand where there was once
—————
112. Ban Springs was where the legendary battle between the Yellow Thearch and Yandi 炎帝 (Fiery Thearch) took place. See Shi ji, 1.3. The Nan shi, in its annals of Liang Yuandi, also links the sites of the Cinnabar River and Ban Springs; see Nan shi, 5.126.
113. The word lu 硉 is often used in the image of waves crashing against an object or one another. Here, it refers to Taizong taking up arms against Xue Ju.
114. That is, the six reins of the carriage.
115. On the translation of sanqu 三驅 as “three-sided battu,” see Chapter 4, note 125. I am taking the rare character chan here as a variant for the more common character 廛, which fits both the meaning and the rhyme scheme.
116. The kingfisher banner was part of the insignia of the imperial procession and tours of inspection. Sima Xiangru also uses this image in “Rhapsody on the Imperial Park”; see Shi ji, 117.3038; Han shu, 57A.2569; and Wen xuan, 8.374.
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The Significance of Court Poetry
warfare, and the sounds of their bells and prayers are answered, resulting in
the rain that falls invisibly into the river. There is a possible allusion here to
the legendary battle between the Yellow Thearch and Chiyou, as the latter
had command over rain and wind, only to be defeated by the sagely ruler
who summoned a drought spirit. The sight of rain on the Jing leads Yang to
think of Cinnabar Banks and Ban Springs, which introduces the proper
theme of Taizong’s victory, elaborated in couplets three and four. By the
fifth couplet, however, Yang has conflated the past scenes with the present,
describing the passing autumnal scenery as “transported” ( cheng 乘) in the
carriage and imagining the imperial procession as deployed in a “three-
sided battu” formation. The sixth and seventh couplets return to the de-
scriptions of scenery at which Yang excels. In the eighth and ninth couplets,
he notes how the passage of time may have left ruined earthworks, but this
desolate scene of the past only makes the present seem all the more glorious.
The third poet, Chu Suiliang, a southerner, was a talented historian
known for his calligraphy. Though his position at this point was less dis-
tinguished, Chu would rise to the office of Secretariat Director 中書令 at
the end of Taizong’s reign.117 His poem reads:
Presented by His Subject, Chu Suiliang, Concurrent Gentleman
of the Palace Gate and Hongwen Academician
兼黃門侍郎弘文館學士臣上
When the royal achievement had first begun its
王功先美化，
civilizing
transformation,
The empire’s borders were rife with battles and war.
帝略蘊戎昭。118
Fish-pair formations entered Cinnabar Banks,
魚驪入丹浦，119
A “dragon-war” erupted at Singing Branches.
龍戰起鳴條。120
—————
117. For Chu’s biography, see Jiu Tang shu, 80.2729–39; and Xin Tang shu, 105.4024–30.
118. The phrase rongzhao 戎昭 comes from the Zuo zhuan, though it was not used as a compound in its original context. See Zuo zhuan, Duke Xuan, 2nd year / Chunqiu Zuo zhuan zhu, p. 651.
119. The “fish-pair” battle formation is mentioned in the Zuo zhuan. In his commentary, Du Yu defines this as a formation of twenty-f
ive chariots followed by five-man infantry squadrons whose job it is to protect against gaps between the chariots. See Zuo zhuan, Duke Huan 桓公, 5th year / Chunqiu Zuo zhuan zhu, p. 105.
120. The phrase “dragon-war” was first used to describe the struggle between the forces of yin and yang. See Zhou yi zhengyi, 1.6c, in Shisanjing zhushu, p. 18. Here, it refers more This content downloaded from 129.174.21.5 on Sat, 20 Jul 2019 13:01:49 UTC
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The Significance of Court Poetry
253
Before the long sword, the starlight faltered,
長劍星光落，
Through the tall banners, the moon’s image rippled.
高旗月影飄。
Before, we went to suppress the formidable bandits,
昔往摧勍寇，
Now, we tour on inspection, playing the short reeds.
今巡奏短簫。
The banner gate makes beautiful the frosty scene,
旌門麗霜景，121
The tent-hall encloses the autumn whirlwinds.
帳殿含秋飈。122
The ice of the Hutuo River has not yet joined,
呼沱冰未結，123
The willows of Guandu have just begun to wither.
官渡柳初凋。124
Watchfires on the border at dusk are curled by fog,
邊烽夕霧卷，
Troops at the passes by dawn vanish in the clouds.
關陣曉雲銷。
Illustrious names are all just “tracks of carriages,”
鴻名兼轍跡，125
Attained sages bow their heads before Yao of Tang.
至聖俯唐堯。126
The “sagely blossom” outshines the rosy clouds,
睿藻烟霞煥，127
“Music of Heaven” harmonizes the gong and yu notes.
天聲宮羽調。128
—————
generally to the battle between two rivals for possession of the empire. Singing Branches is the name of the site where Tang, founding king of the Shang, fought and defeated the tyrannical last Xia ruler Jie. It is supposedly located either east of Fengqiu in modern-day Henan or near Yuncheng in Shanxi.