The Poetics of Sovereignty
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121. The “banner gate” refers to the flags set before the tent used by the ruler during tours and travels. See Zhou li zhushu, p. 38b, in Shisanjing zhushu, p. 676.
122. The zhangdian 帳殿, or “tent hall,” would be used by the ruler on military campaigns.
This practice is well-documented in Middle Eastern and Central Asian traditions. For example, see Atasoy, Otağ-I Hümayun.
123. The Hutuo River, which originates on Daxi Mountain 大
山 in Shanxi and flows
through western Hebei, is more commonly written with this character hu 滹. The allusion, if there is one, may be to the story of Feng Yi 馮異, who provided the hungry troops of Liu Xiu (later Han Guangwudi) with wheat, rice, and mallow, so that they could continue onwards across the Hutuo River. See Hou Han shu, 17.641.
124. Guandu 官渡 is the site (located in modern-day Henan) where Cao Cao defeated the
warlord Yuan Shao 袁紹 (d. 202). See Sanguo zhi, 1.17–19.
125. The phrase hongming 鴻名 was used by Sima Xiangru in his argument to Han Wudi that the time had come to perform the Feng and Shan sacrifices. See Shi ji, 117.3068; Han shu, 57B.2605. The phrase zheji 轍跡 is an allusion to a line from the Laozi, which reads:
“Perfectly good actions leave no ‘carriage-tracks’” 善行無轍迹. See Laozi jiaoshi, 27.107.
126. Here, “Yao of Tang” refers to Taizong.
127. The term “sagely blossom” ( ruizao 睿藻) is a metaphor for a literary composition by an emperor or empress.
128. “Heavenly sounds” here refers to the emperor’s poetry.
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The Significance of Court Poetry
All shared equally—together we drink of virtue,
平分共飲德，
“From these lands”—once more we hear the decree.
率土更聞詔。129
Chu Suiliang’s poem, in contrast to the first two matching poems, places a
greater emphasis on the account of the battle. The poem turns almost
immediately from the expected nod to the civilizing force ( meihua 美化)
of the Tang founding to the warfare that was rife throughout the land in
that time. He provides the description of the battle in couplets two and
three, alluding, like Yang Shidao, to Cinnabar Banks, but instead pairing
that site with Singing Branches (and not Ban Springs).
In the fourth couplet, Chu emerges from the scene of the past expedi-
tion to find himself at the present tour of inspection. The requisite de-
scriptions of the scenery, in couplets five, six, and seven, begin by praising
not the inherent beauty of nature, but the way in which the “banner gate
makes beautiful the frosty scene.” That is, nature is completed or per-
fected by the presence of the emperor. The courtier’s eye then sweeps
across the scene, from the tent-hall to the just-forming ice on the Hutuo
River and the withering willows of Guandu, to the watchfires and troops
on the border that flicker in and out of the mists.
In the eighth couplet, Chu picks up on the sentiment of life’s transi-
tory nature from Taizong’s poem. An “illustrious name” is what Sima
Xiangru claimed would be preserved by the performance of the Feng and
Shan when urging Han Wudi to carry out the august ceremonies, and
Chu deflates this promise by equating it with “tracks of carriages”—
ephemeral and insignificant traces. It is not possible to say exactly what
Chu’s opinion of the Feng and Shan was, though it is noteworthy that the
histories record him as urging Taizong not to perform the ritual in 641,
after the appearance of a baleful omen.130 In the absence of such an osten-
tatious ritual announcement, what Chu provides is instead a more sublime
form of praise: not to play the role of Shun, the originator of the Feng and
Shan rites, but that of Yao, who inaugurates the toponym of Tang.
—————
129. The beginning of this line, “From these lands,” is an abbreviated allusion to the poem
“North Mountains” in the Classic of Poetry: “From these lands to the borders, no one is not the king’s subject” 率土之濱，莫非王臣. See Mao Shi zhengyi, 13.1.195b, in Shisanjing zhushu, p. 463.
130. Jiu Tang shu, 80.2729; and Xin Tang shu, 105.4025.
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The Significance of Court Poetry
255
Chu then praises Taizong’s poem, which he refers to as “sagely blos-
soms” and “music of Heaven,” calling attention to the succession of wu by
wen. If the heavenly music of the emperor’s poem is what brings harmony
to the realm, then this harmony is reflected in the last couplet, which cel-
ebrates the just division of all resources and pleasures among the ruler’s
subjects and affirms the political unity of the empire. The problem here is
that the ending allusion to “North Mountain” (from Classic of Poetry) is ra-
ther unfortunate when the poem is taken as a whole, since the narrator of
the ancient poem is issuing a complaint against the unjust burden of re-
sponsibility that he alone must shoulder. If Chu is hoping to proclaim the
single-heartedness of the court, he has made a poor choice with his allusion.
The fourth poet, Xu Jingzong, was another southerner and a strong
supporter of various literary and historical projects during the Zhenguan
era. However, Xu is now generally remembered as a corrupt and grasping
minister, hounded by accusations of historiographic dishonesty in com-
piling Taizong’s record and blamed for his role, as the major powerbroker
of Wu Zetian’s court, in Zhangsun Wuji’s political demise, banishment,
and suicide, among other nefarious acts.131 His poem reads:
Presented by His Subject, Xu Jingzong, Secretariat on the Right of the
Heir Apparent, Dynasty-Founding Baron of Gaoyang District, and
Hongwen Academician
太子右庶子高陽縣開國男弘文館學士臣許敬宗上132
After the Primordium was split into the Great Images,
混元分大象，133
—————
131. For Xu’s biography, see Jiu Tang shu, 82.2761–65; and Xin Tang shu, 223A.6335–39. For an overview of his role in facilitating Wu Zetian’s rise to power and his support for her at court, see Twitchett and Wechsler, “Kao-tsung (Reign 649–83) and the Empress Wu,” pp.
247–57.
132. Xu Jingzong’s matching poem is preserved in the Wenyuan yinghua, 170.822a; and Quan Tang shi, 35.462–63.
133. The term hunyuan 混元 generally refers to the undifferentiated primordium out of which Heaven and Earth emerged. For example, Ruan Ji 阮籍 (210–63), in the fortieth of his “Singing of My Thoughts” 詠懷 poems, opens with the following couplet: “The Primordium produced the Two Principles, / The Four Images transit across the Dipper” 混
元生兩儀，四象運衡璣. See Xian Qin Han Wei Jin Nanbeichao shi, p. 504. The da-
xiang 大象 here probably refer not to the sixiang 四象 of Ruan Ji’s poem (which are the four seasons), but rather another meaning of sixiang, which is the four types of celestial 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
Your mighty whip drove off the great leviathan.
長策挫脩鯨。134
On this place was established the north star’s axis,
於斯建宸極，135
At this moment was inaugurated the illustrious name.
由此創鴻名。
With one battle, the empire was made peaceful,
一戎乾宇泰，
With a thousand offerings, virtue flowed clear.
千祀德流清。
Robes hanging slack: the multitude of tasks are settled.
垂衣凝庶績，136
Upright with hands folded: the masses of people are
端拱鑄群生。
cultivated.
Once again we ready the carriage to Jasper Pool,
復整瑤池駕，137
Turning around, we visit the encampment at Guandu.
還臨官渡營。
We roam all over, searching out traces of yesteryear,
周遊尋曩迹，
We gaze broadly, stirred by the Son of Heaven’s care.
曠望動天情。138
The curtain-palace faces the Cinnabar Banks,
帷宮面丹浦，
The tent-hall looks towards the walls of Yuan.
帳殿矚宛城。139
—————
bodies: the sun, moon, stars, and planets. Hengji 衡璣 refers to the Dipper stars Alioth (Yuheng 玉衡) and Phecda (Tianji 天璣).
134. The term “mighty whip” is often used as a metaphor for military power and momentum. Jia Yi uses it in his “Faults of Qin” 過秦論: “And down to the time of the King of Qin [the First Emperor], who inherited the patrimony of six generations—he cracked his mighty whip and drove all within the world” 及至秦王，續六世之餘烈，振長策而御
宇內. In Quan Han wen, 16.5b, in Quan Shanggu Sandai Qin Han Sanguo Liuchao wen, p.
217a. The term xiujing 脩鯨 is a variation of xiukun 脩鯤, a mythical, enormous fish-like creature.
135. The term chenji 宸極, which refers to the pole star, also serves as a metaphor for the sovereign.
136. “Robes hanging slack” is a familiar metonymy for ruling through non-action ( wuwei).
The phrase shuji 庶績 is taken from the “Canon of Yao”; see Shang shu zhengyi, 2.8.a, in Shisanjing zhushu, p. 120.
137. Jasper Pool was the famous site where the Queen Mother of the West received King Mu of Zhou. See note 36 of this chapter.
138. Tian qing 天情 may also refer to “principles or intentions of Heaven” ( Tian li 天理
or Tian yi 天意), but here it seems to refer to the Son of Heaven’s feelings of care and grace for his subjects ( Tianzi zhi enqing 天子之恩情).
139. Yuan 宛 was a city in ancient Chu, now located in modern-day Henan. During the
Warring States, Yuan was famed for its iron production and was thus of military importance. See Shi ji, 23.1164. More significant, however, for this poem, may be the fact that in the Han dynasty, Yuan was the capital of Nanyang, the home commandery of Han
Guangwudi. For the role of the Nanyang clans in the restoration of the Han dynasty, see Bielenstein, “Wang Mang,” pp. 244–47, 275–79.
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The Significance of Court Poetry
257
On the villains’ lands are perched wheat of “nine ears,”
虜場栖九穟，140
The prior song may serve to accompany “Six Blossoms.” 前歌被六英。141
From the battlefield gushes forth sweetwater springs,
戰地甘泉涌，
On the sites of combat are born auspicious clouds.
陣處景雲生。142
All under Heaven are touched by your gracious
普天沾凱澤，
beneficence,
Each supporting the other, we delight in praising the
相携欣頌平。
age of great peace.
Xu Jingzong’s poem begins with cosmological imagery and proceeds to
deal with the battle briefly, mentioning it in only the second line of the
poem (“Your mighty whip drove off the great leviathan”). Unlike Zhang-
sun Wuji and Chu Suiliang, Xu does not weigh in on the performance of
the Feng and Shan, but instead simply cites the phrase “illustrious name”
to describe the Tang founding. The rest of the poem is set in the present
moment, as the poet surveys the battlefield.
In the fourth couplet, Xu describes Taizong as a sagely ruler whose
robes hang slack and whose hands remain folded, constructing a conven-
tional image of wuwei, “non-action.” Yet the rhetoric of sagely rulership is troubled by Xu’s mention of the Jasper Pool, a site that evokes the heedless pleasures of King Mu of the Zhou in the arms of the Queen Mother
of the West. The phrase fu zheng 復整 (“once again we ready”) in the
fifth couplet suggests that the imperial carriage has already visited the
Queen Mother of the West and is being readied for another visit, but the
huan lin 還臨 (“turning around”) of the next line might be taken as a re-
consideration and rejection of what another visit to Jasper Pool might
signify. The problem resides in the ambiguity of the xunshou, the ritual
tour of inspection, which can either serve to proclaim the dedication of a
ruler such as Shun or the restlessness and irresponsibility of a ruler such as
—————
140. “Nine ears” is an abbreviation of the phrase, “On each stalk, nine ears” 一莖九穗.
This was one of the auspicious signs that appeared when the future Han Guangwudi was born. See Hou Han shu, 1B.86.
141. The “prior song” refers to Taizong’s poem, but may also refer to the poems presented before Xu Jingzong’s own composition. “Six Blossoms” 六英, or 六韺, is the name of a song
attributed to Di Ku, the third of the Five Thearchs and legendary progenitor of the Shang ancestral lineage. See Sui shu, 13.286. It is identified as “Five Blossoms” in Han shu, 22.1038.
142. For an early use of the phrase “auspicious clouds” ( jingyun 景雲), see Huainan honglie jijie, 3.83.
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The Significance of Court Poetry
King Mu—and his later tropological reincarnations in Qin Shihuang,
Han Wudi, and Sui Yangdi. At the same time, however, it is also possible
to take Xu’s allusion to Jasper Pool in a more positive light: namely, that
Taizong may rightfully enjoy himself in such rarefied pleasures, since, un-
like King Mu, he has fulfilled his duties and successfully brought peace to
the empire. This latter reading accords with the poet’s use of auspicious
imagery in the eighth couplet. Xu notes how the former lands of Xue Ju are
now covered with an auspicious crop of “nine-eared wheat” and flatters
Taizong by saying how the “prior song” may serve as a matching song or
companion piece to “Six Blossoms,” a song from the sagely courts of old.
In considering as a group the poems by Zhangsun Wuji, Yang Shidao,
Chu Suiliang, and Xu Jingzong, we find that they all begin with retellings
of the period of the Tang founding and consolidation. There is a metalep-
tic logic at play here, as the poets attribute to Xue Ju’s defeat the remote
cause that has led to the present age of peace and prosperity under Tai-
zong. The trope of metalepsis allows Taizong and his court to diminish
the role of Tang Gaozu, who appears only as t
he unnamed authority be-
hind the command to attack Xue Ju, as well as erasing the more troubling
and complex set of circumstances that actually led to Taizong’s coup d’état
at Xuanwu Gate. If the illegitimate violence of the Xuanwu Gate Incident
must be suppressed from the memory of the court, the legitimate violence
of Taizong’s victory will serve as its substitute. To this end, Yang Shidao,
Chu Suiliang, and Xu Jingzong all hearken back to the founding narra-
tives of sagely violence, and in particular, to the stories of the Yellow
Thearch, who was charged with the punishment of those who had of-
fended the justice of Heaven. The model of the Yellow Thearch demon-
strates that military violence is the necessary prelude to sagely government,
that cultural enlightenment is established on the basis of martial events.
Shangguan Yi’s Matching Poem
The last figure, Shangguan Yi, stands out among this group as the only
one to be recognized in traditional literary history as a significant poet,
and in many ways, deserves to be considered separately.143 Shangguan was
—————
143. On Shangguan Yi’s role in the development of Tang poetry, see Wang Meng’ou, Chu Tang shixue zhushu kao, pp. 19–31.
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The Significance of Court Poetry
259
a northerner and a favored literary companion of Taizong. Among these
courtiers, Shangguan Yi was the most junior, but he was already known as
a man of great literary talent. The Jiu Tang shu records that,
From time to time, Taizong regularly enjoyed poetic composition, and each time,
he sent for Yi to look over his drafts, and moreover, he frequently commanded Yi
to write matching poems. In general, when there was a banquet, Yi always was in-
vited to join it.
時太宗雅好屬文，每遣儀視草，又多令繼和，凡有宴集，儀嘗預