by Chen Jack W
Master’s comment on the Confucian arts is now bound to the problematic
relationship between the sovereign and his sensual desires.
Taizong’s concluding statement attempts to settle the problem by fi-
liating his preface to the most famous poetic preface of all, the Mao
“Great Preface,” and its canonical definition of poetry. Taizong ends by
saying, “Thus, I have transmitted ‘The Imperial Capital Poems’ in order
to make clear my elegant aims.”93 Yet, even here, we see the distance be-
tween Taizong’s claim of poetic directness and the theory of poetry ex-
pounded in the Mao “Great Preface.” It is his “elegant aims” 雅志 that
Taizong seeks to transmit, his literary or cultured intentions. However,
the “Great Preface” does not differentiate between literary and non-
—————
93. This term yazhi 雅志 could also be translated as “constant aims,” as it is often used in the dynastic histories. In that case, ya 雅 is yasu 雅俗, or “usual,” “general,” or “ordinary.” However, I think it is more natural to read this as an expression of literary refinement. For example, Xiao Gang uses the phrase in his yuefu poem, “Chang’an Has Narrow Lanes” 長安有狹
斜: “When all three [sons] take their rest-leaves, together entering the house, / their elegant aims stir up the fine dust” 三息俱入門，雅志揚清塵. See Yuefu shiji, 35.516.
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On “The Imperial Capital Poems”
359
literary intentions, since the concept of zhi 志 refers to the essence of a
person’s character, what that person has most intently on the mind re-
gardless of whether he or she wants to let it be known by others. Taizong’s
“elegant aims” reveal a consciousness of the poetic medium, a qualifying
and bending of the self to suit the form or the discourse.
The question of what is being represented is now at stake, since the
path from poem to person is no longer a direct one, but one mediated
through literariness, by the history of literary elegance and prior literary
representations. This will emerge as a central problem in “The Imperial
Capital Poems,” since the aims of poetry are not always the aims of moral
discourse. Poetry has its own logic, its own history of resonances and ech-
oes, and these can lead the ostensibly moralizing project astray. I turn now
to the first piece in the poem-cycle:
Poem One
Qinchuan lends heroism to the imperial residence,
秦川雄帝宅，
Hangu Pass gives strength to the august dwelling.
函谷壯皇居。94
Ornate halls rise up thousands of yards,
綺殿千尋起，
Detached palaces rise up hundreds of yards,
離宮百雉餘。95
Linked rafters remotely reach the Milky Way,
連甍遙接漢，
Flying watchtowers distantly cross into the void.
飛觀迥凌虛。
Clouds and sun hide in the tiered gatetowers,
雲日隱層闕，
Wind and mists emerge from the ornate latticework. 風煙出綺疏。
Taizong represents the imperial capital as if from a distance, creating a
scene that conveys a sense of the grandeur and majesty of the sovereign’s
residence. It is immediately clear that the speaker, displaced by the de-
scription of the capital, is not present in the scene. This is significant be-
cause the poetics of significance worked on the model of the poem as the
speaker’s aims ( zhi), as directly presenting the poet’s thoughts and feel-
ings so that the reader (or listener) could know what was in the heart of
the writer. Here, the absence of a central lyric personality indicates the
—————
94. “Qinchuan” or the “Streams of Qin” is an ancient place name referring to the area where Chang’an was sited (modern Shaanxi). “Hangu Pass” is the important pass to the east of Chang’an, in modern Henan.
95. On the detached palace, see the discussion in Chapter 6.
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360
On “The Imperial Capital Poems”
poem’s distance from lyric significance, and more immediately, from the
moralizing message of the preface.
Instead of a central lyric personality, Taizong uses an elevated diction
to describe all the adornments of lavish imperial display, such as the deco-
rated halls and the detached palaces. He also depicts the majesty of his res-
idence in hyperbolic terms: the palaces that “rise up thousands of yards”;
the rafters that “remotely reach the Milky Way.” He then ends with a
more subtle transformation of the hyperbole: as the rafters reach into the
Milky Way, the imperial residence is transformed into a celestial scene;
the sun and clouds hide within the gatetowers; the wind and mists waft
from the latticework windows. This is a scene of auxetic transformation,
but it is an ambiguous one. Whereas Qin Shihuang and Han Wudi
wanted to experience the power and pleasures of immortality in realms
that bordered on Heaven, Taizong sees his capital as already possessing
those transcendent qualities. It is not certain whether he means the celes-
tial transformation as a fantasy of imperial desire, or as the countering
claim that true transcendence lies within the domestic space of the capital
(following his argument in the preface).
Yet, despite the auxetic rhetoric of the first poem, there is a certain
flatness to it. The first poem is merely concerned with description, with
the setting of a scene that Taizong will develop in the following poems.
Still, this setting does have its significance, as Taizong is elaborating the
preface’s claim that the capital itself can be a source of pleasure, that one
does not need to go roaming afar. With the scene established, the second
poem introduces the perspective of the speaker:
Poem Two
In the lofty hallways I quit tasks of government,
巖廊罷機務，96
At Chongwen Academy, I pause the royal carriage.
崇文聊駐輦。97
—————
96. The phrase “lofty hallways” 巖廊 (also written as 巖郎) refers to the part of the imperial residence where Yao and Shun were supposed to have wandered, not actively governing, but nevertheless bringing peace to the world. See Han shu, 56.2506, 87.3576.
97. The Chongwen Academy was a repository of books and teaching academy within the
heir apparent’s household. The first such institute was established by Wei Wendi (Cao Pi).
See Tang liudian, 26.665–66. As Wilhelm and Knechtges note, Chongwen Academy was actually called “Chongxian” 崇賢 during Taizong’s reign, and later changed to “Chong-This content downloaded from 129.174.21.5 on Sat, 20 Jul 2019 13:01:55 UTC
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On “The Imperial Capital Poems”
361
Out of jade cases I bring out dragon pictures,
玉匣啟龍圖，98
From within gold cords I unroll phoenix seal-scripts. 金繩披鳳篆。99
Tanned hide bindings, if broken, are retied,
韋編�
��仍續，100
Milk-blue casings are spread out and re-rolled.
縹帙舒還卷。
Encountering this, I find myself lingering,
對此乃淹留，
Leaning over the table, I gaze upon ancient
攲案觀墳典。101
scriptures and canons.
This poem sets aside the grandeur of the opening scene and returns to the
topic of leisure-time and the moral mirror provided by literary study. Tai-
zong opens with an allusion to the sage-kings Yao and Shun, who gov-
erned their empires while doing nothing more than walking through the
“lofty hallways.” Taizong’s subsequent stopping of his active involvement
in government then has its justification—that he will follow the principle
of wuwei, and that what appears to be leisure is actually a truer, more sub-
tle method of government.
He then proceeds to the Chongwen (“Esteeming Literature”) Acad-
emy, where he immerses himself in the ancient writings of the sages ( fen-
dian 墳典). Yet, not unlike the first poem, Taizong slips into a kind of
transcendental experience, though this time from the physical act of read-
ing the books in the library of the Chongwen Academy. As he peruses the
books, he makes the claim that he is reading from the “Yellow River Dia-
gram” 河圖 (here referred to as the “Dragon Diagram” 龍圖), which re-
—————
wen” to avoid the name of Gaozong’s heir apparent, Li Xian 李賢 (653–84). See Wilhelm
and Knechtges, “T’ang T’ai-tsung’s Poetry,” pp. 17–18.
98. The “dragon diagrams” are another name for the legendary “Hetu” or “River Dia-
gram.” See Kong Yingda’s subcommentary in Zhou yi zhengyi, 7.70b, in Shisanjing zhushu, p. 82. Also see the comments on the “Hetu” in Song shu, 27.760, which notes that the
“Hetu” had auspicious dragon images.
99. The phrase “phoenix seal-script” 鳳篆 is less clear. The phrase “phoenix writings” 鳳
書 is used by Southern Qi Gaodi 南齊高帝 (r. 479–82), who pairs it with “dragon dia-
grams.” This may be what Taizong is alluding to. See Xiao Zixian 蕭子顯 (489–537),
comp., Nan Qi shu, 1.22.
100. Wilhelm and Knechtges suggest that the broken hide bindings of the bamboo slips refer to Confucius, who read the Classic of Changes so often that the bindings snapped three times and had to be repaired. This is related in Shi ji, 47.1937. See Wilhelm and Knechtges, “T’ang T’ai-tsung’s Poetry,” p. 18.
101. The term fendian 墳典 refers to the sanfen wudian 三墳五典 ( Three Scriptures and Five Canons) of the Three Augusts and Five Thearchs, which is to say, to the writings of the sage-kings. See Chapter 3, note 59.
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362
On “The Imperial Capital Poems”
vealed divine secrets to the sage-king Fuxi. The reference to the “ancient
scriptures and canons” is generally meant in a metaphorical way, but Tai-
zong seems to want to extend metaphor into conceit, to demonstrate that
he is only reading the writings of the greatest of sagely rulers, and not the
ordinary literary efforts of the contemporary age. This is a textual version
of huaigu, one that takes place through contact with ancient books rather
than ancient ruins. The themes of moral meditation discussed by the
preface are most apparent here: it is this poem that is closest in content
and theme to the arguments of the preface.
It is a very different kind of leisure activity that Taizong pursues in the
next poem, though it is one no less concerned with Confucian themes:
Poem Three
I turn to walk out of the Grove of Words,
移步出詞林，
Stopping the carriage to enjoy a martial feast.
停輿欣武宴。
Carved bows imitate the bright moon,
琱弓寫明月，
Fast steeds resemble the flow of lightning.
駿馬疑流電。
A startled goose falls at an empty bowstring,
驚雁落空弦，
A wailing monkey grieves at the speeding shaft.
啼猿悲急箭。102
Viewing and enjoying it—it truly is splendid!
閱賞誠多美，
In this, I can forget weariness.
於茲乃忘倦。
Archery was one of the gentlemanly arts described by Confucius, and the
military prowess of Taizong was well-known. Owen points out that this
poem balances nicely with the preceding one, as it encompasses the mar-
tial ( wu) aspect of the emperor, as opposed to his civil or literary ( wen) aspect.103 We may also note that the language here is more straightforward,
less studded with historical and classical allusions. The one exception to
the general mood of the poem is the third line, “Carved bows imitate the
bright moon.” Taizong adds an unnecessary rhetorical gloss to the weap-
ons, recalling a nighttime scene of romantic longing even as he boasts of
his prowess. He concludes with such a display of his archery powers: the
goose falls from the sky with only an empty bowstring and the cries of the
monkey turn to grief at the speeding arrows.
—————
102. Stephen Owen points out that these two lines allude to the Soushen ji. See Owen,
“Difficulty of Pleasure,” p. 28, nn6–7.
103. Owen, “Difficulty of Pleasure,” p. 17.
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On “The Imperial Capital Poems”
363
We may think of the aestheticization of the archery shoot as a kind of
foreshadowing for the poems that follow. As Taizong draws further away
from the library and its proximity to the sage-rulers of antiquity, he finds
himself more distracted by the pleasures of roaming in his well-equipped
palace grounds. In the next poem, he turns to the topic of music, one of
the Confucian arts, but also the art most rife with moral ambivalence and
potential dangers. The poem reads:
Poem Four
To singing flutes I arrive at the music quarters,
鳴笳臨樂館，
Gazing far and listening, I enjoy the fragrant season. 眺聽歡芳節。
Rapid pipes attune to the scarlet strings,
急管韻朱弦，
Clear songs resolve into “White Snow.”
清歌凝白雪。104
The brilliant phoenix solemnly pays respect,
彩鳳肅來儀，105
The dark cranes disperse into rows.
玄鶴紛成列。106
Banish from here the music of Zheng and Wei!
去茲鄭衛聲，107
It is elegant tones that I now can enjoy.
雅音方可悅。
Taizong describes his arrival at the music quarters, listening to the music
of flutes, pipes, and strings. Then, the “clear songs” resolve (literally,
“freeze”) into the tune “White Snow,” a song mentioned by Song Yu in
—————
104. As in Chapter 4, note 65, what I translate here as “clear songs” can often also be translated as “a capella songs.” However, in the context of the descriptions of musical instruments here, I have chosen the more general sense of “light song.” The poem “Whi
te Snow”
is an ancient piece mentioned by Song Yu in his “Satiric Rhapsody,” as well as in Song Yu’s
“Asking Questions of the Chu King” 對楚王問, a persuasion for the King Qingxiang 楚
傾襄王(r. 298-263 bc). In the persuasion, Song Yu notes that the people who can play
along to popular songs number in the thousands, while those who can play along to an elegant song like “White Snow” are not more than several tens. The argument is that the ways of the ignorant people and the enlightened ruler are different, and the ruler should not mix up the two. See Wen xuan, 45.1999–2000.
105. The phoenix coming to court refers to an auspicious sign, first mentioned in the Han dynasty, of a phoenix flying up from the south to pay respect to the ruler. See Han shu, 9.529; and Jin shu, 82.2148. Taizong also wrote a fu on the “majestic phoenix” ( wei feng 威鳳), whose subject was his minister, Zhangsun Wuji.
106. The image of the dark cranes is a reference to the Music-master Kuang 師曠. For versions of the story, see Zengding Han Feizi jiaoshi, pp. 660–65; and Shi ji, 24.1236. I discuss this in more detail below.
107. The music of Zheng and Wei has long been synonymous with aesthetic decadence in Confucian discourse.
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On “The Imperial Capital Poems”
his persuasion of King Qingxiang. Song Yu’s argument was that the en-
lightened ruler does not indulge himself with the vulgar delights of the
common folk, but appreciates the more rarefied aesthetic pleasures (such
as the song “White Snow”); the musical distinction then extended to the
political sphere, since the ruler should not follow the ignorant desires of
the people. For Taizong to have this song performed means that he un-
derstands Song Yu’s argument, representing himself as the enlightened
ruler who will not be swayed by vulgar tastes or opinions. Therefore, Tai-
zong rewards himself with two auspicious signs, the arrival of the phoenix
and the appearance of the dark cranes.
