Meng conveys a great intensity of feeling in these poems that I find stronger than most in this tradition.
It sounds like an atypically horrendous winter, and I assume these verses were all written during one terrible winter.
They don’t seem like what we refer to as “nature poems” that observe the world and life through the changing life cycle of the seasons: these read more like protest songs, protesting the stark brutality of nature.
The seeming serenity of poems in this tradition often belies the turbulent times in which these men lived. This period of history was not benign. It was filled with famine, warfare, insane rulers, and superstition.
The path to becoming a poet in Meng’s times was through government service, and that’s a bit akin to serving as an academic in today’s society in order to write poetry because without academia’s approval you won’t be successful and rarely published. The Academy serves as gate keepers.
The distain that many people feel for academic poets is well illustrated in a line by Bruce Springsteen, a type of populist song poet: “ And the poets down here don’t do nothing at all they just stand back and let it all be.” That may be from the song titled Jungleland.”
Meng seems to be having a very visceral reaction to nature, but he’s not blaming God or anyone else. Not even blaming the poets.
He seems to express some anger observing the conditions of men and wildlife in nature in his location at that time.
Coming up soon: a couple of poems by Wei Yingwu, one of the most genteel and successful poets of the Tang. The contrast is electrifying. I really don't like Wei, and particularly when he is compared to Meng Jiao, who seems to go through the wringer for the sake of his poetry.
Must’ve been a very difficult winter.
Meng conveys a great intensity of feeling in these poems that I find stronger than most in this tradition.
It sounds like an atypically horrendous winter, and I assume these verses were all written during one terrible winter.
They don’t seem like what we refer to as “nature poems” that observe the world and life through the changing life cycle of the seasons: these read more like protest songs, protesting the stark brutality of nature.
The seeming serenity of poems in this tradition often belies the turbulent times in which these men lived. This period of history was not benign. It was filled with famine, warfare, insane rulers, and superstition.
The path to becoming a poet in Meng’s times was through government service, and that’s a bit akin to serving as an academic in today’s society in order to write poetry because without academia’s approval you won’t be successful and rarely published. The Academy serves as gate keepers.
The distain that many people feel for academic poets is well illustrated in a line by Bruce Springsteen, a type of populist song poet: “ And the poets down here don’t do nothing at all they just stand back and let it all be.” That may be from the song titled Jungleland.”
Meng seems to be having a very visceral reaction to nature, but he’s not blaming God or anyone else. Not even blaming the poets.
He seems to express some anger observing the conditions of men and wildlife in nature in his location at that time.
Weird, ranting? I don’t think so.
My admiration for Meng is growing steadily.
Very nice work on the cycle. Thank you.
Coming up soon: a couple of poems by Wei Yingwu, one of the most genteel and successful poets of the Tang. The contrast is electrifying. I really don't like Wei, and particularly when he is compared to Meng Jiao, who seems to go through the wringer for the sake of his poetry.
The story will be up by noon.
You went epic, I like it.
It is a mash-up of Tang poetry and climate change. Plus a bit of recursive writing.