Fields and Gardens poetry (), in
poetry
Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...
) is a poetic movement which sparked centuries of poetic enthusiasm, generally considered to effectively date from the
Six Dynasties
Six Dynasties (; 220–589 or 222–589) is a collective term for six Han-ruled Chinese dynasties that existed from the early 3rd century AD to the late 6th century AD. The Six Dynasties period overlapped with the era of the Sixteen Kingdoms, ...
era. Both the
Chinese Landscape poetry and the Fields and Gardens poetry share a common theme of nature foremost with human beings and human thought seemingly not in main focus; however, in the case of the Fields and Gardens genre the nature that was focused upon was more domestic—the nature found in gardens, in backyards, and in the cultivated countryside. Sometimes, the poems were designed to be viewed with a particular work of art, others were intended to be "textual art" that invoked an image inside a reader's mind. Fields and Gardens poetry is one of many
Classical Chinese poetry genres
Classical Chinese poetry genres are those genres which typify the traditional Chinese poems written in Classical Chinese. Some of these genres are attested to as early as the publication of the Classic of Poetry, dating from a traditionally, and ...
.
One of the main practitioners of the Fields and Gardens poetry genre was Tao Yuanming (also known as
Tao Qian (365–427), among other names or versions of names). Tao Yuanming has been regarded as the first great poet associated with the Fields and Gardens poetry genre.
Translator and commentator
David Hinton
David Hinton is an American poet, and translator who specializes in Chinese literature and poetry.
Life
He studied Chinese at Cornell University, and in Taiwan. He lives in East Calais, Vermont.
Awards
* 1997 Academy of American Poets Harold Mo ...
sees the Fields and Gardens genre as more of a subgenre of the
''Shanshui'' (mountains-and-waters) genre, than as a standalone, side-by-side genre under the general heading of Chinese landscape poetry.
[Hinton, 111-112. Wai-lim Yip's treatment in his ''Chinese Poetry'' does not seem to contradict this viewpoint, but neither does it make this explicit.]
See also
*
Chang Jian Chang Jian (, early part 8th centuryWu, 223), and whose name, especially in older English transliteration, appears as "Ch'ang Chien", was a poet of the Tang Dynasty, and two of whose poems were collected in the popular anthology ''Three Hundred Tang ...
*
Chinese garden
The Chinese garden is a landscape garden style which has evolved over three thousand years. It includes both the vast gardens of the Chinese emperors and members of the imperial family, built for pleasure and to impress, and the more intimate ...
*
Chinese poetry
Chinese poetry is poetry written, spoken, or chanted in the Chinese language. While this last term comprises Classical Chinese, Standard Chinese, Mandarin Chinese, Yue Chinese, and other historical and vernacular forms of the language, its poetry ...
*
Classical Chinese poetry
Classical Chinese poetry is traditional Chinese poetry written in Classical Chinese and typified by certain traditional forms, or modes; traditional genres; and connections with particular historical periods, such as the poetry of the Tang dyn ...
*
Meng Haoran
Meng Haoran (; 689/691–740) was a major Tang dynasty poet, and a somewhat older contemporary of Wang Wei, Li Bai and Du Fu. Despite his brief pursuit of an official career, Meng Haoran mainly lived in and wrote about the area in which he was ...
*
Pei Di
Pei Di () was a Chinese poet of the Tang dynasty, approximate year of birth 714, with one work included in the popular ''Three Hundred Tang Poems''. Pei Di was a contemporary of Wang Wei, although younger by fifteen years. Pei Di has twenty pres ...
*
Qiu Wei
Qiu Wei (, 694–789? was a Chinese poet of the Tang Dynasty, with one of his poems being included in the famous anthology ''Three Hundred Tang Poems''.
Poetry
Qiu Wei's poetic career coincided with the major flourishing of the Tang poetry styles ...
*''
Return to the Field''
*
Shanshui poetry
''Shanshui'' poetry or ''Shanshui shi'' (; lit. "mountains and rivers poetry") refers to the movement in poetry, influenced by the ''shan shui'' (landscape) painting style, which became known as ''Shanshui poetry'', or "landscape poetry". Sometime ...
*
Wang Wei (Tang dynasty)
Wang Wei (; 699–759) was a Chinese poet, musician, painter, and politician of the middle Tang dynasty. He is regarded as one of the most famous men of arts and letters of his era. Many of his poems survive and 29 of them are included in the ...
Notes
References
*
Watson, Burton
Burton Dewitt Watson (June 13, 1925April 1, 2017) was an American sinologist, translator, and writer known for his English translations of Chinese and Japanese literature.Stirling 2006, pg. 92 Watson's translations received many awards, includi ...
(1971). ''Chinese Lyricism: Shih Poetry from the Second to the Twelfth Century''. (New York: Columbia University Press).
*
Hinton, David (2008). ''Classical Chinese Poetry: An Anthology''. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux. / .
*
Yip, Wai-lim (1997). ''Chinese Poetry: An Anthology of Major Modes and Genres ''. (Durham and London: Duke University Press).
Chinese poetry genres
{{Poetry-stub