Meng Jiao (751–814) was a Chinese
poet
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...
during the
Tang Dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...
. Two of his poems have been collected in the popular anthology ''
Three Hundred Tang Poems
The ''Three Hundred Tang Poems'' () is an anthology of poems from the Chinese Tang dynasty (618–907). It was first compiled around 1763 by Sun Zhu (1722–1778Yu, 64–65), who was a Qing Dynasty scholar and was also known as Hengtang Tuishi ( ...
''. Meng was the oldest of the Mid-Tang poets and is noted for the unusual forcefulness and harshness of his poems.
Names
Meng Jiao's
courtesy name
A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theobald ...
was Dongye ().
Biography
Meng Jiao was born into difficult times. His pursuit of poetry and reluctance until late in life to write and pass the imperial examinations (which if taken earlier in life might have eventually lead to a well-paid political career) resulted in his living a life in which necessities were scarce. Nevertheless, his commitment to poetry resulted in him becoming an influential leader in terms of poetic innovation.
Birth
Meng Jiao was born in 751. He was from what is now
Deqing County in the province of
Zhejiang
Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by Jiang ...
, in China; but, at that time was Wukang (), in the Tang Chinese province
Huzhou
Huzhou (, ; Huzhounese: ''ghou² cieu¹'') is a prefecture-level city in northern Zhejiang province (Hangzhou–Jiaxing–Huzhou Plain, China). Lying south of the Lake Tai, it borders Jiaxing to the east, Hangzhou to the south, and the provinc ...
. The year he was born was also the year in which the Tang Dynasty's military expansionism began to reach its limits, with major military defeats both versus the
Abbasid Caliphate
The Abbasid Caliphate ( or ; ar, الْخِلَافَةُ الْعَبَّاسِيَّة, ') was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib ...
in
Central Asia
Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...
in the
Battle of Talas
The Battle of Talas or Battle of Artlakh (; ar, معركة نهر طلاس, translit=Maʿrakat nahr Ṭalās, Persian: Nabard-i Tarāz) was a military encounter and engagement between the Abbasid Caliphate along with its ally, the Tibetan Empir ...
and versus the
Kingdom of Nanzhao
Nanzhao (, also spelled Nanchao, ) was a dynastic kingdom that flourished in what is now southern China and northern Southeast Asia during the 8th and 9th centuries. It was centered on present-day Yunnan in China.
History
Origins
Nanzha ...
in
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...
, (near modern
Xiaguan, by
Erhai Lake
Erhai or Er Lake (), is an alpine fault lake in Yunnan province, China. Erhai was also known as Yeyuze () or Kunming Lake () in ancient times.
Etymology
The character "洱" (er) does not have the same meaning as ear (耳). During the Han to Tan ...
). Both battles resulted in major losses to Tang both in terms of troop strength and prestige. Shortly after Meng Jiao's birth, towards the end of 755,
An Lushan
An Lushan (; 20th day of the 1st month 19 February 703 – 29 January 757) was a general in the Tang dynasty and is primarily known for instigating the An Lushan Rebellion.
An Lushan was of Sogdian and Göktürk origin,Yang, Zhijiu, "An Lushan ...
launched a rebellion against the central government of Tang. Meng Jiao grew up during a time of military and economic disturbances as a result of this rebellion, which was known initially as the
An Lushan Rebellion
The An Lushan Rebellion was an uprising against the Tang dynasty of China towards the mid-point of the dynasty (from 755 to 763), with an attempt to replace it with the Yan dynasty. The rebellion was originally led by An Lushan, a general office ...
, but subsequently resulted in continuous disturbances to the political economy and basic safety of the citizenry which the central authority of Tang was unable to control.
Life in the South
Meng Jiao spent many years as a recluse and a poet in Southern China, associating himself with the
Zen Buddhist
Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...
poet-monks of the region. Eventually, at forty years of age, his wandering ways lead to his settling in the area of the major metropolis of
Luoyang
Luoyang is a city located in the confluence area of Luo River (Henan), Luo River and Yellow River in the west of Henan province. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the ...
, as an impoverished and unemployed poet.
Luoyang
At the time of Meng Jiao's moving there, despite the period of disturbance, Luoyang was still one of the world's most populous and cosmopolitan cities, and a central nexus of social and cultural life in Tang China. In Luoyang, Meng Jiao found inclusion in a poetic circle including
Han Yu
Han Yu (; 76825 December 824), courtesy name Tuizhi (), and commonly known by his posthumous name Han Wengong (韓文公), was a Chinese essayist, poet, philosopher, and politician during the Tang dynasty who significantly influenced the devel ...
,
Jia Dao
Jia Dao () (779–843), courtesy name Langxian (), was a Chinese Buddhist monk and poet active during the Tang dynasty.
Biography
Jia Dao was born near modern Beijing; after a period as a Buddhist monk, he went to Chang'an. He became one of Ha ...
, Zhang Ji, and
Li He
Li He ( – ) was a Chinese poet of the mid-Tang dynasty. His courtesy name was Changji, and he is also known as Guicai and Shigui.
He was prevented from taking the imperial examination due to a naming taboo. He died very young, and was note ...
.
Imperial Examinations
It has been said that as a result of an unwillingness to write even the first stage of the
examination system
A standardized test is a test that is administered and scored in a consistent, or "standard", manner. Standardized tests are designed in such a way that the questions and interpretations are consistent and are administered and scored in a predete ...
, Meng Jiao was doomed to a life of poverty and adversity. At the urging of his mother (according to Han Yu) Meng eventually did pass the ''
jinshi
''Jinshi'' () was the highest and final degree in the imperial examination in Imperial China. The examination was usually taken in the imperial capital in the palace, and was also called the Metropolitan Exam. Recipients are sometimes referre ...
'' examination, but not until the age of forty six sui (Zhenyuan 12). Meng Jiao was part of the literary circle centering on Han Yu and Jang Ji. Meng actually has a poem amongst his collected works entitled "After Passing the Examination". Fan Ju-lin in ''T'ang Teng K'o Chi'' states that Meng was 46 when he passed the Chin-shih, in the 12th year of the Chen Yuan period (796). His poverty was not substantially alleviated by his passing the imperial examinations. He was ultimately appointed to an entry-level position in the imperial bureaucracy; however, as noted by Ou-yang Hsiu in the Hsin T'ang Shu (SPTK. po-na edition): " At the age of fifty he passed the chin-shih examination and was appointed to the position of Wei at Li Yang. In the Prefecture there was the T'ou Lai Chin Lake…..
ndthere was place where the trees grew densely offering cover and shade. Below this was the lake. Chiao spent his time sitting down by the water and pacing back and forth writing poetry. He neglected his official duties. The District Magistrate reported this to the Prefect and so they hired an acting Wei to substitute for him and they divided his salary in half".
Death
Meng Jiao died in 814.
After his death, Han Yu wrote an epitaph on his life and work. A rough translation is:
"On the cyclic day Chi-hai of the eighth month in the ninth year of the Yuan-ho period of the T'ang Dynasty, Master Chen Yao, Meng by surname died. He had no sons. His wife, a woman of the Cheng family, informed me. I went out and stood weeping, and then I summoned Chang Chi to mourn with me. The next day I sent a messenger to the eastern capital with money to contribute to the burial expenses. All those who had formerly associated with him came together to send condolences. Then, by mail, I informed the former Minister, now Governor of Hsing -yuan, Yu-ch'ing. During the inter-calary month, Fan Tsung-shih sent his condolences. We told him the burial date and he asked me to write the inscription. I wept, saying, "Oh can I still bear to write my friends epitaph?" The governor of Hsing Yuan sent money to the Meng family to contribute to the funeral expenses and moreover came to discuss family affairs. Fan's envoy asked that the epitaph be speedily done, saying,"If it is not done there will be nothing to protect him from the darkness". So I wrote this preface and this epitaph. The master's taboo name was Chiao (Jiao), and his courtesy name was Tung-yeh. His father, T'ing-fen married a woman of the P'ei family and was selected for appointment of Wei (an entry level official position) at K'un Shan. His father had two more sons, Meng's younger brothers, Feng and Ying, before he died. When Meng was six or seven years old, the beginnings of his character could be seen. When he grew up his spirit was exceedingly lofty but he softened it and made his outer and inner-self excellent and amiable. His appearance was serene and his spirit was pure. He was capable of both respect and friendship. As for his poetry, it pierces one's eye and impales one's heart. It cuts to the point like a thread parting at the touch of a knife. His barbed words and thorny sentences tear at one's guts. His ability at writing is like a spirit's or a ghost's which is glimpsed in between over and over again. He cared only for writing and didn't care what the world thought. Some people said to him that he must explain his poetry or it would not be understandable to later generations. Chiao replied, "I have already put it out there and given it to them. Surely this is enough. Before he was fifty, he began because of his mother's influence, to come to the capital to take the chin-shih examination. When he passed he left. Four years later he was ordered to come to be selected and was appointed the Wei of Li yang. He invited his mother to come to Li Yang. Two years after leaving his position as Wei, the former Minister Cheng, who was the Governor of Ho-nan, memorialized that Meng be made officer in charge of transportation. He was made the provisional officer in charge of land and water transportation.. Cheng Yu-ch'ing personally paid his respects to Chiao's mother inside the door. Five years after she died, Cheng, who was then the Governor of Hsing-yuan, memorialized that Meng be appointed an advisor with the title Ta Li Ping-shih. When Meng was bringing his wife and her family to Hsing yuan, they stopped over at Wen Hsiang. Here, Meng suddenly took ill and died. He was sixty-four. They bought a coffin for the body and he was returned to his home in a carriage. Feng and Ying were both in Chiang-nan. On the day of Keng-shen, in the tenth month, Fan presented all the gifts and contributions for the funeral. They buried him to the east of Loyang and to the left of his ancestors tombs. The extra money was given to his family to carry out the sacrifices. As they were about to bury him, Chang Chi said, "He lifted up virtue and shook splendour that shone even unto the ancients. There is a precedent for those who are virtuous to change their name. How much more so is there for this man? If I call him Chen Yao then his name will be a record of his nature and no one will need an explanation of his character". All agreed to it and so they used it. One who had studied with him, his uncle Meng Chien, (who had been transferred from the Censorate to become Inspector of Che-Tung) said, "In life I was not able to promote him. In death I know how to be in sympathy with his family". The inscription read: "Alas, Chen Yao, he was constant and steadfast and could not be swayed. All that he had to offer the world couldn't be measured but he did not have a chance to show it. Dying he had nothing to leave but the brilliance of his poetry"
Poetry
His poetry is generally written in the five-character per line
gushi style (which can also be considered to be a type of "folk-song-styled-verse", or
yuefu
''Yuefu'' are Chinese poems composed in a folk song style. The term originally literally meant "Music Bureau", a reference to the imperial Chinese governmental organization(s) originally charged with collecting or writing the lyrics, later the t ...
, as in the ''
Three Hundred Tang Poems
The ''Three Hundred Tang Poems'' () is an anthology of poems from the Chinese Tang dynasty (618–907). It was first compiled around 1763 by Sun Zhu (1722–1778Yu, 64–65), who was a Qing Dynasty scholar and was also known as Hengtang Tuishi ( ...
''). Around 500 of his poems survive, many upon the themes of poverty and cold, and typified by the strong—and sometimes shocking—imagery advocated by Han Yu. Two of his poems are included in the ''Three Hundred Tang Poems''. One of which, "遊子吟"—translated by
Witter Bynner
Harold Witter Bynner (August 10, 1881 – June 1, 1968), also known by the pen name Emanuel Morgan, was an American poet and translator. He was known for his long residence in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and association with other literary figures ther ...
as "A Traveller's Song", by
A. C. Graham
Angus Charles Graham, FBA (8 July 1919 – 26 March 1991) was a Welsh scholar and sinologist who was professor of classical Chinese at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.
He was born in Penarth, Glamorgan, Wales t ...
as "Wanderer's Song", and by
John C. H. Wu as "The Song of a Wandering Son"—is one of the most famous Classical Chinese poems.
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 ...
has recently shown an interest in translating some of Meng's poems (about 53) of which some 500 odd are extant. His book is entitled "The Late Poems of Meng Chiao" published by Princeton University Press 1996. Su Tung-p'o
a noted Sung dynasty scholar and poet did not think much of Meng's poetry. He wrote a mocking poem:
At night I am reading Meng Jiao's poetry.
His small words are like ox-hairs.
A cold lamp casts a dim light.
Occasionally you come across a good line,
At first it's like eating a tiny fish,
What you get out of it isn't worth the trouble.
Sometimes it's like cooking a crab,
After all that time, all there is to chew on are empty claws.
Why should you let your two ears suffer,
Having to listen to this cold cicada's cry.
The best thing to do is get rid of it,
And drink some of my sweet wine.
With Su Tung-p'o's critique in mind one has to question his assessment when reading the following poem ( one of a set of ten) grouped under the common title "Sorrow in the Gorges":
Above the gorge, one thread of sky,
In the gorge, ten thousand corded cascades.
Above, the splintered shards of slanted light,
Below, the pull of the restless roiling flow.
Broken souls lie dotted here and there,
Freezing in the gloom of centuries.
At noon the sun never settles above the gorge.
Hungry spittle flies where the gorge is dangerous,
Trees lock their roots around rotten coffins,
Rising skeletal and up-right swinging back and forth.
As the frost perches, the branches of the trees moan,
Soughing mournfully, far off, yet clear.
A spurned exile's stripped and scattered guts
Sizzle and scald where the water boils up.
Life is like a tortured, twisted thread,
A road on which we balance, following a single strand.
Pouring a libation of tears, to console the water spirits,
They shimmer and flash an instant upon the waves.
Studies
Prior to the 1975 publication of Stephen Owen's ''The Poetry of Meng Chiao and Han Yü'' by
Yale University Press
Yale University Press is the university press of Yale University. It was founded in 1908 by George Parmly Day, and became an official department of Yale University in 1961, but it remains financially and operationally autonomous.
, Yale Universi ...
, there had been no studies of Meng Jiao in English.
[Leung, p. 715.]
See also
*
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 ...
*
Han Yu
Han Yu (; 76825 December 824), courtesy name Tuizhi (), and commonly known by his posthumous name Han Wengong (韓文公), was a Chinese essayist, poet, philosopher, and politician during the Tang dynasty who significantly influenced the devel ...
*
Jia Dao
Jia Dao () (779–843), courtesy name Langxian (), was a Chinese Buddhist monk and poet active during the Tang dynasty.
Biography
Jia Dao was born near modern Beijing; after a period as a Buddhist monk, he went to Chang'an. He became one of Ha ...
*
Li He
Li He ( – ) was a Chinese poet of the mid-Tang dynasty. His courtesy name was Changji, and he is also known as Guicai and Shigui.
He was prevented from taking the imperial examination due to a naming taboo. He died very young, and was note ...
*
Luoyang
Luoyang is a city located in the confluence area of Luo River (Henan), Luo River and Yellow River in the west of Henan province. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the ...
*
Tang poetry
Tang poetry () refers to poetry written in or around the time of or in the characteristic style of China's Tang dynasty, (June 18, 618 – June 4, 907, including the 690–705 reign of Wu Zetian) and/or follows a certain style, often considered as ...
References
Works cited
*Graham, A. C. (1977). ''Poems of the Late T'ang''. New York: The New York Review of Books.
*
Hinton, David (2008). ''Classical Chinese Poetry: An Anthology''. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux. / .
*Leung, K.C. (
San Jose State University
San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a public university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the oldest public university on the West Coast and the founding campus of the California State University (CSU) sys ...
). "The Poetry of Meng Chiao and Han Yü" (book review). ''
Books Abroad
''World Literature Today'' is an American magazine of international literature and culture, published at the University of Oklahoma. The stated goal of the magazine is to publish international essays, poetry, fiction, interviews, and book review ...
'', ISSN 0006-7431, 07/1976, Volume 50, Issue 3, pp. 715
*Owen, Stephen (1996). ''An Anthology of Chinese Literature: Beginnings to 1911''. New York, London: W.W. Norton.
*
*Wu, John C. H. (1972). ''The Four Seasons of Tang Poetry''. Rutland, Vermont: Charles E. Tuttle.
Further reading
* Owen, Stephen. ''The Poetry of Meng Chiao and Han Yü''.
Yale University Press
Yale University Press is the university press of Yale University. It was founded in 1908 by George Parmly Day, and became an official department of Yale University in 1961, but it remains financially and operationally autonomous.
, Yale Universi ...
, 1975.
External links
*
*Books of the ''
Quan Tangshi
(''Complete Tang Poems'') is the largest collection of Tang poetry, containing some 49,000 lyric poems by more than twenty-two hundred poets. In 1705, it was commissioned at the direction of the Qing dynasty Kangxi Emperor and published under ...
'' that include collected poems of Meng Jiao at the
Chinese Text Project
The Chinese Text Project (CTP; ) is a digital library project that assembles collections of early Chinese texts. The name of the project in Chinese literally means "The Chinese Philosophical Book Digitization Project", showing its focus on books ...
:
Book 372Book 373Book 374Book 375Book 376
Book 377Book 378Book 379Book 380Book 381
{{DEFAULTSORT:Meng, Jiao
Three Hundred Tang Poems poets
814 deaths
751 births
Writers from Huzhou
8th-century Chinese poets
9th-century Chinese poets
Poets from Zhejiang
Tang dynasty poets
People from Deqing County, Zhejiang