''Return to the Field'' (歸田賦 ''Gui tian fu'') is a literary work written in the
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
style known as a
rhapsody
Rhapsody may refer to:
* A work of epic poetry, or part of one, that is suitable for recitation at one time
** Rhapsode, a classical Greek professional performer of epic poetry
Computer software
* Rhapsody (online music service), an online m ...
, or
''fu'' style: it is by
Zhang Heng (AD 78–139), an official, inventor, mathematician, and astronomer of the
Han Dynasty
The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...
of
China (202 BC–220 AD). Zhang's ''Return to the Field'' is a seminal work in the
Fields and Gardens poetry
Fields and Gardens poetry (), in poetry) is a poetic movement which sparked centuries of poetic enthusiasm, generally considered to effectively date from the Six Dynasties era. Both the Chinese Landscape poetry and the Fields and Gardens poetry sh ...
genre which helped to sparked centuries of poetic enthusiasm for poems of various
forms
Form is the shape, visual appearance, or configuration of an object. In a wider sense, the form is the way something happens.
Form also refers to:
*Form (document), a document (printed or electronic) with spaces in which to write or enter data
* ...
which share a common theme of nature foremost with human beings and human thought seemingly not in main focus, somewhat similar to the
Landscape poetry genre; however, in the case of the Fields and Gardens genre, nature was focused upon in its more domestic manifestation, paying homage to the appearance of nature in gardens, as found in backyards, and cultivated in the countryside. ''Return to the Field'' also invokes traditional themes of
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 dy ...
involving nature versus society.
Background
''Return to the Field'' was written as Zhang rejoicefully went into retirement in 138, after retiring from the corrupted politics of the capital
Luoyang
Luoyang is a city located in the confluence area of 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 southeast, Nanyang ...
and then serving a post as administrator over
Hejian Kingdom
Hejian Kingdom, also translated as Hejian Principality ( zh, 河閒國), was a kingdom in early Imperial China, located in present-day southern Hebei province.
History
In early Han dynasty, Hejian was part of the Zhao Kingdom. The kingdom was cr ...
.
[Neinhauser et al., 212.] His poem reflected the life he wished to lead in retirement while emphasizing markedly
Daoist
Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the '' Tao ...
ideas over his
Confucian
Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or ...
background.
[Liu, 54.] Liu Wu-chi writes that by combining Daoist ideas with Confucian ones, Zhang's poem "heralded the metaphysical verse and nature poetry of the later centuries."
In the rhapsody, Zhang also explicitly mentions the sage of Daoism,
Laozi (fl. 6th century BC), as well as
Confucius
Confucius ( ; zh, s=, p=Kǒng Fūzǐ, "Master Kǒng"; or commonly zh, s=, p=Kǒngzǐ, labels=no; – ) was a Chinese philosopher and politician of the Spring and Autumn period who is traditionally considered the paragon of Chinese sages. C ...
(6th century BC), the
Duke of Zhou
Dan, Duke Wen of Zhou (), commonly known as the Duke of Zhou (), was a member of the royal family of the early Zhou dynasty who played a major role in consolidating the kingdom established by his elder brother King Wu. He was renowned for acting ...
(
fl. 11th century BC), and the
Three Sovereigns
The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors were two groups of mythological rulers in ancient north China. The Three Sovereigns supposedly lived long before The Five Emperors, who have been assigned dates in a period from 3162 BC to 2070 BC. Today ...
.
Rhapsody selection
A section about spring in Zhang Heng's rhapsody, translated in Liu Wu-chi's book ''An Introduction to Chinese Literature'' (1990), reads as thus:
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 dy ...
*
Fu (poetry)
''Fu'' (), often translated "rhapsody" or "poetic exposition", is a form of Chinese rhymed prose that was the dominant literary form during the Han dynasty (206AD220). ''Fu'' are intermediary pieces between poetry and prose in which a place, ...
*
Han poetry
Han poetry as a style of poetry resulted in significant poems which are still preserved today, and whose origins are associated with the Han dynasty era of China, 206 BC – 220 AD, including the Wang Mang interregnum (9–23 AD). The final years ...
Notes
References
*de Crespigny, Rafe. (2007). ''A Biographical Dictionary of Later Han to the Three Kingdoms (23-220 AD)''. Leiden: Koninklijke Brill. .
*Liu, Wu-chi. (1990). ''An Introduction to Chinese Literature''. Westport: Greenwood Press of Greenwood Publishing Group. .
*Neinhauser, William H., Charles Hartman, Y.W. Ma, and Stephen H. West. (1986). ''The Indiana Companion to Traditional Chinese Literature: Volume 1''. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. .
{{DEFAULTSORT:Return To The Field
Han dynasty texts
Han dynasty literature
Chinese poems
Taoist texts
Confucian texts