PureInsight | January 2, 2006
[PureInsight.org]
The 23rd Poem from "A Collection of 38 Poems of Sentiments about Experiences in Life"
By Chen Ziang
Birds of emerald build their nests on the shore of the South Sea.
The female and male birds accompany each other in the forest of pearls.
How could they possibly predict the mind of a beautiful lady?
She fancies the feathers of the emerald birds over gold.
In the warm forest the birds were slaughtered.
Their feathers were delivered to the royal palace.
The soft and beautiful feathers bring out the luster of jewelry.
The feathers were also used in various ornaments to make the palace more beautiful.
Why did the birds of emerald not fly far away?
It is because hunters had set up nets everywhere in the forest.
I believe it is their exceptional qualities that bring them to their doom.
One cannot help but to sigh and sympathize with this precious bird.
The Poem in original Chinese
感遇三十八首(其二十三)
陳子昂
翡翠巢南海，雄雌珠樹林。
何知美人意，驕愛比黃金？
殺身炎洲裡，委羽玉堂陰，
旖旎光首飾，葳蕤爛錦衾。
豈不在遐遠？虞羅忽見尋。
多材信為累，歎息此珍禽。
About Chen Ziang (陳子昂)
Chen Ziang (661 – 702 A.D.), also known as Chen Boyu, was a pioneer in the Tang Dynasty poetry revolution. He was a great admirer of the style of poetry of the earlier Wei and Han Dynasties. He stressed that poetry should be a vehicle to express one's noble ambitions and moral values. He was against writing romantic poems. "On a Gate Tower at Youzhou" (登幽州台歌) is his most celebrated poem.
About the Poem
The poem is from his famous collection of 38 poems of "Sentiments about Experiences in Life." The bird of emerald probably refers to peacock. Forest of pearls refers to a type of trees that resemble cypress and have leaves in the shape of pearls. It is a type of exotic trees recorded in The Book of Mountains and Seas (山海經.)
The Author's Interpretation
Chen Ziang used a lot of word plays in the poem. He wrote about the precious emerald bird in every line, but in fact he was talking about himself. Despite the fact he was filled with sorrow, he managed to express his feelings in a non-emotional tone, which manifested the generous, forgiving and virtuous demeanor of a gentleman. As a result, this poem makes one sad, but does not make one burst into tears with rage. This is an excellent example of a proper five-character ancient Chinese poem from the old school.
Next we will attempt to interpret the meaning between the lines:
Birds of emerald build their nests on the shore of the South Sea.
The female and male birds accompany each other in the forest of pearls
Chen Ziang was born in Sichuan Province, southwest of the capital city in Chang'an. That the birds of emerald settle in a precious forest of pearls far away from the capital city implies his lofty character and his reluctance to enter the secular world of the royal palace.
How could the possibly predict the mind of a beautiful lady?
She fancies the feathers of the emerald birds over gold.
The beautiful lady refers to Empress Wu (武則天), who usurped the throne of her husband, a Tang Dynasty emperor, and founded her own dynasty, Zhou (周). Unfortunately, Empress Wu recognized Chen Ziang's talents and forced him to serve in her administration.
In the warm forest the birds were slaughtered.
Their feathers were delivered to the royal palace
.
While Chen Ziang was forced to serve Empress Wu in her administration against his will, he felt as though he had been slaughtered and his feathers (talents) were plucked and delivered to the royal court. One could truly feel the agony that the poet experienced.
The soft and beautiful feathers bring out the luster of jewelry.
The feathers were also used in various ornaments to make the palace more beautiful
.
Feathers are a metaphor for Chen Ziang's talents. Empress Wu forced him to use his talents of creation to embellish her accomplishments in government administration.
Why did the birds of emerald not fly far away?
It is because hunters had set up nets everywhere in the forest.
Why didn't Chen Ziang try to escape from the Empress? Sichuan Province is already very far from the capital city. In fact, it was near the border of China at that time. Nevertheless, Chen Ziang was unable to escape from the ruler's vast nets.
I believe it is their exceptional qualities that bring them to their doom.
One cannot help but to sigh and sympathize with this precious bird.
The poet believed it was his outstanding talent that brought him to his tragic fate. He felt his life had been ruined and even taken from him when Empress Wu made him work in her administration. As a result, Chen Ziang pitied himself for his fate.
Traditionally Confucian scholars were willing to serve as government officials. When Empress Wu usurped the throne from the Tang Dynasty emperor and founded her own Zhou Dynasty, many government officials loyal to the Tang Dynasty regarded serving in her administration as a disgrace to their names. Some of them, including Luo Binwang (駱賓王), one of the greatest poets of the Tang Dynasty, joined in the movement to overthrow her. When Chen Ziang was forced to serve in Empress Wu's administration, he wrote this poem to express his heart-wrenching agony and his undying integrity and loyalty to the Tang Dynasty.
Today's people in China could not be further away from the terrible state that Chen Ziang was in. The ancient Chinese scholars followed their moral values, but today's people would compromise everything to satisfy their material pursuits, even if it meant that they would be condemned to hell on account of the amoral methods used in their pursuits. Such a pity! Chen Ziang pitied himself, but now we pity today's talented people in China for compromising everything moral and virtuous in their hungry pursuit of fame and wealth.
Translated from: http://www.zhengjian.org/zj/articles/2005/7/12/33057.html
