Tao Qian: 9 Snippets

Tao Qian: Coming into Focus

William Reynolds Beal Acker (1952).

Acker opens his volume of 60 poems in translation with a cogent and lucid introduction to early China generally, followed by an exposition on his life. One point that I imagine remains completely relevant since 1952 is that "Trade or business or manufacturing were looked down upon to such an extent that it would have been impossibile for a man like him [Tao Qian] to engage in them, even had he wished to do so." Less solid, but more entertaining, is a brief meditation on Tao Qian's supposed "alchoholism:" "Anyone who has had any experience with alcoholism does not need to be told what ruin it can cause in the life of the sufferer and those
dependent on him."

Lily Pao-hu Chang and Marjorie Sinclair (1953)

The edition of these two ladies presents a strikingly different portrait from that of Mr. Ackers. Reading both illumines a number of interesting issues: Was Tao Qian influenced by Buddhism? Was he really a lover of wine, or was wine-drinking simply a trope meant to signify honesty? Perhaps most important, what did being a good person entail for Tao Qian? Did he have a sophisticated moral philosophy? Chang and Sinclair also point out the great humor in Tao's wine poems, but are careful to guard against interpreting his poetry as any form of "escapism." How do they align that with the obvious desire to be a recluse? Finally, there is the issue of Tao Qian's individualism -- I'm beginning to think this card has been overplayed, and that Tao was much more a family man than we usually give him credit for being. More on that soon.

James Robert Hightower (1970)

Hightower's close association with Yeh Chia-ying and other poetry scholars in Taiwan in the 1960s, his complete exposition all available texts, and his "stubborn" insistence on his own interpretations all mark his work as the effort of an ambitious scholar seeking to set the standard in English-language reception of Chinese poetry. Reading his Introduction again, I was struck by another facet of the scholar who would be king: careful, almost equivocal treatments of the relevant issues. As in, Tao Qian's life and work "reflects the conflicts and contradictions of the period." Or with statements like, "It is good to read Tao Qian's poetry -- some of it -- as the product
of such a life as he describes; other poems show him to have been
rather less complacent." But this is not a criticism so much as a compliment; Hightower is guarded, yet gives a more evocative portrait of Tao Qian's times than other interpreters. As for the issues of Tao Qian's personal character -- he seems to prefer to leave Tao's poetry to speak to that.

A.R. Davis (1983)

Davis' approach is similar to Hightower's, but amazingly, he takes on a broader scope of writings and historical interpretation, with all the ambition that that entails. Davis' introduction stands out for its contentious attitude to the question of Tao Qian's critique -- despite a consistent effort to clarify Tao Qian's political context, ambiguity is built into these poems. Even more outstanding is Davis' lightning-fast account of this political context, especially the intrigues of the Jin court, the six ruling families, and the dreadful put-down of the Sun En rebellion. It is shocking to learn that even in the ancient world, this much war and death could transpire in just 5-7 years time -- the very years that Tao Qian is thought to have held office. Davis' point is that when we compare the awfulness of Chinese politics after collapse of the Han with the unsparing elision of that politics from Tao Qian's poetry, we know all we need to know about Tao's critical position.