Researches On Generation Of Frontier Poetry

Due to the influence of the Han school of Shijing interpretation,the Shijing predominantly influenced the philosophical aspect of frontier poetry.This poetry mainly reflected the Confucian attitudes of opposing warfare,venerating the way of the true king,revering martial virtue,and subduing distant peoples.The literary influence of the poems on warfare in the Shijing is limited to later songs praising battle.Generally speaking,frontier poetry does not derive from the Book of Odes.The direct reason for the persistence of Guchui music(including Guchui tunes and Hengchui tunes)lies in its use in official and ritual contexts from the Eastern Han to the Tang dynasty.The persistent popularity and flourishing of Guchui tunes eventually resulted in the formation of the representative court music,the Liang Gujiao-Hegchui tunes(??????).And this in the end had a major impact on the way that literati imitated yuefu poetry about the frontier.Since Guchui music was used on military occasions,especially when sending out troops or celebrating triumph,this spurred on the development,in the Wei and Jin,of poetry giving orders to generals on campaign,and congratulating them on victories.This also spurred on the creation of Tang dynasty " Kaiyue-style" poems.Such poetry used on the beginning of a campaign would vigorously praise the army and emphasize the surety of its success;used upon a victorious return,it would declare the might of the army and the nation,and praise the meritorious contribution of the troops.These poems have long been criticized for glorifying unjust aggression,but in fact this criticism overlooks the basic character and requirements of"Kaiyue-style" poetry.The musical qualities of Hengchui tunes had a significant effect on how listeners understood the poems associated with them.This dissertation takes as examples three important Hengchui tunes,Guanshan yue(the moon in barrier mountain;???),Longtou shui(the stream on the hilltop of Long;???)and Zhe Yangliu(break branch from willow;???)in order to explore the long-term influence of this music,and to point out how the music of the borderlands(??)played an important role in the Southern Dynasties imagination of the border.Current scholarly opinion holds that frontier poetry in this time was written according to the method of depicting the title" but this overlooks the importance of the musical culture of the Southern Dynasties.It was music that bridged the temporal and spatial differences inherent in frontier poetry,and provided the soil in which imagination about the northwest frontier and the Great Wall could grow.The method of "depicting the title"(???)is neither a complete nor accurate description of the composition of this poetry.None of the current explanations for the popularity of frontier poetry can explain that popularity adequately.Qingshang music(???)was an important type of music named for certain of its musical qualities,especially its high range.Originally,Qingshang music derived from Han-and Wei-period folk songs;these songs were modified by Xun Xu(??)of the Western Jin to match with yuefu structures in Xianghe symphonies(???).This resulted in the development of the "three tunes"(??):Ping(??),Qing(??)and Se(??),as well as a portion in Chu tone(??).The tones and fast tempos of Qingshang tunes influenced the literary imagination of the frontier and had a definite influence on the composition of frontier poetry.Within the Se and Chu tones,this musical influence continued to develop,which resulted in the evolution of several Xianghe songs(???),such as the Song of Yan(???),the Song of Going with the Army(???),and the Song of the White Horse(???),into frontier poetry.The concept of " Ancient Thoughts"(??)was also influenced tremendously by music.This influence can be divided into four parts:the Qingshang "ancient thoughts" in Han-Wei times,the Xianghe "ancient thoughts" in Wei-Jin times,the Gujiao-Hengchui "ancient thoughts" in Liang-Chen times,and the Wuge-Xiqu(????)"ancient thoughts"(Gongti-shi;???)also in Liang-Chen times."Ancient thoughts" in the Guj iao-Hengchui mode bear the character of the frontier.And the Tang poets made the dying musical frontier poems alive with the method of"depicting the ancient thoughts"(????).Works produced by the fusion of Guj iao-Hengchui "ancient thoughts" and Wuge-Xiqu "ancient thoughts" show a special style of "the woman' s sorrow"(???)combined with frontier poetry.This style would continue in the Tang dynasty with new musical forms.The music of the Tang was distinguished by the use of the Huqin(??)and Pipa(lute:??)which were used in tandem with previously imported instruments like the Hujia(??)?Hujiao(??),and Qiangdi(??).This musical background influenced poets' creative imaginations and led,with the use of the Qin to play Hujia melodies,to the development of the Great Symphonies(Daqu;??),such as those of Yi-zhou(??),Liang-zhou(??),Mu-zhou(??),Shi-zhou(??),Shui-tone(??)and Zhe-zhi(??).Throughout this process,the musical environment continued to develop,and this kept frontier poetry vital and spurred the development of Tang dynasty New Yuefu.Poets borrowed music ' s ability to conjure the imagination in order to write frontier poetry,and these frontier poems were very often used in shengshi performances,which continued to influence poets and listeners.