"Metaphysical"-Comparative Study Between The Chinese Metaphysical Poetry In Wei And Jin Dynasties And The British Metaphysical Poetry In 17^th Century

Poetry of metaphysics during the dynasties of Wei and Jin in ancient China and poetry by the metaphysical poets in Britain in the 17th century can be both regarded as "metaphysical poetry", the reason lying mainly in the philosophical concerns in both of them. However, the two kinds of poetry do not share exactly the same character in their philosophy, thus distinguishing each from the other in terms of their theme, content, techniques, style, value and influence. The paper makes a tentative, causal investigation on the titles of such poetry by studying the origin, connotation and presentation of the metaphysical factors in them. The paper is composed of four sections:Chapter One analyzes the connotation of the metaphysical factors in the two kinds of poetry by seeking the origin of their titles, explaining that both are regarded as metaphysical poetry because of their philosophical concerns though with different characters, with the Chinese poetry focusing on metaphysics while the English counterpart on philosophy and sense.Chapter Two discusses the essence of the subject and content of the two kinds of poetry within the context of their text. The Chinese poetry mainly reflect the principles of the noumenon, with its metaphysical factors consisting in the discussions on the origin of the universe and the relationship between word and meaning, body and spirit; while the English counterpart mainly express personal thoughts, concerning the philosophy of life in such affairs as love and religion.Chapter Three details the different writing techniques resulted from the different content of the two kinds of poetry in exhibiting their essence. The Chinese poetry that explore metaphysics resort to a method of metaphysical epistemology, including "exhausting the meaning through words" and "exhausting the meaning through images"; while the English counterpart that have a multi-layered essence with both sense and sensibility, apply such methods as logical reasoning and metaphysical conceit.The Conclusion summarizes the value and influence of the two kinds of poetry. As pure philosophical poetry, the Chinese poetry, though with little poetic beauty, have great influence on the philosophical poetry of later ages; while the English counterpart that present a perfect combination of sense and sensibility bear rich literary value, with the modernist poetry paying homage to its intellectuality even 300 years later.