Collected Poems of Wen Yiduo
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Summary
The Collected Poems of Wen Yiduo brings together two of the poet's collections. Red Candle, published in [year], celebrates the beauty of nature and of youth and gives voice to the poet's ideals, above all his intense patriotism. Its subjects are wide-ranging and its content rich: some poems express the poet's love of country, others criticize the darkness of feudal rule, reflect the sufferings of the working people, or depict the beauty of nature. The conceptions are finely wrought, the imagery strikingly original, and the language vivid and concrete. In [year] Dead Water appeared; this collection is the perfect embodiment of his theory of the new metrical poetry, fusing the metrical beauty of classical Chinese verse with the syllabic forms of Western poetry. It inaugurated a new poetic style and had an enormous influence. He also created a series of stirring patriotic poems that express his idea of "cultural patriotism."
Editor's review
Wen Yiduo's two collections in one volume: here the reader finds both the youthful hymns to nature and the expression of ideals in Red Candle, and the more compressed, deliberately metrical and syllabic practice of Dead Water. Its value lies not only in the famous pieces themselves but in showing how a poet fused the metrical resources of classical Chinese verse with a Western sense of poetic form into a personal style. Many of the patriotic poems are intense in feeling, while the pieces that criticize reality and sympathize with the working people keep the collection from being merely lyrical. As you read, note how the same themes are handled differently across the two collections: the earlier work tends toward elaboration and imagination, the later toward restraint, irony, and formal craftsmanship. Suited to slow reading in quiet hours, and to comparison with new poetry of the same period, to see where the new metrical poetry's principles land in actual texts. For readers who want to understand modern poetry's formal experiments and its expression of love for country and home, this is an anthology worth returning to.
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Literature lovers who want a systematic view of Wen Yiduo's poetry
- Students taking modern Chinese literature courses who need to study the new metrical poetry
- Readers who enjoy patriotic poetry and expressions of love for country and home
- New poetry writers who want to compare classical metre with Western poetic forms
Not a good fit for
- Readers seeking light entertainment who are unused to the density of poetic language
- Readers who prefer long narrative or plot-driven prose
- Beginners with little interest in formal experiments in modern poetry
Reading tips
- Read Red Candle first for its early lyricism and imagination, then Dead Water for its shift toward metre and irony.
- After each poem, note in a sentence or two its rhythm, imagery, and emotional direction, to make comparing the two collections easier.
- Read the patriotic poems and the poems criticizing reality separately, noting how the poet handles different moods within one collection.
- Choose a few poems to read aloud, attending to pauses and rhyme, to experience the aural effect of the new metrical poetry.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 作者简介
- 内容简介
- 诗集《红烛》
- 《西岸》
- 《时间的教训》
- 《黄昏》
- 《印象》
- 《美与爱》
- 《风波》
- 《纪中之邂逅》
- 《志愿》
- 《深夜的泪》
- 《贡臣》
- 《死》
- 《春之首章》
- 《春之末章》
- 《初夏一夜的印象》
- 《红荷之魂》
- 《太阳吟》
- 《寄怀实秋》
- 《玄思》
- 《火柴》
- 《忆菊》
- 《晴朝》
- 《我是一个流囚》
- 《笑》
- 《园内》
- 《李白之死》
- 《剑匣》
- 《雨夜》
- 《雪》
- 《睡者》
- 《二月庐》
- 《诗人》
- 《快乐》
- 《回顾》
- 《失败》
- 《游戏之祸》
- 《花儿开过了》
- 《十一年一月二日作》
- 《青春》
- 《宇宙》
- 《香篆》
- 《国手》
- 《春寒》
- 《钟声》
- 《爱之神——题画》
- 《谢罪以后》
- 《忏悔》
- 《黄鸟》
- 《艺术的忠臣》
- 《诗债》
- 《别后》
- 《孤雁》
- 《太平洋舟中见一明星》
- 《记忆》
- 《秋色》
- 《秋深了》
- 《秋之末日》
- 《废园》
- 《小溪》
- 《稚松》
- 《烂果》
- 《色彩》
- 《梦者》
- 《红豆》
- 《大鼓师》
- 《渔阳曲》
- 《你看》
- 《也许》
- 《醒呀！》
- 《七子之歌》
- 《长城下之哀歌》
- 《我是中国人》
- 《爱国的心》
- 《洗衣歌》
- 《回来了》
- 《狼狈》
- 《闻一多先生的书桌》
- 《叫卖歌》
- 《末日》
- 《南海之神》
- 《抱怨》
- 《唁词》
- 《天安门》
- 《欺负着了》
- 《比较》
- 《死水》
- 《黄昏》
- 《春光》
- 《抗争》
- 《夜歌》
- 《一个观念》
- 《发现》
- 《祈祷》
- 《一句话》
- 《荒村》
- 《飞毛腿》
- 《答辩》
- 《奇迹》
- 《八教授颂》
FAQ
Which two collections does this book contain?
According to the source material, the book collects Wen Yiduo's Red Candle and Dead Water. Red Candle ranges widely, touching on the beauty of nature and youth, the expression of ideals, and patriotic feeling, as well as criticizing darkness and reflecting the sufferings of the working people; Dead Water is regarded as the complete embodiment of his theory of the new metrical poetry, fusing the metrical beauty of classical Chinese verse with Western syllabic forms.
Do I need to understand the theory of the new metrical poetry first?
Not necessarily. You can begin with the rhythm, rhyme, and imagery of individual poems and feel the effects of their formal arrangement; returning to the relevant ideas of the new metrical poetry afterward will make it easier to see why Dead Water is often seen as the concentrated practice of that form. For general readers, reading aloud is more effective than starting with theory.
How should the patriotic poems in this collection be understood?
The source material notes that the poet expressed an idea of "cultural patriotism" and created a series of stirring patriotic poems. When reading, it is best not to take patriotism as slogan-like lyricism only; notice how the poems convey concern for country and home through nature, history, and criticism of reality, and how the intensity and mode of feeling vary from poem to poem.
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About the author
Wen Yiduo
Author · China · 1899–1946
Wen Yiduo, originally named Wen Jiahua, was a native of Xishui, Hubei, and a modern Chinese poet, scholar, and democratic fighter, as well as a representative poet of the Crescent Moon School. He studied at Tsinghua in his early years and later went to the United States to study fine arts. In 1923 he published the poetry collection Red Candle, and he also wrote Dead Water. He taught successively at Wuhan University, Qingdao University, Tsinghua University, and Southwest Associated University, devoting himself to research on the Songs of Chu, the Book of Songs, and Tang poetry. His scholarly works, including New Interpretations of the Classics and Miscellaneous Discussions on Tang Poetry, combine textual scholarship with literary grace, and lecture notes compiled from his teaching also circulated widely. His poems are marked by attention to meter and imagery and by deep feeling, and they have had a profound influence on the history of modern Chinese poetry. On July 15, 1946, he was assassinated by Kuomintang agents in Kunming at the age of forty-seven.
