In the first poem of the series of poems entitled “Turning Seasons”, T’ao Ch’ien uses nature as a metaphor to describe his feelings during a harder period of travel. The key lines that stand out in the poem are the following lines: “Out in spring clothes, / I cross eastern fields” (lines 3-4). This quote compares “spring clothes”(3) to “crossing eastern fields” (4). When T’ao Ch’ien makes this comparison, he is clearly stating that he is away from home. Furthermore, T’ao refers to “eastern fields” (3), in order to compare his natural surroundings to his travels and to his sense of loneliness. The next lines that emphasize the importance of T’ao’s feelings are the following lines: “Gossamer mist blurs open/ skies. Feeling the south wind, / young grain ripples like wings”(6-8). They are a comparison between nature and T’ao’s escape from his hardship and grief. The words “young grain ripples like wings”(8) indicate a new beginning and travel. The “wind”(7) is symbolic of travel while the “young grain”(8) is symbolic of new beginnings. Through his reference to these quotes, T’ao conveys a greater message: He cannot control the chaos that he sees during his official government work. He can only choose to be a good man by leaving the government service. Essentially, his individual choice has brought him peace and has allowed him to appreciate his time on Earth. His choice has also brought him closer to nature and the Taoist way, because his soul would no longer see the sadness of government service.
The second poem of this series describes T’ao’s newly found freedom after he leaves the government service. T’ao compares washing himself clean in a lake to a new start. “Boundless, the lake’s immaculate/ skin boundless, I rinse myself/ clean” (1-3). The key expression that brings light to the meaning of this quotation is “immaculate/ skin” (1-2). “Immaculate/ skin” (1-2) refers to something that is free from moral errors. On the other hand, when T’ao is stating that he “rinses”(2) himself “clean” (3), he is saying that he is free from the mistakes of his past. He is using nature as a means of comparison in this poem, because he is comparing the lake’s clean water to his new moral attitude. This new moral attitude is the attitude of a recluse-farmer. T’ao has chosen to become a recluse-farmer, because he wants to escape the heartache of society and government service. As a recluse farmer, he is free from the hardship of government service, because he free from the sight of human suffering. Furthermore, he is also “raising”(7) the “winecup”(7) and is “taken by earth’s own joy”(8), because he is celebrating this freedom. Again, he has not chosen the type of family he was born into, but he has chosen his life style. His reference to the “earth’s joy” (8) indicates his appreciation for the natural surroundings on his farm. His life style, as a recluse farmer, allows him to appreciate nature and the Taoist way, because he co-exists peacefully with the natural surroundings on his farm.
The third and the fourth poems focus on expressing T’ao’s grief, because his life as a farmer does not change his present situation. In the third poem, he is “longing for/ that clear Yi River”(1-2), because he wants to live in peaceful times, like the time of his ancestors. In the fourth poem he is “unable to reach that/ golden age Huang and T’ang ruled”(6-7), because he cannot change the current social situation in China. Therefore, he is saddened, because he does not live in a time of prosperity. Again, his quotations emphasize the fact that individuals can pick the choices that they make, but they cannot choose when they live or when they die. T’ao chooses to be at peace with nature by accepting the natural order of life and death. T’ao’s acceptance of the natural order, allows him to accept the nature and Taoist way of life. Nature is, after all, a cycle of life and death in itself. The Taoist way needs life and death so that there is a balance between all living things.
In conclusion, T’ao Ch’ien expresses his emotions and his understanding for nature through his poetry. He wants to co-exist with nature and the Taoist way of life. He emphasizes the importance of individual choices and accepts death as a part of life. His lifestyle, after all, was the main choice of his life. He had chosen the life of a recluse farmer rather than subject himself to the ignorance of society. T’ao may not have chosen the time he was born into, but he chose how he spent that time on Earth well. “If his sensibility seems familiar, it is a measure of his lasting influence” (Hinton 8).
Turning Seasons
Turning Seasons is about wandering in late spring. Spring clothes are all made, and everything in sight is tranquil. I wander beside my shadow, alone, my heart a blend of delight and grief.
I
Turning seasons turning wildly
away, morning’s majestic calm
unfolds. Out in the springs clothes,
I cross eastern fields. A few
clouds linger, sweeping mountains
clean. Gossamer mist blurs open
skies. Feeling the south wind,
young grain ripples like wings.
II
Boundless, the lake’s immaculate
skin boundless, I rinse myself
clean. The view all distance,
all distance inciting delight,
I look deep. They say if you’re
content you’re satisfied easily
enough. Raising this winecup, I
smile, taken by earth’s own joy.
III
Gazing midstream, longing for
that clear Yi River, I see sage
ancients there, taking in spring
and returning carefree in song.
what exquisite calm. I’d join
them in a moment, but nothing’s
left of their world now, only
sorrow and distance. No way back,
IV
I’m home day-in day-out, taking
things easy. Herbs and flowers
grow in rows. Trees and bamboo
gather shade. My koto is turned
clear, and a half-jar thick
wine waits. Unable to reach hat
golden age Huang and T’ang ruled,
I inhabit who I am sad and alone.
Works Cited
1.Ch’ien, Tao. The Selected Poems of T’ao Ch’ien. Trans. David Hinton. Washington: Copper
Cannon, 1993.
