孟郊诗 Poems of Meng Jiao

孟郊诗

Poems of Meng Jiao

废话

Meng Jiao (孟郊) was a poet of the Tang Dynasty, living from 751 to 814. His courtesy name was Dongye (東野|东野) or Wildman of the East. He was born in Wukang (武康), in the Tang Chinese province Huzhou. He spent his twenties and thirties woking in Southern China. Sometimes he worked as an educated literate person in border cities. More often, he lived and worked among farmers and boatmen. At forty, poor and unemployed, he moved north to Luoyang, the eastern capital. There, he associated with the Han Yu, Zhang Ji, and Li Ao.

In his forties, Meng Jiao finally took the imperial exams in order, at least, to be able to care of his mother. He failed the Metropolitan Exam several times. At the age of forty-six, he passed it. But he was fifty by the time he obtained a position by passing the Advanced Scholar Exam. He served in several minor positions, caring for his mother and second wife. A lover of wilderness, he was often in the hills or boating upon the lakes and rivers. He especially loved mountain rivers and was perhaps the first person to take a boat up into the mountains using horses in order to run a river from its high source.

The later poet Ouyang Xiu writes of Meng Jiao's later position in Liyang, "In that prefecture, there was, by Toulaijin Lake, a place where the trees grew densely, offering cover and shade. Below this was the lake. Meng Jiao spent his time down by the water, pacing back and forth, and writing poetry. He neglected his official duties. The district magistrate reported this to the prefect and they hired a substitute for him, dividing Meng Jiao's salary in half between them."

After leaving his position there, he was made the provincial officer in charge of land and water transportation. Later, he was appointed as provincial advisor. But while Meng was bringing his remaining family to Xingyuan for this work, he was suddenly taken ill and died at age sixty-four. One gets the impression that, from his first appointment, Meng Jiao was already esteemed as a poet. His employers certainly went out of their way to sustain him and his literary effort.

Han Yu wrote in Meng Jiao's epitath, "When he grew up, his spirit was exceedingly lofty. But he softened it and made his outer- and inner-self excellent and amiable. His appearance was serene. His spirit was pure. He was worthy of both respect and friendship. As for his poetry, it pierces one's eye and impales one's heart. It cuts to the point like a thread parting at the touch of a knife. His barbed words and thorny sentences tear at one's guts. His ability at writing is like a spirit's or a ghost's which is glimpsed over and over again. He cared only for writing and didn't care what the world thought. Some people said to him that he must explain his poetry or it would not be understood by later generations. Jiao replied, 'I have already put it out in the world and given it to them. Surely this is enough.'"

Poems translated 21 December 2015 to 12 March 2017.

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