A Study Of Zhang Fu’s Poems

Zhang Fu(?- ?), also known as Guan zhi or the Retired Scholar of Zhuan’an, was a Chinese poet of the Southern Song Dynasty. He lived in the Hall of Yizu, thus styling himself as the Retired scholar of Yizu. He was born in Poyang(now the Poyang county in Jiangxi province) and then settled himself in Yi zhen(now the Yizheng county in Jiangsu province). His works are collected in six volumes in The Works of Ziming. Currently researchers are focusing on Zhang Fu’s life, his associations and tours, but his poems are not thoroughly studied. Zhang may not be very prominent as a poet, but his works were well accepted by ancient Chinese scholars and thus deserves more academic attention.This thesis aims to study Zhang Fu’s poetry in multiple perspectives.The thesis starts with a brief summary of the academic studies on Zhang Fu and his works.Chapter One provides an introduction of Zhang Fu’s life, his associations, tours and works.Fragmentary records of his experience are combined with his whereabouts indicated in his poems to provide a clear picture of Zhang’s life. His associations with contemporary cultural celebrities such as Hang Yuanji, Zhang Xiaoxiang, Lu You,Lu Zuqian and Zhao Shankuo are displayed via their poetic correspondences. Documentary records of The Works of Ziming are employed to show the development of its versions.On the basis of a classification of his poems on poetry, Chapter Two discusses Zhang Fu’s poetic ideology from three perspectives: how poems should be created, including the pick of words,inspiration and learning from nature; how poetry should function in terms of its recreational andlyrical functions; and how poems should be appreciated. For example, Zhang believes a poem will eventually be appreciated and valued even through thousands of years but it is difficult to meet one who can really appreciate such a poem.Chapter Three analyzes Zhang’s poetic sentiments. Zhang expresses a variety of sentiments in his poems. For example, some of his poems show his deep concern over the nation and the people;some reveal his love of rural tranquility and natural scenery; some show his profound feelings towards friends and relatives; and others are about his best wishes and exhortations to parting friends.Chapter Four discusses Zhang’s poetic styles. Most of Zhang’s poems are woeful, mournful or peaceful. First, tragic motifs are chosen, tragic images are created and tragic words are picked in his poetry to express his woefulness, the origin of which is discussed in the perspective of Confucian doctrine of social consciousness. Second, tragic consciousness of life and the disillusionment of political ideals are the two main reasons for his poetic melancholy which is exquisitely expressed in the carefully selected images, environment and tokens. Besides, Zhang uses many rural images and colloquial language in his poems to express his indifference towards fame and fortune and his peaceful and leisurely mentalities.The Conclusion part aims at defining properly Zhang’s position in literature based on critic reviews of Zhang’s poems through the ages and his poetic ideology and sentiments, and Zhang’s poetic influence based on the documentary records of his works and scholarly quotations of his views on poetry.To summarize, this thesis intends to provide a more complete picture of Zhang Fu and his poems and thus enrich the studies of poems of Song Dynasty, based on a study of Zhang’s life, his works, and his poetic ideology, sentiments and styles.