Page 128 - EALC C306/505

120

Grammar and Notes

13.1 (Wáng Wéi, line 1: Ambiguity in poetic diction)

In the opening line of Wáng Wéi’s poem, the verb yǐn 飲 (to drink) could be equally well
read yìn, meaning “to cause to drink,” or “to toast.” It is frequently true in poetry that
such ambiguities of reading are embedded in the poem to add to its richness.

13.2 (Mèng Hàorán, line 1: Parallelism)

Note in Mèng Hàorán’s poem, the use of exactly parallel phrases occurs several times;
realizing this helps understand the poem.

13.3 Suppression of the subject

It is common in poems to have the subject unexpressed throughout. When this happens,
we assume the constant voice of the poet narrator serves as a suppressed “I.” This is the
case with Mèng Hàorán’s poem.

13.4 (Lǐ Bó, line 4)

Here, dùi 對 is being used as a full verb, “to face,” rather than as an auxiliary.

13.5 (Lǐ Bó, line 5)

The word jì 既 here may be taken to mean “already,” but it is less awkward to take it as
part of a complex construction with the simple: 既 X 又 Y at the center, the 又 being
suppressed after the word yǐng 影 for metrical reasons.

13.6 (Lǐ Bò, line 7)

The grammar here is difficult. Commentators usually gloss jiang 將 as jie 皆: “together
with.” That’s fine (although quite awkward) but I prefer a different solution, quite likely
wrong. I suspect that what occurs here is a “distributive” device which breaks a
compound verb and compound noun object into two parts as follows:

伴將月與影
becomes:
伴月將影

Although I find no precedent for bànjiang 伴將 as a compound verb “to accompany and
lead,” there is a verb bànlǐng 伴領 with that meaning, and I suspect that such a verb is
operating here. In any event, the redistribution of compound phrases in this way does
occur regularly in poetry. (I have seen jiang here glossed simply as “and,” which is