“Fishhawk” is the first of three hundred songs that comprises the Classic of Poetry, one of the first literary works in Chinese civilization. I am most attracted and impressed by this particular poem because it is considered the foundation of Chinese literature, for it would influence future generations of Chinese poets and artists. The Classic of Poetry is most fascinating because it was read and studied by all traditional Chinese scholars, and as well provided the model for speaking and writing for much of imperial Chinese history.
It is not only often quoted in Confucius’ Analects, and thus served as the backbone to the Confucian education of the literati and the elites, the Classic of Poetry was also often referred to in discussions between intellectuals, as well as being quoted and “applied” to in later literary works. Hence, understanding “Fishhawk” and other works in the Classic of Poetry is one of the key elements in unlocking a greater comprehension to the Analects and other works.
What is most interesting is that despite being such a short poem, comprised of not more than a string of Chinese characters, countless debates were based on these three hundred poems. In fact, two entirely opposite interpretations emerged from the Classic of Poetry, in which traditional Confucians interpret the poems as political allegories, while the later twelfth-century elucidation by Zhu Xi sees them as authentic displays of natural human emotions.
“Fishhawk” is fascinating in that it can be interpreted in so many different points of view. The “official” traditional Confucian interpretation according to the “Mao Commentary” contends that the poem represents the harmony of King Wen of Zhou’s household, and thus symbolizes the ideal virtue of the Queen Consort as the virtuous
wife who is not jealous of her husband’s search for another consort; in fact, the Queen displays her faithfulness in her marriage in consenting to the King’s search for another “maiden.” For this reason, “Fishhawk” could serve as the “political” guideline for harmony of the household. At the same time, the other critique contends that there is a deeper layer of meaning. In my view, the speaker laments at her situation of helplessness, and compares her faithless marriage with the pure affection of the two fish hawks floating by the “gentle stream.”
The use of imagery is incredibly powerful, and thus is one of the main reasons why I have selected to analyze this poem. The incremental repetition of “gentle maiden, pure and fair” throughout the poem creates a feeling in which the maiden is indeed yearned for by the prince, an almost “obsessive” affection in which the maiden is the only object that is in the mind of the seeker. Moreover, the constant reference to “waking and sleeping” is quite romantic in that the pursuer is so deeply entranced with the thought of his (her) potential companion that all he wants to do is to be physically alongside her, regardless if she is asleep or awake.
The onomatapeia of “gwan gwan” is also effective in that it helps the reader conjure up the image of two fish hawks floating on the “sandbars of the stream,” and thus evokes a tranquil mood that pervades at the beginning of the poem. It also blends in vividly with the image of the watercress as it “grows here and there,” for it produces an almost mystical and “watery” sensation in which the reader perceives that the speaker, as she is reciting the poem, is strolling by a lake, wandering aimlessly as she sees the fishhawks and metaphorically relates them to the present feelings that she is feeling at the moment.
In particular,
the name of the poem itself – “Fishhawk” – bears passionate and romantic
connotation, for fish hawks are creatures that mate for life, particularly due
to the fact that if one partner dies, the other would instinctively starve
itself to death. Hence, “Fishhawk” is
not only an appropriate name, but enhances one of the more poignant themes of
the narrative, which is about the unending affection of the speaker to her (or
his) partner, despite the fact that the partner seeks another companion.
“Fishhawk” is not only a literary masterpiece, it can also be regarded as a historical entity that offers illuminating insight into the Zhou, one of the early kingdoms of China. Peeling away whatever controversial interpretations that “Fishhawk” possesses, the poem by itself is quite telling in the social circumstances of the Zhou period, and thus deserves special attention. The poem not only reveals the gender inequality and the social hierarchy of early China, in which the male is allowed to pursue concubines –with or without the wife’s consent – it also exposes the timeless theme of love and sorrow. Despite the poem’s political categorization by the traditionalists and the Confucians, one cannot but revel the fact that despite the two thousand years difference in time, the feelings of the people of the Zhou dynasty (and earlier) is still very much the same as the raw emotions that humans feel in contemporary times, be it the passion of yearning for a wanted lover, or the helplessness of losing one’s companion.
What is most intriguing is that even though more than seventeen centuries had passed after its compilation, the Classic of Poetry is still as warmly revered as it was in Confucius’ time, and thus its controversy perpetually lingers among intellectuals. In Tang Xian-zu’s Peony Pavilion, written in 1598, it is remarkable to see the clash of interpretations of “Fishhawk,” as the tutor and his younger female student both perceive and experience different feelings of the same poem. As the scholar Stephen Owen points out, what perspires is a “humorous treatment” which emerges from such a “painful contradiction” of confusion and misinterpretation[1].
In my view, “Fishhawk” is an interesting piece to analyze. Since it encompasses the historical, philosophical, literary, social, cultural, as well as political climate of early China, this is a multi-dimensional masterpiece that is of integral importance to the understanding of Asian civilization.
Bibliography
“Fishhawk.” An Anthology of Chinese Literature. Ed. Stephen Owen. W.W. Norton &
Company: New York, 1996: 30-31.