天凈沙 · 秋思 (Thought in Autumn)
枯藤, 老樹, 昏鴉,
枯藤, 老樹, 昏鴉,
(Withered vine, old tree, dawn crows,)
小橋, 流水, 人家,
小橋, 流水, 人家,
(Small bridge, flowing water, farm house,)
古道, 西風, 瘦馬,
古道, 西風, 瘦馬,
(Ancient passage, west wind, skinny horse,)
夕阳西下, 斷腸人, 在天涯。
夕阳西下, 斷腸人, 在天涯。
(Sunset, the heartbroken one, is faraway)
I learned about the lyric/poem above by Ma Zhi Yuan (马致远) back in high school in Malaysia. Ma Zhi Yuan (c.a. 1255 – 1321), was a poet and a magistrate of the Yuan court. Disappointed with the corruption among the official circle, he eventually left the officialdom and chose to lead a life of exile in the country side. The poem was written during the exile. In the poem he seemed to describe a sunset in the country side. But, what he painted in the poem was more than just a scene of desolation. It illustrated his disheartened state of mind, his disappointment toward the Yuan court and its corrupted official circle.
Of the many Chinese poems/ lyrics that I had learnt in school, Ma’s Thought in Autumn, somehow, struck me the most. Perhaps it is because with only a dozen terms he represented a melancholic picture signified the very context of his time. However, beneath the objective superficiality, it transmitted a sense of sorrow that creeps into our sensibility. Such feeling strikes the readers as a flow of spring water. It is comforting, non-pressuring, and indulging. It encapsulated us with sadness provoked by simple descriptions of a scene at dusk and we grieve for his tragic life, voluntarily. That is the beauty of this lyric.
A similar kind of sorrow was re-portrayed in the movie To Live (活着) by Zhang Yimou (张艺谋). Different from Ma, the ‘hero’ of the movie, Fugui (富贵), is an ordinary person who was trapped within the flow of the drastic social revolutions in China during the first half of the last century. Through the lens of Zhang Yimou, we can see him as a victim who is constantly being situated at the receiving end. He is not out standing. He is someone who easily disappeared in crowd. He goes with the flow yet at the same time he retained a sense of innocence of a simple folk who tries his best to survive the turmoil of history. His life endeavor is best illustrated in his conversation with Youqing(友慶), his ten year old son, during the Great Leap Forward:
I learned about the lyric/poem above by Ma Zhi Yuan (马致远) back in high school in Malaysia. Ma Zhi Yuan (c.a. 1255 – 1321), was a poet and a magistrate of the Yuan court. Disappointed with the corruption among the official circle, he eventually left the officialdom and chose to lead a life of exile in the country side. The poem was written during the exile. In the poem he seemed to describe a sunset in the country side. But, what he painted in the poem was more than just a scene of desolation. It illustrated his disheartened state of mind, his disappointment toward the Yuan court and its corrupted official circle.
Of the many Chinese poems/ lyrics that I had learnt in school, Ma’s Thought in Autumn, somehow, struck me the most. Perhaps it is because with only a dozen terms he represented a melancholic picture signified the very context of his time. However, beneath the objective superficiality, it transmitted a sense of sorrow that creeps into our sensibility. Such feeling strikes the readers as a flow of spring water. It is comforting, non-pressuring, and indulging. It encapsulated us with sadness provoked by simple descriptions of a scene at dusk and we grieve for his tragic life, voluntarily. That is the beauty of this lyric.
A similar kind of sorrow was re-portrayed in the movie To Live (活着) by Zhang Yimou (张艺谋). Different from Ma, the ‘hero’ of the movie, Fugui (富贵), is an ordinary person who was trapped within the flow of the drastic social revolutions in China during the first half of the last century. Through the lens of Zhang Yimou, we can see him as a victim who is constantly being situated at the receiving end. He is not out standing. He is someone who easily disappeared in crowd. He goes with the flow yet at the same time he retained a sense of innocence of a simple folk who tries his best to survive the turmoil of history. His life endeavor is best illustrated in his conversation with Youqing(友慶), his ten year old son, during the Great Leap Forward:
“If Youqing does as papa says our lives will get better and better. Our family is like a little chicken. When it grows up, it becomes a goose. And that’ll turn into a sheep. The sheep will turn into an ox.”
Youqing, “And after the ox?”
“After the ox is Communism. And there’ll be dumplings and meat everyday.”
To Fugui, Communism is about a social condition where everyone has enough to feed the family, as simple as that. At the same time, we can sense his optimism about life despite all the difficulties and tragic encounters he experienced due to the change of regime and social and cultural reforms driven by political enthusiasm. Perhaps, we, the audiences, pity him for not having a comfortable life, deprived from materialistic luxury, and being victimized by ideological struggles. Nonetheless, he unfolded to us the bright side of humanity. To me, Zhang Yimou portrayed him as a signifier of the mass of ordinary Chinese people. Life was tough and they have no choice but persevere to live on, with dignity.
To Fugui, Communism is about a social condition where everyone has enough to feed the family, as simple as that. At the same time, we can sense his optimism about life despite all the difficulties and tragic encounters he experienced due to the change of regime and social and cultural reforms driven by political enthusiasm. Perhaps, we, the audiences, pity him for not having a comfortable life, deprived from materialistic luxury, and being victimized by ideological struggles. Nonetheless, he unfolded to us the bright side of humanity. To me, Zhang Yimou portrayed him as a signifier of the mass of ordinary Chinese people. Life was tough and they have no choice but persevere to live on, with dignity.
So, what is beauty?
It is more than beautiful things. It transcends the superficiality and physicality of beings. It takes many forms and it is insubstantial. It is like spring water that cools us down in the hot summer and warms us in the chill of winter. It is comforting, non-pressuring, and indulging. It shines when we dignified ourselves against all odds. Most importantly, it is omnipresent if we choose to see its presence.
No comments:
Post a Comment