An Objective Evaluation of the Flaws in Mao Zedong's Poetry (Part Two)

After Part One came out, some people said Mao Zedong was an amateur poet and shouldn't be held to strict prosodic standards, while others said Mao Zedong rhymed according to Hunanese dialect. But China has never had professional poets. All Chinese poets were amateurs. Li Bai and Du Fu were not professionals either. Li Bai especially wrote poetry purely for fun -- otherwise he wouldn't have been trying to go to war at age sixty. As for rhyming, as long as it's regulated verse, only Pingshui rhymes are acceptable; otherwise it's false advertising. Even this young lady, as mediocre as she is, has never felt those prosodic rules to be constraining on thought. So these are no excuses.

Poetry is not the same as prose or other writing. It must have something beyond the words. Style and imagery are still just the shell -- if you're still stuck on these, you'll never understand poetry. When ordinary people start writing poetry, they first pursue a certain style, manner, and momentum. This is the initial stage -- what is called "seeing mountains as mountains, seeing water as water." Then, if one can break through this stage, one reaches "seeing mountains as not mountains, seeing water as not water." Finally, once even the previous stage is shattered, it becomes "mountains are still mountains, water is still water" -- every day is a good day, every moment is the season of flowers. From the standpoint of poetry itself, the vast majority of poets are stuck spinning in the first stage, including Mao Zedong. As for the second stage, it is actually the ultimate destination of Heidegger's entire philosophy: to dwell poetically. Being is poetry, poetry is Being -- those who achieve this state include super-first-rate poets like Li Bai, Du Fu, and Su Shi. As for the third stage, even Heidegger could barely glimpse its threshold. Among Chinese poets, Tao Yuanming to a certain degree had some inkling, and Du Fu in his old age occasionally touched upon it. As for everyone else, in this young lady's view, they still fall short.

Since this young lady is evaluating poetry from this vantage point, she has no interest in things like whether something is heroic or tragic -- because these all belong to the first stage. Of course, within the first stage there are still distinctions. Mao Zedong achieved a very high level within the first stage. As for the second stage, he had no awareness of it.

Any inflation is in reality a deflation. Mao Zedong's achievements in other areas will not be changed in any way by his poetry. And isn't seeking truth from facts exactly what Mao Zedong himself advocated? This young lady never likes to say things against her conscience -- things are what they are. Some people may not accept this. Let me tell you: until one has thoroughly realized that Being is poetry and poetry is Being, one remains in the first stage, and all talk of style, spirit, and resonance belongs to the first stage. But this kind of thing can only be understood through one's own effort -- saying it is futile. So if there are those who disagree, you may direct your contemplation in this direction. This young lady speaks no false words.