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

After the first three posts came out, some people indignantly accused this young lady of nitpicking Mao Zedong's poetry on prosodic grounds. But Mao Zedong explicitly labeled his poems as seven-character regulated verse, and seven-character regulated verse must obey these prosodic rules -- otherwise it shouldn't be called regulated verse. Of course, those who dislike prosodic constraints can choose not to write regulated verse and write old-style verse instead. Li Bai and Han Yu, for example, very rarely wrote seven-character regulated verse, but when they did, they followed the rules completely. Only this way can one avoid false advertising. If writing "seven-character regulated verse" that isn't actually seven-character regulated verse is acceptable, then the leftists' pursuit of some "ism" can equally be something other than that "ism." If everything goes like this, then what are the leftists arguing about online?

What the world fears most is seriousness, and no one in the world should be treated as special -- no matter who they are. For instance, in poetry, since you dare to label something as seven-character regulated verse, anyone has the right to first measure that poem against the standards of seven-character regulated verse. Good poetry must be perfect in both form and content. If the form doesn't even pass muster, what else is there to say? Or just don't call it seven-character regulated verse -- then write however you like, as long as you manage to string together eight lines totaling fifty-six characters. Under this rule, everyone is equal, and no one gets special treatment. The reason for saying the above is to emphasize that there must be an objective standard. Without an objective standard, everything is nonsense.

Since Mao Zedong's shi poems are primarily labeled as seven-character regulated verse, let me offer an evaluation: formally, they have not yet achieved perfection. The tonal patterns are basically fine, but the rhyming has many problems. Since Mao Zedong attended a private school in his youth, mastering Pingshui rhymes was a most basic requirement. Therefore, using Pingshui rhymes to analyze his regulated verse is perfectly normal and not at all unfair. In terms of structure -- the introduction, development, turn, and conclusion -- some are poorly executed while others are passable. The problem of "having couplets but no poem" (individual lines are fine but the whole lacks cohesion) is quite serious. Overall, Mao Zedong's poems succeed purely through momentum, sometimes verging on coarseness. This is a common malady in the bold and unconstrained school -- even Su Shi occasionally succumbed to it -- so it is not surprising.