Aesthetic Features of Ye Jiaying's Ancient Poems

"In my life, the most devoted energy is teaching. Since 1945, I have been teaching for sixty years without interruption. In these 60 years, I have taught twice as much as others. I teach one school, I teach three schools, three middle schools in Beijing and three universities in Taiwan Province Province. "

Reporter (the following representative ■): This year1October 5 10, you gave another lecture for ordinary readers in the National Library. Since you returned to China in the late 1970s, you have been giving lectures at famous universities and other institutions in the Mainland. 1987, at the invitation of five cultural groups in Beijing, you gave ten lectures on Tang and Song Ci in the auditorium of the State Education Commission, which was a sensation. The way and style of your speech make the listener feel refreshed. Do you spend the most time on lectures and teaching in your life?

Ye Jiaying (hereinafter referred to as □): In my life, teaching has spent the most time in teaching, research and poetry creation. I always say that I was born to teach. After graduating from college, I have taught in several middle schools in Beijing, including Real Girls' Middle School, Zhicheng Girls' Middle School and Huaguang Girls' Middle School. It has been almost sixty years since then. I have been in Beijing for several years, and students who have taught in the past often come to see me. They are all over seventy now.

■: In Taiwan Province Province in the 1950s, it seems that you also started teaching in middle school. However, the teaching activities in Taiwan Province Province are also carried out in a special historical environment. Now mainland academic circles are not very familiar with these.

□:/kloc-married in March, 1948,/kloc-went to Taiwan Province province with her husband Zhao because of his job transfer in October. 1949 65438+In February, my husband was arrested on suspicion of "bandit spy". In June of the following year, I was also arrested in Changhua Girls' Middle School. I was released soon because I had a breast-feeding child and never participated in any political activities, but I became a homeless and unemployed person with nowhere to go. Until the summer vacation began, one of my cousins used to teach in a private girls' middle school in Tainan. Later, he found a better-paid public middle school and resigned from the school where he taught. He asked me if I wanted to go to that private girls' school. I promised to take my daughter to teach in this private girls' middle school in Tainan. I just wanted a place to make a living at that time. Don't talk about the bookcase at that time. What? I don't even have a desk.

However, I really have feelings and interests in classical literature. No matter how low the students in that private middle school are, when I want to talk about it, I must talk about the benefits of classical poetry. Whether they understand is another matter. I think this is not a matter of sorry for students, but a matter of sorry for Du Fu and Xin Qiji. So although life was hard at that time, I tried my best to teach.

■: Later, you went to Taiwan Province Provincial University to teach. It seems that you have something to do with Fu Jen's teachers and friends?

□: Four years later, my husband was released, which proved that we were not suspected of being "spies". At this time, because of an opportunity, my husband and I both went to Taipei No.2 Middle School to teach. After arriving in Taipei, I met some teachers and classmates when I was in Beijing. Have you never been to our house in Beijing and seen a row of south rooms in my outer court? At that time, there was a Mr. Xu Shiying, the son of Mr. Xu Shoushang. Xu Shiying's first wife, Guo Licheng, is Guo's daughter. Mr. Guo is the teacher of my father and uncle. When Xu Shiying first got married, he had no place to live, so he lived in the outer court of our house. I was still in middle school, so I didn't associate with this xu teacher at that time. Later, I studied in Fu Jen, and he also taught men's classes in Fu Jen. He didn't teach me, but he knows my family well. When I met him in Taibei this time, he was teaching at Taiwan Province Provincial University. -Before Xu Shiying, Mr. Sheng Cheng also lived in our house. He was the first person to study in France at the beginning of last century. He is a famous linguist, educator and translator. 197 1 year, I traveled to Europe and met Mr. Sheng Lao in France. He settled in Beijing in his later years, and I went to see him. The old gentleman left a few years ago.

■:-I think these things are actually of academic significance.

□: The other is Mr. Dai, who taught me Chinese when I was a freshman. His name is Jingshan. Now, on my personal website, there is my freshman Chinese homework with teacher Dai's comments on it. When they met me, they learned about my unfortunate experience of being locked up. Shortly after the recovery of Taiwan Province Province, two of their teachers said that Taiwan Province Provincial University needed teachers who could speak standard Mandarin to teach Chinese. So, I teach Chinese in Class One of National Taiwan University. I worked part-time for half a year, and then they changed me to two classes of full-time vocational education. Two years later, Mr. Xu Shiying went to Tamkang University as the head of the Chinese Department. He said you would come to Tamkang to teach. I am embarrassed to refuse, because he is my teacher. Began to teach poetry anthology, ci anthology, qu anthology and Du Fu's poems in Tamkang. So the part-time job I'm talking about is actually more than the full-time courses at NTU. Two years later, Fu Jen Catholic University resumed school, and the first head of the Chinese Department was Dai. He said, Fu Jen is your alma mater. Why don't you teach? So I taught Fu Ren how to choose poems, words and songs. Three universities and two part-time universities are actually full-time workloads. Later, there was a night department in Tamkang, and I taught it. Now there is a novel writer in Taiwan Province Province, Chen Yingzhen, who is a student of Tamkang University who listens to my class at night. Besides, Bai Xianyong, Wu, Chen Ruoxi, Lin, etc. also attended my class during this period. I can't even imagine how I taught so many classes at that time.

At that time, Mr. Xu Shiying was a college Chinese course of Taiwan Education Radio. He was short-sighted, but later he became more and more serious, so he asked me to teach for him, so I taught Chinese broadcasting in the university. A few years later, I set up an educational TV station, which led me to tell 19 ancient poems. Since 1945, I have been teaching for sixty years without interruption. For 60 years, compared with others, I have taught twice as much. I have taught in one school, three schools, three middle schools in Beijing, three universities in Taiwan Province Province, and then in Canada. Although I didn't take part-time classes for a long time, I began to return to China often and teach at home. Every year in late March, when UBC (University of British Columbia) has a holiday, I go back to China to give lectures, and sometimes I take a year off to give lectures. Therefore, in my life, I put the most energy into teaching.

"My life is not my choice. I didn't choose to go to Canada, nor did I choose to go to Taiwan Province Province. Who let me get married? My married husband is not my choice. "

■: It seems that you went to North America later because of teaching. 1966, can your trip to North America be regarded as a major turning point in your life? What kind of opportunity was it to teach directly at Harvard? I think this turning point is not only of unusual significance to you, but also of some special significance to the study of China's classical poetry and the cultural exchange between China and the West in the 20th century.

□: Yes, there is indeed karma here. At that time, the mainland had not yet interacted with capitalist countries. At that time, people who studied Chinese studies in capitalist countries mainly studied classics, and paid little attention to China's modern and contemporary literature, thinking that China culture was a classic, so most of them studied Chinese studies. They couldn't go to the mainland at that time, so they had to come to Taiwan Province Province. When I went to Taiwan Province Province, it was a disaster. I'm talking about three universities, namely, poetry, ci, qu, Du Fu's Su Xin ci, as well as ancient Chinese poems played in universities and on TV. I am teaching them. They come to my class. At that time, NTU and the University of Michigan had an exchange plan, and the University of Michigan offered to "exchange" me. President Qian Siliang agreed, and so did I. President Qian asked me to make up my English, and I really did. I have been studying for almost half a year.

At that time, everyone who wanted to exchange to America had an interview, which was an interview. At that time, the United States had an "Association in China" in Taiwan Province Province. The director of the association is a professor in the history department of National Taiwan University named Liu Hong, who arranged this interview. Many people went to America and interviewed in English that day. Professor James R. Hightower from the Far East Department of Harvard University interviewed me. Hai studied China's ancient poems. He asked me a lot of questions about this, which I am familiar with. Of course it's not a problem. In the afternoon, Mr. Liu asked his secretary to call me and said that Mr. Liu invited you to have dinner with Professor Hai in the evening. At dinner, Professor Hai and I talked more about China's old poems. After dinner, Mr. Liu called a taxi to pick up Professor Hai and me. At that time, Hai's whole family was in Taiwan Province Province. In the car, Professor Hai asked me, would you like to come to Harvard University in the future? I think Harvard University is very famous. If there is an opportunity, I certainly want to go. I went home, but Professor Hai did not. He called a taxi and drove back to Liu's residence. He said that Harvard would invite Ye Jiaying. Teacher Liu asked his secretary to inform me that I was going to Harvard, so he told President Qian to let another person go to Michigan.

The next day I went to see President Qian. At that time, in Taiwan Province Province, many people in the Chinese Department wanted to go abroad. But President Qian is very angry. He said, why are you doing this? I told you last year that we exchanged you and are leaving soon. You must change, but I can't break my promise to Michigan. So I told Professor Hai that I couldn't go to Harvard. At that time, Professor Hai was studying Tao Yuanming and writing a book. He was anxious for me to go, so I could discuss it with him. Hai said, Michigan doesn't start school until September, and National Taiwan University has a holiday in June. You should go to Harvard for two months first. From 65438 to 0966, I studied Tao Yuanming with Professor Hai at Harvard. Hai originally studied China's classical literature and spoke Chinese, but we did research together. He can't speak Chinese, but let me speak English. This has improved my English.

I went to Michigan in September, and a year later, Taiwan Province sent another person, but I didn't postpone it. According to Professor Hai, I returned to Harvard. This is not only a survey, but also a lecture.

■: 10 years ago, Mr. Xie Jinglin from Tianjin People's Publishing House wrote a long reportage about you, "Oriental Bright Moon", saying that in 1968, you were "going to fly to Harvard again, but you were hit and failed to make it because of various difficulties". In some narratives, you seem to be vague about this section yourself. I remember you told me before that I didn't go directly to Harvard because of some accidental things.

□: The following year, Harvard gave me a letter of appointment, and I went to the American Consulate in Taiwan Province Province to apply for a visa. I originally had a visa to go abroad for the first time, and it was a multiple-entry visa, so if I go to the United States alone, I don't need another visa. But this time I have to pick up my father and get him a visa. But the visa officer said that if your whole family leaves, it's immigration. I can't give you a visa for this visit. He said that my visa was cancelled. My father's visa was not given at all. I told the situation to Harvard University, and Harvard advised me to apply for a new passport. It will be easy to go to Canada, Canada, and then to America.

Therefore, some time ago in Hong Kong, some people said that I was a good choice and chose Vancouver as a good place to live. -I said, my life is not my choice. I didn't choose to go to Canada, nor did I choose to go to Taiwan Province Province. Who let me get married? I didn't choose the husband I married, because my husband's sister is my teacher and my teacher chose me-so I have been passive all my life and have no active choice. Where you leave me, I die and grow.

At that time, people were familiar with America. I have never heard of Vancouver. I don't know how to spell Vancouver. Anyway, the nearest city in Taiwan Province Province is Vancouver. On the second day in Vancouver, I went to the American consulate to apply for a visa with an American letter of appointment, but it didn't work. I went back to call Professor Hai and told him that I still couldn't get through to Vancouver. Hai insisted on keeping me in North America in order to cooperate with him. So he made a phone call to Edwin G. Pulleyblank, the head of UBC Asia Department, and asked if there was so-and-so and if there was any chance in your school. Professor Li Ben was very happy to hear that, because that year, the Asian Department of the university began to have research institutes and recruit graduate students. At that time, two students, both from the University of California, studied classical poetry and came to Vancouver to escape military service in the Vietnam War. Li Ben said: We just can't find a tutor to teach these two students. It didn't fall from the sky! That's it. I stayed.

"China's classical poems can arouse people's immortal hearts, which are good at feeling, full of association, lively and open, and far-sighted."

■: In the 1970s, you published Wang Guowei and His Literary Criticism. You mentioned earlier that this has a lot to do with your contact with Wang Guowei's works since childhood. Besides, what is the direct cause? Is it also related to going to Harvard, because this book was completed at Harvard.

□: 1968, when I returned to Taiwan Province province, Professor Hai asked me to write a research plan, so that I could apply to go back to Harvard for research in the following summer. At that time, I was so anxious that I couldn't think of any suitable topic, so I was puzzled by the change of Mr. Jing 'an's way of studying and his self-death many years ago. I also wrote some words and phrases about Mr. Jing 'an, so I drew up a research plan about Mr. Jing 'an. But what I accomplished at that time was really only the first two parts of the original plan. For the third part, I wrote an article about Wang Guowei's Ci in the late 1980s-commenting on Wang Ci from my new understanding of Wang Jing.

■: Some researchers believe that your research on Wang Guowei not only made you make a major turning point in academic research, but also began to reflect on China's traditional Ci and literary theory from an academic perspective with a broader theoretical vision.

□: I often say that I am a good teacher and like teaching. Actually, I prefer studying. I am willing to learn new things that I don't know. So in Michigan, I attended the English poetry class, and then I came to Vancouver to attend the western literature theory class. After listening to it, I knew that there was a certain theory, so I asked scholars to read their own works. Anyway, I'm used to looking up new words, so I did. I not only read it, but also read it with relish, because I think reading these western literary theories can often solve many problems that I can't explain and solve when I study China's poetics and Ci. Wang Guowei explained the word "spreading the Huanxi sand" in the Southern Tang Dynasty in "The Thorn on Earth", saying that "the fragrance in the late Han Dynasty dispelled the green leaves, and the west wind worried about the green waves" and "there was a sense of beauty disappearing". So why did Wang Guowei say this? Can you say that? Wang Guowei used three words to describe "the questioner of a great cause in ancient and modern times must go through three realms" in "Words on Earth", but he added: "Such words are beyond the reach of a great poet, but if you interpret words like this, you are afraid that the European public will not agree." What's going on here? The so-called author may not have this intention, but the reader may have this intention. So, do readers have the right to "think" about their works? Where is the boundary of readers' interpretation? These, in China's traditional theory, have no answer. China's traditional literary criticism has always said what it is but not why. It is impossible to explain these problems theoretically with China's traditional words.

■: When talking about the theme of "modern view", you once said that this article "just wants to compare China's traditional ci with western modern literary theory from a broader and newer perspective, hoping to find an appropriate and correct position for China's ci and Wang Guowei's ci in the big coordinate of world culture with the historical background".

□: I think the real spiritual and cultural value cannot be measured by the gain and loss of real material desire. In recent centuries, western capitalism has paid too much attention to material things, which has also aroused the worries of westerners. From 65438 to 0987, Alan Bloom, a professor at the University of Chicago in the United States, published a sensational book entitled The Closing of the American Mind. In the book, the author once put forward his own view that young students in the United States today have fallen into an extremely poor situation in terms of knowledge and concepts, and as a result, they lack far-sighted vision and opinions on everything. For a country, this is a very worrying phenomenon.

As for the usefulness of studying China's classical poems, I personally think it can arouse people's immortal hearts, which are good at arousing emotions, full of associations, lively and open, and far-sighted. On this function, western reception aesthetics also discusses it. According to the relationship between the author and the reader in western reception aesthetics, the author's role is to give the text a potential for readers to explore, and the reader's role is to bring this potential into play. Moreover, when readers explore the potential in the text, they can also have a kind of "creativity that deviates from the original intention", so readers' reading is actually a process of re-creation. And this process is often an evolution and transformation process of readers themselves. If we look at China's classical poetry in the context of world literature, we will find that the characteristics of China's classical poetry are really inspiring, so the Analects of Confucius says that "poetry can flourish", which is a valuable tradition of China's poetry.

"The book I first read was The Analects of Confucius, which had a great influence on my thinking of being a man."

"I believe that there is a spiritual thing in the universe. I not only believe, but also feel and feel. "

■: In recent years, you have made great efforts in teaching children to learn China's ancient poems. A few years ago, you published an audio book "Making Friends with Ancient Poetry" in Tianjin. Do you do this job mainly for spiritual sustenance, or do you think this job has practical effect?

□: I don't need to borrow any foreign things to pin my spirit. I still think that the inner spirit and touching life of China's classical poems should not be interrupted. Today, China's traditional cultural values are getting less and less attention. By studying classical poetry carefully, tradition can gain new vitality.

I love and study classical poetry, not because of the intention of pursuing knowledge, but because of a touch and call for life contained in classical poetry. In this sense, all the souls, wisdom, character, mind and cultivation of ancient great poets are accumulated. Therefore, China has always had the tradition of "poetry teaching". In fact, my life has experienced many hardships and misfortunes, but in the eyes of outsiders, I have always maintained an optimistic and calm attitude, which has a lot to do with my love for classical poetry. Now some young people are blinded by short-term utilitarianism and material desire, and they can no longer understand the role of poetry in improving people's mind and quality. This is naturally a very regrettable thing. How to make up for this regret is my great wish over the years, and it is also one of the main reasons why I keep coming back to teach over the years. When teaching poetry, I pay special attention to the role of emotion in poetry. Although I also know that my knowledge and ability are insufficient, I am also afraid that it will be difficult for me to work less in the end, but this is just my feeling and I can't control myself.

My daughter said that Tang poetry and Song poetry are my mother's favorite. She has been in love with poetry all her life, and people who fall in love are always young. I have suffered several major blows in my life. In that kind of life, what I often think of is the first two sentences of Huayang's "Shui Long Yin" sung by Mr. Jing 'an with Dongpo rhyme: "How can you suddenly fall if you don't look at people?" I thought I was like Huayang sung by Mr. Jing 'an. I never opened it. It's withered. However, there is also an extremely tough side in my character. I can bear many hardships with my own will and refuse to fall down, and I am even more unwilling to accept the pity and sympathy of others in misfortune. So I have never revealed my unfortunate experience to anyone for many years, and I must always be happy and calm outside.

■: Does this have anything to do with your religion? Although many people know your achievements in the study of China's classical poetry and China's traditional culture, most people don't know that you believed in Christianity in the 1950s. As a China native who grew up in China's traditional culture and has the deepest understanding of China's traditional culture, and as a real China native in the cultural sense, why did you make such a choice? What was the situation then?

□: I came into contact with religion very late, and my family is not religious. I never associate with religious people. After I went to college, Gu Sui gave lectures and often quoted Zen quotations, which made me interested in Buddhism. Later, I found the record of turning on the light myself. 1946 at the beginning, I read in the newspaper that a church had a Spring Festival sermon, so I went to listen to it with a relative. I remember that the priest's surname was Bi, and he was a woman. I heard what Pastor Bi said at that time, which was very reasonable and touched me a little, but I had not been baptized at that time. I was officially baptized in Tainan. 1957 In the spring, my husband and I were baptized together. Yan Hui, the youngest daughter, was born soon and was naturally baptized at the age of one. I also worked as a "Sunday school" teacher, teaching children in the smallest class, telling Bible stories, and telling them in sororities. But my daughter Xiaohui always says that I am a Christian in ungodly. In fact, the book I first read was The Analects of Confucius, which had a great influence on my thinking of being a man. At that time, I heard that "if you listen in the morning, you can die at night" and was deeply attracted. I have a strong impulse in my heart. What is Tao? Why is it so important? I'd rather die. In a word, I believe that there are spiritual things in the universe. I not only believe, but also feel and appreciate them. I was born to pay attention to spirit and feelings, not to matter and body. Maybe this is a shortcoming. But I was born perfect, so I must return my shortcomings to the world. Mr. Gu once said: "One should take a lifeless consciousness as his career and lead an optimistic life with a pessimistic mood." Only by seeing through the narrowness and impermanence of the ego can one really devote himself to a broader and higher realm of life. The study of poetry, for me, is not the goal to pursue, but the strength to support me through my troubles.