Zum Verhältnis von Gehalt und Gestalt in klassischen chinesischen Gedichten

Abstract

There is more to the prosodic and tonal features in Tang-dynasty poems than their mere use in the formal classification of individual texts as either new-style regulated verse (lüshi, jueju) or old-style verse such as the music bureau poem (yuefu). The prosodic and tonal patterns of a poem can also be related to its contents and its expressive qualities. Therefore, the close analysis and highlighting of such acoustic effects can support textual interpretation. The present paper scrutinizes a small sample of seven poems on the topic of Mount Wu (“Wushan gao”), comprising five yuefu and two jueju poems. It points out the deliberate use of tonal and formal peculiarities also in irregular poems. The significant tonal elements include such diverse features as the structuring function of prosodic patterns in longer poems, word repetition or a “missing” verse. Moreover, for instance, clusters of uneven tones are analyzed as expressing strong emotions. Creative elements such as these should be taken into consideration in reading, analyzing and translating classical Chinese poetry