Проблемы литератур Дальнего Востока. Часть 1

Секция 2 • Panel 2 Проблемы литератур Дальнего Востока. Т. 1. 2018 184 the poet’s grandson was a man of vast knowledge, a student of daling Li Shenqi and a good friend of my own friend Ji Xichou. So I asked master Ji to give the unfinished manuscript to Huang Jingren’s grandson — necessary add-ins could be thus made. He read the manuscript, rejoiced and said, ‘Next year, in the first month, my grandfather would turn one hundred — if it is published by that date, the printed text might be brought to his tomb, offerings might be made and thus his soul that found no recognition during his life might be appeased.’ But he also wrote a very deferential letter to me that read, ‘The manuscript has many lacunas — I’m afraid, master will not think much of it.’Therefore, I asked master Ji to collect yet more material. Then he revised many letters, books and poems of those, who were friends with Huang and often exchanged poems with him. Thus he added one more juan . Then he sent the complete text to me. I sighed and said, ‘All that the poet had lived through, all his wanderings — all is collected here.’ Then I gave the manuscript to a typesetter, and when the work was finished, I sent it to Huang’s grandson so that he would be able to bring it to the tomb and put wine for his grandfather on his birthday to venerate his memory. I and master Ji published this book and thus paid tribute to the poet’s memory.” [4; p.85] The chronological biography compiled by the poet’s grandson and set for printing by Mao Qingshan is distinct in completeness of information. It is a profound work containing a lot of information necessary for studying the poet’s life and work. First of all, the nianpu features a brief history of Huang’s family, describes each year of the poet’s life, and specifies years of the Emperor’s reign, dates (in sexagenary cycle terms) and the age of the poet. Moreover, the poet’s poems are arranged by years. In the end of each life year description, a list of poems written in that year follows, thus making it possible to trace what mood prevailed with the poet at a certain point of life, what bothered him, and what made him grieve. Such information, of course, is of a great value to researches of Huang Jingren’s poetic heritage. The biography also provides a detailed description of the poet’s travels around the county, his movements along the career ladder, and his acquaintances with various people. Overall style of the nianpu is rather official, although lyrical digressions may be found in some places. The compilers sometimes provide commentaries on certain names, locations or events. Although in a number of cases, it is difficult to see what made the compiler select particular subjects for commentaries. In general, it may be said that this most detailed chronological biography laid basis for the poets’ biographies written thereafter. During the period of the May Fourth Movement and later, in 1920s-1930s, the interest to Huang`s works — and, consequently, to the poet’s life path — revived. Many famous persons of that time were engrossed in reading his poetry, tracing in his life similarities with their own living, as well as finding reflection of their own thoughts and feelings in his poems. Thirty years prior to Liberation, more materials on Huang Jingren than on any other Qing poet were collected and published in China.