Response to Yang Ye's Review of Du Fu's Laments from the South

Abstract

RESPONSES AND REPLIES Response to Yang Ye's Review ofDu Fu's Lamentsfrom the South. Thanks to Professor Ye for his review (China Review International3, no. 1 [Spring 1996] ). Although the author might want to argue endlessly over a few "nits," he recognizes the review as largely fair and even generous. With hindsight, it seems daring to have tackled Du Fu and folly to have done so in haste. Conceptual problems and insufficiendy thought-through passages will have to stand or fall as they may; for now, the author would like to mention a few particularly galling typos and errors realized only after publication. Page 21 should read "Wang Huizhi," not "Wang Xianshi." Page 183, line 5: given my interpretation that Yu's temple walls have transformed into greenclad cliffs, better green walls than "blue." Pages 192-193: several unwanted commas crept in after stanza/line cites. In addition, under "h" on page 193, read "2.4" for the incorrect "4.4." Page 232: When trying to find a locus classicus for Du Fu's use of an eightstanza -by-eight-line form, I had not yet read C. H. Wang, From Ritual to Allegory (Hong Kong, 1988). Foolishly, I waited and waited for my university library to order Wang's book. Six weeks too late to amend the Du Fu book, I finally saw Wang's work and, witii sinking heart, read (p. 138) that many "Great Odes ofthe Royal Domain" employ an eight-by-eight octad structure either to praise great kings (e.g., nos. 259, 260) or to lament (e.g., nos. 197, 254, 255). How appropriate that Du as court poet should filiate his Autumn Moods to these most venerable, grandest , and most decorous octads in Chinese verse (on p. 144 n. 60, Professor Wang adds that such octads influenced Du Fu)! Only by elaborating his insight could my discussion ofDu Fu's eight-by-eight structure have reached its proper climax. A caution, then, to all tenure-seekers who rush to publish: revise in haste, repent at leisure! David McCraw University ofHawai'i© 1996 by University ofHawai'i Press ...