By the Lake - Tu Fu

By the Lake is a poem, originally written in Chinese in the early 8^th century. The piece, though seemingly very complex, actually has very simple and prominent themes. There is a pronounced historical tone in which the poem progresses. Themes of upheaval and exile are equally present. The contrast between nature and man is explored extensively in the piece.

                While reading the piece we must consider the historical events which were occurring at that time. The poem is set during the An Lushan Rebellion that took place in China. During this time many people were forced to leave the country owing to the violence. The poet Tu Fu, had to leave the country too; thus the themes of upheaval come into the picture.

                The contrast between man and nature is shown by the irony in the question, “For whom have the willows and the rushes put on their fresh greenery?” The fact that the plants remain beautiful as ever despite the turbulent times is a comment on how whimsical man’s fate is, unable to remain constant and peaceful like the plants. The turbulence of the times is emphasized by the contrast of how good things were (implied as being prior to the usurper) and how things are now.

Though the above themes are not really open to interpretation, countless other themes and meanings can be taken from the text owing to the surreal sense in which the historical events are described. One could interpret the poem as being representative of memory or death; this is primarily possible from reading into the lines at the ending:

“It is human to have feelings and to shed tears for such things … my way is towards the south city but my gaze turns northwards”

The vagueness of the above line is a suitable habitat for sundry strange and seemingly unnecessary interpretations. However, fret not! If you can read into the poem and suitably justify your take on the poem, nobody can say you’re wrong.