The Poetry of Mao Tse Tung-An Evaluation
The Poetry of Mao Tse Tung-An Evaluation
The Poetry of Mao Tse Tung-An Evaluation
Throughout the world, Mao Tse Tung is well known as a great communist revolutionary political leader of twentieth-century China under whose leadership a Westernized modern communist China was built. But besides this, very few people know that he was a great thinker and a poet. But as the man was so was his poetry. In brief, to say, his poetry is nothing but the diary of this revolution. His poetry reflects his thoughts and ideals as a revolutionary communist leader. As a revolutionary leader, he had to wander about here and there leading his guerilla force so he wrote his poems encouraging the morale of his guerilla soldiers. His soldiers as well as the supporters of his revolution sang his poems as slogans. His poems are written in simple language free from the trammel of figures and adoration. Sometimes he uses symbols in his poetry that stands to show the age-gold China and China of his revolutionary ideals. In his poetry, he shows his love for freedom, love for man and love for his motherland. Sometimes he portrays nature in his poetry, but his political and revolutionary ideals preoccupy him so much that his portrayal of nature withers under his ideals.
In the poem entitled Changsha he shows that everything and every being of Nature enjoys freedom except only man. So he says:
”Under freezing skies a million creature
contend in freedom
Brooding over this immensity
I ask, on this boundless land
Who rules over man’s destiny?”
In the poem, Chin Kang Shan Mao Tse Tung shows his victory over the supporters of the age-old traditional system of socio-economic condition of China. He says:
”Bellow the hills our flag and banners
Above the hilltops sound our bugles and drums
The foe encircles us thousands-strong
Steadfastly we stand our ground.
Already our defense is iron-clad,
Now our wills unite like a fortress.
From Hung Yang Chich roars the thunder of guns
Word comes the enemy has fled into the night.”
As Mao Tse Tung was a revolutionary in favour of communism and socialism. So he was vehemently obstructed by the anti-communist political ruling party. But, he by means of guerilla force led the rebellion against the ruling power and one by one he conquered the land. So he wrote:
”Red banners leap over the Ting River
Straight to Langyen and Shang hang
We have reclaimed part of the golden bowl
And land is being shared out with a will.”
His poems are the documents of his revolution and whenever he heard of the victory of his Revolutionary Army, he wrote poetry or song on the victory to encourage his fighters. In the poem, ”On the Kung Chang Road” he wrote:
”Yesterday the order was given,
One hundred thousand workers and
Peasants march on Kian.”
In another poem entitled Against the Second Encirclement Campaign he wrote about the victory of his revolutionary force:
”In fifteen days we have marched seven hundred li
Crossing misty Kan waters and green Fukien hills
Rolling back the enemy as we would a mat”
Mao Tse Tung thought rightly that everything turned fair through revolution. He wrote in the poem Tapoti:
”A furious battle once raged here,
The village walls, bullet-scarred,
Now adorn hill and pass
And make them doubly fair.”
Mao Tse Tung was determined to reach his goal. He thought that his revolution would be successful and that communist China would be built soon. He said:
”If we fail to reach the Great wall
We are not men
…………………………………
Today we hold the long cord in our hands
When shall we bind the Grey Dragon?”
Mao Tse Tung criticized the rulers of China who had throughout the ages remained stagnant with old thoughts. He says:
”The night was long and dawn came slow to the Crimson land.
For a century demons and monsters whirled in a wild dance
And the five hundred people were disunited.
Now the cock has crowed and all under heaven is bright
Here is music from all our peoples from Yutin too
And the poet is inspired as never before.”
In the revolution, many young women of China participated in favour of a communist China. Mao Tse Tung praised them in his poetry as:
”China’s daughters have high-aspiring minds,
They love their battle array, not silks and satins.”
The poet was sure that the goal of his revolution might be achieved soon if the revolutionaries went on their goal earnestly. He wrote:
”So many deeds cry out to be done,
And always urgently;
The world rolls on
Time presses.
Ten thousand years are too long,
Seize the day, seize the hour.”
As a revolutionary, he was optimistic that erelong he would reach his goal. He thought that everything was possible to achieve after a strong will. He said:
”We can clap the moon in the Ninth Heaven
And seize turtles deep down in the five seas;
We’ll return amid triumphant song and laughter.
Nothing is hard in this world
If you dare to scale the heights. ”
Thus the poems of Mao Tse Tung are nothing but the running documents of his revolution in favour of a westernized modern communist China along with its objectives which are written to be sung as slogans to add spirit to the morale of the revolutionaries.
His poems became popular with the peasants, labours and soldiers who sought revolution and change in their socio-economic conditions. But his poetry lacks of real poetic appeal as his poetry is less imaginative, and less figurative but more realistic bearing the stamp of the objectives of the revolution.
But to conclude it is to say that though his poetry is poetically weak yet as a realistic poet of the revolution he is undoubtedly a greater one. 0 0 0. The Poetry of Mao Tse Tung-An Evaluation
The Poetry of Mao Tse Tung-An Evaluation
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N. B. This article entitled ‘The Poetry of Mao Tse Tung-An Evaluation’ originally belongs to the book ‘World Poetry Criticism‘ by Menonim Menonimus. The Poetry of Mao Tse Tung-An Evaluation
Books of Literary Criticism by M. Menonimus:
- World Short Story Criticism
- World Poetry Criticism
- World Drama Criticism
- World Novel Criticism
- World Essay Criticism
- Indian English Poetry Criticism
- Indian English Poets and Poetry Chief Features
- Emily Dickinson’s Poetry-A Thematic Study
- Walt Whitman’s Poetry-A Thematic Study
- Critical Essays on English Poetry
- Tawfiq al-Hakim’s Novel: Return of the Spirit-An Analytical Study
- Tawfiq al-Hakim’s Novel: ‘Yawmiyyat Naib Fil Arayaf’-An Analytical Study
- Analytical Studies of Some Arabic Short Stories
- A Brief History of Arabic Literature: Pre-Islamic Period …
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