Background
Ssu-ma Hsiang-ju was born in western China in 179 B. C. .
- Photos
- Works
- Photos
- Works
Ssu-ma Hsiang-ju
Edit Profile
also known as
Sima Xiangru
musician politician writer poet
Career
Around 150 BC Sima traveled to the imperial capital Chang'an. There he was made a mounted military attendant to Emperor Jing of Han. But despite his low-ranking position allowed Sima to accompany the emperor and the court on imperial excursions.
Ssu-ma Hsiang-ju served as an official at the court of the king of Liang, who enjoyed certain local rights of governmentsubject to the overall authority of the central government. Later Ssu-ma served as the leader of two missions which were sent to make contacts with the unassimilated tribes of the southwest; and following his reasonably successful achievements there, he was brought to the attention of the Emperor's court at Ch'ang-an. Sima stayed in Liang until Prince Liu Wu's death in 143 BC, after which he returned to his home area of Shu. Sima no longer had any money, and lived in a state of near poverty after returning home. His fortunes improved when he was taken on as a protégé of Wang Ji, the magistrate of Linqiong.
Around 120 BC, Sima accepted an appointment as director of Emperor Wen of Han's funerary park, though the position was probably a sinecure.
In around 119 BC, Sima resigned this position due to increasing illness. He retired to Maoling, a town where Emperor Wu had members of wealthy and influential families live so he could surveil them. In 117 BC, the imperial court got the information about Sima's death, and Emperor Wu dispatched an official to his home and collect his writings to preserve them. However, by the time the official reached Sima's mansion, he had already died, aged approximately 62.
Of six long poems attributed to Ssu-ma Hsiang-ju, two are probably not authentic. In addition he composed a number of essays in prose, including one which concerned some of the religious observances of state.
Achievements
-
Ssu-ma Hsiang-ju was a leading Chinese poet of the Western Han period. In developing a form of poetry known as the fu, Ssu-ma made an important contribution to the growth of Chinese literature. It is possible that by this contribution, together with other references in his poems, he helped to persuade the emperor, Han Wu-ti, to conduct the supreme ceremonies of Feng and Shan on Mt. Tai in 110 B. C.
Views
In his poetry Ssu-ma developed the tradition of the South, which was associated with the old kingdom and culture of Ch'u. This type of poetry was distinct from the poetry of the North and was clearly traceable to beginnings made in the Ch'u tz'u, or Songs of Ch'u. The fu was a type of rhymed or rhythmical prose, often introduced by a short narrative written in free prose. Unlike other forms of poetry, it was not intended for musical accompaniment but was devised for recitation at the court. Fu are usually long and are characterized by a richness of expression that sometimes appears to be excessively decorative. In the case of Ssu-ma Hsiang-ju's work, this effect was achieved at a time when the Chinese written language was still developing and many units of vocabulary were being evolved. As a literary form, the fu was didactic and descriptive rather than lyrical, romantic, or epic. Thus in the Shang-lin fu, or fu on the Shang-lin, which was an imperial pleasure and hunting ground, Ssu-ma Hsiang-ju describes the scenery and the palace buildings or pavilions before proceeding to the hunting scenes themselves; he then describes some of the spectacles that were presented for the amusement of the Emperor, such as dancing and musical performances. In Ssu-ma Hsiang-ju's hands the fu was used to synthesize a number of literary elements that had previously been discrete. He wrote fu for the pleasure of the Emperor and called on fantasy and riddles in order to excite the attention of his audience. At the same time Ssu-ma Hsiang-ju was ready to allude to topical matters and events, partly as a means of reminding the Emperor and his officials where the path of duty led; he was more attracted to the Confucian than the Taoist attitude to life.
Personality
Wang introduced Sima to Zhuo Wangsun, a wealthy iron manufacturer, and Sima immediately fell in love with Zhuo's recently widowed daughter Zhuo Wenjun. In 142 BC, the following year, Sima and Zhuo Wenjun eloped together. Sima's biography states that the couple supported themselves by running an ale shop until Zhuo's father was forced by public shame into recognizing their marriage, giving the couple 1, 000, 000 copper cash, 100 servants, and valuables from the dowry of Zhuo's first marriage.
