Self-Canonization in Zuo Si’s “Poems on History”
Abstract Zuo Si’s 左思 [ca. 250-305] “Poems on History” [yongshi 詠史] have often been regarded as a milestone in the development of the poetic subgenre “poems on history.” Scholars have noted Zuo’s use of historical allusion and description to articulate his personal emotions and ambitions and to criticize the political hierarchy of the Western Jin [265-316]. In addition, they have recognized Zuo’s “Poems on History” as representing an alternative to the ornamental style of poetry popular in his time. This article addresses the way in which Zuo’s poems contributed to the “poems on history” subgenre, as well as how they reflected the broader context of Six Dynasties [220-589] society. At the same time, it investigates another purpose for his use of historical figures in his poetry: self-canonization. This paper argues that Zuo used historical figures not only to express his emotions but also to skillfully place himself into the larger context and lineage of exemplary historical figures. Zuo is thus telling later generations that they should remember him with the same reverence—he is invoking history as a force of self-canonization. This self-canonization perspective reveals the complexity of Zuo’s appropriation of earlier historical sources. It also deepens our understanding of the purpose of Zuo’s “Poems on History” and of the ways in which history is disseminated through poetry in the Six Dynasties period.
