12:00 PM - 12:15 PM
[HGG01-10] Description of Sceneries in Chinese Poetries Written by Soseki Natsume
Keywords:Chinese poetry, Scenery, Soseki Natsume, Vocabulary
1. Introduction
Soseki Natsume is a famous literature scholar and well known in East Asia such as in China, Taiwan, and Korea. His Chinese poetries are said to be beautiful even when they are read in Chinese. In this study, the objective was set to examine his views in sceneries by analyzing vocabularies used in his Chinese poetries.
2. Study Methods
Soseki Natsume read the total of 208 Chinese poetries, and those featured in Soseki Shichu (Poetry Note) written by Kojiro Yoshikawa in 1967 were selected as a study subject. Vocabularies related to sceneries were mainly collected. In this research, vocabularies in the following categories were counted: Vegetation such as flower and willow tree, living creatures such as bird and horse, weather such as wind and clouds, and nature such as water, mountain and the moon. Only those that appeared twice or more were counted. The percentage indicated in the article shows the appearance rate in the 208 poetries. A cluster analysis (Ward's Method) was performed for this analysis, and SPSS was applied for statistical analysis.
3. Results
3.1 Frequency of appearance of vocabularies related to sceneries
Within the 208 poetries, the following vocabularies were used in order of frequent appearance: Wind (34%), water (31%), clouds (30%), mountain (23%), flower (22%), rain (20%), moon (19%), autumn (17%), willow tree (13%), bird (13%), and sky (13%). The total number of vocabularies appeared summed up to be 923.
Vegetation related vocabularies resulted as following: Flower (22%), willow tree (13%), bamboo (11%), tree (8%), pine tree (8%), coloring autumn leaves (7%), grass (7%), coppice (6%), and moss (5%). The total number of vocabularies related to vegetation was 219 and occupied 24% among all the scenery related vocabularies. As for the vocabularies related to living creatures, the total number was 77 (8%) with the following breakdown: bird (13%), horse (5%), crane (4%), fish (4%). The weather related vocabularies totaled 320 (35%) with wind (34%), clouds (30%), rain (20%), autumn (17%), spring (12%), sunset (11%), sun (8%), and smoke (8%). Lastly, the vocabularies related to nature appeared as follows: water (31%), mountain (23%), moon (19%), and sky (13%); and the total appearance counted 307 vocabularies (33%).
3.2 Cluster analysis on scenery related vocabularies
As a result of a cluster analysis of this collected data, we could divide the vocabularies into two groups: the 1st to the 11th and the 12th and below in ranking of frequency of appearance. Within the 1st to the 11th in ranking, two clusters were identified: One with water, mountain, and clouds; and another with wind, flower, rain, moon, autumn, willow tree, bird, and sky.
4. Considerations
The scenery related vocabularies, which appear in Chinese poetries read by Soseki Natsume, were analyzed. He used vocabularies in categories like weather (35%), nature (33%), and vegetation (24%). In particular, with the cluster that includes water, mountain and clouds, the scenery that can be imagined is where clouds are lying over the mountains in a distance with a water view spread in front. Next, in the cluster of wind, flower, rain, moon, autumn, willow tree, bird and sky, the image can be related to the Japanese four-character phrase Ka Cho Fu Getsu, which literally writes flower, bird, wind, and moon and expresses the traditional themes of natural beauty in Japan.
Soseki Natsume is a famous literature scholar and well known in East Asia such as in China, Taiwan, and Korea. His Chinese poetries are said to be beautiful even when they are read in Chinese. In this study, the objective was set to examine his views in sceneries by analyzing vocabularies used in his Chinese poetries.
2. Study Methods
Soseki Natsume read the total of 208 Chinese poetries, and those featured in Soseki Shichu (Poetry Note) written by Kojiro Yoshikawa in 1967 were selected as a study subject. Vocabularies related to sceneries were mainly collected. In this research, vocabularies in the following categories were counted: Vegetation such as flower and willow tree, living creatures such as bird and horse, weather such as wind and clouds, and nature such as water, mountain and the moon. Only those that appeared twice or more were counted. The percentage indicated in the article shows the appearance rate in the 208 poetries. A cluster analysis (Ward's Method) was performed for this analysis, and SPSS was applied for statistical analysis.
3. Results
3.1 Frequency of appearance of vocabularies related to sceneries
Within the 208 poetries, the following vocabularies were used in order of frequent appearance: Wind (34%), water (31%), clouds (30%), mountain (23%), flower (22%), rain (20%), moon (19%), autumn (17%), willow tree (13%), bird (13%), and sky (13%). The total number of vocabularies appeared summed up to be 923.
Vegetation related vocabularies resulted as following: Flower (22%), willow tree (13%), bamboo (11%), tree (8%), pine tree (8%), coloring autumn leaves (7%), grass (7%), coppice (6%), and moss (5%). The total number of vocabularies related to vegetation was 219 and occupied 24% among all the scenery related vocabularies. As for the vocabularies related to living creatures, the total number was 77 (8%) with the following breakdown: bird (13%), horse (5%), crane (4%), fish (4%). The weather related vocabularies totaled 320 (35%) with wind (34%), clouds (30%), rain (20%), autumn (17%), spring (12%), sunset (11%), sun (8%), and smoke (8%). Lastly, the vocabularies related to nature appeared as follows: water (31%), mountain (23%), moon (19%), and sky (13%); and the total appearance counted 307 vocabularies (33%).
3.2 Cluster analysis on scenery related vocabularies
As a result of a cluster analysis of this collected data, we could divide the vocabularies into two groups: the 1st to the 11th and the 12th and below in ranking of frequency of appearance. Within the 1st to the 11th in ranking, two clusters were identified: One with water, mountain, and clouds; and another with wind, flower, rain, moon, autumn, willow tree, bird, and sky.
4. Considerations
The scenery related vocabularies, which appear in Chinese poetries read by Soseki Natsume, were analyzed. He used vocabularies in categories like weather (35%), nature (33%), and vegetation (24%). In particular, with the cluster that includes water, mountain and clouds, the scenery that can be imagined is where clouds are lying over the mountains in a distance with a water view spread in front. Next, in the cluster of wind, flower, rain, moon, autumn, willow tree, bird and sky, the image can be related to the Japanese four-character phrase Ka Cho Fu Getsu, which literally writes flower, bird, wind, and moon and expresses the traditional themes of natural beauty in Japan.