"Ta
Ssu Ming"
[The
Greater Master of Fate]
The following poem is from the Chiu
Ko, the "Nine Sings" by Ch'u Yuan, c. 200 BCE. Normally,
one thinks of the whirlwind as driving leaves or animals before
it. In this poem, the Ta Ssu Ming reverses this cliche
formula--he drives the whirlwind before him. In essence, the whirlwind
becomes transformed into a beast of burden, the horse pulling
the chariot that is the cloud.
Open
wide the door of heaven!1
On
a black cloud I ride in splendour,
Bidding
the whirlwind drive before me,
Causing
the rainstorm to lay the dust.
1. The word translated
here as "Heaven" is tian in Mandarin Chinese. The
written symbol for tian literally means "the highest,"
and can refer to both "the sky" and "the gods." The
written ideograph shows an inverted V shape with two horizontal
lines crossing the top, the highest of which hold blank space,
indicating that there is nothing above this highest point. Again,
the idea of celestial power is linked to both the skies and to
righteous destruction.
The word translated
as "door" in line one might refer to the door of
a stable, which would match the image of the rider setting
forth to bring the rain clouds.
