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  • Il dono dell’airone
  • Edited by Luca Capponcelli, Diego Cucinelli, Chiara Ghidini, Matilde Mastrangelo, Rolando Minuti
Book Chapter

Saltellando fra le rime. L’immaginario del grillo nella poesia di Du Fu (712-770)

  • Luca Stirpe

Over two million years ago, when beings identifiable as belonging to the human species left their first traces on the planet, insects had already been present for approximately four hundred million years. Whether airborne, terrestrial, aquatic, or concealed within the earth, they have served as carriers of life, disease, suffering, death, pleasure, annoyance and fear. In every corner of the planet (and perhaps even beyond), they have invariably accompanied the existence of various creatures, including humans. Hence, it comes as no surprise that insects have been extensively depicted in various forms of human cultural expression, ranging from legends and myths to art, literature, medicine, cuisine and religious practices. Among other insects, crickets are a constant presence in Classical Chinese poetry. This study will embark on an exploration of the early stages in the development of the intricate symbolic and metaphorical system associated with crickets in poetry, drawing from the two oldest collections of Chinese poetry: the Book of Poetry and the Elegies of Chu. However, its primary focus will be directed towards the presence of crickets in the poetry of Du Fu (712-770), one of the foremost Chinese poets. Specifically, the study will delve into examining how these insects are employed, their function, context, and the imagery intertwined with them within Du Fu's poetic works.

  • Keywords:
  • Crickets,
  • Du Fu,
  • Classical Chinese Poetry,
  • Poetic Imagery and Symbolism,
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Luca Stirpe

University of Chieti-Pescara G. D'Annunzio, Italy - ORCID: 0000-0002-2422-1794

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  2. Chen Yinxin 陈贻焮. rist. 2011. Du Fu pingzhuan 杜甫评传. Beijing: Beijing daxue.
  3. Chou, E. Shan. 1995. Reconsidering Tu Fu: Literary Greatness and Cultural Context. Cambrisge: Cambridge U.P.
  4. Hao, Ji. 2017. The Reception of Du Fu (712-770) and His Poetry in Imperial China. Leiden: Brill.
  5. Hawkes, David. 1967. A Little Primer of Tu Fu. Oxford University Press.
  6. Hawkes, David, trad. 1985 (1959). The Songs of the South. An Anthology of Ancient Chinese Poems by Qu Yuan and Other Poets. Harmondsworth: Penguin.
  7. Hu-Sterk, Florence. 2005. L’apogée de la poésie chinoise: Li Bai et Du Fu. Paris: You Feng
  8. Hucker, Charles O. 1985. A Dictionary of Official Titles in Imperial China. Stanford University Press.
  9. Hung, William. 1952. Tu Fu, China’s Greatest Poet. Harvard University Press.
  10. Idema, Wilt L. 2019. Insects in Chinese Literature. A Study and Anthology. Amherst (NY): Cambria.
  11. McCraw, David. 1992. Du Fu’s Laments from the South. University of Hawaii Press.
  12. Mo Lifeng 莫砺锋. 1993. Du Fu pingzhuan 杜甫评传. Nanjing: Nanjing daxue.
  13. Owen, Stephen. 1980. The Great Age of Chinese Poetry: The High Tang. Yale University Press.
  14. Owen, Stephen. 2016. The Poetry of Du Fu. 6 vols. Berlin: De Gruyter.
  15. Rouzer, Paul. 2011. “Du Fu and the Failure of Lyric.” CLEAR: 33: 27-53.
  16. Schneider, David K. 2012. Confucian Prophet: Political Thought in Tu Fu’s Poetry (752-757). Amherst (NY): Cambria.
  17. Tian, Xiaofei. a cura di. 2020. Reading Du Fu: Nine Views. Hong Kong University Press.
  18. Tomassini, Fausto. 1977 (1974). Testi confuciani. Torino: UTET.
  19. Waley, Arthur. 1996 (1937). The Book of Songs: The Ancient Chinese Classic of Poetry. New York: Grove Press.
  20. Williams, Nicholas M. 2022. Elegies of Chu. Oxford University Press.
  21. Xiao Difei 萧涤非 et al. a cura di. 2014. Du Fu quanji jiaozhu 杜甫全集校注. 12 vols. Beijing: Renmin wenxue.
  22. Zhou Jiaju, Xie, Guirong, Yan Xinjian. 2011. Encyclopedia of Traditional Chinese Medicines. Molecular Structures, Pharmacological Activities, Natural Sources and Applications. 6 vols. Berlin: Springer.
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  • Publication Year: 2024
  • Pages: 109-120
  • Content License: CC BY 4.0
  • © 2024 Author(s)

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  • Publication Year: 2024
  • Content License: CC BY 4.0
  • © 2024 Author(s)

Chapter Information

Chapter Title

Saltellando fra le rime. L’immaginario del grillo nella poesia di Du Fu (712-770)

Authors

Luca Stirpe

Language

Italian

DOI

10.36253/979-12-215-0422-4.11

Peer Reviewed

Publication Year

2024

Copyright Information

© 2024 Author(s)

Content License

CC BY 4.0

Metadata License

CC0 1.0

Bibliographic Information

Book Title

Il dono dell’airone

Book Subtitle

Scritti in onore di Ikuko Sagiyama

Editors

Luca Capponcelli, Diego Cucinelli, Chiara Ghidini, Matilde Mastrangelo, Rolando Minuti

Peer Reviewed

Number of Pages

390

Publication Year

2024

Copyright Information

© 2024 Author(s)

Content License

CC BY 4.0

Metadata License

CC0 1.0

Publisher Name

Firenze University Press

DOI

10.36253/979-12-215-0422-4

ISBN Print

979-12-215-0421-7

eISBN (pdf)

979-12-215-0422-4

Series Title

Connessioni. Studies in Transcultural History

Series ISSN

2975-0393

Series E-ISSN

2975-0261

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