Analysis Of Non-Chinese In The Frontier Poems In Tang

Non-Chinese in the Frontier Poems in Tang: poems of Gao Shi and Cen Shen

Gao Shi and Cen Shen have been connected together since the Southern Song, because they wrote a large number of poems to describe their experiences on the frontier. Gao Shi’s preference was those “bleak and barren expanses.” He usually focused on the armies, and depicted their suffering and courage. The description of the landscapes was a tool to show the troops were suffering from the wars.

In 750, before the break of the rebellion of An Lushan, Gaoshi wrote For Changda Panguan in Suiyang睢陽酬暢大判官 when he was the official of Fengqiu (封丘縣尉):

Discussing about the wars on the northeast frontier 言及沙漠事

An Lushan’s Non-Chinese soldiers become more and more arrogant

Then, by “大夫拔東蕃, 聲冠霍嫖姚,” Gao Shi praised Dafu大夫, Zhang Shougui 張守珪， who was a Han Chinese for that he achieved several victories and stabilized the frontier, in order to show An Lushan’s problem of reusing capitulated Non-Chinese soldiers. After describing those Non-Chinese soldiers’ indulgence in the troops by “軍中多燕樂,” Gao Shi points out that, “戎狄本無厭, 羇縻非一朝.” Rong Di戎狄 refers to the Non-Chinese soldiers of An Lushan, and Gao Shi believed that they had been indulging for a long time, and these Non-Chinese soldiers would be out of control and lead to chaos when they become strong enough someday. In short, Gao Shi thought that reusing capitulated Non-Chinese soldiers would make trouble. Gao Shi also compared An Lushan with a Han general, Zhang Shougui, to show that An Lushan and his Non-Chinese soldiers were not reliable. It might be reasonable to say that Gao Shi remained cautious and mistrustful about

He wrote Farewell to Liudan Panguan in Wuwei for leaving for Anxi Xingying to report to Gao Kaifu 武威送劉單判官赴安西行營便呈高開府when he was at a farewell party for Liudan and Liudan’s troops was going to go to the war against Dashi大食(Arab Abbasid Caliphate) on the frontier:

Look at the west and find that clouds look like snakes 西望雲似蛇

The enemies must be defeated 戎夷知喪亡

Our army will drive all the horses of Dawan 渾驅大宛馬

And capture the King of the Loulan Kingdom 繫取樓蘭王

Dawan大宛 and Loulan樓蘭 refer to the Arabian enemies instead, but do not mean the ones in the Han period. Rong Yi 戎夷 represent Arabian enemies. Cen Shen expressed that he hoped the Tang troops would win the battle by “渾驅大宛馬, 繫取樓蘭王,” but it is hard to say he feared or hated those Non-Chinese people.

Then I selected the poems which were written down after the rebellion of An Lushan to compare the two poets’ attitude to Non-Chinese by analyzing the poems to find out their sentiment in the poems.

To Pei Yuanwai酬裴員外以詩代書 was written down by Gao Shi in 759, after the break of the rebellion of An Lushan:

The stars changed at the end of the year 755 乙未將星變

Disloyal Jiedu Shi waited for the chance to rebel 賊臣候天災

Non-Chinese cavalry attacked Long Mountain 胡騎犯龍山

Xuanzong passed by Mawei