Historic Classic as Global Interculture: 文心雕龍 Literary Heart Carving Dragon and Its Translations

This brief comment is on ONE, the book 文心雕龍 Literary Heart Carving Dragon and TWO, its two English translations, to THREE conclude with their intercultural prospect. ONE: On the 文心雕龍 The classic 文心雕龍 is distinct and unique on at least three counts. One, this book is China’s first major literary criticism, out about 501 AD, centuries before medieval era. Two, as poetics is on poetry, so this literary criticism is careful scrutiny of literary writings, and all China’s writings are literary. Three, 文心雕龍 dares to be comprehensive, packed tight in poetic rhythm. Literary Heart Carving Dragon is a dragonish pivot in China, epitomizing Chinese writing and thinking. Born here now, the “dragon” soars far beyond here now in life’s throbbing heartbeat of poetry; poetry is defined as packed rhythm jumping alive, humming tuneless tune, alias dragon self-carving in today’s literary heart. The invisible dragon-beat is carved out 雕龍 into the “literary heart 文心” of China millennia young. Liu Xie 劉勰 cannot help but write out such life-act, intimate infinite, into Literary Heart Carving Dragon 文心雕龍 in 50 gem-chapters, orderly sparkling, compactly poetic, solid soaring.