A Comparative Study on the Man-Nature Relationship and Its Presentation in Chinese and British Nature Poetry

Poetry on nature has always been a sparkling star in Chinese literature as well as in British literature. Chinese and British nature poetry share similar characteristics such as the pursuit of freedom and the attachment of certain emotions to natural sceneries. Meanwhile, they are also greatly different owing to the differences in cultural background, national characters and psychologies, philosophies and aesthetic traditions. This paper aims to explore the differences between Chinese and British nature poetry in terms of their concern with the relationship between man and nature and its presentation. Chinese and British nature poets appeal to different things in terms of the relationship between man and nature. In Chinese nature poems, the poet always pursues the harmony between man and nature, the self being forgotten; while in British nature poems, the scenery is regarded as a symbol of emotions, the self always being foregrounded. Chinese and British nature poetry are also different in their composing principles and methods. Generally speaking, analogy and narration are the main practice in ancient Chinese natural poetry writing, whereas personification and dramatic narration in English. In British poems, since the speaker is narrating, "the sceneries are losing their concreteness and directness with the speaker's constant intervention" and they are presented in a single line. Chinese nature poems are the exemplification of "dramatic narration." The sceneries are presented directly to the readers, without the interference of the poet, and with the feature of loose arrangements, multilevels and changing perspectives.