Unification of Nationality and Modernity:
Its Reflection in Poetry- by A. Esmailpour

(Shahid Beheshti University, Iran; Shanghai International Studies University)

Since the second half of 19th century, when Whitman in United States, Baudlaire and Malarme in France have lighted the torch of modern poetry, the Ark of Poetry has also floated on the Sea of Modernity as a significant intellectual implement of modern man. Logging on this “Intoxicated Ark” was not meant to cut off nationality and national identity, but modern poetry was about to join in its roots.
In my ancient country, Iran, the dominance of its classical culture and literature has a three millennia history. The first Iranian poetry belongs to Zoroaster; it continues up to the achievements of Nima, the founder of Iranian modern poetry, at the first decades of 20th century. Here, the first pulses of modernity could be heard. In 1922, when Eliot published “The Waste Land”, Nima had also composed his first modern poems. However, the voice of modernity could already be heard in our country even a few decades earlier. Nima’s poetry was filled with local and traditional themes. Although he was a symbolist poet influenced by French symbolists, he had never torn his national and local roots.
Of the characteristics of modernism, we can refer to symbolism, dreams, the collective unconsciousness and archetypes. The archetypes are reflected in the mythology of every nation. Thus, one way to understand the national identity of each nation is to recognize its mythology. The reflection of myths in cultural representation of a nation shows the deep links between nationality and modernity.
Modernity is not a process to reject nationality. Instead, every nation who has reached modernity can protect its national and traditional values to revive its identity. In the process of unification of nationality and modernity, new discovery of a nation’s originality and identity is necessary. However, the unification does not mean to return to traditions and to become a traditionalist, but to have a correct and deep understanding of traditions and their internal and external strata in order to gain a deep understanding of our inner self and its complicated labyrinths.
 In the modern era, if someone kicks back his/her national values and tears the roots will be will be thrown to a non-identified planet and will be drowned in the feeling of alienation and absurdity. Thus, man would be as a terrible shade that looks at the mirror of nation but does not see him or her, like a shade faded at the “Heart of Darkness.”
Ultra-nationalism and cosmopolitism are not processes to reject nationality and patriotism. It is obvious that man at the later part of modernity seeks cosmopolitism and wishes to have a new definition of humanity without cutting his roots.  In fact, roots are essential. Do you know a living fresh tree or a flower without roots? Trees or flowers may be local. Nevertheless, they can inspire beauty. No one thinks about the eastern or western origins of trees or flowers.
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The signs of unification of nationality and modernity can also be found in modern China. Lu Xun was the symbol of such unification by his emphasis on “baihua” or Chinese popular language. Modern Literary Movement (Xinwenxue Yundong), established in 1917, although was a revolutionary movement, it did not lack local values. The young intellectuals of the time, such as Huang Zungxian, Xia Zenguou, have used “langue parole” (dialogue language) in poetry. Hu Xi also emphasized the popular oral language in his manifest of ‘literary reform’.
Perhaps they did not know that world modern poetry, following the first half of 20th century tended to use the popular language. The significant art of Carlos Williams and Wallace Stevens was to regard nationality and identity from a new outlook. Although the universal and collective ‘I’ of “The Waste Land” and “The Cantos” was not forgotten during 1970s and 1980s, it related only to the history of modern literature. Instead, an individual ‘I’ was replaced in the living, concrete and identified poetry of the new era. Therefore, the pluralism of identity became significant since then.
On the other hand, Chinese great poets were always proud of their nationality. They were seeking remedy for their spiritual traumas in the labyrinths of nature and its secrets, and also in feeling unification with pure nature of their country.
How can one live in the country of great poets such as Du Fu and Li Bai and ignore the local magic nature and ancient culture? Du Fu and Li Bai were ultra-national poets. They belong to the world culture. Nevertheless they have Chinese identifications and are undoubtedly the mirrors of a great civilization and culture.
The main themes of Chinese poetry are: seeking a pure simple life in nature, touching the Sun and the Moon, listening to birds’ singing, springs’ murmuring, looking at the dance of clouds, mountains’ snow, plum and cherry blossoms and the secret beauty of bamboos. In general, Chinese poetry suggests a sense of pantheism and unification with the world and creation.
However, in the later period of modernity, following the population explosion, growing skyscrapers and towers, the chimneys of the factories and environmental pollution, how a modern man should share in the sense of unification with pure nature?
The picture of “a hundred springs on the tops of trees / in the mountains / at a rainy night” in a poem of Wang Wei (8th AD), is a fantastic example of union of imagery and reality or the union of human spirit with nature. Now, at the beginning of postmodernism, how the youths can share in this feeling? Living in Shanghai, sometimes I feel how Buddha is alone and alienated in his old temple surrounded by horrible skyscrapers and towers.
The peak of modernity has torn out the masks of gods and human beings and discovered the real ‘self’. It has rejected non-identity and reached at a new jumping platform of which hero is seeking the roots and a new definition of modernity. Consequently it seeks to present a new definition of man. It also claims that national identity is the identification card of modern man; although man can have a cosmopolitan passport, his/her original identification card is attached to the roots of nationality which will never be devastated even the borders of the countries are devastated. The borders of cultures, languages, collective unconsciousness and archetypes of any nation will never be devastated by world powers. Here, although being a cosmopolitan, one can love his or her country and its eternal traditional values, as Ai Ching says: If I were a bird / I’d sing for my country / with my gloomy voice / I’m drowned with tears / because I love this land / so deep and eternal.



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