The ability of expressing oneself has been a part of human culture for many years. People have always found ways of clarifying how they feel to the people around them- especially during the romantic era. Interestingly enough, the way in which people went about expressing themselves has differed based on the time period, as well as where they lived.

When comparing the Chinese lyrics to the Arab lyrics, or Koran, we see some of the differences in the style of expression. As the introduction to the poem suggests, the poem titled “The Opening” was written as a praise for God and was written my Mohammed. As such, the text is very broad, and serves as an avenue for people of the Muslim faith to be able to praise God from many different approaches and not as a means of being specific. We see this level of broadness from the words used. The poem constantly refers to God, and while it showers God with praises, it does not provide any specific detail of as to what they are praising their master for.

Much to the contrary, the Chinese form is very specific and direct. The introduction to the text introduces us to the uniqueness of each poem from that time period. In the Chinese culture, scholars would write these poems on their own as a sign of grace. They would be expected to submit their praise when being hosted and cared for. In addition, writers would use these poems as an opportunity to express their political beliefs in a very clear and concise form. For instance, in the poem titled “Spring Prospect” by Tu Fu, we are exposed to his belief of the troubling state of his city with a sense of directness by use of the words: separation, favored and angry. He does not use broad terms as in the Koran which allows for the reader to have a direct understanding of what he is referring to.

Additionally, another notable difference between the Chinese poem and the Muslim verse is who the intended audience is. As part of being written by Mohammed and simply serving as a channel of communicating with God, the paragraphs, or suras connect man and God. On the other hand, when looking at Tu Fu’s work, he is clearly speaking to other human beings. This difference in who they are talking to is very informative with regards to the culture. Both groups of people seem interested in expressing themselves, however the Muslim people look towards God to express themselves, while the Chinese people look to one another. In doing so, we see that the Muslim’s believe in God as being the one who is in control of the lives of humans, while the Chinese culture looks to find change in the actions and beliefs of other people.