John Keats’ “To Autumn” and Tu Fu’s “Spring Prospect” are very different poems, even at a glance. The theme that unites them is their use of seasons to express different thematic ideas. More specifically, Keats uses autumn as a vehicle for a meditative exploration of the scenes and sensations of fall. Tu Fu’s poem is much darker in tone. It is interesting that Tu Fu uses the stark contrast of spring’s beautiful blossom and wartime scenes to fully depict the suffering of people around him. The scope of these two lyrics is also very different. For example, Keats expresses a focus on serenity and peace:

He uses images of the autumn breeze and references the calmness of his subject to paint an image of subtle happiness. In reference to the introduction to Tu Fu’s poem, Keats’ work falls well within the bounds of Western poetry’s focus on”imaginative fiction.”

On the other hand, Tu Fu attempts to express his own anxieties about sociopolitical conditions and war:

Beacon fires three months running,
a letter from home worth ten thousand in gold–

It sounds like Fu is profoundly worried about his loved ones in this situation. The mention of a precious letter from home, paired with the fires anouncing impending conflict are extremely ominous. In contrast to Keats’ poem, this lyrics takes on a much heavier subject matter. Tu Fu’s poem is very effective in its poignant portrayal of historically true events, and its imagery puts the reader in Tu Fu’s shoes during this situation.

The form and structure used by both poets also serves an important purpose in communicating the ideas contained within each lyric. “To Autumn” employs a somewhat rigid iambic pentameter form. The ten syllables in each line keep a constant rhythm throughout this poem, and the ABAB rhyme scheme emphasizes the song-like quality of Keats’ work here. This use of constant form and rhyming punctuation helps the reader fall into a sort of trance, bringing to life the images contained within the poem and creating a peaceful, lighthearted tone. Contrastingly, “Spring Prospect” delivers hard-hitting image of violence and calamity through its lack of constant rhythm. Tu Fu’s decision to avoid the lightheartedness of rhyme serves his purpose very well: this free verse conveys a general feeling of sadness and solemnity. It is also notable that, at least in the English translation, sharp consonant sounds dominate this composition, communicating a punchy seriousness very effectively. However, I think it is difficult judge Tu Fu’s poem in its translated form. As mentioned in the introduction, Chinese poetry makes heavy use of culturally-exclusive references which would be lost on Western readers. It would be interesting to see just how different this poem would feel when read in its original language.

Both of these poems are very good examples of nature being used to illustrate poetic ideas, and their contrasting styles highlight two very important methods of creating poetic expression through the use of seasonal imagery.