Assingment #2
After reading Du Fu’s “Qiang Village” I was reminded of a J. Cole song titled “Visions of Home”
In the poem, Du Fu describes his arrival home after having spent years of his life away from family and friends:
“And the homebound stranger from a thousand li arrives
Wife and children marvel that I am here
When the shock wears off, still they wipe away tears”
Du Fu is referring of himself as a stranger because he feels he’s been through so many experiences that he is no longer the same person who left years ago. Similarly, J. Cole says “it’s been awhile/ I’m still your child/ I’ve grown in ways that you’ve never known/ I’ve ventured into the world.” Both, Du Fu and J Cole, feel like a different person after being away for a long time.
Du Fu’s description of his family crying portrays not only the joy they have of seeing him but also the pain and suffering they experienced during his absence. In his song, J. Cole also shares this sentiment; by saying “I hate to leave you alone” he is acknowledging that his departure saddens the people who are close to him.
Du Fu wrote poetry while he was away from home; smilarly J Cole says “Seen shit you wouldn’t believe, I write em down in these poems” I think both of them see it of importance to write down their experiences as a way of being remembered. The line “That I return alive is a happening of chance” expresses Du Fu’s belief that he is lucky to have returned home alive. In addition, Du Fu’s saying that his family was shocked to see him implies that nobody expected him to come back; however, had he not been able to return, he would at least have had his cautiously written poems as legacy to his family and the world.
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