Abstract
Canopus (a Carinae), known in China as “Old Man Star,” is the second brightest star after Sirius. In China by the first century bc it was commonly believed that a ruler’s virtue causes the star to be easily visible, which would thus augur well for political legitimacy. The star’s astrological significance was noted when Wu Zhao (regent 664–690; r. 690–705) ascended the throne in 690. The renowned poet Yang Jiong presented to Wu Zhao a fu (or, rhyme-prose) on the Old Man Star that stressed the Mandate of Heaven and promoted Wu Zhao’s authority. This article studies the political, astrological, and literary context of Yang Jiong's “Fu on the Old Man Star” as well as its linguistic and rhetorical features. It discusses the interplay among astrology, politics, and literature in premodern China and analyzes the narrative structure and literary devices that helped achieve the political efficacy sought by the piece. The present study also sheds light on Yang Jiong’s less-studied works and court eulogistic literature. An annotated translation of Yang's fu is appended.
Keywords
Yang Jiong, Wu Zhao, eulogistic literature
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