EL

112 Republic of the Philippines

Tarlac State University
COLLEGE OF TEACHER EDUCATION
CENTER OF DEVELOPMENT
Villa Lucinda Campus, Tarlac City

A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF
CHINESE, HINDU, JAPANESE, PERSIAN, VIETNAMESE AND KOREAN
POEMS ABOUT WAR

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A Comparative Literary Analysis

Presented to
Ms. Sheila Marie O. David
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In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for

Survey of Afro-Asian Literature
(EL 112)

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By
Taan, Mckennedy F.

May 17, 2021

 Comparison
There are different literatures in the world, and every country has its own literature. Literature played an important part in the
history of every country because it also serves as a record of different happenings and events that happened during a specific time that
was recorded using artistic and creative languages. In connection to our course EL 112, the following literature of China, Japan,
Korea, Iran (Persia), Vietnam, and India, which are part of Afro-Asian Literature, became the point of interest in this comparative
study. Going back to the history, there are different wars that happened in the mentioned country and such wars affects, not just their
country, but most importantly their literature. The following poems which came from the mentioned countries talks about the war that
happened to their country, pre-war, during and post war, and the following poems has similarities and differences with each other.

KEY POINTS CHINESE LITERATURE HINDU LITERATURE JAPANESE LITERATURE

Title Facing the Snow The Calling When we say ‘Hiroshima’
Author Du Fu Daljit Nagra Sadako Kurihara
Literary Piece In the battle’s aftermath, many The night is abrim with the in- When we say Hiroshima, do
spirits cry, between children people answer,
Alone, an old man hums his they are summoning Mother gently, Ah, Hiroshima? ..Say
worrisome chant. India Hiroshima,
Confusion sets in amid the take us back take us back take and hear Pearl Harbor.  Say
clouds at dusk, us back Hiroshima,
A violent snow dances in the but the Motherland is piping and hear Rape of Nanjing.  Say
swirling wind the old grief Hiroshima,
I was down on my knees on my and hear women and children
There lies an abandoned ladle knees in Manila, thrown
and an empty green jug, why did you run toward the into trenches, doused with
But the stove still looks fiery moon gasoline, and
red. for the cities with their engines burned alive.  Say Hiroshima,
With bad news from many of desire and hear
places The night is abrim with the in- echoes of blood and fire.
I sit in grief, but cannot read between children
my books their heads are down and are Say “Hiroshima”,
crying and we don’t hear, gently,

Literary Periods The poem is written by Du Fu
in the late 756 under the
government led by the Tang
Dyasty. TheTang Dynasty is
considered as the “Golden age
of arts and culture” in China.
The poem is all about the
take us back take us back take
us back
our songs are afresh with the
plough and the oxen,
the smell of open fires where
the roti is crackling
and our roses are the roses of
home.
The poem is written by Naljit
Nagra in 2017 as part of his
third collection “British
Museum”. The author is a
British author but it is Indian
by blood, and he dedicates this
poem in Britain-India war and
“Ah, Hiroshima”.
in chorus, Asia’s dead and her
voiceless masses
spit out the anger
of all those we made victims
That we may say “Hiroshima”,
and hear in reply, gently,
“Ah, Hiroshima”,
we must lay down in fact
the arms we were supposed to
lay down
We must get rid of all foreign
bases.
Until that day Hiroshima
will be a city of cruelty and
bitter bad health.
and we will be pariahs
afire with remnant
radioactivity.
That we may say “Hiroshima”
and hear in reply, gently,
“Ah, Hiroshima,”
we first must wash the blood
off our own hands.
The poem is a part of a
collection written by Kurihara
in the year 1942 and 1989,
wherein we can clearly see that
it encompasses the World War
II period where Japanese
Empire played a huge role.
 rebellion at that time. to the immigrants of the post-
empire from India.
Languages The poem is originally written The poem is originally written
in Chinese language using the in English language.
classical Chinese characters.
Elements The literary devices used by u The literary devices use in the
Fu in his poem entitled “Facing poem is repetition which is
the Snow” are personification evident on the 3rd, 5th, and 10th
in the first and fourth lines of lines of this magnum opus. It
the poem specifically “spirits also uses personification in the
cry” and “violent snow 4th line, specifically
dances”. Furthermore, the “Motherland is piping the old
author also uses imagery in the grief”. Furthermore, it also use
fifth and sixth lines, “empty metaphor in the 6th and 13th
green jug” and “stove still lines “for the cities with their
looks fiery red” engines of desire”, and “our
roses are the roses of home”.
Moreover, it also used imagery
on the 12th line “the smell of
open fires where the roti is
crackling”. Lastly, it also uses
assonance in the 11th line.
Features The unique feature of the poem The unique feature of this poem
is that the author leads the is that the author uses voices in
reader to feel and see the the poem wherein it seems like
devastating effects of the these are the voices of the
current war during that time, Indian people that are longing
not only to the country itself, for their mother land which are
but also to the poet. clearly expressed in the line
“take us back take us back take
us back”
Forms The poem is written into the so The poem is a partially free
The poem talks about the
aftermaths of World War II.
The poem is written in English
language which is considered
as a controversial poem in
Japan.
The literary devices used in this
poem are repetition in the
specific line “Say Hiroshima”,
and the name “Hiroshima” is
also repeated. It also use
imagery in the line “hear
echoes of blood and fire”.
The unique feature of this poem
is the enjambment used by the
author of the poem. When we
say enjambment, it is the
continuation of a sentence or
clause across the line break.
The poem’s enjambment is
clearly starts in the line “Say
Hiroshima”
The poem is written in partially
 called recent style which has verse because there are lines free verse because it doesn’t
patterns on tones and follows whose rhyme are not identical have rhyme scheme on some
semantic and syntactic to other rhyme, however, parts. Although, repetition is
parallelism in terms of its rhyme scheme pattern A is identifiable to the lines “Say
couplets. It is also a good repeated three time, while C is Hiroshima” and “Ah
example of a regulated-verse repeated 2 times. The poem Hiroshima”, the word “gently”
poem because it possessed five also limited from 8 to 13 is repeated. The poem has 32
characters per line, and it also syllables per line. lines in 3 stanzas.
has three succeeding couplets.
KEY POINTS PERSIAN LITERATURE VIETNAMESE KOREAN LITERATURE
LITERATURE
Title Soldier Nonattachment At Tabuwon
Author Faleeha Hassan Nguyen Ba Chung Cho Chi-hun
Literary Piece Don’t dance on the Danube Let’s gather every fragment of Coming to Tabuwon after the
river, our memories month-long siege is lifted,
It is filled with flies. It’s all that we have at the end I see autumn clouds dappling
Don’t smile to the flowers, of our life its hills. 
The flies come to them from Warring fay and nights, After the cannon roar raged for
the corpses left in the open air, showers of sun and rain a month
Don’t look to the sky, What’s left of love? Attacking and defending, 
It is strangulated with smoke, I realize how Taegu
Just Let’s gather what remains of Tabuwon is located.
Take off your dream from your our memories To keep this small village
head, It’s all that we have at the close As part of our free republic 
Close your eyes of our life Even grass and shrubbery
And walk in the road Warring days and nights make Had to die 
The war wrote your name in us wonder Oh, do not ask
the list of death Should the bundle we gather be For what cause
empty or full? The land had to suffer such
ruin. 
The head of a war horse
Severed while rearing toward
heaven. 

Literary Periods The poem is written during the
Iraq and Iran war in the year
1980-1988. The poem talks
about the soldiers affected by
the war, and, of course, the
aftermath of the war.
The corpse of a Communist
soldier
Seeming to weep in remorse. 
We were brothers under the
same sky
Until a short while ago. 
Now, though cooled by the
autumn breeze,
Tabuwon stinks like rotting
fish. 
If there was no Fate governing
life and death
And we had no faith in Fate’s
purpose, 
What rest could there be for
these pitiful dead? 
The Tabuwon I survived to see
Offers no response to the living
or the dead.
Only the wind stirs it.
The poem is written in 1997 The poem is written during the
which commemorates the Korean war in the years of
Vietnamese War in 1955 to 1950-1953. The poem of Cho
1975. The poem talks about Chi-hun talks about the
moving forward and memories aftermaths of Korean war
of the aftermath of the war wherein the war is between the
wherein the author is a war northern part of Korean
veteran who fought in peninsula backed by Soviet
Vietnamese war. union, against the southern part
of the peninsula which were
backed by United States of
America. The two opposing
sides are divided by their
 political beliefs which were
brought by their partners:
communism and democracy.
Languages The poem is originally written The poem is originally written The poem is originally written
using the English language. on Vietnamese language and in Korean language, and later
translated on English. translated into English
language.
Elements The literary elements use in the The literary elements uses in The poem uses symbolism in
piece are alliteration in ‘the the piece are hyperbole in the the line “We were brothers
first, sixth and last line, Don’t line “Warring fay and nights”. under the same sky” wherein
dance on the Danube river,”, “It Furthermore, alliteration is also brothers symbolizes the
is strangulated with smoke,”, used in the fourth line “What’s northern and southern part of
and “The war wrote your name left of love?” Lastly, it also Korea which is under the same
in the list of death”. uses consonance in the 2nd and peninsula. Furthermore, it uses
Furthermore, hyperbole is used 6th lines. rhetorical questions which are
in the second line,” It is filled necessary to create a dramatic
with flies.” Lastly, effect. Moreover, it uses
personification in the last line. personification in the part
““The war wrote your name in “cannon roar”.
the list of death”.
Features The unique feature of the poemThe unique feature of the poem The unique feature of the poem
is that the author describes the
is that the poems leads the is that the author allows the
aftermath caused by the war inreaders or somehow instruct the audience to feel what happened
Iraq wherein she, first-hands,audiences to just remember or what are the effects of the
experienced it. Furthermore, every memory they have war through its appeal to the
the poem is also like an advice
because what are left is the senses of the audience. The
to a soldier on what he must aftermaths of the war. The author’s poem uses the senses
and must not do. poem talks about the effects of of visual, auditory, and
the war in Vietnam war, and it olfactory to deliver and clearly
also deliver the message describe the poem.
wherein they have to move on
after that incident.
Forms The poem is a free verse poem The poem has 2 stanzas with 4 The poem is considered as an
 because it doesn’t have syllabic
pattern and rhyme scheme,
however, the word “don’t” is
repeated on the beginning of
each line which we can clearly
see in the poem.
lines per stanza. It is also an
example of a partially rhymed
poem because the rhyme
scheme of the poem is A, B, C,
D, and A, B, E, F. Although,
the first two lines rhymed with
each other, the last two doesn’t.
We can also see that there are
lines repeated in the beginning
of each line.
example of a free verse poem
which presents the scenes of
despair after the war. The poem
doesn’t have syllable count and
rhyme scheme, and the
following features like
punctuations and number of
stanzas are also done or written
in random by the author. It can
also be considered as narrative
poem because it clearly
describe the aftermaths of the
war.

Interpretation
The mentioned literary pieces from the Chinese, Hindu, Japanese, Persian, Vietnamese and Korean literature are poems that
talks about the war that happened to their country. Through the artistic language used by the author, the aftermaths of the war are
clearly described and the messages for the people are also clearly delivered. The said poems about war have some significant
similarities and differences when it comes to the literary periods that they were written, language used, elements features and forms.

First, the literary periods of these poems are significantly happened in the past and dated back in their history. “Facing the
Snow” is written after the rebellion in Tang Dynasty, “The Calling” is written after the British-India war, “When we say ‘Hiroshima’
is written after world war 2, “Soldier” is written during the Iran-Iraq war, “Nonattachment” is written after the Vietnamese war, and
“At Tabuwon” is written after the Korean war. The poems from Chinese, Hindu, Japanese, Vietnamese and Korean literatures were all
written after the war, while the poem from Persian war is written during the war.

Second, the language used in every poem is also different. “Facing the Snow”, “Nonattachment”, “When we say ‘Hiroshima’,
and “At Tabuwon” were all written using their own languages: Classical Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean languages respectively.
Translations on English languages were also made available. On the other hand, “The Calling”, and “Soldier” were all written in
English languages but translations in their national languages were also available.
 Third, the literary devices used by the author in order to further emphasize the messages of the poem were also different. The
poems mentioned above generally uses personification, repetition, imagery, metaphor, assonance, alliteration, hyperbole, consonance,
symbolism, and rhetorical questions. The author used these literary devices to further make the poem appealing to the audience who
will read these magnum opuses.

Fourth, the features and forms of the poem mentioned in this analysis were also different. The author uses different ways for
the audience to become captivated on the poem and for them to visualize and feel the aftermaths of the war. Some of them are free
verse, while some uses rhyme scheme and syllabic pattern which also adds up to the aesthetic appeal of the poem.

To sum it up, these poems are unique in its technical features, however, they have similarities on the messages and on the topic
it discusses within its words. War is really inevitable if both sides will seek war. As we all know, the West Philippine Sea is the most
disputed water in the world wherein our country is against the major claimant and super country, China. However, we are not praying
for war in the middle of the pandemic, rather we are praying for peace and nothing but peace.
 References
o http://www.chinese-poems.com/d26.html.
o https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/oct/26/daljit-nagra-sarojini-naidu-war-poem
o https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/14672715.1991.10413160
o https://nondoc.com/2016/06/05/poems-from-iraq-the-war-wrote-your-name-in-the-list-of-death/
o https://sites.google.com/site/thegangsterwearealllookingfor/group-5/poetry-about-the-vietnam-war
o https://ibreads.wordpress.com/2017/09/08/at-tabuwon-a-korean-war-poem/