Gorgeous Profound or Miraculous Unfettered——A Comparative Study of the Romantic Spirit between William Blake and Qu Yuan

Qu Yuan and William Blake present roughly similar poetic styles; however, due to different influences of the times, ethnics, and geographical and cultural background, as well as their own living experience, individual temperament and mode of thinking, the two poets also display strikingly heterogeneous features of romanticism in their works. This article offers a comparative study in four aspects. Firstly, in terms of purposes of writing, both poets express strong patriotic ideals. Nonetheless, Qu reveals a plaintive tone while an ethereal flow runs over Blake in his pursuit of individual freedom. Secondly, in the aesthetic realm, both present a sense of subjectivity in the subject-object relationship. Qu, in searching ideal forms of society, conveys sorrowful, indignant emotions towards the reality with a mixture of gorgeous profound beauty; while Blake, appealing to a transcending spiritual home of miracles and wonders, embodies a positive sense of unfettered human mind of imagination. Thirdly, in terms of cultural archetypal images, as both poets value the nature and the heritage of national and folk culture, they demonstrate a mythological color; Qu, being tragically gloomy, and Blake bright with flaming fire. Fourthly, both poets represent the pioneering source of Chinese and British poetry in poetic forms; Qu, as the creator of the"sao style"while Blake, the first to employ free verse in the history of British poetry, with a superposition and blending of different forms of poetry in addition to his illuminated books.