November 02, 2023

Analysis of Lion-Eating Poet in the Stone Den 施氏食獅史



The following is my short analysis of the famous Lion-Eating Poet in the Stone Den (施氏食獅史) poem. 


About the poem:


"Lion-Eating Poet in the Stone Den" (Chinese: 施氏食獅史; pinyin: Shī-shì shí shī shǐ) is a short narrative poem written in Classical Chinese that is composed of about 94 characters (depending on the specific version) in which every word is pronounced shi ([ʂɻ̩]) when read in present-day Standard Mandarin, with only the tones differing.[1]


The poem was written in the 1930s by the Chinese linguist Yuen Ren Chao as a linguistic demonstration. The poem is coherent and grammatical in Classical Chinese, but due to the number of Chinese homophones, it becomes difficult to understand in oral speech. In Mandarin, the poem is incomprehensible when read aloud, since only four syllables cover all the words of the poem. The poem is more comprehensible—but still not very intelligible—when read in other varieties of Chinese such as Cantonese, in which it has 22 different syllables, or Hokkien Chinese, in which it has 15 different syllables.


Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion-Eating_Poet_in_the_Stone_Den


My Analysis


Chinese:


《施氏食獅史》


石室詩士施氏,嗜獅,誓食十獅。
氏時時適市視獅。
十時,適十獅適市。
是時,適施氏適市。
氏視是十獅,恃矢勢,使是十獅逝世。
氏拾是十獅屍,適石室。
石室濕,氏使侍拭石室。
石室拭,氏始試食是十獅。
食時,始識是十獅屍,實十石獅屍。
試釋是事。


Pinyin:


« Shī Shì shí shī shǐ »


Shíshì shīshì Shī Shì, shì shī, shì shí shí shī.

Shì shíshí shì shì shì shī.

Shí shí, shì shí shī shì shì.

Shì shí, shì Shī Shì shì shì.

Shì shì shì shí shī, shì shǐ shì, shǐ shì shí shī shìshì.

Shì shí shì shí shī shī, shì shíshì.

Shíshì shī, Shì shǐ shì shì shíshì.

Shíshì shì, Shì shǐ shì shí shì shí shī.

Shí shí, shǐ shí shì shí shī shī, shí shí shí shī shī.

Shì shì shì shì.


English translation:


The story of a certain someone with a surname Shi eating lions.


A poet from the stone den with a surname Shi, addicted to lions, swore to eat ten lions.

He often went to the market to look for lions.

At ten o’clock, right then, ten lions came to the market.

At that time, right then, that someone with a surname Shi went to the market too.

As he saw these 10 lions, relying on the strength of his arrows, he caused these ten lions to pass away.

He picked up these ten lion corpses and went to his stone den.

The stone den was moist so he ordered his servants to wipe it dry.

After the stone den was wiped dry, he started to try to eat these ten lions.

While he was eating, he started to realize, that these ten lion corpses were actually ten stone lion corpses.

Try to explain this matter.


Multi-level text analysis:


surname Shi

surname

to eat

lion

story

The story of a certain someone with a surname Shi eating lions.


詩士

stone

den, room

poet

surname Shi

surname

A poet from the stone den with a surname Shi


be addicted to

lions

to swear

to eat

ten

lions

addicted to lions, swore to eat ten lions.


時時

he

often

to go

market

to look

lion

He often went to the market to look for lions


ten

time

right then

ten

lions

to go

market

At ten o’clock, right at that time ten lions came to the market.


this

time

right then

surname Shi

surname

to go

market

At that time, right then that someone with a surname Shi went to the market.


十獅

he

to see

this/these

ten lions

to rely on

arrow

power

As he saw these 10 lions, relying on the strength of his arrows,


使

十獅

逝世

to cause

this/these

ten lions

to pass away

he caused these ten lions to pass away.


十獅

石室

he

to pick up

this/these

ten lions

corpse

to go

stone den

He picked up these ten lion corpses and went to his stone then.


石室

使

石室

stone den

moist/wet

he

caused

servant

to wipe

stone den

The stone den was moist so he ordered his servants to wipe it dry.


石室

十獅

stone den

to wipe

he

to start

to try to

eat

this/these

ten lions

After the stone den was wiped dry, he started to try to eat these ten lions.


十獅

to eat

time

to start

to realize

this/these

10 lions

corpse

While he was eating, he started to realize, that these ten lion corpses


in reality

ten

stone

lion

corpse

were actually ten stone lion corpses.


to try

to explain

this

matter.

Try to explain this matter.

1 comment:

  1. [from Red Slider. I just don't much like signing up for accounts and logins to post in my own name.]

    Much is said about the poem's relation to linguistics, Pinyin translatory systems, homophonetic poetry, and such.... But almost nothing is said about the work as a poem. YRC called it a 'poem' and so does everyone else. But the final English translation, which YRC provided, is generally dismissed as nonsense, the oral recitation of the homophones a tongue-twister and generally regards the work as an exercise fit only for school children learning Chinese (it is still used for that in some Chinese schools.) However, if actually read as a poem, the story of Shi is quite comprehensible and the riddle of the last line rather easily solved using devices commonly used to interpret poetry. In fact, once the riddle is solved, it becomes clear that YRC was not only a poet who deserves recognition for his accomplishment (though his poetics work is scant -- Shi, and his brilliant translations of "Alice" and "Jabberwocky") but that Ten Stone Lions, taken as a whole, discovered processes that wouldn't be understood until Language Poetry and post-modern analysis discovered them fifty years later. For anyone curious at the solution to the riddle of "Shi" you will find it at http://poems4change.org/essays/shi-riddle-solution.pdf

    Anyone interested in a more detailed analysis of Shi is welcome to contact me. Send a PM via my Facebook page, 'Red Slider'.

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