Often, the Sung dynasty poetry was written for a special occasion or public reading. While this poem could have been written for a public reading, there is no way to really know for sure, but it is short enough to have kept the listeners' attention, and it is funny, but has a subtle message, too. Poetry was very popular during this time, and from this poem, it is easy to see why. Many Sung poets rejected a bond between politics and poetry, and this poem shows that (Mair 343). This poem really has nothing political about it, except it mentions the host was "south on official duty" (Yao-ch'en). That really does not have any real importance in the poem, and it contains no open political statements. This is another reason it illustrates the Sung dynasty, because it does not have political overtones.
Finally, many Sung poets tried to continue the tradition of Confucianism and to translate these ancient ideas into a more modern language for modern readers. These poets felt that human feelings...
"The centrality of human feelings as the basis of sagely action reaffirmed the importance of the ordinary as both the locus of moral action and the object of poetic reflection" (Mair 345). This poem illustrates that, because it shows the human side of the diner, who does not like mudfish, and the sage reaction to eating the fish and discovering they are good despite their reputation.
In conclusion, this poem represents the poetry of the Sung dynasty period for many reasons. In fact, it is an excellent example of the writing of that period. It is simple but elegant, and the meaning is not hard to discover. It is a good poem to study if someone would like to know more about how poetry evolved during the different Chinese dynasties.
References
Mair, Victor H., ed. The Columbia History of Chinese Literature. New York: Columbia University Press, 2001.
