"This poem falls short even of the second rank."
Holding one of the recently fashionable crimson Dust-Tail Fans, Sun Sheng stated his position at the outset, offering a sincere assessment of Liu Cheng's poem and conduct. "Seven-character verse is inherently deficient and cannot concentrate the spirit. And Liu Yulong's 'Ode to the Willow' speaks only of the spring willow's appearance, without touching on nature or moral virtue. It even risks sinking to the level of cucumbers and weeds. It is farther still from the ethereal freedom of Metaphysical Poetry. This is precisely the chronic malady arising from its inherent deficiencies. Still, he composed verse while shooting, struck the willow with five arrows, and recited with perfect composure. In elegance of bearing, he may be ranked first."
Everyone found this convincing. Sun Anguo truly deserved his standing as the cultural leader of Jingzhou's émigré clans, and as the elder brother of Sun Xinggong, the great literary master of the age. This was an assessment of real discernment. If one wrote poetry, only Metaphysical Poetry had sufficient distinction!
Listening nearby, Huan Wen privately agreed. The poem really was nothing special, just like the one Liu Cheng had given him. Vulgar stuff! But composing verse while shooting a willow-that spirit was right. It had three-tenths of the flair he himself had shown in his youth, shooting people with a slingshot while they slept.
Yet despite these thoughts, the great General Who Attacks the West did not voice his agreement. Indeed, other thoughts stirred in him.
The reason could not have been simpler: Sun Sheng actually opposed his grand military review at Wuchang.
This left Huan Wen both furious and helpless... This was a trusted follower who had accompanied him into Shu, a man who had truly rolled through blades and spears. Before Xi