Chapter Five: Irony and Dark Humor in the Works of the Poet Ya Hsien

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2026/02/27 13:11

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Section One: Ya Hsien’s Black Absurdist Drama

Among Taiwan’s modern poets, in the use of “irony,” Ya Hsien is exceptionally outstanding. Not only is the frequency (number of times) of his usage high, but the density of usage (the proportion it occupies among the various rhetorical devices or expressive techniques within his poetic works) is also great. To this day, no one has surpassed him. Ya Hsien once said: “In terms of subject matter, I love to portray the suffering of little people, self-mockery, and to use certain dramatic perspectives and techniques of the short story. In the collection ‘Side Profile,’ almost all of the poems depict fragments of the lives of real people.”¹

Ya Hsien’s poetic works for the most part possess a narrative structure, staging plots akin to “theater of the absurd,” filled with dramatic effects (comic effects) and the tension of contradictions (paradoxes). The protagonists often display a tragicomic character marked by helplessness. Because he excels at employing “irony,” and his language is frequently sharp and witty, his works everywhere exhibit abruptness and comicality in the mode of “dark humor” (dark humor).

Ya Hsien’s character poems such as “The Colonel,” “The Madwoman,” “The Abandoned Wife,” and “Khrushchev” all adopt “irony” as the principal rhetorical device to portray character traits. Among them, the poem “Khrushchev” carries even deeper implications; it is practically a sketched replica of the political strongman Chiang Kai-shek of that time. In comparison with Lo Fu, who practiced Surrealism and excelled in hyperbole, synesthesia, and the disjunction of imagery, and Shang Ch’in, who was renowned for symbolic techniques and the prose-poem form—both likewise members of “Genesis”—Ya Hsien, whose poetry frequently displays a mischievous and playful taste, seems more capable of immediately catching the reader’s eye, scratching the reader’s itch, teasing the sensitive nerves of laughter, and gaining recognition and resonance. “Irony” thus became his principal technical hallmark and his distinctive stylistic feature.

Within the group of “Genesis Poetry Society” poets who expressed a “freehand style” through “surrealist techniques,” Ya Hsien, noted for his skill in the rhetorical device of “irony,” was one of the very few rational poets possessing a humanistic concern and a realist spirit. He was adept at using “irony” to prick at and expose events in real life, while at the same time embedding value judgments and rational criticism. Perhaps it was precisely this personality trait—this concern for reality and care for society and humanity—that caused him to appear somewhat out of place within the “Genesis” poetic circle permeated by a freehand aesthetic atmosphere. The feeling was as if a stalk of buckwheat had been mistakenly planted in a garden filled with brilliant blossoms of every hue; the loneliness and solitude are imaginable. The author surmises that this may well have been the principal reason why Ya Hsien, upon merely entering middle age, laid down his poetic pen and ceased publishing poems publicly.

Section Two: Types of the Manifestation of Irony

“Irony,” also called “inversion” (dao fan), on the semantic level refers to what is termed “words contrary to meaning.” It indicates that the meaning expressed on the surface is precisely the opposite of the true intention concealed within. In other words, the surface meaning (surface meaning) of the utterance and the deep meaning (deep meaning) that one intends to convey present a paradox (paradox) in which positive and negative values stand in opposition.

“Inversion” includes “inverted diction” and “ironic speech.” It refers to the situation in which “the surface meaning of the author’s words is contrary to the author’s inner, intended meaning.”² “In order to express their thoughts more profoundly, more forcefully, and more interestingly, people often speak words that are the opposite of their original intention and write text that is contrary to their true meaning.”³ As one of the most ancient rhetorical arts, the original meaning of irony in rhetoric lies in “words contrary to meaning.” That is to say, the language used by the speaker (or writer) stands in semantic opposition to his latent intention. When applied to literary creation, it is a mode of expression used to convey an inner (deep) meaning (deep or inner meaning) that is entirely different from (and usually opposite to) the surface meaning (surface meaning) of the text.

I. Inverted Diction

(1) Stating the Positive in a Negative Way

“Inverted diction” means “stating the positive in a negative way.” Because, under certain circumstances, it is difficult to speak openly and without concealment, one instead uses opposite words to express one’s true intention and genuine feelings. Inverted diction generally carries little satirical force; rather, it often contains praise. Although it may bear a tone of teasing, it is humorous and witty.

Regarding the subject matter of “character poems,” Ya Hsien’s concern is mostly with inconspicuous “little people” in the lower and middle strata of society, and the sorrowful circumstances of their lives in reality. Only secondarily does he turn to “rulers,” those controversial “great figures,” and their utterly absurd words and deeds:

“The Madwoman”

My brows are knit for antiquity,
Solemnly knit…
Who told you to tear the lotus-colored blouse to pieces, to divide your nakedness
Among men you favor and men you do not favor—
Men in tight flannel trousers,
Men who play tennis, men who kiss and forget,
Heartless men. Only, Maria, you do not know
That I am truly worried about whom I should give my soul to.

This poem gives the author the feeling of “tears amid laughter”; the emotions are intricate and complex. The poet deliberately adopts the first-person role to assume the part of the “madwoman.” A madwoman’s mental state is naturally unstable, sometimes good and sometimes bad; therefore, at times the poet’s tone must deliberately be “rambling and incoherent,” and at other times “deadly serious.” Speech that is “rambling and incoherent” indeed makes one burst into laughter, yet even when she says in a “deadly serious” manner, “My brows are knit for antiquity / Solemnly knit,” or “I am truly worried about whom I should give my soul to,” no reader will take her serious words as true.

The atmosphere of the entire poem is humorous, as the plot unfolds bit by bit through the madwoman’s monologue. Yet behind the story, the poet’s intention is humane and compassionate. The poet knows that our society has never treated “madwomen” and “abandoned wives”—these humble and vulnerable people—with fairness and respect. The poet wants readers to “reflect within their laughter” on how we ought to help these humble and vulnerable members of society.

“The Circus Clown”

Beneath a purely sorrowful straw hat,
The ladies are laughing,
Their folding fans trembling, the Chinese pagodas upon them quivering.
The ladies are laughing,
Laughing at whatever it is
That is mixed in me between the giraffe and the antelope.
And she still swings upon the swing,
Beneath the rope afflicted with appendicitis,
Watching me like a gloomy nail,
Still able to kiss the tightrope walkers,
Still falling,
Still refusing me even the tiniest bit of spring.

This is yet another compassionate “character poem.” What differs from “The Madwoman” is that Ya Hsien sets aside the tone of “mocking and raging laughter,” allowing the circus clown in the story—who always wears a red necktie—to gently recount his own background and circumstances. From childhood, the clown left home and followed the circus troupe around the world to make a living. Amid the laughter of the audience, even when afflicted with physical illness, he is given no rest.

“Laughing at whatever it is / That is mixed in me between the giraffe and the antelope”—the laughter of the ladies stands in sharp contrast to the depression within the clown’s heart. Yet the clown must forcibly suppress his emotions in order to cooperate with the performance: “Still able to kiss the tightrope walkers,” striving to win the audience’s laughter. In this environment of “outward warmth and inward coldness,” the clown can only relieve his pressure and emotions by making fun of himself, continuing to force a smile in order to entertain the audience.

II. Ironic Speech

“Ironic speech” means “speaking the opposite as if it were true.” One deliberately conceals feelings of dissatisfaction or contempt, and on the surface uses solemn language to offer praise, thereby indirectly expressing inner mockery and satire.

“Khrushchev”

A good man—yes, Khrushchev.
He suffers from a severe ear disease,
Therefore he has no choice but to rely heavily on the secret police.
He loves to manage the people with barbed wire.
He loves to cleanse the nation with fresh blood.
Apart from obedience,
He never concerns himself with the affairs of common folk.
He truly is a good man.

Khrushchev (Khrushchev, Nikita), General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, held power for eleven years (1953–1964). There circulated among the people an old joke about him: it was said that Khrushchev made some propaganda films promoting government policies and forced the people to watch them. He very much wanted to know what the people’s reaction was, so he went incognito on an inspection tour… He arrived at a cinema in Moscow. When the film ended, the entire audience rose to their feet and applauded enthusiastically. Seeing this, Khrushchev felt quite satisfied. At that moment, the person beside him suddenly nudged his shoulder and whispered, “Hey! Do you have a death wish? Why aren’t you standing up and applauding? There are lots of secret police around here!”

In this “character poem,” in the second, third, and fourth stanzas, the opening line of each adopts a tone of praise, calling Khrushchev a good man. However, the content of each stanza is clearly a depiction of negative character traits and conduct. This makes the opening line of each stanza sound even more “harsh” than a lie. Of course, the poet would not deliberately tell a blatant lie or contradict himself. He first utters a “counterfactual” statement against his true feelings as a major premise, then constructs minor premises through numerous negative descriptions, thereby negating and overturning (subverting) the major premise. As for the “conclusion,” it is left for the reader to “ponder.”

“The Colonel”

That is purely another kind of rose,
Born from flames.
In the buckwheat fields they encountered the greatest battle,
And one of his legs bade farewell in 1943.
He once heard history and laughter.
What is immortality?
Cough medicine, razor blades, last month’s rent, and so on.
And under the sporadic battles of his wife’s sewing machine,
He feels that the only thing capable of capturing him
Is the sun.

Poet Ya Hsien, who came from a military background, passed through the baptism of war. His profound understanding of war lay in using his poetic pen to expose its cruel essence. With a satirical tone, he mocked and ridiculed that era’s superstition of war and the absurd thinking of those great figures who recklessly pursued military aggression. Because he personally experienced the war-torn years, although Ya Hsien mocked and even subverted the values of the entire age of warfare, readers nevertheless gladly accepted this “stone-faced comedian–style” “dark humor.”

This poem, “The Colonel,” presents a sketch of the life encounters of a colonel who was wounded on the battlefield and retired from service. In his early years he galloped across the battlefields; in combat he lost a leg. Disabled, he was forced to retire early. Yet the nation failed to fulfill its responsibility to care adequately for wounded and retired officers and soldiers, leaving him to be tormented by the hardships of real life after retirement.

Having retired at the rank of colonel, according to existing legal regulations he should have been entitled to a lifelong pension. This retired colonel did receive such a pension, yet he still lived in poverty. As for lower-ranking officers and enlisted soldiers, one can well imagine what their lives were like after discharge.

“He once heard history and laughter.” This line, embedded between the first half of the poem (his first half of life amid the press of military campaigns) and the second half, is a transitional phrase imbued with the meaning of self-reflection. At the same time, it serves as a vivid “ligament” linking the two sections before and after, and it is also the only major turning point in the colonel’s life. “History” and “(mocking) laughter” mark the opposing contradiction between “past efforts and present outcome.” It is the total negation of “past struggle” by “present reality,” filled with dramatic contradiction and conflict. The focal point of this contradiction and conflict is precisely where the poem’s “tension” (tension) is at its strongest.