Diqin Designer

Chapter 395: Poets of the Tang Dynasty (History of the Tang Dynasty)
"Li Bai felt good for a while, but he also offended Gao Lishi, who slandered Li Bai to Emperor Xuanzong and Yang Yuhuan, causing Emperor Xuanzong to distance himself from Li Bai. Later, Emperor Xuanzong gave him money and released him."

Feng Quji said: "It is a good thing to grant him the money to release him. Li Bai's character is not suitable for being an official. If he is forced to stay, his talent will be wasted and he will no longer be known as the Immortal Poet!"

Li Nian smiled and said, "I have the same view. Li Bai's temperament is more suitable for traveling and having fun among the people, rather than being confined to the palace. And being able to write good poems does not mean that Li Bai can become a qualified official."

"Throughout history, those who have made outstanding achievements in literature often have a difficult career path. On the other hand, those who have won the titles of No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 have not left as many poems and songs as these people. Could it be that the talents of the No. 1s were not as good as those of the people who passed down poems and songs?"

Li Nian answered his own question: "No, it's because the top scorers have great futures and work to do, so they don't have the leisure to write poems and essays. Their talents have been fully utilized and their ambitions have been realized. There is no need to feel that their talents are not appreciated and to feel sad about the past."

When the First Emperor and others heard what Li Nian said, they were stunned at first, but then they thought about it carefully and found that there was some truth in it.

Those who can get the first and second place in the imperial examination must have good talents, so why do they leave fewer poems and songs than some people? Is it because they are not as talented as others?
Of course not, it is because their ambitions can be realized, their talents can be displayed, they have things to do, they don't have to feel that their talents are not appreciated, or feel sad about the past, and they don't have that much free time.

Li Nian continued, "Li Bai lived a very comfortable life for most of his life. He became famous at a young age, and when he was a young man, he married the granddaughter of the former prime minister Xu Yushi. Later, he married another wife, who was also the granddaughter of the prime minister of the Tang Dynasty. Whenever he traveled, people would invite him to banquets and give him gifts wherever he went."

"Li Bai hardly had to worry about travel expenses, which was an important reason why he could indulge in the world. If not, he probably would not have become the immortal poet of the Tang Dynasty."

If Li Bai had been forced to work like an ox or a horse every day and worry about his livelihood, there would probably be no heroic and free-spirited poet. Under the pressure of life, it would have been difficult for him to write those free-spirited poems.

"But the An-Shi Rebellion had a significant impact on Li Bai. It should be said that the An-Shi Rebellion had a profound impact on everyone in the Tang Dynasty. Li Bai was sentenced to exile in Yelang for participating in the Eastern Tour of Prince Yong Li Lin. Although he was able to return due to the court's amnesty, things have changed and people have changed."

"Tang was no longer a prosperous era, and his life was no longer as carefree as it was back then. In the first year of Baoying, Li Bai passed away at the home of his uncle Li Yangbing, and the curtain fell on a generation of poets. Li Bai experienced the most glorious and splendid time of the Tang Dynasty. It seemed that he came for the prosperous Tang Dynasty, and when the prosperous Tang Dynasty declined, he left with the prosperous Tang Dynasty!"

The immortal poet, who reeked of alcohol but was heroic and free-spirited, finally rested in peace in the long river of history. When he spoke, he spoke half of the prosperous Tang Dynasty, and what he exhaled was the aroma of alcohol, his talent, and his swordsmanship.

"Compared with Li Bai, the life of the poet Du Fu was relatively rough, and Du Fu's temperament was not as free and easy as Li Bai's, which made this feeling of roughness even more severe. In his early years, Du Fu's family was well-off and his life was stable and affluent. He was also talented at a young age."

"In the Tang Dynasty, young and middle-aged scholars were fond of traveling around the country, and Du Fu was no exception. He traveled to many places and even met Li Bai in Luoyang, who was released by Emperor Xuanzong after receiving a gift of gold."

Hearing about the encounter between Li Bai and Du Fu, Meng Tian asked curiously, "How did the immortal poet and the great poet of the Tang Dynasty meet? What is their relationship like?"

Li Nian smiled and said, "They have a very good relationship. They traveled together for a while and also met another poet, Gao Shi. There were many poets in the Tang Dynasty, and many of them met each other and remained friends. For example, Li Bai had met Du Fu, Meng Haoran, Gao Shi, Wang Changling, He Zhizhang, etc."

"Du Fu admired Li Bai very much. Although he traveled with Li Bai only three times, Du Fu wrote more than ten poems for Li Bai, including "Remembering Li Bai on a Spring Day", "Thinking of Li Bai at the End of the Sky", "Two Poems about Dreaming of Li Bai", "Past Travels"... He also praised Li Bai's poems as "the writing is so powerful that it can shock the wind and rain, and the poems can make ghosts and gods weep."

"But the two did not travel together for long, and after meeting in Qi and Lu in the fourth year of Tianbao, they never met again. Du Fu returned to Chang'an after his travels, wanting to realize his ambitions, but unfortunately things did not go as Du Fu wished and he did not achieve any results."

"It was not until the fourteenth year of the Tianbao reign, after ten years of hardship in Chang'an, that Du Fu, who was over forty, accepted an official position for a living that was useless to his education."

"In fact, Du Fu, the poet, is a typical Chinese scholar. On the one hand, he wants to realize his ambitions, become a good official, and do good things for the court and the world. But on the other hand, he thinks that this official position is not suitable for him, and that official position is not worthy of him. He is only willing to take the official position that he thinks highly of."

"If there is no official position that they like, they would rather wait there than change anything, and they will still lament that they are frustrated and their talents are not appreciated!"

After hearing what Li Nian said, Wang Jian smiled and said, "I have seen some people like you said. They often think they are the most talented people in the world, but no one can recognize and use them. Therefore, they sigh that they cannot achieve their goals and it is difficult for them to display their talents."

Li Nian said: "Du Fu accepted an official position he didn't want in order to make a living and returned home. However, as soon as Du Fu entered the house, he heard crying. His little son had starved to death."

The fact that the son of a great poet was starved to death shows that the situation in the Tang Dynasty had deteriorated and was turning from prosperity to decline. But it also shows that the great poet Du Fu did not care much about his family. He lived in poverty in Chang'an for ten years and did not even understand the situation at home, which led to the starvation of his youngest son.

The First Emperor shook his head and said, "This Du Fu must be a Confucian disciple. The Confucian Book of Rites says, 'Only after understanding things can one know the truth, only after knowing the truth can one have a sincere mind, only after having a sincere mind can one have a righteous heart, only after having a righteous heart can one cultivate oneself, only after cultivating oneself can one have a harmonious family, only after having a harmonious family can one govern the country, only after having a harmonious country can the world be at peace.' According to the Book of Rites, Du Fu couldn't even manage his own family, so how could he govern the country and bring peace to the world?"

Wang Wan also said: "This great Tang poet is too arrogant and too stubborn. He only wants to be the official he wants to be, without considering the reality. If he can change a little, such a tragedy will not happen! Unfortunately, as the young master said, he will not take the official position that he does not like. His talk of serving his country and doing things for the world and the court is just empty talk."

Li Nian said: "This is a common problem of many Confucian scholars. They have big plans in their hearts and big undertakings in their mouths, but when they are asked to do practical things, they are unwilling to do it. Their thinking is: they are people who want to do big things and great undertakings, how can they waste time on such small things? That is looking down on them and wasting their talents!"

"However, if one is unwilling to be a minor official and unwilling to do minor things, how can one achieve great things? It was also in this year that the An-Shi Rebellion broke out, and Du Fu's life became even more difficult. After hearing that Li Heng had ascended the throne, he settled his family and headed north alone to join Li Heng, but he was captured by the rebels on the way."

"In April of the second year of Zhide, the armies of Li Chu and Guo Ziyi arrived, and Du Fu risked his life to escape from the Jinguang Gate in the west of Chang'an City and defected to Li Heng. On May 16, Du Fu was appointed as the Left Picker of Remnants by Li Heng, so he was called 'Du Picker of Remnants'."

"The position of 'Zuo Shiyi' was to be a minister close to the emperor, responsible for giving advice and criticism. Du Fu finally got a position that he was more willing to hold."

Meng Tian said in a strange tone: "I'm afraid that with Du Fu's temperament, he won't be in office for long!" Li Nian smiled and said: "It is true as General Meng said. Du Fu has a very high talent in literature, but it does not mean that he is suitable for being an official. Not long after he was appointed as the Left Censor, Du Fu ran into a big event. Li Heng was dismissing Fang Guan, the prime minister, and he wrote a petition to rescue him."

"Fang Guan was dismissed by Li Heng because he was incompetent. Li Heng valued him and entrusted him with the important task of suppressing the rebellion, but he was ignorant of military affairs and made inappropriate use of personnel, resulting in a great defeat."

Wang Ben asked: "Why did Du Fu write a petition to rescue Fang Guan? Could it be that he did not see the reason why Fang Guan was dismissed from his position as prime minister?"

Before Li Nian answered, the First Emperor said, "Du Fu probably thought that although Fang Guan had been defeated, he still had talent, and the mistakes he made were not enough to get him fired."

Li Nian said: "Du Fu and Fang Guan have a long history. He thinks that Fang Guan is loyal and upright. Although he was defeated, Fang Guan still has merits and should not be punished too severely. In addition, some ministers took the opportunity to frame Fang Guan, which made Du Fu very upset."

Feng Quji shook his head and said, "This poet is indeed a man of sentiment, but if he pleads for Fang Guan, it will surely anger Li Heng."

Li Nian said: "So Du Fu was handed over to the Three Departments for questioning by Li Heng. Fortunately, someone spoke up in front of Li Heng, so he was spared from punishment. However, from then on, he gradually became estranged from Li Heng. In the first year of Qianyuan, Du Fu was demoted to the post of Assistant Military Officer of Huazhou."

"In March of the second year of the Qianyuan reign, the Tang army was defeated in the battle to recapture Yecheng. In the midst of the chaos, Du Fu returned to Huazhou via Xin'an, Shihao, and Tongguan. Along the way, he witnessed various scenes of the An-Shi Rebellion and wrote six classic poems that have been passed down to later generations, namely, "Shihao Li", "Xin'an Li", "Tongguan Li", "Newly Married Farewell", "Homeless Farewell", and "Old Farewell", also known as the 'Three Li' and 'Three Farewell'."

"The reason why Du Fu can be called the 'poet saint' is not because he is suitable to be an official or how high his official position is, but because he can see the suffering of the people. 'At dusk, I arrived at Shihao Village. An official was arresting people at night. The old man climbed over the wall and ran away. The old woman went out to see. The official shouted angrily! The woman cried bitterly...'"

"The immortals no longer belong to the mortal world, but the saints are in the human world and are also human beings. He used poetry to record the hardships of the people of the Tang Dynasty at that time. Therefore, Du Fu is a poet saint, not a poet immortal or a poet god!"

After hearing Li Nian's recitation of "The Stone-Hao Officer", the First Emperor and others fell silent. The poem described the suffering of the people of the Tang Dynasty during the An-Shi Rebellion.

Although that kind of suffering happened in the Tang Dynasty, if they did not make changes to the Qin Dynasty, it might happen in the Qin Dynasty one day.

The once prosperous Tang Dynasty has become such a tragic scene in just a few years. It is hard to imagine that this is still the Tang Dynasty that was once prosperous, powerful and feared by all.

Li Nian said: "After returning to Huazhou, Du Fu began a life of wandering. He lived in seclusion in Qinzhou, stayed in Tonggu, and also lived as a guest in Shuzhong..."

"In the era when I came from, the thatched cottage where Du Fu lived in Shuzhong became a tourist attraction for people to visit. It was also in the thatched cottage that he wrote the song "The Thatched Cottage Destroyed by the Autumn Wind."

Li Nian naturally recited the poem. After listening to Li Nian's recitation, the First Emperor and others repeated it in their hearts: "I wish I had thousands of mansions to shelter all the poor people in the world and make them happy..."

He is indeed a poet worthy of admiration. Even when he is in difficult circumstances, he still cares about the world and has a heart to serve the country and the people.

Li Nian continued, "But Du Fu was unable to settle down completely in Shu, and later began to flee and wander. His life was also quite difficult. For example, when he led his family up the Xiang River to Chenzhou to seek refuge with his uncle, the river flooded and they had to stop at Fangtian Posthouse. They starved for five days. Fortunately, the magistrate of Leiyang County sent people to bring him beef and white wine, and the family was saved."

"At this time, Du Fu had experienced the prosperity of the Kaiyuan Era and witnessed the decline of the Anshi Rebellion. He had witnessed too much, and his original ideas had changed. He was no longer obsessed with becoming an official, but he was still concerned about the country and the people. He was poor and strong, and he did not lose his patriotic ambition. He was getting old, but he was still concerned about the people!"

"However, in the fifth year of the Dali period, this poet died on a ship from Tanzhou to Yueyang at the age of 59. Compared with Li Bai, this poet's life was more difficult, which may be the important reason why he became the poet."

"Wang Wei, the Poet-Buddha, is another great poet. He was born and died in the same year as Li Bai, but it is said that the two had a bad relationship and almost never visited each other. Although they were both in Chang'an and were good friends with Meng Haoran, they ignored each other and never invited each other."

"Wang Wei's family background was better than Li Bai and Du Fu's. He was a branch of the Taiyuan Wang family, which was also a prominent family. Although he was only a branch, he was far better than ordinary people. Because of this family background, Wang Wei's life was naturally not full of worries."

"He studied Zen and Taoism, and was proficient in poetry, calligraphy, painting, and music. His poems mostly sang about the joy of mountains, rivers, and countryside. Together with his good friend Meng Haoran, he was called 'Wang Meng'. Because his poems often contained Zen ideas, he was also called 'Poet Buddha'."

"It was precisely because of his background that the official position that was very difficult for Du Fu to obtain was not difficult for Wang Wei, if not easy to obtain."

This is the result of people being born into different backgrounds and starting from different starting lines. The official position that Du Fu could not get after struggling in Chang'an for ten years might be easily obtained by Wang Wei.

"Of course, Wang Wei and Du Fu have different personalities. Du Fu had to worry about his livelihood, and he saw all kinds of tragic scenes among the people, so he was more worried about the country and the people. Wang Wei was more like a prince who had no worries about food and clothing, and he was more leisurely."

"Like the poem "Autumn Night in the Mountain" written by him: 'After the rain in the empty mountain, the weather turns to autumn late. The bright moon shines among the pines, and the clear spring flows over the rocks. The bamboos are rustling with the returning washerwomen, and the lotus leaves are swaying with the fishing boats. Let the spring flowers rest as they please, and the princes can stay as they please.'"

"But Wang Wei also encountered the An Lushan Rebellion, and like Du Fu, he was unfortunately captured. However, unlike Du Fu, Wang Wei was so famous that An Lushan sent someone to take him from Chang'an to Luoyang, detained him in the Bodhi Temple, and forced him to serve as a secretary."

"In the second year of Zhide, the Tang army recovered Chang'an and Luoyang. Wang Wei was imprisoned because he had served as an official for An Lushan. According to the law, he should have been executed, but because he wrote a poem "Ningbi Pool" when he was captured, and because his brother Wang Jin had made contributions in suppressing the rebellion and pleaded for him, Wang Wei was pardoned."

This is the advantage of having a good family background and having connections in the court. There is always someone who can help you at the critical moment, just like a certain great poet. Although he was not a very good official, his younger brother was very awesome: Brother, great job, great help!
(End of this chapter)