Tang Dynasty Poetry

1. Tang Dynasty Poetry The Peak of Chinese Literary Achievement

2. In the Tang Dynasty, the composition of poetry came to be used in the examination by which intellectuals entered government service. Because of this, poetry became an integral part of social life, a medium of basic social exchange. Perhaps nowhere else in the world has lyric poetry ever occupied such a central position. All of the surviving Tang poetry is the product of the literati or scholar-bureaucrats.

3. Two Primary Purposes • Tang poetry addressed important social and ethical issues. This is what the poets considered to be the primary function of poetry. • Tang poetry spoke of personal matters—for some it was almost like a diary

4. Three Main Subjects • Nature • Philosophy • Occasions

5. Three Major Poets • Wang Wei—699-761 • Li Po—701-762 • Tu Fu—712-770

6. Wang Wei 699-761The Austere Artist A painter as well as a poet, Wang Wei is best known for his short poems which are noted for their simplicity and which celebrate natureandreflect the Buddhist notion of “emptiness.”

7. Deer Fence/EnclosureTwo Translations Translation One I see no one in the deserted hills Hear only the echo of men’s speech. Sunlight cast back comes deep in the woods And shines once again upon the green moss Translated by Stephen Owen Translation Two On the empty mountain, seeing no one, Only hearing the echoes of someone’s voice; Returning light enters the deep forest, Again shining upon the green moss. Translated by Richard W. Bodman and Victor H. Mair

8. Li Po 701-762The Romantic Eccentric Called the “banished Immortal” by his contemporaries, Li Po wrote poems that are known for their unrestrained emotion, deep appreciation of people, and love of nature. His poetry reflects Taoist tendencies.

9. DRINKING ALONE WITH THE MOON From a pot of wine among the flowers I drank alone. There was no one with me -- Till, raising my cup, I asked the bright moon To bring me my shadow and make us three. Alas, the moon was unable to drink And my shadow tagged me vacantly; But still for a while I had these friends To cheer me through the end of spring.... I sang. The moon encouraged me. I danced. My shadow tumbled after. As long as I knew, we were boon companions. And then I was drunk, and we lost one another. ...Shall goodwill ever be secure? I watch the long road of the River of Stars. Translated by Witter Brynner

10. Drinking Alone by Moonlight Here among flowers a single jug of wine, No close friends here, I pour alone And lift cup to bright moon, ask it to join me, Then face my shadow and we become three, The moon never has known how to drink, All my shadow does is follow my body, But with moon and shadow as companions a while, This joy I find must catch spring while it’s here. I sing, the moon just lingers on, I dance, and my shadow scatters wildly. When still sober we share friendship and pleasure, Then entirely drunk each goes his own way— Let us join in travels beyond human feelings And plan to meet far in the river of stars. Translation by Stephen Owen

11. To Send to Tu Fu as a Joke I ran into Tu Fu by a Rice Grain Mountain, In a bamboo hat with the sun at high noon Hasn’t he got awfully thin since our parting? It must be the struggle of writing his poems. Translated by Elling Eide Dialogue in the Mountains You ask me why I lodge in these emerald hills; I laugh, don’t answer—my heart is at peace. Peach blossoms and flowing waters go off to mysterious dark, And there is another world not of mortal men. Translated by Stephen Owen

12. Tu Fu 712-770the Confucian Moralist Often called China’s greatest poet, Tu Fu wrote poems reflecting his political commitment, his social concerns, and his love of family.

13. Spending the Night in a Tower by the River A visible darkness grows up mountain paths, I lodge by river gate high in a study, Frail cloud on cliff edge passing the night, The lonely moon topples amid the waves. Steady, one after another, a line of cranes in flight; Howling over the kill, wild dogs and wolves. No sleep for me. I worry over battles. I have no strength to right the universe Translated by Stephen Owen

14. Spring View The nation is ruined, but mountains and rivers remain. This spring the city is deep in weeds and brush. Touched by the times even flowers weep tears. Fearing leaving the birds tangled hearts. Watch-tower fires have been burning for three months To get a note from home would cost ten thousand gold. Scratching my white hair thinner Seething hopes all in a trembling hairpin. Translated by Gary Snyder

15. Moonlit Night Tonight my wife must watch alone    the full moon over Fu-zhou;I think sadly of my sons and daughters far away,too young to understand this separationor remember our life in Chang'an.In fragrant mist, her flowing hair is damp;In clear moonlight, her jade-white arms are cold.When will we lean at the open casement togetherwhile the moonlight dries our shining tears?Translated by David Lunde

16. The Tang poets . . . Employ [ed] poetry to record their deepest and most intimate feelings, crying out for the alleviation of social ills, noting with wry candor the waning of their physical powers, longing for absent friends, or dreaming of the last journey home. And because they dealt with the basic impulses of the human being, their works easily survive the transition into another language and milieu. Burton Watson, “Tang Poetry: A Return to the Basics”

17. Some Good Web Sites http://www.chinese-poems.com/index.html Good to study translations http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/ Columbia web site http://fish-hw.fotopic.net/ Beautiful pictures with poems http://bystander.homestead.com/intro_tang.html Fun with Tang Poetry pictures and explanations http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/chinese/frame.htm University of Virginia Web site—300 Tang Poems http://www.regenttour.com/chinaplanner/ctu/ctu-sights-dufu.htm Thatched cottage of Tu Fu