Tang Poetry

Welcome to the Tang dynasty! Here you will find some of the best poetry and literature that China has to offer! But wait, when were you born? [[Early Tang]] [[High Tang]] [[Middle Tang]] [[Late Tang]]

Congratuations! You have gone through the entire period without any major rebellion! The ending of this period only came with a coup overthrowing Empress Wu in 705 which isn't that bad in the long run. So what will you do in this rebellion-free time? Obviously you'll spend it looking at poetry! But who will you look at? [[Wang Bo]] [[Zhang Jiuling]] [[Song Zhiwen]]

You suffer the first major rebellion of the dynasty, the An Lu-shan Rebellion. It's unfortunate, but that doesn't happen until the end of the period. You still have a relatively stable dynasty up until then. So what will you do in this rebellion-free time? Obviously you'll spend it looking at poetry! But who will you look at? [[Li Po]] [[Du Fu]] [[Wang Wei]]

You may have gone through a rebellion, but you recovered and your period is one of the most fruitful culturally. But then your last great ruler, Emperor Xianzong, died and so did this period. So what will you do in this culturally rich time? Obviously you'll spend it looking at poetry! But who will you look at? [[Bai Juyi]] [[Liu Zongyuan]] [[Yuan Zhen]]

With the end of the last great ruler, you live with everyone else, slowly leading to the Huang Chao Rebellion and later the end of the Tang dynasty. It might not be as pretty as the other periods (especially near the end), but you still got some great poets. So So what will you do up until the end of the dynasty? Obviously you'll spend it looking at poetry! But who will you look at? [[Du Mu]] [[Li Shangyin]] [[Wen Tingyun]]

You look through your books of poetry to find Wang Bo. Wang Bo may have died young, at only 26, but he left a long legacy behind. He believed in having poetry be a reflection of the poet, a mindset that was influential in the early Tang period. He was also a part of what is now called the "For Paragons of the Early Tang." You gravitate towards one poem in particular, "Farewell to Vice-Prefect Du." "By this wall that surrounds the three Ch'in districts, Through a mist that makes five rivers one, We bid each other a sad farewell, We two officials going opposite ways.... And yet, while China holds our friendship, And heaven remains our neighbourhood, Why should you linger at the fork of the road, Wiping your eyes like a heart-broken child?" This is an example of Bo's self reflection, talking about his time in Shu. You put the book down, satisfied, and look for another. [[Zhang Jiuling]] [[Song Zhiwen]] [[Start Here]]

You look through your books to find Song Zhiwen. He was famous for his use of the regulated verse, a style that inspired generations of poets after. You gravitate towards one poem in particular, “Inscribed On the Wall of An Inn North of Ta-Yu Mountain” "They say that wildgeese, flying southward, Here turn back, this very month... Shall my own southward journey Ever be retraced, I wonder? ... The river is pausing at ebb-tide, And the woods are thick with clinging mist -- But tomorrow morning, over the mountain, Dawn will be white with the plum-trees of home." During his life, Zhiwent was exiled from the capital which inspired many of his later poems. You put down the book, satisfied, and look for another. [[Wang Bo]] [[Zhang Jiuling]] [[Start Here]]

You look through your books of poetry to find Li Po. He is considered, along with Du Fu, to be one of the greatest poets of the Tang dynasty. His poems are taught all over the world and span a wide range of ideas and themes. You gravitate towards one poem in particular, "Quiet Night Thought" "Before my bed there's a pool of light-- I wonder if it's frost on the ground. Looking up, I find the moon bright Then bowing my head, I drown in homesickness." You put the book down, satisfied, and look for another [[Du Fu]] [[Wang Wei]] [[Start Here]]

You look through your books of poetry to find Du Fu. He is known as the great Chinese poet of the Tang dynasty. His poems are often, historical, moral, and perfect on a technical level. You gravitate towards one poem in particular, "On a Moonlight Night" "Far off in Fu-chou she is watching the moonlight, Watching it alone from the window of her chamber -- For our boy and girl, poor little babes, Are too young to know where the Capital is. Her cloudy hair is sweet with mist, Her jade-white shoulder is cold in the moon. ... When shall we lie again, with no more tears, Watching this bright light on our screen." The poem was likely written after the An Lu-shan Rebellion, during which Du Fu's life spiralled and his most well known poems were written. You put down the book, satisfied, and look for another. [[Li Po]] [[Wang Wei]] [[Start Here]]

You look through your books of poetry to find Wang Wei. He is another extremely famous poet. His poems seem to create paintings through the words, very focused on imagery. You gravitate towards one poem in particular, "One-Hearted" "When those red berries come in springtime, Flushing on your southland branches, Take home an armful, for my sake, As a symbol of our love." You put down the book, satisfied, and look for another. [[Li Po]] [[Du Fu]] [[Start Here]]

You look through your books of poetry to find Bai Juyi. He was a governor of three different provinces and many of his poems were observational, both about his job and his life in general. You gravitate towards one poem in particular, "Grasses" "Boundless grasses over the plain Come and go with every season; Wildfire never quite consumes them -- They are tall once more in the spring wind. Sweet they press on the old high-road And reach the crumbling city-gate... O Prince of Friends, you are gone again... I hear them sighing after you. You put down the book, satisfied, and look for another. [[Liu Zongyuan]] [[Yuan Zhen]] [[Start Here]]

You look through your books to find Liu Zongyuan. As another poet who was exiled in his life, many of his poems were based on both the freedom and sadness of exile. You gravitate towards one poem in particular, "River Snow" "A hundred mountains and no bird, A thousand paths without a footprint; A little boat, a bamboo cloak, An old man fishing in the cold river-snow." You put the book down, satisfied, and look for another. [[Bai Juyi]] [[Yuan Zhen]] [[Start Here]]

You look through your books of poetry to find Yuan Zhen. He was part of a small group of poets using their poetry as protest. You gravitate towards one poem in particular, "An Elegy" ''I'' "O goungest, best-loved daughter of Hsieh, Who unluckily married this penniless scholar, You patched my clothes from your own wicker basket, And I coaxed off your hairpins of gold, to buy wine with; For dinner we had t opick wild herbs -- And to use dry locust-leaves for our kindling. ... Today they are paying me a hundred thousand -- And all that I can bring to you is a temple sacrifice. ''II'' We joked, long ago, about one of us dying, But suddenly, before my eyes, you are gone. Almost all your clothes have been given away; Your needlework is sealed, I dare not look at it... I continue your bounty to our men and our maids -- Sometimes, in a dream, I bring you gifts. ... This is a sorrow that all mankind must know -- But not as those know it who have been poor together. '' III'' I sit here alone, mouning for us both. How many years do I lack now of my threescore and ten? Thoere have been better men than I to whom heaven denied a son, There was a poet better than I whose dead wife could not hear him. What have I to hope for in the darkness of our tomb? You and I had little faith in a meeting after death -- Yet my open eyes can see all night That lifelong trouble of your brow. You put down the book, satisfied, and look for another. [[Bai Juyi]] [[Liu Zongyuan]] [[Start Here]]

You look through your books t ofind Du Mu. He is another of the biggest poets of the Tang dynasty, though he's also compared to Li Shangyin. Li was known as the "little Li-Du" while Du was known as the "great Li-Du." His poetry tends to to be more lyrical. You gravitate towards one poem in particular, "A Night At a Tavern" "Solitary at the tavern, I am shut in with loneliness and grief. Under the cold lamp, I brood on the past; I am kept awake by a lost wildgoose. ... Roused at dawn from a misty dream, I read, a year late, news from home -- And I remember the moon like smoke on the river And a fisher-boat moored there, under my door. You put down the book, satisfied, and look for another. [[Li Shangyin]] [[Wen Tingyun]] [[Start Here]]

You look through your books of poetry to find Li Shangyin. He's often grouped with Du Mu. Li was known as the "little Li-Du" while Du was known as the "great Li-Du." His poems tend to use more classic Chinese forms, both from earlier in the Tang dynasty and from older dynasties. You gravitate towards one poem in particular, "Falling Petals" "Gone is the guest from the Chamber of Rank, And petals, confused in my little garden, Zigzagging down my crooked path, Escort like dancers the setting sun. Oh, how can I bear to sweep them away? To a sad-eyed watcher they never return. Heart's fragrance is spent with the ending of spring And nothing left but a tear-stained robe." You put down the book, satisfied, and look for another. [[Du Mu]] [[Li Shangyin]] [[Start Here]]

You look through your books to find Wen Tingyun. He was one of the first writers of "ci," a style of poetry that became big in the late Tang and Song dynasties. You gravitate towards one poem in particular, "The Temple of Su Wu" "Though our envoy, Su Wu, is gone, body and soul, This temple survives, these trees endure... Wildgeese through the clouds are still calling to the moon there And hill-sheep unshepherded graze along the border. ... Returning, he found his country changed Since with youthful cap and sword he had left it. His bitter adventures had won him no title... Autumn-waves endlessly sob in the river." You put down the book, satisfied, and look for another. [[Du Mu]] [[Li Shangyin]] [[Start Here]]

You look through your books of poetry to find Zhang Jiuling . He lived his life as a chancellor under Emperor Xuanzong, but was also an important poet. You gravitate towards one poem in particular, “Looking At the Moon and Thinking of One Far Away” "The moon, grown full now over the sea, Brightening the whole of heaven, Brings to separated hearts The long thoughfulness of night.... It is no darker though I blow out my candle. It is no warmer though I put on my coat. So I leave my message with the moon And turn to my bed, hoping for dreams." You put the book down, satisfied, and look for another. [[Wang Bo]] [[Song Zhiwen]] [[Start Here]]