Literature is not the best. This is the common sense of most people, but everyone has their own preferences. Some people read a poem and like it so much that they recommend it to their hearts. First, this is reasonable. To be highly praised by poetry critics of the past dynasties and rated as number one in many people's hearts, it must be a rare masterpiece among poems.
Yellow Crane Tower, which Xiaoloujing had read before, was rated as the best among the seven rhymes of the Tang Dynasty by Yan Yu from the Song Dynasty and Wu Changqi from the Qing Dynasty. However, in the comments of Xiaolou’s intensive reading of “Yellow Crane Tower”, many friends believed that the number one among the seven rhymes should be Du Fu’s “Ascend the High”.
Indeed, Du Fu's "Ascend the High" has also been highly praised by poetry critics of the past dynasties, and its evaluation is even higher than that of "Yellow Crane Tower". Hu Yinglin, a famous poetry critic in the Ming Dynasty, praised Du Fu's "Deng Gao" as the best seven-character verse in ancient and modern times. Yang Lun of the Qing Dynasty also commented in "Du Shi Jingquan": "It is high-spirited and unique in ancient and modern times. It should be the best seven-character verse in Du's collection."
Du Fu's Seven Rhymes, such as the "Lanting Preface" in calligraphy, is a model for countless future generations to continuously learn from. This poem can be regarded as a model among models. So, why did Du Fu's "Ascending" receive such high ratings?
Du Fu's poem "Ascend the High" was written approximately in the second year of the Dali calendar of Emperor Daizong of the Tang Dynasty (767). At that time, the Anshi Rebellion had been over for four years. Foreign enemies invaded, and the Tang Dynasty's national power remained in decline.
After the Anshi Rebellion, Du Fu once wrote in his poem "Hearing that the Government Army Takes Henan and Hebei": "Youth is a good companion to return home." However, his return trip was not successful and the current situation was turbulent. , he was poor and sick. Halfway through the journey, Du Fu returned to Chengdu and sought refuge with his friend Yan Wu.
Unfortunately, Yan Wu passed away soon and Du Fu lost his support. He had to leave Chengdu and wander around, finally arriving in Kuizhou.
In the autumn of the second year of Dali (767), Emperor Daizong of the Tang Dynasty climbed alone to the high platform outside Baidi City in Kuizhou. He climbed up and looked at it. With mixed feelings, he wrote this poem known as "The Crown of Seven Rhythms". "Ascending".