Ancient literati like to record their lives with poems, so poems contain the ups and downs of their lives. In fact, poetry is not just a tool to record life. Sometimes it is the spiritual "life-saving straw" when the literati's career is frustrated, and sometimes it is the "stumbling block" of their career.
First, when Meng Haoran saw Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty,
How did the poet Meng Haoran react when he saw Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty? Can he win the favor of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty, get an official position for himself, and embark on his official career from now on?
In the collection of anecdotes in classical Chinese at the end of Tang Dynasty, an interesting story about Meng Haoran's meeting with Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty was recorded: Wang Wei lived in the palace, waiting for the letter from Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty. In the morning, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty summoned Wang Wei to discuss poetry and fu. One day, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty came to Wang Wei's residence. Meng Haoran, who was visiting Wang Wei at that time, heard that the emperor was coming and immediately hid under the bed. Wang Wei didn't dare to hide it, so he told the truth to Tang Xuanzong. Tang Xuanzong said happily, "I have heard of this man." So I summoned Meng Haoran and asked him, "What poem did you write? Can you read me a song? " Meng Haoran recited his own "On Returning to Zhongnanshan at the End of the Year". When he recited the poem "I have been ill for a long time, but I haven't seen my friends without talent", Tang Xuanzong interrupted him and asked angrily, "I didn't abandon you, but you didn't make progress and didn't ask me for an official position. Why do you slander me instead? " So Tang Xuanzong sent Meng Haoran back to Nanshan, and Meng Haoran never became an official for life.
This story is not recorded in the Book of the New Tang Dynasty, so some people think it is just a legend and may not have happened. Later generations also have many interesting comments on this story.
Some people say that Meng Haoran, a civilian, was able to enter the palace and said something that made him angry in front of Tang Xuanzong. In the end, he was only released to Nanshan without punishment, which shows how tolerant and kind Tang Xuanzong was!
Some people say that Wang Wei invited Meng Haoran into the palace privately. When Tang Xuanzong saw Meng Haoran, he not only didn't punish him, but also invited him to recite poems. This is really a once-in-a-lifetime event.
Some people say that if Wang Wei really recommended Meng Haoran to be an official, he should strongly recommend Meng Haoran's advantages to reduce the anger of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty. Wang Wei didn't do this because he was worried that Meng Haoran's talent would surpass himself.
We don't know what happened in history, but Meng Haoran never became an official all his life. After his career was frustrated, Meng Haoran turned to poetic nature, purified his soul in the embrace of nature, and created many idyllic poems with desolate artistic conception, which won a world in the poetry world.
Second, poets whose fate is influenced by poetry.
China has attached great importance to scholarly family and poetry calligraphy since ancient times. Reading is the only way for most people to enter the official career and display their talents. However, it is a misunderstanding that a person can make a fortune as long as he studies well and has extraordinary talent in poetry and articles.
Li Bai, unwilling to be a royal scholar.
Li Bai is known as the "Poet Fairy", so is the so-called "Hundred Poems of Li Bai Fighting for Wine". Li Bai's good poems are all wild and unrestrained in a drunken state. This kind of drunken poem made Li Bai, and also exiled Li Bai, which made Li Bai out of his official career. A poet who likes to drink a little wine and get drunk every day may be a good poet, but it is difficult to go to church to pay homage.
In the first year of Tianbao, under the recommendation of Princess He, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty read Li Bai's poems. He appreciated Li Bai's talent very much and called Li Bai into the palace. Xuanzong personally greeted Li Bai and asked him about some contemporary affairs. I attached great importance to him and finally let Li Bai work in imperial academy. Li Bai, who consciously is a scholar in the world, did not get the power he imagined. He became an ornament in the palace, writing poems for the emperor and making him happy. Every time Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty entertained a banquet, he asked Li Bai to write poems, just to entertain and decorate the flowers of the Tang Dynasty. Li Bai, loved by Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, aroused the strong jealousy of his colleagues.
In 743, Li Bai was 42. At the end of that spring, the peony flowers were very gorgeous, and Tang Xuanzong and Yang Guifei watched the peony with great interest. Li Bai wrote a letter to create the "Qingpingdiao", which was told through the ages, and praised Yang Guifei's beauty. Although the poem was very successful, he was tired of the life of the imperial scholar, and he began to drink and have fun with whom. On one occasion, Li Bai was drunk, drafted an imperial edict, and asked Gao Lishi, the eunuch favored by Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, to take off his boots, which caused Gao Lishi's dissatisfaction. Later, Gao Lishi and the maid-in-waiting spoke ill of Li Bai in front of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty, who was confused and gradually alienated Li Bai. It was also said that Li's wine leaked the secrets of the palace and caused great dissatisfaction. Later, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty expelled Li Bai from Chang 'an.
Wang Bo, a gifted scholar who was sentenced to writing.
Wang Bo is one of the "Four Masters in Early Tang Dynasty". His masterpiece "Preface to Wang Tengting" is world-famous for its imposing manner of "encircling the three rivers and bringing five lakes, controlling the scenery and attracting Ou Yue" and the beauty of "the sunset is lonely in Qi Fei, and the autumn water is * * * the sky is one color". This is a heroic essay written by Wang Bo at the age of 25, which is brilliant and illuminates the literary world in the early Tang Dynasty.
For Wang Bo, he can't even be described as young and famous, because he was called a "child prodigy" when he was very young. /kloc-at the age of 0/4, Wang Bo was recommended and awarded an official position; /kloc-when he was 0/6 years old, Wang Bo was called by a prince to write an article, which was highly valued. However, the smooth road of life made Wang Bo despise the darkness of officialdom. /kloc-When he was 0/8 years old, due to the prevalence of cockfighting in China, he wrote an article "The King's Chicken" for fun when watching the king's cockfighting, which provoked Tang Gaozong's great anger. He thought, instead of exhorting the king to fight cocks, he wrote a famous article and ordered him to be expelled from the palace.
After leaving Wang Fu, Wang Bo went to Sichuan. He has made great progress in poetry and created many famous works. Later, he was promoted, but his arrogant character has never changed. In addition, he is jealous because of his high talent and has a tense relationship with his colleagues. Later, because of killing a criminal official slave, Wang Bo was caught, almost died, and his father was demoted. From then on, Wang Bo was disheartened, gave up his official career and went home to write. At the age of 27, he drowned on the way to visit his father, and the fate of a generation of gifted scholars made future generations sigh.
Third, did Su Shi dare to "fake" the imperial examination?
At the age of 20, Su Shi and his younger brother Su Zhe went to Beijing to take the exam, and they were admitted to Jinshi together. Since then, their reputation has greatly improved. Su Shi wrote an article in the examination room, called "On Loyalty in Punishment". I heard that there are two interesting stories circulating behind this article.
At that time, the examiner of the imperial examination was Ouyang Xiu, a literary master. When he saw Su Shi's exam article On Punishment and Loyalty, he fell in love with it deeply. However, due to the anonymity of the test paper, Ouyang Xiu did not know who the author of this article was. He guessed that such a good writing might come from my disciple Ceng Gong. In order to avoid suspicion, he dared not give the first place to his apprentice, and decided to be the second place. The first place was given to a Fujian examinee named Zhang Heng. After the announcement, the students who took the exam came to thank the examiner. Ouyang Xiu found that the second place was not Ceng Gong, but a Sichuan examinee named Su Shi. Ouyang Xiu praised his friend Mei Yao Chen: "I don't feel sweaty, quick, quick!" I should avoid the road and let him out. "Due to Ouyang Xiu's misunderstanding, Su Shi's name soon spread all over the world, and everyone admired the great genius of' poetry full of books'. The idiom' getting ahead' was born because of Ouyang Xiu's words.
When Ouyang Xiu met Su Shi, he humbly asked him for an allusion in The Theory of Criminal Loyalty. This allusion says that in the face of the same criminal, he was sentenced to death three times with strict law enforcement, while Yao, who is humble and generous, commuted his sentence three times and pardoned him. Ouyang Xiu had never heard of this allusion, so he went easy on him for fear of losing points rashly and appearing ignorant. When he asked the source of Su Shi's allusions, Su Shi smiled and said "take it for granted", which means he made it up himself.
In fact, although this is a "fabricated" allusion, it is not completely unfounded. Su Shi is flexible in reading and good at imitating others. When reading the biography of the reflection of Kong Rong, when I thought that Cao Cao had betrothed Yuan, the son of Yuan Shao, to Cao Pi, Kong Rong said to Cao Cao, "Zhou Wuwang also gave his favorite concubine da ji to the Duke of Zhou." Cao Cao had read many poems, but he had never heard of this allusion, so he asked Kong Rong about its origin. Kong Rong said: "According to what happened today, I think Zhou Wuwang will do the same." It turns out that this allusion was also made up by Kong Rong. Su Shi means that Song Renzong, who is cautious and generous, will pardon criminals and let them improve their self-discipline ability; Yao did the same thing during the reign of Emperor Yao, because they were all wise kings and equally tolerant and virtuous. Su Shi is good at thinking when he is reading, and he can make use of history. The name of a great writer is not for nothing!