Du Fu likes to call himself "Ling Du Buyi" or "Ling Du Yelao". Whether it is "cloth clothes" or "wild old man", it is a means for literati to turn their official career frustration into self-comfort, and it is a cover-up for self-display. As for "Ling Du", it represents Du Fu's family glory, that is, what people said at that time, although Du Fu himself was born in Nanyaowan Village, Gongxian County, Henan Province. On the day of the Cold Food Festival in the 29th year of Kaiyuan (74 1), 30-year-old Du Fu wrote an article "Sacrificing the Ancestor in Dangyang Wen Jun". This Dangyangjun is the thirteenth ancestor of Du Fu, and he is Du Yu, the general of Zhennan in the Western Jin Dynasty. In the whole family, Du Fu never forgets, and it is this ancestor that he often takes out in his poems to make the world admire and inspire himself. Du Yu not only made outstanding contributions to the reunification of the country, but also made great efforts for the cultural progress of the nation, that is, "the Spring and Autumn Period was dominated by interpretation, and servants were devoted to relatives", which was later called "Zuo Zhuan". In a word, this ancestor's civil and military skills are so dazzling, like a shining star guiding and watching his descendants, so Du Fu said in his eulogy that he "dare not forget his roots and violate his benevolence". More importantly, in Du Fu's view, Du Yu also laid an excellent tradition and a good foundation for this family, that is, "spreading it with benevolence, courtesy, wisdom and faith, ranking it as a man and a woman" and "observing officials with Confucianism". The concrete advantage is that "students will never be taxed, and their names will not be levied", that is, they can not pay taxes or go to the front to fight as soldiers. Of course, in that special period, some people still felt sorry for it. Du Fu was so concerned about the country and the people, but unfortunately he still belonged to the "landlord class".
Besides Tu Yu, Du Jiazhong is proud of the poet's grandfather Du Shenyan. Du is a poet in Tang Dynasty. He is very famous and has a bigger temper. He was once called "Four Friends of Articles" with Li Qiao, Su Weidao and Cui. Compared with the "Four Masters" in the early Tang Dynasty, these "four friends" have a great difference in writing level, but their official positions are several levels higher. They also have something to be proud of to make up for the artistic gap. Du and his grandson are also very different in character. Du Fu kept a low profile and always said that he should learn from his predecessors with an open mind. If someone wants to laugh at his predecessor, he will immediately stand up and uphold justice. His grandfather, on the other hand, is afraid of being despised by others, so he deliberately appears arrogant. He once boasted that even if Qu Yuan and Song Yu were reincarnated, they should stay away and pretend to be students. On the level of calligraphy, Wang Xizhi's regeneration will also be far behind. For contemporary celebrities, Mr. Du Lao is even more impolite. One day, he suddenly and mysteriously told people that Su Weidao was going to die. Others were very surprised and asked why. He explained that my article was so well written that Su Weidao would be ashamed to death when he saw it. Later, the old man was seriously ill, and Song He and others went to visit him. The old man said: when I was alive, I rode on your door so that you could not stand out; Now that I'm dying, you finally have a chance to be proud.
For thousands of years, people have been very polite to Mr. Du Lao and rarely reprimanded him because Du Fu loves his elders very much. He once said, "My ancestors wrote poems in the past" ("To Brother Lu Qiu, a monk of Shu") and "Poetry is my home" ("Holy Day of Zongwu"). In the fourth year of Tianbao (745), Du Fu was not yet famous. Li Yong chatted with him and talked about his predecessors. He spoke highly of Du Fu, who was also quite excited. In the first year of Dali (766), that is, twenty-one years later, Du Fu could not forget the conversation at that time, and wrote in eight sad poems: "Take my family affairs as an example to sweep away the atmosphere." Generous and true, please consult Yushan Gui. "Later critics in praise of Lao Du, sometimes say a few words of praise to Du, which makes Du's position still high compared with other" three friends ". When commenting on Du, people will first introduce him as Lao Du's grandfather, which will naturally achieve awe-inspiring effect. For example, Wang Dechen, a poet in the Song Dynasty, wrote in The Biography of Lady: "Du, the grandfather of Du, is also. Then, when the weather is fine, write poems and advocate making peace with Song. There is a saying that "the fog is light and the wind is purple" and "the romantic month in Los Angeles will return twice as much to people next year" is a message. Zi Mei said that "the flowers in the forest are raining and the rouge is falling, and the flowers in the water are pulling the wind and the green belt is long", and that "the language scene is flowing, and it is not rewarded for the time being", although it does not attack its intention, but the language context has a family style. " Including Chen Ye, a famous bibliophile in Song Dynasty, said that Du Fu's poems were written so well, which was the result of family tradition and inherited his grandfather's good tradition. These specious words deceived many simple readers, and even some so-called people believed the true story of this day.
Of course, we can't completely deny the influence of family style on Lao Du. Du was conceited about writing poetry and calligraphy, and it was these two aspects that Lao Du first studied seriously. In the first year of Dali (766), Du Fu fell ill in Kuizhou, and wrote some autobiographical narrative poems, telling his life story from his childhood wandering in Qi, Zhao and Luoyang, losing Chang 'an for ten years, from the Anshi Rebellion to staying in Bashu. For example, there is a passage in Zhuangyou:
In the past 14 or 15 years, I have traveled in the field of calligraphy. Sven Cui Wei is like a believer and treats me like Bunyan. At the age of seven, I thought I was strong. I sang Phoenix. Nine-year-old books have big characters, and some of them have been made into schoolbags. The sex industry is addicted to alcohol, disgusting and upright. If you are young, you will make old friends.
People have always regarded Du Fu's poems as the witness of history, so Du Fu's poems are called "the history of poetry". "The Book of the New Tang Dynasty, Literary Biography and Du Fu Zan" said: "(Du Fu) is good at talking about current affairs, and his method is profound, so many words have declined, and his world name is' the history of poetry'." Later, Ren Qiu concluded in the Preface to Du Fu's Poems that Du Fu was called the history of poetry in the Song Dynasty and the poet saint in the Ming Dynasty. Poet saint is called because Du Fu stands firm and upright, and can teach the world. There is no need to say much about the value of Du Fu's History of Poetry, but the reason why Du Fu's poem is called History of Poetry is not that he deliberately wrote an epic at the beginning, but that he felt the changes of the times more from his personal experience, so the Skill Poem, which gave Du Fu's History of Poetry earlier, said: "Du Fu was in trouble in Lushan Mountain and moved to Dragon Tree, but he was pushed to live in seclusion before his poem was finished. So the number at that time was' poetry history'. " It can be seen that Bai Meng and others think that Du Fu's poems are "the history of poetry". First of all, his personal experience has been fully demonstrated. His poetry, even the history of poetry, is also the history in his personal eyes. These histories, first of all, are Lao Du's personal history.
From the poem Zhuang You, we can learn about Lao Du's childhood. For example, he began to write poems at the age of seven. Later, Du Fu said in "Ode to Carving" that "since the age of seven, there have been more than a thousand poems in forty years". It seems that Lao Du has a heart and carefully preserved his seven-year works. Du Fu began to practice calligraphy at the age of nine, but at this moment he copied the calligraphy of Yu Shinan, a calligrapher in the early Tang Dynasty, because in The Danger of Giving Fifteen Sima, the poet clearly said that "the teacher is in a secret prison"-if this poem was not used by Lao Du to flatter and fool each other temporarily, it means that Lao Du obviously lacks confidence in his grandfather's calligraphy, because Yu Shinan just learned from Wang Xizhi and his grandfather Du Shenyan. When he was about fourteen or fifteen years old, Lao Du often went in and out of the examination room. How about the exam results? Lao Du didn't boast, so there is probably nothing to show off. He was proud that all the literary celebrities valued him very much at that time. In another self-recommended poem, Wei Zuocheng's Twenty-two Rhymes, Lao Du exaggerates that Li Yong, a great talent, asked to meet him and hoped to move his family next door to be a neighbor, that is, "Li Yong is eager to learn and is willing to be a neighbor." If these two poems are interpreted in reverse, they may be closer to the truth. The definite message is that Lao Du visited Li Yong and William Wang, and everyone may think that Lao Du has the potential to become a great writer like Ban Gu and Yang Xiong. This kind of encouragement, which we often see in various biographies, is roughly one in a hundred, but Lao Du did not let them see it in the end.
In the 14th year of Tianbao, 43-year-old Du Fu presented "Xiyue Fu" in Chang 'an, in which he introduced himself as "young and sick, poor and studious". Judging from various materials, the poet must be "poor and eager to learn". As for "being young and sick", it seems to be a fact, but it is actually only a problem in infancy. Among Du Lao's few epitaphs, there is a sincere epitaph of the Du family in Jingzhao, Wannian County, Tang Dynasty, in which the protagonist is his second aunt. Du Fu's mother died shortly after giving birth to him, and Du Fu's brother died very early. Toure, the evil work-he ranked second, and Li Taibai wrote a poem entitled "Send Du to the East Shimen of Lujun"-was to be fostered in his second aunt's house, and his stepmother gave birth to many siblings, such as Du Guan, Du Zhan and Du Feng, so naturally he could not take care of him. On one occasion, Toure and his aunt's son fell ill at the same time. The witch doctor said that sleeping on the southeast side of the pillar of the house might heal. My aunt's son slept in that place, so he switched places with Toure. Soon after, Toure miraculously recovered, but her son died. Many years later, the poet can't help thinking about it. The memory of this fragment has been repeatedly strengthened, which also makes him feel weak and sick since childhood.
But Du Fu was full of energy after he was a teenager. In the collection of sadness, he recalled:
Recalling that I was a child at the age of fifteen, I was as healthy as a yellow calf. Pear and jujube are ripe in August before the court, and the tree day can return to a thousand times.
Think about that serious poet, who is still so naughty at the age of fifteen, running around like an energetic little yellow calf and swinging around the tree like a naughty little monkey. It's really smiling. Facts have proved once again that games are indispensable to study hard, and poets also have a happy and relaxed childhood.
Drink heavily
Du Fu said in his poem Zhuang You that he was "sexually ambitious and addicted to alcohol", which was very puzzling. Du also likes to drink, and it is the kind of unrestrained binge drinking? Come to think of it, it seems nothing strange. How many gifted scholars in the Tang Dynasty were not addicted to alcohol? It was once said that Du Fu was firmly opposed to alcoholism, because in the poem To Li Bai, he explicitly warned the other party not to "drink crazy songs and live in vain". This may be a misunderstanding, and what Du Fu opposes may only be the indifferent consumption of youth and life. For wine, he also has strong feelings, the depth of feelings as "Lee Brewmaster". Some people who do good deeds have made an in-depth investigation: Li's poems are about 1.050, and those related to wine are about 1.70, accounting for about1.6%; There are about 1.400 pre-existing poems by Du Fu, and about 300 poems related to wine, accounting for about 2 1%. Numbers are obviously the most convincing, so why didn't Du leave us a bad impression of drinking? Maybe he is not ostentatious or puffed up when he drinks. Even though he is a heavy drinker, he never gets drunk. The wine is very good, so let's ignore his hobbies. In "Two Poems of Qujiang", he said, "Let's all watch with our eyes. Too much wine will not hurt our health." I like drinking, but I don't drink like a cow. This is the highest level of drinking.
Meanwhile, Du has always regarded drinking as a luxury enjoyment. When he drinks, his predicament is like that of an old man next door. After hard work, he has two drinks to relieve his fatigue. Who else has the heart to scold him? Li Bai spends a lot of money as soon as he drinks. He is a "five flowers and a thousand dollars, give it to the boy in exchange for good wine" and sleep in a restaurant in Chang 'an. Du Fu, on the other hand, drank old wine brewed by himself. In Welcome, he said, "It's a long way to the market. I can't give you much, but in my hut, we have old wine in our cups." Temporary guests at home should be treated with the best wine, but even the rest of the old wine is old, there is no extra cooked food, and they live in a remote corner, so they can't find a hotel if they want to buy it on credit. How pitiful and embarrassing. Sometimes guests suddenly come and there is no wine left at home, so we have to borrow wine from our neighbors. "Call Xijia every other room and ask if there is any wine" (Interview with Gong Li in Summer). Occasionally drinking in the street is also boring. Small restaurants drink that kind of old wine mixed with water. How can such wine be intoxicating? As the saying goes, "street wine prices are often bitter and expensive, and non-party drinkers are drunk and sleepy" ("Forced to give it to Baguio horizontally"). Even if this kind of shochu in the deep alley, Du still thinks it is expensive and often drinks it without money. He accidentally made a small fortune and had some spare money in his hand. He would also have a good drink. "If you have money, you will find it and never doubt it." Get carried away and drink like a real teacher "("Drunk "), but this kind of opportunity is rare after all, unlike Li, whose family is very well off. Even when he was short of money, wherever he went, everyone rushed to buy him a drink, never worrying about the lack of drinking opportunities or paying the bill. I'm a heavy drinker and have no money on hand. What should I do? Du had to "ask for a drink from time to time" ("Play Jane and Sue") and shyly borrow money from people. "Shu wine ban sorrow, no money on credit ("thatched cottage is a thing "); Or dress for wine, "dressing gown for spring clothes, getting drunk at the head of the river" (Qujiang two songs), the result is "wine and debt together" (Qujiang). In order to drink, he also has to do something he doesn't like, such as taking a humble official position that he despises very much, and "drinking a little money" ("Official Play").
More importantly, Du was so worried when drinking, so worried about the country and the people, so sad. Li drinks, sometimes to drown his sorrows, but with the help of wine, he will soon be intoxicated in the imaginary world. Du borrowed wine to drown his sorrows, but plunged into the gloomy world, and did not catch his breath for a long time, making the readers die unsatisfied. Du sometimes gets drunk, but it makes people feel pretentious and lonely and anxious in his bones. "Mo Si can't do everything outside, so he has to measure the cup before he dies" (Nine Poems Wandering) and "Crazy songs are better than form, and drunkenness is home" (Accompanied by Wang Shi's Royal Banquet for Spring and Dongshan Wild Pavilion). These poems seem to be very chic, with thoughts outside the dust, but they inevitably leave traces, which makes people feel hurt. "Try to laugh with a hundred pots" ("Su Duan Fu Xue's Brief Introduction to Xue Hua's Drunk Song"), "Who can be more introverted? Being drunk is a career "("Du Weizhai's Shousui "), even if you are drunk and degenerate for a while, you can't do it. He lives too seriously. "Be sad before you get drunk" (Song of Happy Garden), and he can't escape. "Stay away from love, quench your thirst by drinking poison, and hide" (Strong Swimming). "This poem has no place to go after drinking, and it is sung alone" and "Paradise Song").
Du Fu's drinking poems are simple and true, almost trivial, but only trivial, so they are more chewy and often full of fragrance. Li Bai's drinking poems are so chic and elegant that you can hardly see the shadow of daily life. Only when they are elegant, they are often too high to stay for a long time. Therefore, the poem "Around the Furnace" sighed: "The poem of Zi Mei is mostly in the daily life of human relations, so it is new and new, and I can't get tired of reading it. Reading ten articles after Taibai Liquor is tiring to learn fairy tales. When reading Du Ji, there were rude and foolish words, but there were no stupid words. "
Intense travel
Judging from Du Fu's poem Zhuang You, his binge drinking may be at the time of "not knowing the taste of sorrow", because the poem then describes his roaming experience. Du Fu wandered three times in his life, which lasted for ten years. Most poets in the Tang Dynasty liked roaming. Some people say it's because they realize the importance of "reading thousands of books and taking Wan Li Road". Wan Li Road has indeed contributed a large number of outstanding poets to us, but if we think that these poets are running for art and are not afraid of hardships, it will elevate the status of art in their hearts. Some poets do have an instinctive closeness to nature, and some poets have greatly improved their poetry level because of the help of mountains and rivers, but this cannot hide the original intention of most poets to wander for career advancement. Absolute beauty, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, was admired by later generations. He enjoyed a long tour in the north and south of the river and had a panoramic view of countless scenery. In fact, this is just one side of their scenery. Behind the beautiful scenery of the motherland, how many people have noticed the fatigue, exhaustion and helplessness of these poets? Food and clothing, leisure is extremely boring, so it is natural to go out for a walk. Can be worried, the future is at a loss, ragged, down and out, but also have to cheer up and flatter each other and sell themselves, repeating the same words over and over again, who wants to swim like this? How many successful and ambitious poets are still interested in roaming?
But they have no choice. Teacher Feng Zhi said that at that time, the general examiners' judgment ability was very weak, and their selection criterion was the candidates' reputation in society. How to improve your popularity? In an era when information is not smooth, the best way is to go out, go to the metropolis, go to the most lively places, go to the places where the authorities are fascinated, and tell them loudly that they are talented. This kind of experience, Wang Wei had, Li Bai had, Du Fu is no exception, but the wandering circles are different and the lobbying objects are different. The mood of the wanderer has also changed quietly in the process of lobbying: at first, he was high-spirited, cocky, not high-ranking and rich, and curious about the scenery and folk customs; Then I am exhausted and listless, but I want someone to appreciate me, regardless of the cost; In the end, my eyes were dim, I was disheartened and lost confidence in my work. I only hope that the other party will be merciful and fill my stomach.
In the 19th year of Kaiyuan (73 1), Du Fu, aged 20, officially started his roaming career. Although he crossed the Yellow River in the north the year before last, it was mainly a flood. He himself said that wandering around the world is a "year of weak crown" ("Three Gifts for the Table"), and his first stop was wuyue. Wuyue's picturesque scenery is naturally one aspect, and the more important reason is that there are his relatives there. An uncle works as a bookkeeper in Changshu, and an uncle works as a county marshal in Wu Kang (Deqing, Zhejiang). A fledgling scholar needs care and support. But at this time, Du Fu was full of freshness to the outside world, and his requirements for fame and career were not urgent. Along the way, he paid attention to the local romantic figures and customs:
East of Gusutai, there is already a floating shipping line. Today, if you hold a grudge, you can't extricate yourself. Wang Xiefeng is far away, and the autumn tomb in He Lv is barren. Jianchi is full of stone walls, and Changzhou is fragrant. To the north of the rugged gate, the Qing Palace is reflected in the pond. Every time I go to Wu Taibo, I cry. I remember Gou Jian at my pillow and miss Qin Huang in Zhejiang. Steamed fish smells like daggers, except Yi Dao. The world in Yue Nv is white, and Jianhu Lake in May is cool. You can't forget the beauty of the stream. ("Zhuang You")
Where has the poet been? At that time, he had arrived in Gusu, which is now Suzhou, and even prepared to cross the sea and go to Jiangdong, but unfortunately he could not make it. The poet said that he felt sorry for it from the middle-aged and old age, and missed an opportunity to roam in Fusang at that time, which is now Japan. Until now, we still feel sorry for the poet. If he can do it, what kind of surprise will it bring us? In Suzhou, he went to Huqiu Mountain to explore the tomb of He Lu, to see the steep sword pool in Shibi, to see the graceful lotus in Changzhou Garden and to see the solemn ancestral temple in Doumen. Later, the poet followed the route of Qin Shihuang's eastward tour, crossed Qiantang River, climbed Huiji Mountain, swam Jianhu Lake and rowed in the stream.
In this roaming, Jiangnan left a good impression on the poet. Youth as a companion, high spirits, infinite longing for the future, how can we not indulge in beautiful scenery? Many years later, thinking of that sunny year, he will think of this trip to Jiangnan; The thought of Jiangnan will break his heart. It's a pity that he only relived the beautiful scenery in the south of the Yangtze River in his dream, and he never had a chance to revisit his old place in his life. The poet in his early twenties is just a sapling, and his poetry level is far from mature. Although this trip to the south of the Yangtze River left some poems, it was somewhat naive. The beautiful south of the Yangtze River failed to wait until the poet grew into a towering tree. This is the poet's regret and the loss of Jiangnan. Otherwise, what kind of charm will Jiangnan in the poet's works be?
In the 22nd year of Kaiyuan (734), 23-year-old Du Fu returned to his hometown Gongxian to prepare for the imperial examination next year. At that time, there were three main selection methods: apprenticeship, rural tribute and systematic promotion. The first is the selection of academies, the second is the recommendation of villages, and the third is the direct selection of emperors. Du Fu was presented to the Central Committee as a "tribute" through township sponsorship and state selection, and was selected by the Ministry of Rites. Young Du Fu has a high heart. In Zhuang You, he said that he was "bent over with anger and short eyes", meaning that even people like Qu Yuan, Jia Yi, Cao Zhi and Liu Zhen had no eyes-this may be influenced by his grandfather Du, but unfortunately the ruthless reality gave him a blow. This year, the examiner is a famous scholar, Sun Bin, who is well-known in the world. He is famous both inside and outside the imperial court for choosing Yan Zhenqing and Li Hua. Among the twenty-seven scholars who won the first place this time, many are ups and downs in the literary world of the middle Tang Dynasty, such as Jia Zhi, Xiao and so on. His failure still objectively reflects his strength and influence at that time.
Du Fu at this time was very young after all, and had not taken such setbacks to heart. As for the difficulty of exams and career promotion, it is still far away. The road ahead is so long, why bother early. Although the last poet was annoyed, he was not depressed. He quickly and happily began his second roaming in life. "Strong Tour" cloud:
The dissolute Zhao Qi and Qiu Ma are quite crazy. Haruka Congtai, beside the winter hunting castle peak. Summon eagles and soap into the forest and chase wild animals, clouds and snow-capped mountains. Shoot away, lead the arm down. Su Houxi got into the saddle and suddenly carried Ge Qiang on his back. Happy # # # years, west to Xianyang.
What a pleasure it is to sing songs, hunt green hills, sell horses one by one, and let eagles catch birds. One of the reasons for choosing Zhao Qi as a roaming place is that his father Du Xian is in Sima Ren, Yanzhou. Roaming time is much longer than the first time. In the 29th year of Kaiyuan (74 1), the poet returned to his hometown. As for the wandering mood and state, the poet summed it up in five words, that is, "autumn horse is crazy", which was later quoted by researchers many times and became a portrayal of Du Fu's youth. This also surprised us a little. We are familiar with Du Fu, who dares to love death when necessary and feels lonely and afraid. Du Fu, who dares to be a fool, steals millet and contracts; Du Fu, worried about Li Yuan in poor years, sighed with intestinal heat; We don't know Du Fu, who is riding a horse and archery, singing wildly, being frivolous and unrestrained. The predecessors were not familiar with Du Fu either. After reading Du Fu's poem Zhuang You, Wang Siyuan said, "This is a public biography, and its behavior is much like that of Li Taibai. Li is bold and unconstrained, but the public is bold and detailed. " He also said: "Look at his travels in wuyue, Qi and Zhao, and his poems are full of escape. Is it still too late to refine the rhythm of poetry and abandon the former fish? " Wang Siyuan affirmed that Du Fu's behavior in his early years was similar to that of Li Taibai, bold and unassuming. He further speculated that Du Fu's early poetic style may also be extensive.