Why are Du Fu's poems called "History of Poetry"?

Simply put, it is because of Du Fu's realism. Poetry reflects the social life before and after the An Shi Rebellion in Tang Dynasty, and it is a true record of social life in this period, which has high historical value. Du Fu is called the history of poetry in the history of literature. In the Tang Dynasty, the two poets reached the peak of poetry creation. One is Li Bai, a "poetic fairy" who climbed to the peak of romanticism; One is Du Fu, a poet who reached the peak of realism. Du Fu lived under the rule of three emperors, namely Xuanzong, Tang Suzong and Tang Daizong, and it was also a turbulent period from prosperity to decline in the Tang Dynasty. Du Fu's great realistic poetry is a true record of social life in this period, which has high historical value, so people call Du Fu's poetry "poetic history" and Du Fu "poetic saint". The title "history of poetry" appeared earlier. As early as the late Tang dynasty, the poem "Gao Yi" once wrote; "Du Fu encountered difficulties in Lushan Mountain. He moved from Gansu to Sichuan. After he finished writing the poem, he pushed it to a hidden place, and almost nothing happened, so it was called the history of poetry at that time. " Du fu was still alive at this time, so people called his works.

Later, Song Qi also wrote in The Biography of Du Fu in the New Tang Dynasty: "Fu is good at telling current events, and his method is profound, so he is called' the history of poetry'. . "As for the title of" poet sage ",Song Qi's article already contains this meaning. Wang Sishuang, the author of Du Yi in the Ming Dynasty, wrote in Dream of Shaoling: "Violet is a poet, and I am also a poet." It shows that all previous dynasties respected Du Fu's achievements in poetry creation. Du Fu only worked as a small official intermittently for a few years in his life, and his political career was quite short. However, as a great realistic poet, he always cared about politics, society and people. His initial ideal was to "respect the monarch Yao and Shun, and then change the customs". Later, he wrote in the poem "From Beijing to Fengxian, chanting 500 words": "I am worried about Li Yuan in poor years and sigh for the heat in my intestines." Until his later years, he still didn't change his mind. "Sleepless and unable to work hard" is a true portrayal of this mood. Although his political ideal can't be realized, it is actually reflected in his poems. It is precisely because of this that his poetry is great, and he is known as "the history of poetry" and "the sage of poetry".