Record major historical events and pass them down in the form of poetry.
Most of the contents of Du Fu's poems reflect the social situation at that time, with a wide range of themes and far-reaching implications. They especially describe the sufferings of the people and mostly express his compassion for the people, love for things, and concern for the country and the people. Du Fu's poems have Known as the history of poetry, this statement was first seen in the late Tang Dynasty and became a final conclusion in the Song Dynasty.
But each person has his own interpretation of the meaning of poetry history. Some people annotate Du's poems with historical events, thinking that Du's poems are documentary poems that can supplement history and prove history, so they are called poetic history. This view only emphasizes the truth and falsehood of historical events, and underestimates the emotional characteristics of poetry.
Some people think that Du Fu's historical knowledge and rigorous writing skills are comparable to those of the Han Dynasty historian Sima Qian. As for poetry, those who comment on people and events can "do not pretend to be beautiful, and do not hide evil", so it is called the history of poetry. This is advisable.
Another theory is that the reason why Du Fu's poems are called "History of Poetry" is because they are compassionate and sad. This view is also advisable to a certain extent.
Extended information:
The important historical events that are often mentioned are reflected in Du Fu's poems. In the first year of Zhide (756), the Tang army Chen Taoxie was defeated, and then defeated at Qingban. Du Fu wrote "Sorrow for Chen Tao" and "Sorrow for Qingban"; after recovering the two capitals, Du Fu wrote "Three Poems on the Recapture of Beijing" and "Happy News about the Officials and Soldiers" Already approaching the realm of thieves "Twenty Rhymes".
In the ninth quarter of the siege of Yecheng, it seemed that victory was imminent. Du Fu wrote "The Washing of Soldiers and Horses", which mentioned that news of victory came one after another, and mentioned that the Uighur army assisted in the battle and received preferential treatment in Chang'an. , mentioning the achievements of the generals who suppressed the rebellion. "Three Officials" and "Three Farewells" were made when the army was defeated in Yecheng in the ninth quarter and the troops were recruited along the way to supplement the army.
Some of Du Fu's poems can also make up for the missing records in history. For example, "Three Quatrains" writes about the killing of the governors in Yuzhou and Kaizhou, which has not been recorded in historical books. From Du's poems, we can see the chaotic situation in Shu after the Anshi Rebellion.
Recalling the Past describes the prosperity of the Kaiyuan era. His poems provide historical facts, can prove history, and can make up for the shortcomings of history.
Du's poems provide a broader, more specific and more vivid picture of life than events. For example, "Five Hundred Words of Empathy from Beijing to Fengxian County". Although some of his poems do not directly write about current events, they only write about his own emotions.
But because he was in the midst of war and was closely related to this disaster, his heart's aspirations and feelings were not separated from the current situation, so from his sadness, we can feel certain psychological states of society at that time. From the perspective of understanding the true face of history, this type of poetry also has historical significance.
Baidu Encyclopedia——Du Fu