The division of early Tang, prosperous Tang, middle Tang and late Tang was first put forward by Yan Yu. To some extent, this division reflects the development process and style changes of Tang poetry.
Poetry in the early Tang Dynasty gradually got rid of the influence of the poetic style of Qi and Liang Dynasties, and paid attention to rhyme and literary talent. In the prosperous Tang Dynasty, poetry reached its peak, with great poets such as Li Bai and Du Fu and a large number of excellent works. In the middle Tang dynasty, the style of poetry began to change, focusing on expressing personal feelings and life experiences; In the late Tang Dynasty, poetry gradually declined, but some excellent poets and works also appeared.
The characteristics of Tang poetry:
1. Rich themes: Tang poetry has a wide range of themes, covering politics, economy, culture, society, nature and other aspects. From emperors and generals to ordinary people, from prosperous cities to distant villages, from high mountains and flowing water to the desert in northern Saibei, Tang poetry is involved.
2. Diverse styles: There are diverse styles of Tang poetry, including Chun Xue, who is bold and unrestrained, and Xialiba, who is graceful and restrained. Poets from different regions have formed their own unique styles, such as Li Bai's elegance, Du Fu's depression and frustration, Bai Juyi's popularity and so on.
3. Clever skills: Tang poetry has reached a clever position, and the use of appropriate rhetorical devices such as metaphor, symbol and exaggeration makes poetry more vivid and appealing. At the same time, Tang poetry has reached an unprecedented height in meter, with neat antithesis, smooth harmony, natural rhyme and beautiful music.
4. Profound thought: The thought of Tang poetry is profound and philosophical, which reflects the poet's profound thinking and understanding of life, society and nature. Many Tang poems are rich in philosophy and wisdom, such as Wang Zhihuan's In the Heron Villa and Liu Yuxi's Wuyi Lane.
5. Far-reaching influence: Tang poetry had a far-reaching influence on China literature, which was not only widely circulated at that time, but also became a model of literature and art in later generations. Many poets in later generations were deeply influenced by Tang poetry, and constantly absorbed the nutrition and inspiration of Tang poetry in their creation.