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. When he finished writing poetry, he pushed it to the 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, who used a beautiful word, once claimed to be a young and wild old man in his poems. Later generations also called him "Social Work Department" because he once held the post of "Yuan Wailang of the School Inspection Department". Born in 7 12 A.D. in Gong County, Henan Province, a declining bureaucratic family. His grandfather was Du, a famous poet in the early Tang Dynasty. Du Fu received strict education in poetry and calligraphy since childhood and studied very hard. I began to learn to write poetry when I was 7 years old, and by the time I was 14 years old, I was already able to write very good poems. After the age of 20, he has traveled three times, from Jiangsu and Zhejiang in the south to Hebei and Shandong in the north. At the age of 33, Du Fu met the famous poet Li Bai in Luoyang, Henan. Li Bai is older than Du Fu 1 1 year. They hit it off immediately and established a brotherly friendship. This meeting had a great influence on Du Fu. The following autumn, they parted in Shandong, and Du Fu arrived in the capital Chang 'an soon. He holds the ideal of "being a gentleman for the sake of a gentleman, and then making the customs pure" and expects to do something for the country. The result is that "the rich are detained in the morning, and the fat horse dust follows at dusk." Broken cups are baked cold, and there are worries everywhere. "At that time, the court was corrupt, the politics was dark, and the ruling class became more and more extravagant and corrupt. Although Du Fu ran around, there was still no result, and life became more and more difficult. At this time, he saw all kinds of contradictions in society and was more sympathetic to the working people ideologically.
During his trip, he wrote many poems describing the great mountains and rivers of the motherland, such as the famous "Looking at *", which is magnificent, open-minded and uplifting. This is really an extraordinary picture of Mount Tai. This is one aspect of his patriotism. In Chang 'an, he stayed for 1O years. During the period of 1O, his thoughts changed greatly, and he gradually realized the darkness of society, and began to reflect people's sufferings with poems and expose various unreasonable phenomena in feudal society. The representative work of this period is Garage Shop. Two on the road, and so on. "Military Vehicle Shop" is a vivid poem. The tragic scene in "Where Are You Going?" makes people laugh. It profoundly exposed the great disaster brought to the people by the long-term belligerence and successive wars of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, and reflected the people's hatred and curse of this unjust war. Two on the Road exposes the dissolute, luxurious and corrupt lives of Yang Guifei and Yang. This poem reflects the poet's strong hatred for the ruling class. Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty only lived a dissolute and shameless life. As a result, he turned the Yang family into "but power can be as hot as a flame and burn people's fingers". Du Fu's powerful disclosure is really humanistic. How can such an emperor and such a state affairs govern the country well? The poet told people with real and vivid stories that there was a profound social crisis lurking in the Tang Dynasty.
In 755 AD, Du Fu finally found a small official who led the government and Cao Yu to join the army with his own talents. This winter, he returned to Fengxian from the capital Chang 'an to visit his wife and children. Passing through Lishan Mountain, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty and Yang Guifei were drinking and having fun in Huaqing Palace, where there were bursts of singing, dancing and flute playing. Du Fu was filled with emotion when he saw all this. He stopped and looked up at the magnificent palace of Huaqing Palace, which reminded him of the hungry people on Chang 'an Avenue and the crowds of hungry people along the way. In fact, at this time, An Lushan has been fighting in john young. "The news has not yet reached Chang 'an. Ordinary people live in dire straits, but this group of bureaucrats, large and small, headed by the emperor and Yang family, live a luxurious life. Du Fu felt very heavy when he thought of this. He also thought that the situation of his wife and children might be even more miserable, so he accelerated the pace of returning to China. After several days of hard work, I finally arrived in Fengxian. Hardly had I reached the door when I heard a shout in the yard. When I entered the house, I found that my son, who was less than one year old, had starved to death. His eyes went black and he almost fell down. He felt that he had not fulfilled his responsibilities as a father, and he could not even support his own son. His heart was extremely sad. He wrote a poem "From Beijing to Fengxian, I'll recite 500 words" after seeing all this on the road and in Beijing. Accuse angrily the crimes of the exploiting classes in feudal society. Among them, "Zhumen wine stinks and freezes bones" highly summarizes the sharp class contradictions and class struggles in feudal society. It truly reflects the history before and after the An Shi Rebellion, and its language image is vivid, so it is worthy of being a "history of poetry".
After the Anshi Rebellion, Du Fu heard that Hengli had inherited the throne in Lingwu. He settled his wife and children in Xuzhou and went to Lingwu by himself, hoping to do something to quell the rebellion. Unfortunately, he was captured by An Lushan's troops on the way and sent to Chang 'an. In 757 AD, he ventured out of Chang 'an to Lingwu, the temporary capital at that time. Tang Suzong appointed him Zuo Shiyi, the Eight-product remonstrance officer, who could attend the meeting and write a letter. Du Fu is very satisfied with this job, and he is also very serious. He often gives some advice to the emperor. Hengli was very unhappy about this and refused Du Fu on the pretext of going home to visit relatives. After the recovery of Chang 'an, Hengli transferred him to Iowa to be a junior official. Du Fu was very dissatisfied with this and soon left the officialdom and lived a wandering life. This makes it easier for him to understand the cruelty of society and officials and the sufferings of the people.
In the spring of 759 AD, An Lushan was killed by his son An Qingxu, and the troops of the Tang Dynasty successively recovered Chang 'an, Luoyang and other important places, and achieved great victory. Guo Ziyi and nine other 600,000 troops of our army surrounded An Qingxu's army in Yecheng (now Anyang County, Henan Province), and the situation was very favorable to the Tang Dynasty. However, due to the incompetence of the Tang Dynasty. Hundreds of thousands of troops were not commanded by a commander-in-chief, while Shi Siming was almost wiped out by the rebels, and the situation deteriorated sharply. In order to reverse the situation, it was necessary to expand the army immediately, so the Tang Dynasty recruited Ralph in the Tongguan area of Luoyang. At this time, Du Fu returned to Huazhou from Luoyang via Tongguan and witnessed this tragic scene. There are children who can't do it. Old people whose children and grandchildren died in battle, young people who just got married for one night, were all drafted into the army, and the cruelty of officials to them was unbearable. Considering the crisis of the motherland, the poet had to say something encouraging and comforting to them. However, it is really difficult for the poet to say anything to the old woman in The Digger, because the situation is so tragic. The poet had to describe it truthfully and make a solemn accusation against the cruel ruling class. The poet wrote these six articles: Xin 'an official, Tongguan official, Shi Haoguan, seeing off the wedding, resigning from the old age and being homeless. These poems adopt Yuefu style, and vividly depict the characters through dialogues and monologues. "Twilight throws stones at the village, and collectors catch people at night. While the old man was walking on the wall, the old woman went out to watch the door. No matter how angry an official is, why do women cry? Listen to the speech in front of your wife. The three men guarded Yecheng. One man attached a book, and two men died. Existence and drag out an ignoble existence, the dead are long gone! There is no one in the room, only a baby and a grandson. A granddaughter didn't go, and people didn't have a skirt. " What a tragic picture this is! The old woman's complaint was tragic and desolate, with tears in every word and blood in every sentence. "Night long voice, such as the smell of crying. Dawn will rise into the future, leaving the old man alone. "The poet's heart and the people's heart are interlinked. Seeing this scene, the poet's heart fluctuated and he couldn't sleep alone. Newly-married brides, old people and homeless people are all very touching images. It makes people cry. In addition to the above six articles, poets in this period also wrote many chapters that loved the motherland and sympathized with people's sufferings, such as "Spring Hope", "Three Songs of Qiang Nationality", "For Sorrow" and "Mourning for the Head". Especially the famous article "Hope in Spring". It also reflects the poet's love for the motherland.
After the "An Shi Rebellion", Du Fu was captured by the rebels and escorted to Chang 'an. On the one hand, he lived a captive life, on the other hand, he was infinitely worried about the future of the country and deeply missed his family. Although facing the spring scenery in Chang 'an, it can only make him more sad. So he wrote the following five-character poem: "Although the country is divided, the mountains and rivers last forever, and the vegetation is spring. Sad state, can not help but burst into tears, amazing birds, leaving sorrow and hate. The war lasted for more than half a year, and letters from home were rare, with a hundred thousand gold. I stroke my white hair. It has become too thin and I am eager to win *. " This famous saying, from the poet's heart, also hurt the hearts of millions of readers in Qian Qian and Qian Qian. Compared with The Yellow River Banks Recovered by Imperial Army written at the end of An Shi Rebellion, the poet's patriotism is more obvious. Du Fu was very happy when he heard that loyal ministers had recovered the lost land in Zizhou, Sichuan, and wrote this poem. "The news of this distant western station! The north has been recovered! At first, I couldn't stop crying on my coat. Where are my wife and son? There is not a trace of sadness on their faces. However, I packed my books and poems crazily. On a green spring day, I began to go home, singing my songs loudly and drinking my wine. Come back from this mountain, pass another mountain, go up from the south and then go north-to my own town! ! "When the poet heard the news, he burst into tears and was in high spirits. He wants to "sing" and "indulge in wine", and he feels relaxed and happy, just like a teenager who is one year younger. The poet's love for his motherland is beyond words.
In the summer of 759 AD, Du Fu resigned and moved to Qin Zhou with his family, and then moved to Tonggu. At this time, he was very poor, and he had no clothes and food. He had to make a living by picking chestnuts from oak trees and digging taro. Life was really unbearable, and he moved to Chengdu, Sichuan. This winter, with the help of his friends, he built a hut in Huanhuaxi, a western suburb of Chengdu, which was later called "Huanhuacao Hall" or "Du Fu Caotang". Du Fu's family has a place to live for the time being, but life is still very difficult. One night, a strong wind suddenly blew in the sky, and the thatch on the roof was blown off by the strong wind. The house leaks rain and the family can't sleep well. He was filled with emotion, so he wrote "The hut was broken by the autumn wind": "In August, the wind roared and Sanmao rolled into my house. ..... The bedside table is leaking everywhere, and the feet of the rain are numb. What's the point of getting wet all night? How many buildings are there in Ande Guangsha? All the poor people in the world are smiling, and the wind and rain are calm and peaceful. Oh! When did you suddenly see this house? It is enough for me to freeze to death alone! " Starting from his own predicament, Du Fu thought of the sufferings of the "poor people in the world" and sang the voice that "there are thousands of spacious buildings, and the poor people in the world are happy". This shows that the poet doesn't think of himself first. He even said that he was willing to freeze to death as long as there was such a "mansion". Visible noble personality, broad-minded.
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".
Du Fu lived in Sichuan for 9 years. Although he got help from our friend Yanwu from western Sichuan, his time was short. After Yanwu's death, Du Fu was helpless again. So I left Sichuan with my family and went to Zizhou, Langzhou, Kuizhou, Jiangling, Yuezhou, Tanzhou, Chenzhou and other places. He can't vote for relatives, and he is not satisfied with his friends, so he has to wander around. In his later years, he lived in a boat and wandered around the Xiangjiang River. His life is so poor that he has to sell medicine for a living. Even so, Du Fu pondered his poems day and night. As a great realistic poet, he not only loves his motherland and people, but also loves art. He is not only proficient in the art of poetry, but also likes painting, calligraphy, dance and music very much. In this regard, he wrote many excellent poems, leaving us with valuable spiritual wealth. For example, Wang Zai's Song of Painting Horses, Song of Painting Mountains and Rivers, Dan Qing's Painting General Cao, Sword Dancer Gongsun, Encountering the River, etc. This not only reflects the poet's sincere pursuit of various arts and profound knowledge, but also shows the poet's love for the people and the pulse of the times. For example, "Fifty years later, the dusty cave shocked the royal family with a flick of a finger" and "I, a poor old man, don't know where to go, and the barren hills turn to sorrow", where there are both changes of the times and the wandering life of poets. Another encounter went down the river: "A common home, when will Cui hear it?". It is a beautiful scenery in the south of the Yangtze River. " Written in late spring March, two old acquaintances met unexpectedly. But the meeting place is no longer Luoyang, but Jiangnan. The situation of meeting is different from before: Du Fu has lofty ideals, but he can't realize them. Now he is haunted by his old illness and wandering around, while Li Guinian is still famous for a while, but he lives in the south of the Yangtze River and is similar to each other. It is through the reunion of the two people that this poem reflects the ruin of the country, the suffering of the people and their own displacement, and shows the poet's infinite emotion and great pain. But which of them cries the most? ? , this Jiujiang officer. My blue sleeves are wet. " Although this poem has only four sentences, it is rich in content and profound in thought. It can be called Lao Du's masterpiece.
In his later years, Du Fu was homeless, and a boat drifting everywhere became his home. Living on water for a long time because of wet water, he contracted severe rheumatism. In the winter of 770 AD, this great poet died on a boat in Xiangjiang River at the age of 59. This in itself is the control and exposure of the feudal ruling class. The feudal ruling class suppressed talents, attacked loyalty and rejected dissidents, which was determined by its class nature. So Du Fu is no exception. Although Du Fu was down and out all his life and died tragically, his contribution to China's poetry will always be praised by future generations. In the development of China's realistic poetry, Du Fu occupies a particularly important position. The Book of Songs is the beginning of China's realistic poetry, which was summarized and spread by Du Fu through the folk songs of four outstanding figures in Han Yuefu, Jian 'an period and early Tang Dynasty, and reached the peak of realism in ancient poetry. His realistic creative spirit directly inspired the reform movement of Xinle poetry advocated by Bai Juyi in the middle Tang Dynasty, and has always influenced the Qing Dynasty. His patriotic spirit shines forever, as Han Yu praised, "Du Li's article is there, and the flame is long." "After I was born, I tilted my neck and looked at each other from a distance." He worked hard all his life and wrote many immortal poems. Today, there are more than 65,438+0,400 poems, as well as more than 20 essays and poems, including Du Gongbu's Collection.