The Tang Dynasty was one of the prosperous periods in ancient history. It was not only powerful in force, developed in economy, but also prosperous in culture. Tang poetry is known as the golden age of poetry in the history of literature. There were many poets in the Tang Dynasty and numerous masterpieces, so it is regarded as the peak era of poetry creation. As later generations said: "Emperors, generals and ministers, courtiers wearing commoners, boys and women, and traveling guests with fine craftsmanship are all in vain." During different periods of the Tang Dynasty, many famous poets appeared and left many popular and wonderful poems.
1. Poets in the Early Tang Dynasty
The Early Tang Dynasty generally refers to the period from the founding of the Tang Dynasty to the first year of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty. Famous poets who emerged during this period include Chen Ziang, Shen Quanqi, Song Zhiwen, Luo Binwang, Wang Bo, Yang Jiong, Lu Zhaolin, etc. among the "Four Heroes of the Early Tang Dynasty". Chen Zi'ang's representative work is "Deng Youzhou Taiwan Song", in which the famous line "I will never see the ancients before me, and I will never see the newcomers after me. Thinking of the long journey of heaven and earth, I shed tears alone with sadness." The artistic conception is profound and deeply touching.
Shen Quanqi’s representative work "Unseen": "The young woman of the Lu family is in the Yujin Hall, and the petrels are perching on the tortoiseshell beams. In September, the cold root urges the wood leaves, and the ten years of military expeditions are recalled in Liaoyang. The white wolf Hebei music book is broken, and Dan Fengcheng's southern autumn night is long. Who can't see the sorrow alone, and the bright moon shines yellow" was once known as the first among the seven rhymes of Tang poetry, competing with Cui Hao's "Yellow Crane Tower". Others such as Song Zhiwen and the "Four Heroes of the Early Tang Dynasty" have excellent works handed down to the world.
2. Poets in the Prosperous Tang Dynasty
The prosperous Tang Dynasty was the mature development period of Tang Dynasty poetry and the most prosperous stage of Tang poetry creation. A large number of excellent poets and poems have shown a "blowout" growth. Specifically, the famous poets of this period include Li Bai, Du Fu, Zhang Jiuling, Wang Wei, Meng Haoran, Wang Changling, He Zhizhang, Cui Hao, Liu Changqing, Cen Shen, Qiu Wei, Gao Shi, Wang Zhihuan and others. There are too many masterpieces to list them all.
3. Poets in the Mid-Tang Dynasty
The Mid-Tang Dynasty of poetry lasted from the first year of Dali of Daizong (766 AD) to the ninth year of Taihe of Wenzong (835 AD). . During the Mid-Tang Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty was in a stage of transition from prosperity to decline. There was a serious governance crisis and the overall situation was in decline. At this stage, Tang poetry creation did not have the same atmosphere as that of the prosperous Tang Dynasty, but on the other hand, there was new development in the Mid-Tang Dynasty. Famous poets of this period include Bai Juyi, Yuan Zhen, Han Yu, Liu Zongyuan, Liu Yuxi, Meng Jiao, Jia Dao, Zhang Ji and others.
4. Poets in the Late Tang Dynasty
At this stage, the Tang Dynasty entered a period of overall decline, and the creation of Tang poetry also entered a period of relative silence. However, outstanding poets such as Li Shangyin, Du Mu, Wen Tingyun, Wei Zhuang, and Du Xunhe still appeared during this period.
Many outstanding poets appeared in different periods of the Tang Dynasty, and their famous works have become shining pearls in the treasure house of ancient Chinese culture.