I think the "highest" poets and lyricists do not exist, only relatively...
But I think the one I admire most is Qu Yuan:
Qu Yuan
Introduction to the poet Qu Yuan
About 339 BC - about 278 BC
During the Warring States Period, the poets of Chu State absorbed The essence of southern folk songs combines ancient myths and legends to create a new style of poetry - "Chu Ci". The emergence of Chu Ci is the great liberation of ancient Chinese poetry. It breaks the rigid four-character and one-sentence format of the Book of Songs and adopts uneven sentence patterns of three to eight characters. The form is lively and diverse, suitable for describing complex social life and expressing rich thoughts and feelings. The length and capacity can be adjusted according to the content. It can be expanded arbitrarily according to the needs. The great poet Qu Yuan is the founder and representative writer of Chu Ci.
Qu Yuan (about 339 BC to about 278 BC), named Ping, was born in the aristocracy of Chu State. He was born in Lepingli, Sanlu Township, Zigui in 340 BC. Qu Yuan was diligent, studious and ambitious since he was a child. At the age of 26, he served as the left disciple of Chu State and the official of Sanlu. At first, he was trusted by King Huai of Chu, and he once served as a high-ranking official of Zuo Tu. He advocated appointing talents, clarifying the law, improving internal affairs, and uniting Qi to resist Qin. However, King Huai of Chu's Ling Yin Zi Liao, Shangguan official Jin Shang, and his beloved concubine Zheng Xiu were bribed by Qin's emissary Zhang Yi. They not only prevented King Huai from accepting Qu Yuan's opinions, but also alienated King Huai. Qu Yuan. As a result, King Huai of Chu was lured away by Qin and imprisoned in Qin. After King Qingxiang came to the throne, Qu Yuan continued to be persecuted and was exiled to the south of the Yangtze River. In 278 BC, Qin general Bai Qi led his troops south and captured the capital of Chu. Qu Yuan's political thoughts were shattered and he despaired of his future. Although he wanted to serve the country, he was unable to save his life and had to die to express his ambition. In May of the same year On the fifth day of the Dragon Boat Festival, he committed suicide by throwing himself into the Miluo River.
Qu Yuan was a politician of far-reaching excellence, the first great poet in the history of Chinese literature, and the "first-rate talent" in the Three Gorges. He was worried about the country and the people, and finally threw himself into the Miluo River and died for his country. Although Qu Yuan's political life was a tragedy, as a poet, he left more than 20 immortal poems to future generations, such as "Li Sao" and "Heavenly Questions". These are precious legacies of the treasure house of Chinese literature.
"Li Sao" is Qu Yuan's most mature work and the most magnificent lyric poem in ancient China. The first half is a realistic narrative, describing his ideals and experiences of reforming politics. The second half adds many strange fantasies. Accompanied by wind, rain, thunder, lightning, clouds, moon, phoenixes and dragons, he gallops in the sky, going up and down the world to pursue his ideal object, but he is disappointed. .
The poet blended natural phenomena, historical figures, and legends into a magnificent romantic artistic image, achieving a high degree of ideological and artistic combination. Lu Xun praised Qu Yuan: "His great words are outstanding."
"Tianwen" is a peculiar long poem. This is because after Qu Yuan was exiled, he was melancholy and hesitant, had intense mental turmoil, and his old beliefs completely collapsed. Therefore, he had doubts about natural phenomena, ancient legends, religious beliefs, and traditional thoughts about society, and raised various questions.
Through asking questions, the poet vented the contradictions and depression in political life. Sima Qian recorded it in detail in "Historical Records: Biography of Qu Yuan"