The life style of the realist poet Du Fu
——Written in commemoration of the 1300th anniversary of Du Fu's birth
Du Fu was a historical figure during the period when the Tang Dynasty turned from prosperity to decline. A famous poet, known as the "Sage of Poetry". Du Fu (712-770), courtesy name Zimei, was born in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province. He was born in Yaowan, Gong County, Henan Province, and his ancestral home is Xiangyang, Hubei Province. His father, Du Xian, once served as the magistrate of Sima and Fengtian counties in Yanzhou. Du Fu was smart since he was a child. He started writing poems at the age of 7 and was well-read. By the age of 15, his poems had been spread in Luoyang City. When Du Fu was young, he roamed the Wuyue area in the south of the Yangtze River. In the third year of Tianbao (744), when he was 32 years old, he met the poet Li Bai in Luoyang. The two hit it off and formed a lifelong friendship. When Du Fu was 35 years old (747), he went to Beijing to take the exam, but failed to seek an official position to serve his country. In the fourteenth year of Tianbao (755), that is, on the eve of the "An-Shi Rebellion", he gradually understood the lives of the lower class people and realized the people's sufferings on the rugged road of life. He wrote a number of poems that reflected the society at that time, such as "The Journey of Military Chariots" and "The Journey of Beautiful People". The famous poem expresses hatred for the powerful and sympathy for the people. Du Fu was at the peak of his creation between the ages of 48 and 59. He wrote a large number of famous poems such as "Tongguan Officials", "Farewell to the Newlyweds", "Farewell to the Homeless", "Farewell to the Elderly", "Hearing that the Government Army Takes Henan and Hebei", etc. It shows his poet's feelings of reflecting the society, reflecting the people, being patriotic and caring for the people. A group of famous poets in history have spoken highly of Du Fu's poems. Bai Juyi said: "Throughout ancient and modern times, you can see the rhythm, the workmanship is perfect, and it is better than Li (Bai)." ("Nine Books of Yuan Dynasty") Su Dongpo said: "There are many poets in ancient and modern times, and Du Zimei is the leader." ("Wang Dingguo") "Collection of Poems") Wen Yiduo said: "The first great poet in Chinese history, the most solemn, most magnificent and most permanent brilliance in four thousand years of culture."
Du Fu's poems are based on poetry. Recording history reflects the historical society and the suffering of the people at that time, and expresses the poet's unique style and emotions. Du Fu has 1,405 existing poems. The creative characteristics of his poems can be attributed to two aspects. The first characteristic is: going deep into the people, facing life, reflecting society, praising life, and realizing the perfect unity of politics and art. It is a representative of realism among poets in the Tang Dynasty and a spiritual portrayal of patriotism and concern for the people. The second characteristic is: taking the Confucian ideas of "benevolent government" and "people-oriented" as the core, always taking care of the people's sufferings as the creative responsibility of the poet, forming a "poetic history" style. The lyrics are exactly:
Ren Yitong, a wonderful poet in the poetry world
Du Zimei, the pearl of poetry, hates war and is full of anger.
Caring for the motherland expresses great ambition, and sings the praises of heroes who serve the country loyally.
The poem is full of nostalgia for Li Bai, and I miss my relatives and my hometown.
The poems and paintings of water and mountains are romantically recited, and everyone’s style is magnificent.
Now on the main aspects of Du Fu's poems, the evaluation is divided into six parts: patriotism, expressing ambition, praising heroes, cherishing friends, missing relatives, and poetry rhyme. Poetry friends are kindly requested to correct me.
1. Hatred of war is related to the fate of the country
In the tenth year of Tianbao (751), Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty frequently launched wars against ethnic minorities in the northwest and southwest. The people suffered a lot, and the war brought great consequences to the people. Disasters, war armies rumble, war horses bray, parents, wives and children rush to send their loved ones off to the battlefield. The fields are uncultivated, and new ghosts and old ghosts cry. Du Fu stood at the height of history and revealed the disasters that the war brought to the people. He wrote in poetic language and had deep sympathy for the people. The bones on the battlefield in Qinghai on the border are all over the ground, and the ghosts of injustice are wailing, which is a reflection of the evil of war. Poems represented by "The Troops' Chariots" express the poet's deep sympathy for the disasters of war. After the An Lushan rebels captured Chang'an, Du Fu was taken to Chang'an by the rebels. He composed a poem "To the Snow" to vent his inner dissatisfaction, and wrote the poem "The clouds are low and the dusk is falling, and the snow is dancing in the wind." . This is exactly what it is:
The war army rumbles with bows and arrows, and the war horses neigh family affection.
The soldiers were bleeding and yet their eyes were awake, and the emperor expanded the territory without withdrawing his troops.
The fields are barren and the labor is urgent, and the bones beside the Qinghai Lake are light.
The ghosts who were wronged were crying in great sorrow, and the battlefield was full of mourning.
The rebels captured Chang'an, and Zimei was imprisoned and became angry.
Concerned about the fate of the country and the current situation, they were depressed and opposed to the war.
2. Feelings for the motherland express high aspirations
Chanting objects and expressing emotions. In his poems such as "The Lone Goose" and "Climbing the Yueyang Tower", Du Fu compared himself to a lone wild goose, looking for the flock of wild geese and missing true love. Full of patriotism and concern for the people, he looked far away at the Yangtze River and the mountains and rivers of the motherland. When the country was in turmoil, he climbed up to the Yueyang Tower and experienced the vast and spectacular scene. Looking north at Chang'an, his ambition to serve the country and care for the people suddenly came to his heart, and he couldn't help but burst into tears. Next, in order to realize the poet's patriotic feelings, he wrote an emotional poem. This is exactly what it is:
The solitary wild goose flies high and high, looking for the returning luan in the vast sea of ??clouds.
The boundless fallen leaves shape the wind, and the endless sails of the Yangtze River break.
Climbing up the stairs and looking at the sea, you can see thousands of miles of mountains and rivers repaying the country.
Wandering in a foreign country, my ambition flashes, and my unparalleled talents and talents are brilliant and joyful.
3. Praising the Heroic Expression
In the first year of Emperor Yongtai of the Tang Dynasty (765), Du Fu visited the ancient temple of Dayu and wrote the poem "Yu Temple". He commemorated the heroes, expressed his feelings, and eulogized Dayu's heroic and extraordinary achievements in leading the people to dig stone walls and divert water eastward.
In "A Journey to Ancient Cypresses", Du Fu expressed his admiration for Zhuge Liang. The fragrance of cypress leaves once attracted Luan and Phoenix to stay. People with lofty ideals should not complain because it is difficult to reuse the talent. In "Ode to Ancient Relics" (Part 5), Du Fu praised Zhuge Liang for his high integrity, unparalleled talent, extraordinary courage, and dedicated personality. "Eight Formations" is a poem by Du Fu praising Zhuge Liang's unparalleled fame. In the first year of the Dali calendar (766) of the Tang Dynasty, Du Fu praised Zhuge Liang's military creativity and praised the Eight Formations for his extraordinary achievements in dividing the world. This is exactly what it is:
The hero Dayu diverted water to the east, cut a wall and opened a way for the people to support.
Zhuge is famous throughout the world for his talent and courage and his loyalty to the country.
The fragrance of cypress leaves once attracted phoenixes, but don’t sigh that the heroes with lofty ideals show their youthful glory.
The eight formations shocked the world and established the foundation of Shu.
4. Poetic Empathy for Li Bai
Du Fu had a profound relationship with his poet friend Li Bai. Since the poem "Gift to Li Bai" written in the fourth year of Tianbao (745) in the Tang Dynasty, there have been more than 10 poems written in memory of Li Bai. In this poem, Du Fu affirmed Li Bai's literary talent and ambition, and that he was the hero of his time and was domineering. In the fifth year of Tianbao (746), Du Fu wrote another poem "Recalling Li Bai in Spring", praising Li Bai's poems as incomparable in the world, and even more eagerly looking forward to getting together with Li Bai, drinking and composing poems, and expressing his emotions. When Du Fu heard the news that Li Bai was exiled by the imperial court, he was very sad and missed. He wrote the poem "Twenty Rhymes to Li Bai" and praised the art of Li Bai's poetry with the line "The pen fell in the storm and the rain, and the poem became a weeping ghost and god". Charming and heartwarming. He sent a message to Li Bai, "Su Wu will return to the Han first", urging him to recover as soon as possible and write good poems again. In the second year of Zhide (757), Li Bai was framed by a traitor and imprisoned. He advised Li Bai to "donate poems to Miluo" and expressed his deep sympathy for Li Bai's experience. This is exactly what it is:
Drinking wildly and singing proud couplets, flying high and domineering, becoming an immortal in wine.
Bai Gong’s poems are incomparably beautiful, and he is a man of extraordinary intelligence and agility.
The poem is touching and frightening, and urges the public to return to the Tang Dynasty to learn from Su Xian.
In the cool autumn days, swan geese pass on their wishes and express their loyalty in writing.
5. Missing relatives and remembering hometown
In the fifteenth year of Tianbao (756), Anlushan rebels invaded Tongguan, and Du Fu was captured by the rebels. The poet missed his wife so much that he wrote the poem "Moonlight Night", which described his wife's loneliness and sorrow. In the autumn of the second year of Qianyuan (759), relatives were separated due to the "Anshi Rebellion". Du Fu missed his relatives and hometown, and could not send letters, so he could not express his feelings that the raging war had brought great suffering to the people (see "Reminiscences of Brother-in-Law on a Moonlit Night"). Du Fu's brothers were separated due to the war, so they wrote the poem "Ambition" in the second year of Yuan Dynasty (761). The poem expressed that after years of fighting against enemies and no news from his brothers, Du Fu was left alone "with tears streaming down his face" and saw the country in decline and a situation that was "unbearable for daily depression". In the spring of the second year of Guangde (764), Du Fu came to Chengdu thatched cottage and expressed his deep homesickness. In the poem "Guiyan", he reveals his concern for state affairs. The "Wanli guest" is the poet himself, and the geese "fly high to the north". This is exactly what it is:
The bright moon shines high in the sky and my wife watches alone, and the family reunites and thinks about their well-being.
Looking at the moon and feeling homesick for my brother, my relatives are scattered and wounded in the war.
After years of war, all the brothers were scattered, and the country of Tianya Tears was severely damaged.
After traveling thousands of miles to come to the thatched house, the wild geese fly freely to their hometown.
6. Romance in Landscape Poetry and Painting
Du Fu's "Song of Landscape Paintings and Paintings by Wang Zai" by Du Fu is a poem on painting. From Dongting Lake to the East China Sea, it seems that the sky and water are connected to the Milky Way, with overflowing clouds and flying clouds. The poems depict flying charm, full of aura, and the landscape paintings are connected with the poetry. Du Fu's "Lonely Walking by the River Looking for Flowers" (Part 5) first puts forward the proposition that "the river flows eastward in front of Huangshi Pagoda, and there is a cluster of peach blossoms that no one appreciates." The poet can't stop looking for flowers, appreciating both deep red and light red ones. Beautiful. When the new autumn comes, the chirping of cicadas and insects is like the wail of the waning moon, and the fireflies emit faint flashes in the night sky. This is the characteristic described by the poet in the poem "New Autumn". However, Du Fu's "Two Quatrains" (Part One) depicts a spring scene. The poem describes how spring is particularly beautiful, the spring breeze carries the fragrance of flowers, the swallows return to welcome the spring, and the mandarin ducks are full of sleepiness. This brings out the poet's artistic conception of the blending of scenes. This is exactly what it is:
A magnificent landscape painting, in which poetry and painting blend together.
Looking for flowers by the river and sending them to the wind, the peach blossoms are beautiful and red.
The new autumn scenery is full of cicadas chirping and fireflies flashing in the night sky.
The spring breeze carries the song of fragrant flowers, and the swallows welcome the spring sun and rise to the east.
January 30, 2012