Li Bai was a superstar in the poetry world of the Tang Dynasty and was called the "Immortal of Poetry" by literati of the past dynasties. Du Fu's poem "The pen falls in the storm, and the poem becomes the weeping ghosts and gods" is a reflection of Li Bai's high achievements in poetry. A very vivid summary.
Li Bai, courtesy name Taibai, was born in Suiye, Central Asia, in the first year of Chang'an (7O1 AD) after Empress Wu of the Tang Dynasty. When he was 5 years old, he moved with his father to Qinglian Township, Jiangyou County, Sichuan. Li Bai received a good education since he was a child. He said: "Recite Liujia at the age of five, and observe hundreds of schools at the age of ten." At the age of 15, he learned swordsmanship. Around the age of 20, he studied in Kuangshan, his hometown, and learned the art of vertical and horizontal movements from his friends. Li Bai was diligent and studious, "often translating classics and books, and never tired of making them." After he was 20 years old, Li Bai visited many places of interest in Sichuan. The majestic mountains and rivers in Sichuan cultivated Li Bai's broad mind, bold character and love for nature. Influenced by political strategists and Confucianism, Li Bai had a strong ambition and hoped to make achievements; but he was deeply influenced by Taoism and Taoist thought, and he eagerly yearned for a secluded life of seeking immortality and learning Taoism. This contradictory life ideal finally formed in him the desire to balance both, that is, "success, fame, and retirement."
In the fourteenth year of Kaiyuan (AD 726), Li Bai "was so powerful that he could reach thousands of miles away." So he "went to the country with his sword, said goodbye to relatives and traveled far away." On the way, he wrote the famous "Moon Song of Mount Emei": "Mount Emei is half-mooned in autumn, and the shadows are on the water of the Qiang River. The clear stream flows to the Three Gorges at night, and I miss you when you go to Yuzhou without seeing you." After leaving the Three Gorges, Li Bai first wandered the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. At that time, it was the prosperous age of Kaiyuan, and the country was prosperous. Li Bai firmly believed that "I am born with talents that will be useful" and was full of confidence in the future. At that time, if people wanted to make a difference in politics, they usually took the imperial examination. In addition, there is a "shortcut to the south", that is, by living in seclusion and seeking immortality, you can expand your influence and attract the attention of the court, and you may also be called to become an official. Li Bai was unruly, ambitious, and had high self-esteem. He did not want to take the imperial examination route, so he chose the shortcut of Yi Zhongnan. To this end, Li Bai visited the famous Taoist priest Sima Chengzhen in Jiangling and wrote a "Ode on Dapeng" to describe the meeting in the form of a fable. This poem expresses his lofty ambitions through the image of Dapeng who "stimulates three thousand to rise and conquers ninety thousand".
While Li Bai was seeking immortality and visiting Taoism, he paid great attention to making friends with "heroes", that is, those knight-errants who could resist violence, help the weak, and sacrifice their lives for justice. Li Bai himself was a "young hero" who "disregards wealth and loves charity". In less than a year when he traveled east to Wuyue, he scattered 300,000 yuan to help people in need. Li Bai wrote many poems praising knights throughout his life, praising those heroes who had the courage to sacrifice their lives in times of national crisis without taking credit or coveting honors and honors. For example, "Xia Ke Xing" praises Hou Ying and Zhu Hai, "three cups of vomiting promise, the five mountains are lighter." "Even if the bones of a chivalrous man die, he will not be ashamed of the world's heroes." The tenth poem of "Ancient Style" praises Lu Zhonglian, "but Qin Zhenying's voice, Later generations will look up to them." He also said, "I am also a wanderer, and I can tune in with my clothes." His admiration for these historical figures reflects his character, ambition and ideals. " During his travels, Li Bai paid great attention to learning Yuefu folk songs. With his increasing experience, his poetry creation improved day by day, and he wrote many famous poems. For example, "Looking at Tianmen Mountain": "The gate of heaven is interrupted and the sky of Chu opens. The clear water flows eastward and returns to the north. The green mountains on both sides of the strait stand out from each other, and the lone sail comes from the sun. "Another example is the second poem of "Two Poems on Looking at Lushan Waterfall": "The sun shines on the incense burner and produces purple smoke, and I can see the waterfall hanging in front of the river in the distance. The flying stream plummeted down three thousand feet, and it was suspected that the Milky Way had fallen into the sky. "The majestic mountains and rivers of the motherland, through the poet's unique chanting, left a deep and unforgettable impression on future generations. When Li Bai was studying Yuefu folk songs, he composed many Yuefu poems. The first poem of "Changgan Xing" begins The six sentences are: "When my hair first touches my forehead, I play a game in front of the door. Lang came riding a bamboo horse and went around the bed to make green plums. Living together for a long time, the two children have no doubts. Later, "childhood sweethearts" and "childhood sweethearts" became famous idioms to describe the love between children.
In the early spring of the 16th year of Kaiyuan, Li Bai came to Anlu, Hubei. Here, he and Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty The granddaughter of Xu Weishi, who was the prime minister at the time, got married and began to live in seclusion in Anlu for ten years. He once lived in seclusion in Shoushan and Baizhaoshan Taohuayan in Anlu, and later lived in seclusion in Songshan Mountain with Taoist Yuan Danqiu. .
In the 24th year of Kaiyuan, he went to Shandong and lived in seclusion in Zhuxi in Zuxu Mountain with Kong Chaofu, Han Zhun and others. He was known as "Zhuxi Liuyi" at that time. "Dai Shoushan's Reply to Meng Shaofu's Transfer Document" expresses that his seclusion at this time is to "nurture the virtuous" rather than to hide from the world, and to wait for the opportunity. Hai County Qingyi. "It can be seen that he has not forgotten political affairs. In the 22nd year of Kaiyuan, Li Bai was in Xiangyang, "with a high crown and a majestic sword, bowing to Han Jingzhou." Li Bai's "Letter to Han Jingzhou" by Dongdao is a self-recommendation letter he wrote when he first met Han Dynasty. The beginning of the article borrowed the words of the world's talkers - "I don't need to be granted the title of Marquis of Wanhu, but I hope to get to know Han Jingzhou" to praise the Han Dynasty. A humble corporal who recognizes talents. Then Mao Sui recommended himself and introduced his experience, talents and integrity. The article expressed Li Bai's spirit of "although he is less than seven feet tall, but he has a great ambition" and "every day he tries thousands of words, but he can rely on his horse to wait." During this period, Li Bai met Meng Haoran, who was 12 years older than him and was famous for his landscape and pastoral poems. We felt like old friends at first sight.
When they broke up, Li Bai wrote the famous seven-character quatrain "Yellow Crane Tower Farewell to Meng Haoran in Guangling": "Old friends bid farewell to the Yellow Crane Tower in the west. Fireworks descend from Yangzhou in March. The shadow of the solitary sail is gone in the blue sky, and only the Yangtze River can be seen flowing in the sky. "
In the twenty-fourth year of Kaiyuan, Li Bai moved to Rencheng, Donglu (now Jining, Shandong), and he continued to travel around, looking for a political way out. In the first year of Tianbao (AD 742), his family went south again and lived in Nanling, Anhui. Soon, Li Bai was summoned by the imperial court to go to Chang'an. Before leaving, he wrote the poem "Farewell to Nanling Children in Beijing", which expressed his complacency and ecstasy: "Looking up to the sky and laughing and going out, how can I be a Penghao person!" In Chang'an , Li Bai met the old poet He Zhizhang who was a guest of the prince. He Zhizhang admired Li Bai's "The Road to Shu Difficultly" very much. "I have not finished reading it, but four people praised it." He believed that only an immortal could write this poem, so he called Li Bai the "Drip Immortal". "The Road to Shu is Difficult" depicts the mountains and rivers on the way from Qin to Shu. It begins with "Hey, it's so dangerous! The road to Shu is so difficult that it's hard to reach the sky!" This sentiment full of admiration quickly caught the eye. Readers are attracted by the words "yellow cranes can't fly over, and apes climb to overcome their sorrows" and so on, trying their best to describe the high and dangerous mountains and rivers on the way to Shu, and then add the sad atmosphere of "the sad bird howling at the ancient tree" and "Zigui's cry in the night moon". , as well as the poet's repeated lamentations, make the high dangers of the Shu Road very prominent and stir people's hearts. Due to further recommendations from Princess Yuzhen and He Zhizhang, Li Bai was finally personally received by Emperor Xuanzong and placed in the Hanlin Academy as a Hanlin enshrinement minister. The main responsibility of the Hanlin envoy is to draft documents such as Wen Hao's edicts for the emperor. At the same time, he also catered to the emperor's interests and wrote poems and essays for the occasion at any time. Li Bai once took advantage of the opportunity of being close to Xuanzong to express his views and opinions on national affairs to Xuanzong. Unfortunately, Xuanzong at this time was no longer the enlightened monarch who worked hard to govern and was able to appoint talented people in his early years. Instead, he had become a person who was greedy for pleasure and had no interest in political affairs. He "entrusted the affairs of the court to the prime minister, and entrusted the generals to the generals". Living in an official position, he indulges himself in sensuality. Xuanzong once favored Li Bai in order to make him write poems and lyrics for his own enjoyment. When Xuanzong felt that Li Bai was good at talking about political affairs and was not satisfied with being a docile imperial scholar, he alienated him. From Li Bai's point of view, the reason why Xuanzong alienated him was related to his arrogant character. Du Fu said in "The Song of the Eight Immortals in Drinking": "Li Bai wrote a hundred poems in one fight and went to sleep in a restaurant in Chang'an City. The emperor couldn't get on the boat when he called him, so he claimed that he was an immortal in wine." Li Bai's rebellious spirit that ignored the feudal order, Obviously the rulers didn't like it. According to legend, when Xuanzong summoned Li Zi in the reception hall, Li Bai asked Gao Lishi to take off his boots. Gao Lishi was the most powerful eunuch. In order to relieve his hatred of "taking off his boots", he provoked Concubine Yang to say that in Li Bai's "Qing Ping Tiao" poem, "I ask who in the Han palace is like it, pitiful Feiyan relies on new makeup". The sentence, "To use a flying swallow to refer to a concubine is extremely mean!" This made Concubine Yang hate Li Zi deeply. They are all Xuanzong's favorite people. Slandering him in front of Xuanzong will naturally affect Xuanzong's view of Li Bai, not to mention the consort Zhang* and others who slandered him. The slander of the powerful minister Guicheng and the alienation of Xuanzong made Li Bai very depressed and sighed that "it is difficult to travel".
Tianbao was in spring for three years. Li Bai knew that he could no longer make a difference in Chang'an, so he went to Shu and "begged to return to the mountain." Xuanzong did not try to retain him, but "gave him money and released him". Li Bai actually only stayed in Chang'an for a year and a half. During this period, he saw with his own eyes the darkness and corruption of the government, and wrote many poems that exposed and criticized the reality with full of worry and anger, such as the 15th poem of "Ancient Style", which condemned the ruling class for "purchasing pearls and jade for songs and laughter, and nurturing talents with chaff."
In the third year of Tianbao, Li Bai met the poet Du Fu, who was 11 years younger than him in Luoyang, the eastern capital. Du Fu was "a wealthy man and an alcoholic, and he hated evil and had a strong heart." His ambition was to "bring the kings Yao and Shun to the throne, and then make the customs pure." He had the same spirit as Li Bai. They love each other as brothers, "drunk in autumn and sleep under the quilt, walking hand in hand every day." After parting ways with Du Fu, Li Bai spent another 10 years wandering. At this time, because his wife Xu had passed away long ago, he married the prime minister's daughter Zong in Liangguo, Guangzhou (in today's Kaifeng, Henan), and lived here permanently, so he said: "Once I go to Beijing, I will have ten guests." Liang Guo". With Liangyuan as the center, Li Bai went south to Yuezhong and north to Youzhou. There were many places, such as Jinling, where he revisited old places. During his wanderings, one was to seek immortality and visit Taoism, and the other was to appreciate the beauty of nature. He said: "The five mountains are not far away in search of immortals, and a good man travels to famous mountains in his life." In addition, he is also looking for opportunities to serve the country. He said in "Liang Yuan Yin": "I came to the east mountain when I was lying high, and it is not too late to help the common people." During this period, the government became darker. The Prime Minister Li Linfu who controlled the power of the government launched a large-scale unjust imprisonment and attacked and persecuted upright and capable officials. Witnessing the country's right and wrong, Li Bai's inner pain increased day by day. But he would never bend the knee to the powerful. In the famous poem "Sleepwalking Heavenly Mother Says Farewell", he wrote: "An Neng bows down to the powerful and makes me unhappy!" This shows his noble personality. He also wrote many poems that exposed and criticized the dark reality. "Farewell Away" warns Xuanzong's favorite treacherous ministers such as Li Linfu and their power: "When the king loses his ministers, the dragon becomes a fish; when the power returns to his ministers, the mouse turns into a tiger." "Bei Feng Xing" criticizes An Lushan's "wanting to use border merits to make a city The war against the Xi, Khitan and other ethnic minorities was provoked by "favor".
During his long wanderings, Li Bai had more contact with working people and wrote some poems reflecting them. "Gou Lao's House at the foot of Wusong Mountain" expresses deep sympathy for "the Tian family has a hard time in autumn, and the neighbor girl has a cold night in spring." The 14th song of "Qiupu Song" praises the smelting workers: "The furnace fire shines on the sky and the earth, and the red stars are scattered with purple smoke.
On a bright moonlit night in Nanlang, songs move Hanchuan. He is also full of affection for the old man who makes wine. "Ji Sou, who is good at brewing wine in Xuancheng" wrote: "In Jiying's Huangquan, Laochun should still be brewed." If there is no Li Bai on the night stand, who can I sell wine to? " Praising the great rivers and mountains of the motherland was an important aspect of Li Bai's poetry creation during this period, and he also achieved new achievements. For example, there are many famous lines in the description of the Yellow River: "How majestic the West Mountain is! The Yellow River flows like silk from the sky. "The Yellow River comes from the west to conquer Kunlun, and roars thousands of miles out of the Dragon Gate." "I don't see you, the water of the Yellow River comes up from the sky and rushes to the sea never to return." "Sitting Alone on Jingting Mountain" is a poem; "All the birds are flying high, and the lonely clouds are alone." I never get tired of seeing each other, only Jingting Mountain. "The mountain was brought to life.
In the fourteenth year of Tianbao, the Anshi Rebellion broke out. At that time, An Lushan, a Hu man who served as the Jiedushi of Pinglu, Fanyang and Hedong towns, led 150,000 troops and recognized Fanyang. (today's Daxing, Beijing) set out to attack the Central Plains. In just over 30 days, Luoyang fell into the hands of the rebels. In the first month of the following year, An Lushan proclaimed himself Emperor of Dayan. In June, the barrier of Kyoto was lost. Xuanzong rushed to the west, and Chang'an, the capital, was also occupied by the rebels. At the beginning of the Anshi Rebellion, Liang Yuan fell, and Li Bai took his wife to seek refuge in the south of the Yangtze River. He wrote many poems to express his hatred for the rebels and his concern for the fate of the country and the people. Worry. In the 19th poem of "Ancient Style", it is written: "Looking down at Luoyang River, Hu soldiers are walking in the vast distance. Blood smears the weeds, and the jackals are stripped of their crowns. At this time, the poet was eager to serve his country and kill his enemies. The poem "A Gift to Zhang Xianghao" goes: "Following the sword and screaming at night, the ambition is thousands of miles away." Vow to kill the whale* and clarify the water of Luoyang. ”
In the fifteenth year of Tianbao, Xuanzong fled west to Chengdu. Prince Li Heng ascended the throne in Lingwu in July as Suzong and changed his reign title to Zide. Yong Wang Li* was ordered by Xuanzong In the first month of the following year, King Yong passed by Xunyang and knew that Li Bai was living in seclusion in Lushan. He sent counselor Wei Zichun to the mountain three times to invite Li Bai to join his shogunate. The first article reads: "Three rivers and north are in chaos, and all four seas are running south like Yongjia. But I use Dongshan to thank Anshi and talk and laugh for you in silence. He compared himself with Xie An, a famous minister of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and expressed his intention to assist King Yong and put down the rebellion. Unexpectedly, King Yong had a conflict with Suzong, and soon King Yong was destroyed by Suzong's army. Li Bai was also convicted for this. , was arrested and imprisoned, and was exiled to Yelang (today's Tongzi County, Guizhou Province). He was in a heavy mood at this time, "Yelang traveled thousands of miles and traveled west to make people old." "In February of the second year of Qianyuan (AD 759), after 15 months of exile, when he traveled to Wushan, he encountered the imperial court's amnesty and regained his freedom. He immediately hired a shipowner to return, and wrote the famous work "Early Departure of Bai Di" "City" wrote: "The White Emperor bid farewell to the colorful clouds, and the thousands of miles of Jiangling returned in one day." The apes on both sides of the bank can't stop crying, and the boat has passed the Ten Thousand Mountains. "The tone of this poem is bright and brisk, reflecting Li Bai's joyful mood after being pardoned and released.
In the first year of the Yuan Dynasty (760 AD), Li Bai traveled from Jiangxia to Yuzhang (now Nanchang, Jiangxi) to reunite with his wife. In the last few years of his life, Li Bai was poor and miserable, but he was always concerned about the changes in the current situation. In the second year of the Yuan Dynasty, when the southeast region was in trouble again, the imperial court sent Li Guangbi out of Linhuai (now Anhui). (Yuanxian), the 61-year-old Li Bai still refused to give up this last opportunity to serve his country and planned to rush to Linhuai to join Li Guangbi's army. Unfortunately, he fell ill halfway and failed to do so. He died in Dangtu, Anhui.
Li Bai was politically unsuccessful throughout his life and died of poverty and illness. However, he established a monument for himself with his outstanding poetry creation. He inherited the pioneering work of Qu Yuan and Zhuangzi. The romantic tradition opposed the soft poetry style of Qi and Liang Dynasties, and made outstanding achievements in poetry innovation. Nearly a thousand of his poems have been handed down, all of which are well-known, especially the seven-character song line and the five-character poem. , The seven-character quatrain has the greatest achievement. Its poems are grand in style, vigorous in style, heroic in emotion, broad in realm, fresh and natural, and have endless aftertaste. Li Bai and the great realist poet Du Fu pushed the art of Chinese poetry to its peak and left a valuable legacy to future generations. As Han Yu said: "Li Du's articles are as bright as ever.
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