Du Fu, also known as Zimei, also known as Shaoling Yelao, was a realist poet in the Tang Dynasty. Together with Li Bai, he was known as "Li Du". Later generations called him the "Sage of Poetry" and his poems were called " History of Poetry”. When Du Fu was a boy, he traveled to Wuyue, Qi and Zhao successively, during which time he went to Luoyang to fail in the examination. After the age of thirty-five, he first took the examination in Chang'an and failed; later he presented gifts to the emperor and nobles.
The following are three biographical essays titled "The Biography of Du Fu" for your reference.
Chapter 1 Biography of Du Fu
Speaking of poets, everyone will definitely think of Li Bai, the fairy of poetry, Bai Juyi, the demon of poetry, Wang Wei, the Buddha of poetry, and Li He, the ghost of poetry. Wang "Xie Xun... No, Wang Wei." There is also a great poet whose name is also very famous. He is known as the Saint of Poetry-Du Fu.
In ancient times, not everyone could use the word "holy". For example, the representative figure in the literary world, the literary sage Confucius; the representative figure in the martial arts world, the martial sage Guan Yu. Du Fu is called the Saint of Poetry, which shows his high status in the world of poetry.
Du Fu's life can be roughly divided into two stages: when he was young and frivolous, he traveled around the mountains and rivers, and when he was middle-aged, he worried about the country and the people.
Du Fu was born into a family of officials. He was able to receive a good education and was very talented, so he was called a child prodigy from an early age. When I grew up, like many poets, I began to travel.
Du Fu also took part in the imperial examination, but failed. But at that time, Du Fu didn't take it seriously at all, and went sightseeing again. During this period, Du Fu wrote an ancient poem "Wang Yue" that must be memorized in primary and secondary schools. "When you are at the top of the mountain, you can see all the small mountains." It is the sentence in this poem that vividly describes Du Fu's feelings at that time. He was young and frivolous, and his lofty ambition was not inferior to that of Li Bai.
After that, Du Fu met Li Bai and Gao Shi again, so the three of them climbed the Immortal Mountain, looked for immortal grass, and visited immortals together until they were thirty-five years old. But there is no such thing as a feast that lasts forever. After bidding farewell to Li Bai and Gao Shi, Du Fu continued to return to Chang'an to pursue fame and fortune. From then on, the second half of Du Fu's life began.
The second half of Du Fu's life was exactly the opposite of the first half. If the first half of his life was carefree, then the second half of his life was about worrying about the country and the people.
When he returned to Chang'an, Du Fu first took part in the imperial examination, but was helplessly plotted by a villain and failed in the end. At that time, if ordinary people wanted to become officials, there were only two ways: "imperial examination and recommendation." If the imperial examination failed, they could only be recommended. But his father had passed away several years ago, so he chose to "recommend himself."
The emperor paid off, and with letters of self-recommendation, the court finally gave Du Fu the official position of county captain. But for many poets at that time, county captain was an official position that oppressed the people, so Du Fu did not want to take the post. So the imperial court gave Du Fu a position called "Bingcao Shenjun", which was actually in charge of warehouses, donkeys, horses and mules. Although this was not an important position, Du Fu still took it.
But when he returned home from vacation, he found that his son had starved to death. So Du Fu combined his grief, anger, dissatisfaction, sadness and other emotions with what he saw and heard on the road, and wrote He wrote "Five Hundred Words of Praise for the County Restored from Beijing". The "Anshi Rebellion" also followed, and Chang'an City was breached. The bustling Chang'an City in the past was now in devastation, and Du Fu was also captured by the rebels.
Looking at the current city of Chang'an, Du Fu wrote the eternally famous poem "Spring Outlook". In the poem, he wrote about his own aging from the destruction of his country and his family. It expresses his infinite hope and yearning for a better life, and also shows Du Fu's "sorrow". He is worried about the desolation of the city, he is worried about the broken country; he is worried about the ruin of his family, his head is gray, and he is sad. Hair, sorrow frightens the birds, and makes the flowers cry...
The old Du Fu is no longer an official, his wife and children are gone, and the "Anshi Rebellion" has not yet subsided. One day, strong wind tore his thatched hut apart, and Du Fu wrote "Song of Thatched Cottage Broken by Autumn Wind".
"There are tens of thousands of mansions, and the poor people all over the world will be happy! It's as safe as a mountain, unshakable by wind and rain. Woohoo! When I suddenly see this house in front of me, it's enough for my house to be broken down and freeze to death!"
This poem fully expresses Du Fu's unfinished ideals and his emotions about the situation in the world. The poem fully shows his sorrow and unwillingness to serve the country but is unable to do so. It is his concern for the country and the people that continues to inspire generations of people.
Part 2 Biography of Du Fu
The famous Russian literary critic Belinsky once said: "No poet can become great because of himself and by describing himself, whether it is Describe his own pain, or describe his own happiness. The reason why any great poet is great is because the roots of his pain and happiness extend deeply into the soil of society and history, because he is a member of society, the era, and mankind. "The well-known poet Du Fu in our country is such a great poet who "writes in storms, and makes poems that weep for ghosts and gods." "The thatched cottage will be left to future generations, and the poem will be remembered for thousands of years."
Baixue’s Chinese Studies class is like a time machine. Each Chinese Studies class is a time travel, leading us through thousands of years of history, coming to every great man, and feeling the love between their sons and daughters. I admire their concern for the country and their people, learn from their lofty ideals, praise their talents, and admire their national integrity.
This time, I seemed to see with my own eyes a generation of poets in the storm - Du Fu.
Although Du Fu, who wanted to "serve the emperors Yao and Shun, and make customs more refined", had lofty aspirations, he was unfortunately born in troubled times. After experiencing a severe drought in Guanzhong, Du Fu resigned from his post and fled to famine in order to survive. After more than a year, he finally moved to Chengdu. With the help of his friends, Du Fu and his family finally had a place to live. , a thatched cottage, Du Fu Thatched Cottage, was built next to Huanhua Creek. "Song of Thatched Cottage Broken by Autumn Wind" was composed in this small thatched cottage. One day in the eighth month of the lunar calendar, the weather was not good, the wind was howling, the thatch on the house was rolled up, and it rained heavily, leaving no dry place in the whole house. I saw my thatch being carried away by children, and my quilt was like a piece of cold iron. Du Fu was powerless to do all this. However, even so, he still wrote such a sonorous and powerful sentence, "There are tens of millions of mansions in Guangzhou, and the poor people in the world are all happy, and the wind and rain are unshakable, as peaceful as a mountain." Such a sonorous and powerful sentence burst out from his own painful life. Out of passion and fiery hope! This kind of feeling cannot be expressed through singing. So at this time, Du Fu uttered this exclamation on a stormy night: "Wow! When I suddenly see this house in front of me, my house alone will be broken and frozen to death!" It expresses Du Fu's feelings of concern for the country and the people. Through his own suffering experience, he reflects the catastrophe of an era and the pain of "poor people in the world". Be obsessed with your beloved motherland and play the trumpet loudly!
Worrying about the world's worries and enjoying the world's happiness, Du Fu's ideal of changing the dark reality has moved and influenced countless readers for thousands of years, including me. Whenever there is wind and rain in the cold autumn, I will think of the poet Du Fu.
Du Fu, I am destined to have no sleep for you tonight!
Part 3 Biography of Du Fu
Du Fu, courtesy name Zimei. Like Li Bai, he is one of the most famous poets in the Tang Dynasty. In the history of literature, they are collectively called "Li Du". Du Fu was originally from Gong County, Henan Province. He grew up in a declining bureaucratic family. He studied hard since he was a child, traveled to many famous mountains and rivers, and wrote many excellent poems. When he was in his thirties, he met Li Bai in Luoyang. Du Fu is eleven years younger than Li Bai. The two people have different personalities, but their similar interests and hobbies make them close friends.
Later, he went to Chang'an to take the Jinshi examination. At that time, the treacherous Prime Minister Li Linfu was in power. Li Linfu hated scholars the most, fearing that these scholars from the lower classes would become officials and discuss government affairs and treat him badly. It was unfavorable, so he colluded with the examiners and deceived Xuanzong, saying that the candidates who took the exam did poorly this time and none of them were qualified. Tang Xuanzong was wondering when Li Linfu wrote another congratulatory memorial, saying that this incident proved that the emperor was wise and talented people had been appointed, and there were no more talented people left among the people.
The scholars at that time all regarded the imperial examination as a way to find a way out. Needless to say, Du Fu felt frustrated when he suffered such a setback. He lived a life of poverty and misery in Chang'an, seeing with his own eyes the luxury and luxury of the powerful and the misery of the poor suffering from cold and hunger. Unable to suppress his indignation, he used poetry to complain about this injustice.
"The wine and meat in Zhumen stinks, and the bones on the road are frozen to death" is the immortal poem he wrote.
Du Fu stayed in Chang'an for ten years. Tang Xuanzong had just granted him an official position, and the Anshi Rebellion broke out. People in Chang'an area fled one after another. Du Fu's family was also among the refugees. After going through a lot of hardships, they finally found a rural area and settled down. At this time, when he heard the news that Emperor Suzong of the Tang Dynasty had ascended the throne in Lingwu, he left home and went to Suzong. Unexpectedly, he encountered rebels on the way and was captured in Chang'an.
Chang'an has fallen into the hands of the rebels. The rebels burned, killed and looted everywhere. Palaces and houses were burned in the fire. Some officials of the Tang Dynasty surrendered, and some were sent to Luoyang by the rebels. After Du Fu was captured in Chang'an, the leader of the rebel army saw that he did not look like a high official, so he let him go.
The next year, Du Fu escaped from Chang'an and found out that Tang Suzong had arrived in Fengxiang (today's Fengxiang, Shaanxi), so he rushed to Fengxiang to see Suzong. At that time, Du Fu was so poor that he didn't even have a decent set of clothes. He was wearing a tattered coat with his elbows exposed, and a pair of old hemp shoes on his feet. Emperor Suzong of the Tang Dynasty expressed his appreciation for Du Fu's long journey to join the imperial court and assigned him the official position of Zuo Shiyi.
Zuo Shiyi was an admonishing officer. Although Tang Suzong gave Du Fu this official position, he had no intention of reusing him. Du Fu took matters seriously. Soon after, Prime Minister Fang Guan (guǎn) was dismissed by Suzong of Tang Dynasty. Du Fu believed that Fang Guan was very talented and should not be dismissed, so he wrote a memorial to remonstrate with Suzong. This offended Suzong. Fortunately, someone said something nice in front of Suzong of the Tang Dynasty, so he was allowed to go home.
After the Tang army regained Chang'an, Du Fu also returned to Chang'an with many officials. Emperor Suzong of the Tang Dynasty sent him to Huazhou (today's Huaxian County, Shaanxi Province) as a minor official in charge of sacrifices and school work. Du Fu came to Huazhou feeling frustrated. At that time, although Chang'an and Luoyang were recaptured by the government troops, the Anshi rebels had not yet been eliminated, and the war was still fierce. The Tang army recruited strong men everywhere to supplement its strength, which made the people unable to live. One day, Du Fu passed by Shihao Village (in the southeast of today's Shaanxi County, Henan Province). It was already very late. He stayed at a poor family's house, and the people who received him were an old farmer and his wife. In the middle of the night, when he was tossing and turning and unable to sleep, there was a sudden knock on the door. Du Fu listened quietly in the room, only to hear that the old man next door climbed over the back wall and escaped. The old woman agreed and opened the door.
The people who entered the house were the officers sent by the government to capture the young men. They shouted loudly and asked the old woman: "Where are your men?"
The old woman said with a cry. : "My three children have all gone to fight in Yecheng. I just received a letter from one of my sons two days ago, saying that two brothers have died on the battlefield.
There is only one daughter-in-law and a nursing mother in the family. Grandson. Who else do you want?"
The old woman pleaded a lot, but the officer still refused to give up. The old woman had no choice but to be taken away by the guards and sent to the military camp to do hard labor for the soldiers.
At dawn, when Du Fu left the house, the old farmer was the only one to see him off.
When Du Fu saw this miserable scene with his own eyes, he felt very uneasy, so he wrote a poem about it, called "Shi Hao Li". When he was in Huazhou, he wrote six such poems one day after another, which together were called "Three Officials and Three Farewells" ("Shihao Officials", "Tongguan Officials", "Xin'an Officials", and "Newlywed Farewell") , "Farewell to the Elderly", "Farewell to the Homeless"). Since most of Du Fu's poems describe the suffering of the people during the An-Shi Rebellion and reflect the process of the Tang Dynasty from prosperity to decline, people call his poems "history of poetry".
The next year, he resigned from his official position in Huazhou. Then, there was a severe drought in Guanzhong. Du Fu was too poor to survive there, so he took his family and fled to Chengdu. With the help of his friends, he built a thatched cottage by the Huanhua Creek in the western suburbs of Chengdu, where he passed away. Nearly four years of seclusion. Later, because his friend died and he had no one to rely on in Chengdu, he took his whole family and fled eastward. In 770 AD, he died in a small boat in the Xiangjiang River due to poverty and disease.
After his death, in order to commemorate this great poet, people preserved the place where he lived in Chengdu. This is the famous "Du Fu Thatched Cottage".