Chang Jian (date of birth and death unknown), a poet of the Tang Dynasty, with an unknown name, his ancestral home is Xingzhou (today's Xingtai). In the 15th year of Kaiyuan, he was ranked as a Jinshi with Wang Changling. Lived a wandering life for a long period of time. Later he moved to live in seclusion in Ezhu. In the Dali calendar, he served as Xuyiwei. Not many of Chang Jian's poems are extant, among which "Inscribed on Poshan Temple Houchanyuan" is more famous.
1. Introduction to the poet
Chang Jian (date of birth and death unknown), a poet of the Tang Dynasty. Probably from Chang'an. In the fifteenth year of Kaiyuan (727), he became a Jinshi. Tianbao became Weiwei Xuyi in his middle age. Later he lived in seclusion in Xishan, Ezhu. He spent his whole life in despair, being arrogant and self-sufficient, and having no connections with the nobles. There is a literary exchange with Wang Changling. His poetic conception is very clear, his language is refined and natural, and he has unique artistic attainments. Yin Fan's "Heyue Yingling Collection" first listed Chang Jian's poems, commenting: "Jian's poems are like starting out to open a village, but looking for wild paths, hundreds of miles away, before returning to the main road. Therefore, its purpose is far away, and its prosperity is remote; good Sentences come from time to time, but only about the meaning." They also cited sentences such as "The dew on the pine trees is slightly moonlit, and the clear light is still for the king" ("The Hidden Place of King Su"), calling it a "warning policy"; he especially praised "The Tomb of General Diao Wang" as a "warning policy". He is better at expressing sorrow and resentment than Pan Yue.
His poems take pastoral and landscape as the main themes, and their style is close to that of Wang and Meng. He is good at using concise and concise brushwork to express a quiet and profound artistic conception. Such poems often reveal an "indifferent" attitude. In fact, he was not completely forgetful of reality. He had some emotions, expectations, and accusations. This is especially obvious in the frontier fortress poems that account for a considerable proportion. There is "Chang Jian Ji". The poems mainly describe landscapes and pastoral areas, with exquisite choice of words and far-reaching realms.
Chang Jian's poems seem to have just started out in Tongzhuang, but he found wild paths, hundreds of miles away, before returning to the main road. Its purpose is far-reaching and its prosperity is remote. Good sentences come all the time, but they only depend on their meaning. Being reduced to the rank of a lieutenant is a sad thing for scholars. A volume of poetry.
2. Poetry style
His poetic conception is clear and distinct, his language is refined and natural, and he has unique artistic attainments. There are 57 existing poems. Although the number is small, "Zhuoran, Wang and Meng Kangxing are probably sixty-seven out of ten" ("Sikuquanshu General Catalog"). The themes of Chang Jian's poems are relatively narrow. Although there are some excellent frontier fortress poems, most of them are masterpieces describing pastoral scenery and the pleasures of mountains and forests. For example, "Inscription on the Zen Garden Behind the Poshan Temple" and "The Tomb of General Diao Wang", especially the previous couplet "The winding path leads to a secluded place, and the Zen room is deep with flowers and trees" has been widely recited from ancient to modern times. He also has some excellent frontier poems. There are now three volumes of "Chang Jian's Poetry Collection" and two volumes of "Chang Jian's Collection".
Chang Jian's poems seem to have just started out in Tongzhuang, but he looked for wild paths, hundreds of miles away, before returning to the main road. Its purpose is far-reaching and its prosperity is remote. Good sentences come all the time, but they only depend on their meaning. Being reduced to the rank of a lieutenant is a sad thing for scholars. A volume of poetry.
3. Representative works
Inscribed on the Zen courtyard behind Poshan Temple
Entering the ancient temple early in the morning, the first sun shines on the high forest. The winding paths lead to secluded places where the Zen rooms are often built with deep flowers and trees.
The light of the mountains pleases the birds, and the shadows of the ponds empty the hearts of the people. Everything is silent, except for the sound of bells and chimes.
Su Wang Changling lives in seclusion
The clear stream is unfathomable, and there are only solitary clouds in the hidden place. There is a faint moon among the dew among the pine trees, and the clear light is still for you.