Li Bai's Poem - Fragrant Letter

Author: (Tang) Li Bai Li Li edited
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-07-01
Features:▼Complete Content▼Sandalwood Aroma▼Compact and Portable▼Original Illustrations▼Easy to Carry
Li Bai was one of the greatest poets of the High Tang period. His poems are outstanding representatives of the High Tang spirit, embodying the essence of that era. His poetry reflects the characteristics of the Tang Dynasty's peak development and its subsequent decline.
First, Li Bai's poems reflect the positive and uplifting spirit of the High Tang period. He was full of confidence in his political abilities, hoping to "apply the wisdom of Guan Zhong and Zhang Liang, and seek the art of ruling emperors, to demonstrate his intelligence and wish to be a (assistant)." (From "Reply to Meng Shaofu's Letter of Transfer" in "Dai Shoushan"). He often took Guan Zhong, Zhang Liang, Yue Yi, Zhuge Liang, Xie An, and Lu Zhonglian as role models or compared himself to them. He also compared himself to the giant Peng: "One day, the giant Peng rises with the wind, soaring nine thousand miles into the sky. Even if the wind stops, it can still stir the vast ocean." (From "To Li Yong"). He firmly believed that "A man born with talent must surely be useful" (From "Drinking Alone Under the Moon") and that "When the wind breaks the waves, there will be time to hoist the sails and cross the vast sea" (From "Hardship of the Journey").
Second, Li Bai's poems express a strong anti-aristocratic sentiment and also reveal a clear rejection of fame, wealth, and status. In his poem "Recalling Old Friends and Companions," he writes, "Buying songs and laughter with gold and white jade, drinking for months, lightening the king and nobles" (From "Recalling Old Friends and Companions"). In "Dreaming of Mount Tianmu," he concludes with the bold lines, "How can I bow my head and serve the powerful, losing my joy?" (From "Dreaming of Mount Tianmu"), which have inspired people for millennia. Du Fu described him as "The emperor calls but he does not board the boat; he calls himself a wine-immersed immortal" (From "Eight Immortals Who Drink Wine"). Ren Hua praised him as "For decades as a guest, never lowering his colors for a day" (From "Miscellaneous Poem to Li Bai"). Clearly, the poet desired to achieve merit and fame while maintaining an independent character, unwilling to bow to the powerful. This may be the reason why ancient writers believed that "poetry becomes refined only when the poet is in poverty" (Ouyang Xiu's words) and that "writing despises those who have reached success." Maintaining an independent character is one of the basic prerequisites for creative success, and not bowing to the powerful is essential for maintaining independence. This is why almost all great ancient writers were "poor" and did not "succeed." From Li Bai, people naturally recall Tao Yuanming, who refused to "bend his knee for five bushels of rice."
Third, Li Bai had an extraordinary love for his country's mountains and rivers. Only through the magnificent landscapes of his homeland could the heroic and unrestrained character of the half-immortal, half-robber poet be fully expressed. The "road to Shu, difficult to climb to the sky" in his poems; the Lushan that "reaches high to view the heavens, the vast river flows endlessly. The yellow clouds move with the wind, the white waves flow like snow-covered mountains" (From "Lushan Ballad to Lu Shiyu"); the Tianmu Mountain where "half the cliff sees the sun rise, and in the air, I hear the rooster crow"; the mother river of the Chinese nation, the Yellow River, "rises from the heavens, flowing to the sea without return"; the clear stream where "people walk in a mirror, birds fly through a screen"—each reflects the poet's noble character and integrity, as well as his aesthetic tastes and pursuit of purity and brightness. Li Bai often tied the fate of his country and its people to his heart: his poem "Far Separation" expresses his worry about "When the ruler loses his subject, the dragon becomes a fish; when power falls to the subject, the mouse becomes a tiger" (From "Far Separation"); his poem "The Hard Road to Shu" shows his concern about "If those guarding it are not loyal, they may turn into wolves and tigers" (From "The Hard Road to Shu"); his critique of "The ruler cannot learn from Geshu, marching across Qinghai at night with a knife, slaughtering Shibu to take the purple robe" (From "Song of the Eastern Tour of Yong Wang"); and in his "Ancient Ballads," he directly targets the corrupt rulers of his time with the lines, "The Yin dynasty disrupted the heavens, and the Chu prince was also" (From "Ancient Ballads"). Conversely, he showed deep affection for ordinary laborers, such as iron workers, wine brewers, the old woman under Wusong Mountain, and his friend Wang Lun, without any arrogance. After the An Lushan Rebellion, his poems more directly reflected the realities of war and chaos: "In March, the sands of the Hu fly over Luoyang, and the people of Luoyang lament. The waves of Tianjin flow red with blood, and the white bones support each other like tangled hemp" (From "Song of the Heroic Scholar of Fufeng"); "White bones form hills, and what crime did the common people commit?" (From "To Wei Taoshou of Jiangxia"). In his later years, he was summoned by Yong Wang Lin, perhaps aligning with his desire to "save the state and rescue the people."
Li Bai's poems depict the High Tang spirit from various perspectives and reveal its severe crises. However, there are also some undesirable elements in his poetry, such as the promotion of "When life is pleasant, one must enjoy it," the idea that life is like a dream, and the pursuit of immortality. These are not commendable. Li Bai's immense artistic achievements have made his poetry a treasure in the legacy of Chinese poetry. Wang Shi Zhen noted in "Art Garden Notes" that Li Bai's poetry is "dominated by spirit and guided by nature." His poems are grand, boundless, and dynamic. He said, "Taibai's heart is vast and lofty, as if he stands in the clouds and heavens, encompassing the universe. He is disdainful of trivial matters, and his words flow like wind and clouds, leaving no trace." (From "Poetry Talks in Zaijiu Garden"). Li Bai's poetry blends the artistic styles of Qu Yuan and Zhuangzi, creating a bold, ethereal, and unrestrained style. His poems employ rich imagination, vivid metaphors, and high exaggeration, forming a thunderous and electrifying momentum that is awe-inspiring. In some of his masterpieces, such as "The Hard Road to Shu" and "Ballad of Dreaming of Mount Tianmu," he often uses dynamic brushwork to combine reality with dreams and imagination, soaring to the heavens or diving into the earth, breaking the boundaries of time and space. Or, "When drunk, he shakes the Five Mountains with his brush; when the poem is finished, he laughs and dominates the vast sea" (From "Singing on the River"); or, "Both share a free spirit and soaring thoughts, wanting to ascend to the heavens to gaze at the moon" (From "Farewell to Shao Yun at Xuanzhou Tower"); or, "The beauty of Junshan is reversed, and the Xiang River flows flat" (From "Accompanying Shao Yuan on a Tour of Dongting Lake, Drunk"). The structure of his poems is rarely straightforward but rather jumps and falls, with great ups and downs. Some of his famous works, such as "Drinking Alone Under the Moon" and "Hardship of the Journey," particularly exemplify these characteristics.
Another prominent feature of Li Bai's poetry is its naturalness and lack of artificiality. This has been discussed by ancient scholars. He said, "Taibai's poetry is like a large jade that does not need carving, yet naturally possesses the brilliance of a rainbow." (From "Poetry Talks in Zaijiu Garden"). Qiao Yi also noted, "Read Li Bai's poems, like seawater flying in all directions, full of wonders, yet with an endless sense of ease, so that they are supreme and transcendent." (From "Jianxi Talks on Poetry"). Li even clearly pointed out, "Li Bai's poetry is rooted in Tao Yuanming, and Du Fu's poetry is rooted in Yu Zishan." (From "Rain Village Talks on Poetry"). Others also used Li Bai's own lines, "Clear water blooms like a lotus, naturally free of ornamentation" (From "After the Turmoil, Recalling Old Friends and Companions"), to praise the style of his poetry. In fact, this can also be attributed to "naturalness." Let us take two of his short poems as examples. One is "Mountain Reply": "Why do you choose to live in the green mountain? I smile but do not answer, my heart is at ease. Peach blossoms and flowing water go away gracefully, a world apart from the human realm." Another is "Drinking with a Hermit in the Mountains": "Two of us drink under mountain flowers, cup after cup, again and again. I am drunk and want to sleep, you may go. I will come tomorrow with my lute." And some of his famous works, such as "Quiet Night Thoughts," "The Journey to Changgan," and "The Songs of Ziyue in Wu," are also like this.
Li Bai's fu poems and seven-character song poems both have the characteristics of ballads. His poetry is not only simple and natural but also emotionally profound. His highest achievement in art lies in his fu poems, of which there are 149 extant. He continued the old titles of the fu tradition, making changes within the traditional framework. His greatness does not lie in expanding the subject matter or changing the theme, but rather in developing along the original theme, image, atmosphere, and rhythm, deepening, refining, and exhausting the topic to an extreme, to the point where later generations find it difficult to follow." (From "Preface to the Selected Works of Li Bai" by Yu Xianhao). Li Bai's seven-character song poems number over 80, many of which are masterpieces, such as "Ballad of Dreaming of Mount Tianmu," "Farewell to Shao Yun at Xuanzhou Tower," and "Lushan Ballad to Lu Shiyu," all of which are famous poems passed down through the ages. Feng Ban noted, "The name of song poem originates from musical chapters, with varying lengths of sentences, some imitating ancient fu poems. Those seen today, such as in Bao Mingyuan's collection, flourished greatly after the Tianbao period of the Tang, with Li Taibai being the most outstanding. Taibai often imitates the three ancestors and Bao Mingyuan, with his language particularly close to the ancient style." (From "Dun Yin Miscellaneous Records"). Guan Shiming also said, "Li Bai's song poems have long sentences that open and close freely, beyond comprehension. Their length and shortness vary as needed." (From "Preface to the Poems of the Snow Mountain Studio"). Feng and Guan's discussions share some common insights: Li Bai's song poems use varying lengths of sentences, opening and closing freely, and are closer to the ancient style. Li Bai's song poems are even more "clear, green, and elegant in their unrestrained spirit." (From "Xiao Yuan Talks on Poetry" by Zhu Tingzhen).
Li Bai's "Ancient Ballads" consist of 59 poems, with wide-ranging content, not written at one time or place, but with the same form. The poems are reflective, containing criticism of the corruption of the court, lamentation of his own fate, historical odes, and immortal songs. Gao Jie noted, "Li Bai's two volumes of 'Ancient Ballads' are deeply rooted in Chen Zi'ang's 'Encountering Misfortune,' and Taibai was not far from Zi'ang, so his high aspirations were like this." (From "Tang Poetry Anthology"). Shen said, "Taibai's poetry is unrestrained and rapid, but the two volumes of 'Ancient Ballads' do not boast talent or force, staying true to Ruan Gong, with a noble style. After Bo Yu's 'Encountering Misfortune,' there are successors in 'Ancient Ballads.'" (From "Tang Poetry Anthology"). These works inherit the tradition of Feng and Sao more deeply, with profound references to events and sincere expressions of emotion, lingering and recurring, often carrying hidden meanings.
There are also eight seven-character regulated poems and 110 five-character regulated poems in Li Bai's collection. The era of Li Bai lived in had already seen the maturity of five-character regulated poems and the stabilization of seven-character regulated poems. Li Bai's regulated poems generally reflect the creative situation of that time. Some believe that Li Bai disliked constraints, which is why there are few seven-character regulated poems in his collection, but this explanation is not valid. The constraints of seven-character regulated poems are not much stricter than those of five-character regulated poems, as evidenced by the over 100 five-character regulated poems in his collection. Seven-character regulated poems were fully stabilized in Du Fu's poems wandering in the southwest. Li Bai and his contemporaries, such as Cui Hao, had seven-character regulated poems that were not particularly refined or orderly, even if they generally met the standards, they mostly coincided with them. Li Bai's achievements in regulated poems are very high. Tian Wen said, "Qinglian writes regulated poems like ancient ballads, without hesitation, with a flowing joy, and with a supreme realm." (From "Miscellaneous Notes in Guo Huan Tang"). For his five-character regulated poems, ancient scholars had even more praise. Wu Qiao said, "Taibai's five-character regulated poems are simple and natural, the work of a great hand." (From "Heated Hearth Talks on Poetry"). Guan Shiming said, "Taibai's five-character regulated poems are like listening to the music of the heavens, opening the mind and brightening the eyes; like looking at the immortal mountains of the sea, with clouds rising and water surging. Sometimes the entire poem is without parallel, yet the interest is natural and cannot be forced together. Chang Wei and Meng Shanshan sometimes achieve this, but Taibai reaches perfection." (From "Preface to the Poems of the Snow Mountain Studio"). The three scholars' discussions on Li Bai's regulated poems are fair, both his strengths and weaknesses are accurately described. Taibai's quatrains consist of 93 poems, with 48 five-character quatrains and 45 seven-character quatrains. Hu Yinglin noted, "Taibai's five-character and seven-character quatrains are each in a divine realm, with each poem a divine work." "Taibai's quatrains are composed effortlessly, as if there is no intention of skill, yet there is no lack of skill." He also said, "There are two paths to five-character quatrains: Mo Jie's subtlety and mystery, and Taibai's transcendent elegance." "In seven-character quatrains, Taibai and Jiangning are the best." "Five-character and seven-character quatrains each reach perfection, with Taibai." (From "Poetry Talks"). Mao Xianshu noted, "In seven-character quatrains, one must avoid arrogance at the beginning, and Taibai often expresses his thoughts directly, using overflowing thoughts as waves and ripples, with lingering echoes." (From "Discussions on Poetry"). Modern scholars' discussions on Li Bai's quatrains are roughly within this range. Various Tang poetry anthologies select many of Li Bai's quatrains. Wang Shi Zhen's "Tang People's Ten Thousand Quatrain Anthology" selects 21 seven-character quatrains by Li Bai, and Sun Zhu's "Three Hundred Tang Poems" selects eight quatrains by Li Bai, equal to Wang Wei and Du Mu, ranking third. Among the popular Tang quatrains, Li Bai's "Quiet Night Thoughts," "Early Departure from Baidi Town," and "Seeing Meng Haoran Off to Guangling on the Yellow Crane Tower" are among the most widely circulated. The line "Before my bed, the moonlight is bright" is often the first Tang poem children learn. Li Bai pushed ancient Chinese poetry art to its peak, and his influence on later generations was profound.
Li Bai was already famous before his time, and even more so after his death. Li Yangbing noted in the preface to "Cao Tang Collection," "For a thousand years, only you stand alone." Wu Rong said in the preface to "Zen Moon Collection," "In our dynasty, there were many who could sing poems, but only Li Taibai was the first." Yu Xianhao noted in the preface to "Selected Works of Li Bai," "During the Tang Dynasty, Han Yu, Li He, and Du Mu were all influenced by Li Bai's poetic style from different angles; Su Shi, Lu You, Su Shi, Xin Qiji, and Chen Liang of the Song Dynasty's unrestrained school of poetry were clearly influenced by Li Bai's poetry; while in the Jin and Yuan dynasties, Yuan Haowen, Sa Dula, Fang Hui, Zhao Mengfu, Fan Deji, Wang Yun, and others learned Li Bai's ethereal style; in the Ming Dynasty, Liu Ji, Song Lian, Gao Qi, Li Dongyang, Gao Jing, Shen Zhou, Yang Shen, Zong Chen, Wang Deng, and Li Zhi; and in the Qing Dynasty, Qu Dajun, Huang Jingren, Gong Zizhen, and others all admired Li Bai very much and learned from his creative experience." Since the modern era, Li Bai has not only been well-known in the East but also widely admired in Western countries. Li Bai's poetry has become one of the most brilliant parts of Chinese cultural heritage.