Newly Compiled 100 Tang Poems - (Illustrated Text)

Author: Wu Xiaoping
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features:
Wild Hope at East Gaohua in Twilight①,
Wandering and Wondering, Where to Rest?②.
Every Tree is Autumnal in Color,
Every Mountain Shines Only with the Setting Sun.
Shepherds Drive Back Their Calves,
Hunters Return with Game③.
Looking at Each Other, Unrecognized,
Singing a Long Song, Missing the gatherers of violets⑤.
Notes ① East Gaohua: Located in present-day Hejin, Shanxi, where the author retired to live in his later years. Gaohua refers to a highland by the water. ② Wandering and Wondering: Roaming and hesitating. ③ Game: Prey caught by hunters. ④ Looking at Each Other: Glancing at each other. ⑤ Missing the gatherers of violets: Missing Bo Yi and Shu Qi. The allusion comes from the "Bi Yi Biography" in the Records of the Grand Historian. After the Shang Dynasty fell, Bo Yi and Shu Qi refused to eat the grain of the Zhou Dynasty and retired to Shouyang Mountain, gathering violets to eat and composing the song "Gathering Violets." This explains that it is a poem composed by Wang Ji when he retired to East Gaohua in his later years, and it is one of the poems most widelysuggested by Wang Ji. It depicts the faint and tranquil scenery of the autumn plain and conveys the poet's lonely and aimless feelings contained within, with a simple and natural style. "Every tree is autumnal in color, every mountain shines only with the setting sun" has become a famous line passed down through the ages. This poem is also the earliest complete five-character regulated verse in the existing Tang poems, about 60 years earlier than Shen Jianqi and Song Zhiwen, who were renowned for composing regulated verse. Wang Ji (585–644), styled Wugong, styled himself Donggaozi. He was from Longmen, Jinzhou (now Hejin, Shanxi). He served as a Zhengzi in the Secretariat Department during the Sui Dynasty and later became the County of Jiahe. Due to his arrogance and love of wine, he was repeatedly investigated and criticized. After entering the Tang Dynasty, he became the Chief of the Great Music Bureau but resigned and returned to the countryside after less than two years. In the fourth year of the Zhenguan era of Emperor Taizong of Tang (630), he wrote his own epitaph and died of grief and frustration. His poems are fresh, simple, tranquil, natural, with high artistic conception and strong style.
P1 Farewell to Du Shaofu to Sichuan①
The city and palace guard Three Qins②,
From afar, the wind and smoke toward Five Rivers③.
With you parting, the same as wandering for office④,
A bosom friend is in the world, even if apart, they are neighbors⑤.
Do not linger at the crossroads⑥,
Let not children's tears wet the handkerchief⑦.
Notes ① Du Shaofu: Unknown identity. Shaofu was a common title for county magistrates at the time. To serve: To take office. Sichuan: Sichuan, now Sichuan. ② City and palace: Refers to Chang'an. At the time, the poet was employed in Chang'an. Guard Three Qins: Guarding Three Qins. Three Qins refers to the old name (Xiang Yu once divided the land of Qin into three kingdoms: Yong, Sai, and Yi), generally referring to the Guanzhong region near Chang'an at the time. ③ Five Rivers: There are five ferry crossings from Guan County to Jianwei in Sichuan, named Baihua, Wanli, Jiangshou, Shetou, and Jiangnan. River: Ferry crossing. Here refers to the place where Du Shaofu was going. ④ Wandering for office: Traveling around for official posts. ⑤ Neighbors: Close neighbors. These two lines borrow the meaning of "A man's ambition is boundless, even ten thousand miles are neighbors. If love and kindness do not fail, the distance only brings them closer each day" from Cao Zhi's "To" and make it more concise and memorable. ⑥ Do not linger: Do not stay. Crossroads: Parting road. ⑦ Wet the handkerchief: Let tears soak the handkerchief. Explanation: This is a farewell poem. The poet reverses the usual melancholic and lingering tone of farewell poems in ancient times, transforming the sorrow of parting into a spirited encouragement, with a broad mind and a high tone, reflecting the active and enterprising spirit of the young poet Wang Bo. "A bosom friend is in the world, even if apart, they are neighbors" is a famous line passed down through the ages. Wang Bo (650–676), styled Zian, was from Longmen, Jinzhou (now Hejin, Shanxi). He came from a famous and noble family and was the great-grandson of Wang Tong, a renowned scholar of the late Sui Dynasty, and the nephew of Wang Ji, a poet of the early Tang Dynasty. Wang Bo was talented from a young age and was highly praised. He once served as a compiler in the Prince of Li Xian's court and later as a military officer in Guo Prefecture, but was dismissed and stripped of his name due to a crime. His poems often express personal sentiments and excel at five-character regulated verse and five-character quatrains, with a fresh and elegant style.
P2