Tang poetry () refers to
poetry written in or around the time of or in the characteristic style of China's
Tang dynasty, (June 18, 618 – June 4, 907, including the 690–705 reign of
Wu Zetian) and/or follows a certain style, often considered as the
Golden Age of
Chinese poetry
Chinese poetry is poetry written, spoken, or chanted in the Chinese language. While this last term comprises Classical Chinese, Standard Chinese, Mandarin Chinese, Yue Chinese, and other historical and vernacular forms of the language, its poetry ...
. The ''
Complete Tang Poems'' includes over 48,900 poems written by over 2,200 authors. During the Tang dynasty, poetry continued to be an important part of social life at all levels of society. Scholars were required to master poetry for the civil service exams, but the art was theoretically available to everyone. This led to a large record of poetry and poets, a partial record of which survives today. The two most famous poets of the period were
Li Bai and
Du Fu
Du Fu (; 712–770) was a Tang dynasty poet and politician. Along with his elder contemporary and friend Li Bai (Li Po), he is frequently called the greatest of the Chinese poets.Ebrey, 103. His greatest ambition was to serve his country as ...
. The
Qing dynasty selection, ''
Three Hundred Tang Poems'', has made Tang poetry familiar to educated Chinese in modern times.
Periodization
The periodization scheme employed in this article is the one detailed by the Ming dynasty scholar
Gao Bing (1350–1423) in the preface to his work ''
Tangshi Pinhui
Tang poetry () refers to poetry written in or around the time of or in the characteristic style of China's Tang dynasty, (June 18, 618 – June 4, 907, including the 690–705 reign of Wu Zetian) and/or follows a certain style, often considered as ...
'', which has enjoyed broad acceptance since his time.
[Paragraph 3 in ]Paul W. Kroll
Paul may refer to:
* Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name)
* Paul (surname), a list of people
People
Christianity
*Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chr ...
"Poetry of the T'ang Dynasty", chapter 14 in Mair 2001. This system, which unambiguously treats poetry composed during the reign of
Emperor Xuanzong (the
"High Tang" period) as being superior in quality to what came before and after, is subjective and evaluative, and often does not reflect the realities of literary history.
[Paragraph 4 in Paul W. Kroll "Poetry of the T'ang Dynasty", chapter 14 in Mair 2001.]
Forms
The representative form of poetry composed during the Tang dynasty is the ''
shi''.
[Paragraph 1 in Paul W. Kroll "Poetry of the T'ang Dynasty", chapter 14 in Mair 2001.] This contrasts to poetry composed in the earlier
Han dynasty and later
Song and
Yuan dynasties, which are characterized by ''
fu'', ''
ci'' and ''
qu'' forms, respectively.
However, the ''fu'' continued to be composed during the Tang dynasty, which also saw the beginnings of the rise of the ''ci'' form.
Within the ''shi'' form, there was a preference for pentasyllabic lines, which had been the dominant metre since the second century C.E., but heptasyllabic lines began to grow in popularity from the eighth century.
[Paragraph 5 in Paul W. Kroll "Poetry of the T'ang Dynasty", chapter 14 in Mair 2001.] The poems generally consisted of multiple rhyming couplets, with no definite limit on the number of lines but a definite preference for multiples of four lines.
Sources
The ''
Complete Tang Poems'' anthology compiled in the early eighteenth century includes over 48,900 poems written by over 2,200 authors.
[Paragraph 15 in Paul W. Kroll "Poetry of the T'ang Dynasty", chapter 14 in Mair 2001.] The ''
Quan Tangwen'' (全唐文, "Complete Tang Prose"), despite its name, contains more than 1,500 ''
fu'' and is another widely consulted source for Tang poetry.
Despite their names, these sources are not comprehensive, and the
manuscripts discovered at Dunhuang in the twentieth century included many ''shi'' and some ''fu'', as well as variant readings of poems that were also included in the later anthologies.
There are also collections of individual poets' work, which generally can be dated earlier than the Qing anthologies, although few earlier than the eleventh century.
[Paragraph 16 in Paul W. Kroll "Poetry of the T'ang Dynasty", chapter 14 in Mair 2001.] Only about a hundred Tang poets have such collected editions extant.
Another important source is anthologies of poetry compiled during the Tang dynasty, although only thirteen such anthologies survive in full or in part.
[Paragraph 17 in Paul W. Kroll "Poetry of the T'ang Dynasty", chapter 14 in Mair 2001.]
Many records of poetry, as well as other writings, were lost when the Tang capital of
Changan was damaged by war in the eighth and ninth centuries, so that while more than 50,000 Tang poems survive (more than any earlier period in Chinese history), this still likely represents only a small portion of the poetry that was actually produced during the period.
Many seventh-century poets are reported by the 721 imperial library catalog as having left behind massive volumes of poetry, of which only a tiny portion survives,
and there are notable gaps in the poetic œuvres of even
Li Bo
Li Bai (, 701–762), also pronounced as Li Bo, courtesy name Taibai (), was a Chinese poet, acclaimed from his own time to the present as a brilliant and romantic figure who took traditional poetic forms to new heights. He and his friend Du F ...
and
Du Fu
Du Fu (; 712–770) was a Tang dynasty poet and politician. Along with his elder contemporary and friend Li Bai (Li Po), he is frequently called the greatest of the Chinese poets.Ebrey, 103. His greatest ambition was to serve his country as ...
, the two most celebrated Tang poets.
The pre-Tang poetic tradition
The poetic tradition inherited by the Tang poets was immense and diverse. By the time of the Tang dynasty, there was already a continuous Chinese body of poetry dating back for over a thousand years. Such works as the ''
Chu Ci'' and ''
Shijing'' were major influences on Tang poetry, as were the developments of
Han poetry and
Jian'an poetry. All of these influenced the
Six Dynasties poetry, which in turn helped to inspire the Tang poets. In terms of influences upon the poetry of the early Tang, Burton Watson characterizes the poetry of the Sui and early Tang as "a mere continuation of
Six Dynasties genres and styles."
History
The Tang dynasty was a time of major social and probably linguistic upheavals. Thus, the genre may be divided into several major more-or-less chronological divisions, based on developmental stages or stylistic groupings (sometimes even on personal friendships between poets). It should be remembered that poets may be somewhat arbitrarily assigned to these based on their presumed biographical dates (not always known); furthermore that the lifetimes of poets toward the beginning or end of this period may overlap with the preceding
Sui dynasty
The Sui dynasty (, ) was a short-lived imperial dynasty of China that lasted from 581 to 618. The Sui unified the Northern and Southern dynasties, thus ending the long period of division following the fall of the Western Jin dynasty, and layi ...
or the succeeding
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. The chronology of Tang poetry may be divided into four parts: Early Tang, High Tang, Middle Tang, and Late Tang.
Early Tang
In Early Tang (初唐), poets began to develop the foundation what is now considered to be the Tang style of poetry inherited a rich and deep literary and poetic tradition, or several traditions. Early Tang poetry is subdivided into early, middle and late phases.
* Some of the initial poets who began to develop what is considered to be the Tang dynasty style of poetry were heavily influenced by the Court Style of the Southern Dynasties (南朝宫), referring to the Southern Dynasties of the
Southern and Northern Dynasties time period (420–589 CE) that preceded the short-lived Sui dynasty (581–618 CE). The Southern Dynasty Court (or Palace) poems tended towards an ornate and flowery style and particular vocabulary, partly passed on through continuity of certain governmental individuals who were also poets, during the
transition from Sui to Tang. This group includes the emperor
Li Shimin, the calligrapher
Yu Shinan, Chu Liang (禇亮),
Li Baiyao, the governmental official
Shangguan Yi, and his granddaughter, the governmental official and later imperial consort
Shangguan Wan'er. Indeed, there were many others, as this was a culture that placed a great emphasis on literature and poetry, at least for persons in official capacity and their social intimates.
* Representative of the middle phase of early Tang were the so-called "Four Literary Friends:" poets
Li Jiao,
Su Weidao,
Cui Rong, and
Du Shenyan. This represents a transitional phase.
* In the late phase the poetic style becomes more typical of what is considered as Tang poetry. A major influence was Wang Ji (585–644) upon the
Four Paragons of the Early Tang The Four Paragons of the Early Tang () is a group name for four Chinese poets of the early Tang dynasty: Luo Binwang, Lu Zhaolin, Wang Bo, and Yang Jiong.
{{multiple image
, align = right
, direction = horizontal
, header = Four Paragons of the ...
:
Wang Bo,
Yang Jiong,
Lu Zhaolin
Lu Zhaolin (; ca. 634 – ca. 684 or 686), courtesy name Shengzhi, was a Tang dynasty Chinese poet, traditionally grouped together with Luo Binwang, Wang Bo, and Yang Jiong as the Four Paragons of the Early Tang.
Biography
Lu Zhaolin was born ...
, and
Luo Binwang. They each preferred to dispense with literary pretensions in favor of authenticity.
*
Chen Zi'ang (661–702) is credited with being the great poet who finally brought an end to the Beginning Tang period, casting away the ornate Court style in favor of a hard-hitting, authentic poetry which included political and social commentary (at great risk to himself), and thus leading the way to the greatness that was to come.
High Tang
In High Tang (盛唐), sometimes known as ''Flourishing Tang'' or ''Golden Tang'', first appear the poets which would come to mind as Tang poets, at least in the United States and Europe. High Tang poetry had numerous schools of thought:
* The beginning part of this era, or style-period, include
Zhang Jiuling (678–740),
Wang Han, and
Wang Wan
Wang Wan (, 693-751), was a Tang dynasty Chinese poet. Ten of his poems are preserved, and the most famous poem among those is "A Mooring Under North Fort Hill" (). Chinese prime minister, Wen Jiabao, quoted the poem in the lecture of Cambridge Un ...
. There were also the so-called Four Gentlemen of Wuzhong (吳中四士):
He Zhizhang (659–744),
Bao Rong
Bao Rong (; fl. early 8th century) was a Chinese poet of the Tang dynasty. He was a native of Yanling (modern Danyang, Jiangsu province). He is traditionally grouped with He Zhizhang, Zhang Xu, and Zhang Ruoxu as the Four Poets of Central Wu () ...
,
Zhang Xu (658–747, also famous as a calligrapher), and
Zhang Ruoxu
Zhang Ruoxu (; ca. 660 – ca. 720) was a Chinese poet of the early Tang dynasty from Yangzhou in modern Jiangsu province. He is best known for "Spring River in the Flower Moon Night" (''Chun Jiang Hua Yue Ye'', 春江花月夜), one of the most u ...
.
* The "Fields and Gardens Poets Group" (田园诗派) include
Meng Haoran (689 or 691–740), the famous poet and painter
Wang Wei (701–761),
Chu Guangxi (707–760),
Chang Jian Chang Jian (, early part 8th centuryWu, 223), and whose name, especially in older English transliteration, appears as "Ch'ang Chien", was a poet of the Tang Dynasty, and two of whose poems were collected in the popular anthology ''Three Hundred Tang ...
, Zu Yong (祖咏),
Pei Di
Pei Di () was a Chinese poet of the Tang dynasty, approximate year of birth 714, with one work included in the popular ''Three Hundred Tang Poems''. Pei Di was a contemporary of Wang Wei, although younger by fifteen years. Pei Di has twenty pres ...
, Qiwu Qian (綦毋潜),
Qiu Wei
Qiu Wei (, 694–789? was a Chinese poet of the Tang Dynasty, with one of his poems being included in the famous anthology ''Three Hundred Tang Poems''.
Poetry
Qiu Wei's poetic career coincided with the major flourishing of the Tang poetry styles ...
(丘为), and others.
* The "Borders and Frontier Fortress Poets Group" () includes
Gao Shi (706–765),
Cen Shen (715–770),
Wang Changling (698–756),
Wang Zhihuan
Wang Zhihuan (; 688–742), alternatively transliterated as Wang Tsu-huan, was a Chinese poet of the Kaiyuan era of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang. He is best known for his ''jueju'' "Climbing Stork Tower" ().
Poetry
No collection of Wang's poems seem ...
(688–742),
Cui Hao (about 704–754) and
Li Qi (690–751).
*
Li Bai (701–762) and
Du Fu
Du Fu (; 712–770) was a Tang dynasty poet and politician. Along with his elder contemporary and friend Li Bai (Li Po), he is frequently called the greatest of the Chinese poets.Ebrey, 103. His greatest ambition was to serve his country as ...
(712–770) were the two best-known Tang poets.
Li Bai and Du Fu both lived to see the Tang Empire shaken by the catastrophic events of the
An Lushan Rebellion (755–763). This had a tremendous impact on their work, though it did not mark the end of Tang Dynasty poetry, which ended with Li Yu in 978.
Middle Tang
The poets of the Middle Tang (中唐) period also include many of the best known names, and they wrote some very famous poems. This was a time of rebuilding and recovery, but also high taxes, official corruption, and lesser greatness. Li Bo's bold seizing of the old forms and turning them to new and contemporary purposes and Du Fu's development of the formal style of poetry, though hard to equal, and perhaps impossible to surpass, nevertheless provided a firm edifice on which the Middle Tang poets could build.
* In the early phase of the Middle Tang period Du Fu's ''
yuefu'' poetry was extended by poets such as
Dai Shulun (戴叔伦, 732–789) who used the opportunity to admonish governmental officials as to their duties toward the suffering common folk.
* Others concentrated on developing the Landscape Style Poem (山水诗), such as
Liu Changqing (刘长卿, 709–780) and
Wei Yingwu (韦应物, 737–792).
* The Frontier Fortress Style had its continued advocates, representative of whom are
Li Yi (李益) and
Lu Lun (卢纶, 739–799).
* The traditional association between poetry and scholarship was shown by the existence of a group of ten poets (大历十才子), who tended to ignore the woes of the people, preferring to sing and chant their poems in praise of peace, beautiful landscapes and the commendability of seclusion. They are:
Qian Qi (錢起, 710–782), Lu Lun is also a part of this group, Ji Zhongfu (吉中孚), Han Yi (韩翊),
Sikong Shu
Sikong Shu or Ssü-k'ung Shu (; ca. 720 – ca. 790) was a Chinese poet of the Tang dynasty. Three of his poems were included in the popular anthology ''Three Hundred Tang Poems''. Sikong was known as one of the "Ten Poets of Talent of the Dali p ...
(司空曙, 720–790), Miao Fa—or Miao Bo – (苗發/苗发), Cui Tong (崔峒), Geng Hui (耿諱/耿讳), Xia Hou Shen (夏侯审), and the poet (李端, 743–782).
* One of the greatest Tang poets was
Bai Juyi (白居易, 772–846), considered the leader of the somewhat angry, bitter, speaking-truth-to-power New Yuefu Movement (新樂府運動). Among the other poets considered to be part of this movement are
Yuan Zhen (元稹, 779–831),
Zhang Ji Zhang Ji may refer to:
* Zhang Ji (Han dynasty) (張濟) (died 196), official under the warlord Dong Zhuo
* Zhang Zhongjing (150–219), formal name Zhang Ji (張機), Han dynasty physician
* Zhang Ji (Derong) (張既) (died 223), general of Cao Wei ...
(张籍, 767–830), and
Wang Jian (王建).
* Several Tang poets stand out as being too individualistic to really be considered a group, yet sharing a common interest in experimental exploration of the relationship of poetry to words, and pushing the limits thereof; including:
Han Yu (韩愈, 768–824), Meng Jiao (孟郊, 751–814),
Jia Dao
Jia Dao () (779–843), courtesy name Langxian (), was a Chinese Buddhist monk and poet active during the Tang dynasty.
Biography
Jia Dao was born near modern Beijing; after a period as a Buddhist monk, he went to Chang'an. He became one of Ha ...
(賈島/贾岛, 779–843), and Lu Tong (盧仝/卢仝, 795–835).
* Two notable poets were
Liu Yuxi (刘禹锡, 772–842) and
Liu Zongyuan (柳宗元, 773–819).
* Another notable poet, the short-lived
Li He (李贺, 790–816), has been called "the Chinese
Mallarmé Mallarmé is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* André Mallarmé (1877–1956), French politician
* Stéphane Mallarmé
Stéphane Mallarmé ( , ; 18 March 1842 – 9 September 1898), pen name of Étienne Mallarmé, was a Fre ...
".
[Paragraph 87 in Paul W. Kroll "Poetry of the T'ang Dynasty", chapter 14 in Mair 2001.]
Late Tang
In the Late Tang (晚唐), similarly to how eventually the earlier duo of Li Bo and Du Fu came to be known by the combined name of Li-Du (李杜), so in the twilight of the Late Tang there was the duo of the Little Li-Du (小李杜), referring to
Du Mu (803–852) and
Li Shangyin (813–858). These dual pairs have been considered to typify two divergent poetic streams which existed during each of these two times, the flourishing Tang and the late Tang:
* The Late Tang poetry of Du Mu's type tended toward a clear, robust style, often looking back upon the past with sadness, perhaps reflecting the times. The Tang dynasty was falling apart, it was still in existence, but obviously in a state of decline.
* The poetry of Li Shangyin's type tended towards the sensuously abstract, dense, allusive, and difficult. Other poets of this style were
Wen Tingyun (温庭筠, 812–870) and Duan Cheng Shi (段成式, about 803–863). These poets have been attracting gaining interest in modern times.
* There were also other poets belonging to one or the other of two major schools of the Late Tang. in one school were
Luo Yin (羅隱/罗隐, 833–909), Nie—or Zhe or She or Ye—Yizhong (聶夷中/聂夷中, 887–884),
Du Xunhe
Du Xunhe (; 846-?), Courtesy name Yanzhi (), Art name Jiuhua Shanren () was a Chinese poet of the late Tang dynasty, with one of his poems being included in the anthology ''Three Hundred Tang Poems''. Along with Nie Yizhong, Luo Yin, and Pi Rixiu ...
(杜荀鹤),
Pi Rixiu (皮日休, approximately 834/840—883),
Lu Guimeng (陸龜蒙/陆龟蒙 ?-881), and others. In the other group, were Wei Zhuang (韦庄, 836–910), Sikong Tu (司空圖, 837–908), Zheng Gu (鄭谷, 849–911),
Han Wo (844-?), and others. During the final twilight of Tang, both schools were prone to a melancholic angst; they varied by whether they tended towards metaphor and allusiveness or a more clear and direct expression.
*
Yu Xuanji was a famous female poet of Late Tang.
Continuation in Southern Tang
After the official fall of the Tang dynasty in 907, some members of its ruling house of Li managed to find refuge in the south of China, where their descendants founded the
Southern Tang dynasty in the year 937. This dynasty continued many of the traditions of the former great Tang dynasty, including poetry, until its official fall in 975, when its ruler,
Li Yu, was taken into captivity. Importantly for the history of poetry, Li survived another three years as a prisoner of the
Song dynasty, and during this time composed some of his best known works. Thus, including this "afterglow of the T'ang dynasty", the final date for the Tang Poetry era can be considered to be at the death of
Li Yu, in 978.
After the fall of the Tang dynasty
Surviving the turbulent decades of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms era, Tang poetry was perhaps the major influence on
the poetry of the Song dynasty, for example seeing such major poets as
Su Shi creating new works based upon matching lines of Du Fu's. This matching style is known from the Late Tang. Pi Rixiu and Lu Guimeng, sometimes known as Pi-Lu, were well known for it: one would write a poem with a certain style and rhyme scheme, then the other would reply with a different poem, but matching the style and with the same rhymes. This allows for subtleties which can only be grasped by matching the poems together.
Succeeding eras have seen the popularity of various Tang poets wax and wane. The
Qing dynasty saw the publication of the massive compilation of the collected Tang poems, the ''
Complete Tang Poems'', as well as the less-scholarly (for example, no textual variants are given), but more popular, ''
Three Hundred Tang Poems''. Furthermore, in the Qing dynasty era the
imperial civil service examinations the requirement to compose Tang style poetry was restored. In China, some of the poets, such as Li Bo and Du Fu have never fallen into obscurity; others, such as Li Shangyin, have had modern revivals.
Anthologies
Many collections of Tang poetry have been made, both during the Tang dynasty and subsequently. In the first century of the Tang period several early collections of contemporary poetry were made, some of which survive and some which do not: these early anthologies reflect the imperial court context of the early Tang poetry. Later anthologies of Tang poetry compiled during the Qing dynasty include both the imperially commissioned ''
Complete Tang Poems'' and the scholar
Sun Zhu's own privately compiled ''
Three Hundred Tang Poems''. Part of an anthology by
Cui Rong, the ''
Zhuying ji'' also known as the ''Collection of Precious Glories'' has been found among the
Dunhuang manuscripts, consisting of about one-fifth of the original, with fifty-five poems by thirteen men, first published in the reign of
Wu Zetian (655–683). The book contains poems by Cui Rong (653–706),
Li Jiao (644–713),
Zhang Yue (677–731), and others.
The ''300 Tang Poems''
The most popular Tang Poems collection might be the so-called ''300 Tang Poems'' compiled by Qing dynasty scholar
Sun Zhu.
It is so popular that many poems in it have been adopted by Chinese language text books of China's primary schools and secondary schools. Some of the poems in it are normally regarded as must-recite ones.
He said he found the poems in the poetry textbook students that had been using, "
Poems by A Thousand Writers" (Qian-jia-shi), were not carefully selected but a mixture of Tang dynasty poems and Song dynasty poems written in different styles. He also regarded that some poetry works in that book were not very well-written in terms of language skill and rhyme.
Therefore, he picked those best and most popular poems from Tang dynasty only and formed this new collection of about 310 poems including poems by the most renowned poets such as Li Bai and Du Fu.
These poems are about various topics including friendship, politics, idyllic life and ladies' life, and so on.
Exemplary verse
《旅夜書懷》
杜甫
細草微風岸,危檣獨夜舟。
星垂平野闊,月湧大江流。
名豈文章著,官應老病休。
飄飄何所似?天地一沙鷗。
''My Reflection by Night''
by Du Fu
Some scattered grass. A shore breeze blowing light.
A giddy mast. A lonely boat at night.
The wide-flung stars o’erhang all vasty space.
The moonbeams with the Yangtze’s current race.
How by my pen can I to fame attain?
Worn out, from office better to refrain.
Drifting o’er life — and what in sooth am I?
A sea-gull floating twixt the Earth and Sky.
Translated by W.J.B. Fletcher (1919)
The first twenty characters translate literally as:
:"fine grass micro- wind shore / high
boom
Boom may refer to:
Objects
* Boom (containment), a temporary floating barrier used to contain an oil spill
* Boom (navigational barrier), an obstacle used to control or block marine navigation
* Boom (sailing), a sailboat part
* Boom (windsurfi ...
part of riggingalone night boat.
:stars hanging-down level field width / moon
lightsurge big river flow."
Translation into western languages
Major translators of Tang poetry into English include
Herbert Giles, L. Cranmer-Byng,
Archie Barnes
Archie is a masculine given name, a diminutive of Archibald. It may refer to:
People Given name or nickname
*Archie Alexander (1888–1958), African-American mathematician, engineer and governor of the US Virgin Islands
* Archie Blake (mathematici ...
,
Amy Lowell,
Arthur Waley,
Witter Bynner,
A. C. Graham
Angus Charles Graham, FBA (8 July 1919 – 26 March 1991) was a Welsh scholar and sinologist who was professor of classical Chinese at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.
He was born in Penarth, Glamorgan, Wales t ...
, Shigeyoshi Obata,
Burton Watson,
Gary Snyder
Gary Snyder (born May 8, 1930) is an American poet, essayist, lecturer, and environmental activist. His early poetry has been associated with the Beat Generation and the San Francisco Renaissance and he has been described as the "poet laureate of ...
,
David Hinton,
Wai-lim Yip,
Red Pine (Bill Porter), and Xian Mao.
Ezra Pound
Ezra Weston Loomis Pound (30 October 1885 – 1 November 1972) was an expatriate American poet and critic, a major figure in the early modernist poetry movement, and a Fascism, fascist collaborator in Italy during World War II. His works ...
drew on notes given to him by the widow of
Ernest Fenollosa in 1913 to create English poems indirectly through the Japanese, including some Li Bai poems, which were published in his book ''
Cathay
Cathay (; ) is a historical name for China that was used in Europe. During the early modern period, the term ''Cathay'' initially evolved as a term referring to what is now Northern China, completely separate and distinct from China, which ...
''. Some popular Western adaptations of Tang poetry include songs like
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philo ...
's "
Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun".
Characteristics
Tang poetry has certain characteristics. Contextually, the fact that the poems were generally intended to be recited in more-or-less contemporary spoken Chinese (now known as ''
Classical Chinese''; or, sometimes, as ''Literary Chinese'', in post-
Han dynasty cases) and that the poems were written in
Chinese characters are certainly important. Also important are the use of certain typical poetic forms, various common themes, and the surrounding social and natural milieu.
Relationship to Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism
The Tang dynasty time was one of religious ferment, which was reflected in the poetry. Many of the poets were religiously devout. Also, at that time religion tended to have an intimate relation with poetry.
Gender studies
There has been some interest in Tang poetry in the field of
gender studies. Although most of the poets were men, there were several significant women. Also, many of the men wrote from the viewpoint of a woman, or lovingly of other men. Historically and geographically localized in Tang dynasty China, this is an area which has not escaped interest from the perspective of historical gender roles.
See also
*
7th century in poetry
Europe
Poets
* Cædmon likely flourishes from approximately 657 to 680 in Northumbria
* Laidcenn mac Buith Bannaig, Irish (d. 661)
Works
* ''Cædmon's Hymn'', Old English
* ''Dream of the Rood'', Old English, possible date
* ''Hisperica Famin ...
*
8th century in poetry
*
9th century in poetry
Years link to corresponding "earin poetry" articles.
Arabic world
Works
* The Book of One Thousand and One Nights is compiled in Baghdad
Poets
Births of Arabic world poets
* 742 – Ibrahim Al-Mausili (died 804)
* c. 805 – Abu Tammam ...
*
Chinese poetry
Chinese poetry is poetry written, spoken, or chanted in the Chinese language. While this last term comprises Classical Chinese, Standard Chinese, Mandarin Chinese, Yue Chinese, and other historical and vernacular forms of the language, its poetry ...
*
Classical Chinese poetry
*
Ci (poetry)
*
Complete Tang Poems
*
Four Literary Eminences in Early Tang The Four Paragons of the Early Tang () is a group name for four Chinese poets of the early Tang dynasty: Luo Binwang, Lu Zhaolin, Wang Bo, and Yang Jiong.
{{multiple image
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, direction = horizontal
, header = Four Paragons of the ...
*
Fu (poetry)
*
Hanshan (poet)
*
Jueju
*
List of Chinese language poets
The following is a list of Poets who wrote or write much of their poetry in the languages of China.
__NOTOC__
A
*Ai Qing
B
*Bai Juyi or Bo Juyi
*Consort Ban
* Ban Gu (32–92 A.D.)Minford, John, and Joseph S. M. Lau, ''Classical Chinese L ...
*
List of Three Hundred Tang Poems poets
*
Shi (poetry)
*
Song poetry
*
Tang dynasty poets (list)
*
Three Hundred Tang Poems
*
Wangchuan ji
*
Yuefu
References
Cited works
* Hoyt, Ed; Vanessa Lide Whitcomb, Michael Benson (2002). The Complete Idiot's Guide to Modern China. Alpha Books. .
* Jing-Schmidt, Zhuo (2005). Dramatized discourse: the Mandarin Chinese ba-construction. John Benjamins Publishing Company. .
*
Mair, Victor H. (ed.) (2001). ''
The Columbia History of Chinese Literature''. New York: Columbia University Press. . (
Amazon Kindle
Amazon Kindle is a series of e-readers designed and marketed by Amazon. Amazon Kindle devices enable users to browse, buy, download, and read e-books, newspapers, magazines and other digital media via wireless networking to the Kindle Store. ...
edition.)
*
* Watson, Burton (1971). ''CHINESE LYRICISM: Shih Poetry from the Second to the Twelfth Century''. New York: Columbia University Press.
* Wu, John C. H. (1972). The Four Seasons of Tang Poetry. Rutland, Vermont: Charles E.Tuttle.
* Yu, Pauline (2002). "Chinese Poetry and Its Institutions", in ''Hsiang Lectures on Chinese Poetry, Volume 2'', Grace S. Fong, editor. (Montreal: Center for East Asian Research, McGill University).
Further reading
* Graves, Robert (1969). ''ON POETRY: Collected Talks and Essays''. Garden City, New York: Doubleday.
* Hinton, David (2008). ''Classical Chinese Poetry: An Anthology''. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux. / .
*
* Stephen Owen. ''The Poetry of the Early T'ang''. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1977. . Revised edition, Quirin Press, 2012.
* Stephen Owen. ''The Great Age of Chinese Poetry: The High T'ang''. New Haven Conn.: Yale University Press, 1981. . Revised edition, Quirin Press, 2013.
* Stephen Owen. ''The Late Tang: Chinese Poetry of the Mid-Ninth Century (827–860)''. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, Harvard East Asian Monographs, 2006. .
External links
Three Hundred Tang Poems(online : Chinese + English)
{{Authority control
7th-century poems
8th-century poems
9th-century poems
10th-century poems