Background
Li Po was probably born in central Asia, in 701, where his ancestors had lived in exile since the early 7th century. His father took the family back to China about 705 and settled down at Mien-chou in Szechwan, where the poet grew up.
(First printing bound in tan cloth with gold lettering and...)
First printing bound in tan cloth with gold lettering and orange decorations on the spine. Map endpapers, frontis plate. 12mo size, 236 pages plus an index of lines in Chinese at the rear. A near fine copy in a very good dust jacket. The book has a few tiny dust spots to the edges of the page blocks. The dust jacket has small frays to the spine tips and a 2" long rub mark near the base of the spine. The jacket's spine is tanned. Mild tanning to the panels. Translated by Shigeyoshi Obata.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001C4OWTI/?tag=2022091-20
(Li Po (701-762) rivals Du Fu for the title of China's gre...)
Li Po (701-762) rivals Du Fu for the title of China's greatest poet, and is considered to be the great Romantic poet of the Tang Dynasty (618-907). He grew up in Sichuan province, China, and set out at the age of twenty-five to travel in the country, writing poems. A well-read student of both Confucianism and Taoism in his youth, and later an unofficial court poet, Li Po is credited as the author of over one thousand poems about wine, friendship, nature, solitude, and time. His works are revered for their exquisite imagery, rich and effortless language, and cadence - although some critics admonished his violation of traditional poetic form. The poet was a member of a group in Shandong called the "Six Idlers of the Bamboo Brook," an informal group dedicated to literature and wine. Popular legend tells that an intoxicated Li Po drowned after falling from his boat in an attempt to embrace the reflection of the moon in the Yangtze River.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1420942964/?tag=2022091-20
(The selections from these five poets constitute some of t...)
The selections from these five poets constitute some of the greatest lyric poetry ever written. Each poet is introduced by the translator, David Young, and represented by a selection that spans the poets development and career.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/093244055X/?tag=2022091-20
(Li Po (AD 701-62) and Tu Fu (AD 712-70) were devoted frie...)
Li Po (AD 701-62) and Tu Fu (AD 712-70) were devoted friends who are traditionally considered to be among China's greatest poets. Li Po, a legendary carouser, was an itinerant poet whose writing, often dream poems or spirit-journeys, soars to sublime heights in its descriptions of natural scenes and powerful emotions. His sheer escapism and joy is balanced by Tu Fu, who expresses the Confucian virtues of humanity and humility in more autobiographical works that are imbued with great compassion and earthy reality, and shot through with humour. Together these two poets of the T'ang dynasty complement each other so well that they often came to be spoken of as one - Li-Tu' - who covers the whole spectrum of human life, experience and feeling. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0140442723/?tag=2022091-20
Li Po was probably born in central Asia, in 701, where his ancestors had lived in exile since the early 7th century. His father took the family back to China about 705 and settled down at Mien-chou in Szechwan, where the poet grew up.
His writings reflect the grandeur of the T'ang dynasty at the height of its prosperity. A precocious boy, he started his poetic compositions early but disdained to take the literary examination. Except for a period of seclusion in the mountains near home, he spent his youth in search of adventures abroad. Skilled in swordsmanship, he led the life of the knight-errant, traveling extensively in Szechwan and, later, in his twenty-fifth year, northward to central China. Meanwhile, he continued to explore the scenic rivers and lakes of neighboring regions. Court Life and Travels In 735 Li started a long journey that took him northward to the central plains of the Yellow River and eastward to the coastal areas of the Yangtze. These were the best years of his life as well as the most flourishing period of the dynasty, both of which he celebrated in poems. The climax came in 742, when he went to the capital, Ch'ang-an, and was presented to the emperor, Hsüan-tsung, who showered him with favors. At the zenith of his poetic power, he wrote some of his best-known songs for court festivities. He often frequented city taverns and got excessively drunk, thus earning the reputation, together with seven other notables of the court, as the "Eight Immortals of the Wine-cup. " Two years later he grew tired of court life and left it for another long period of travel. In the autumn of the same year (744) occurred the memorable meeting of China's two great poets, Li Po and Tu Fu, in the eastern capital, Loyang.
He was beset, however, by mundane troubles; though well received by local dignitaries impressed by his poetic talents and fame, he began to complain of the lack of money and property. At the time of the An Lu-shan rebellion in December 755, which was to shake the T'ang empire to its foundations, Li Po had gone to the Yangtze region, to which he had also moved his family. He was spared the dangers and hardships which his fellow poets in the North suffered when the rebels succeeded in capturing Loyang and Ch'ang-an. But a worse fate awaited Li Po. He was involved for a short while in the unsuccessful uprising of Li Lin, Prince of Yung, who was then commander in chief of the T'ang forces in central China. As Li Lin's fleet sailed down the Yangtze, Li Po joined him in Kiukiang in early 757. After the prince's defeat by royalist troops, Li Po was imprisoned and threatened with a death sentence. Later, it was commuted to banishment to Yeh-lang (Tsun-i in Kwei-chow) in the remote southwest interior. Li Po took a leisurely trip to his destination. Amnesty came when he was still on his way. He happily retraced his steps eastward and wandered in the Yangtze area for another 2 years. He died in Tang-t'u in southern Anhwei in December 762.
His finest lyrics are characterized by spontaneity of feeling, lofty imagination, and facility of language. They are filled with a "divine madness" that earns for him the sobriquet "An Immortal in Exile. "
(Li Po (701-762) rivals Du Fu for the title of China's gre...)
(Li Po (AD 701-62) and Tu Fu (AD 712-70) were devoted frie...)
(The selections from these five poets constitute some of t...)
(First printing bound in tan cloth with gold lettering and...)
(Translations of Li Bai and Du Fu, 8th century Chinese poets.)
Li Po was initiated into the Taoist religion by one of its patriarchs.
In the poems of this period, he showed a growing interest in Taoism which replaced his youthful ardor for chivalry.
Li Po's Philosophy An aura of romanticism pervades Li Po's life and poetry. With his fondness for adventure and traveling, his search for alchemy and the elixir of life, his love of and intimate communion with nature, he exemplifies the typical Taoist trends in his poetry. It reflects the kind of melancholy and despondence that a man feels when he finds his talents unused and his life wasted. To drown his sorrows, Li Po indulged himself in heavy drinking, which became with him a lifelong habit. Wine, however, was a blessing to him, rather than a bane, as it provided him with inspiration for poetry. In those moments of exhilaration, when alone or in company, he would dash off verses which flow freely without restraint. He is at his best in poems of the ancient style, which allow freedom of expression with little prosodic requirements.
Li was appointed a member of the Hanlin Academy and was lionized by fellow scholar-officials.
Li is known to have married four times. In 727, Li entered into his first marriage, to the granddaughter of an ex-government minister. Later on, in the year 744, Li married for the second time, in what now is Liangyuan District of Henan. This marriage was to another poet, surnamed Zong, with whom he both had children and exchanges of poems, including many expressions of love for her and their children. His wife, Zong, was a granddaughter of Zong Chuke (died 710), an important government official during the Tang dynasty and the interegnal period of Wu Zetian.