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Li Bai is a poet who seeks his free temperament and moral character. Whatever happened, he would never give up the pursuit of his ideal and stoop and bow before those with rank and wealth. He called out loud: “How can I knit brows, bend back to serve influence and power, never dare to wear an open-hearted face?” (Mount Skyland Ascended in a Dream)” what is the most recurrent in this poetry is immortality, gallantry and wine, all of which symbolize his thoughts and feelings as well as personality. Immortality stands for his elegance and transcendentalism; gallantry for his prowess and enterprise; and wine for his bold and unrestrained sincerity and honesty. 1155815.cn
Rich and varied in style, Li Bai’s poetry attains the very high artistic achievements. Of his poetry the Music Bureau songs and four-line poems (jueju) are the best. His Music Bureau songs sparkle with impulsiveness, majesty, exuberance, immensity and imagination, which are representative of Hard Roads to Shu, Invitation to Wine and Mount Skyland Ascended in a Dream. He has a taste for those grand, sublime images like the great roc, the celestial horse, the giant fish, the long whale, the towering mountains, the torrential rivers, the turbulent seas, the snow-capped mountains and the white sun. The image of the Yellow River, in particular, appeals to him in his poetry. For example, “Do you see the Yellow River come from the sky, /Rushing into the sea and n’ver come back?” (Invitation to Wine); “How lofty the western mountain stands, /And the Yellow River is like one walking rope hanging from the sky’s edge.” (A Farewell Song to Dan Qiu); and “Descending from the sky, the Yellow River rushes into the East Sea, /Surging for ten thousand miles in my heart.” (To Pei the Fourteenth) – the all-sweeping, ever-raging Yellow River not only signifies his love for the mountains and rivers of the country, but also his breadth of humanity and free, unrestrained character. His four-line poems are marked by clarity, smoothness, elegance and natural grace. Scenic or lyrical, his poems are all made perfect, thus claiming the first and foremost place in the Tang Dynasty poetry.
Chinese Folklores & Festivals Website
Li Bai is a prodigy. His poetry is fascinated and extolled by the reading public of his time. The master poet Du Fu, his contemporary, once praised his poetry like this: “Li Bai’s poetry is unrivalled, /And distinguished from the rest in elegance.” (Thinking of Li Bai on a Spring Day) “Your writing brush moves with wind and rain /Your poetry draws the ghosts and demons to tears ……/Nourished by literary grace, /Your poetry will pass down forever.” (To Li Bai) Speaking highly of the tremendous artistic achievements of his poetry and foretelling the ever-lasting popularity of his poetry, Du Fu is really worthy of being his boon companion. 1155815
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