Du Fu - Revision history

Brandon H: /* 生平 - Life */

2013-03-05T03:52:06Z

生平 - Life

Brandon H: /* Presentation */

2013-03-05T03:38:21Z

Presentation

Brandon H: /* Author Commentary */

2013-02-27T21:02:32Z

Author Commentary

Root: /* Presentation */

2013-02-25T12:56:41Z

Presentation

Brandon H: /* Presentation */

2013-02-24T19:02:11Z

Presentation

Brandon H: /* Presentation */

2013-02-24T18:58:03Z

Presentation

Brandon H: /* 生平 - Life */

2013-02-16T06:55:34Z

生平 - Life

Brandon H: /* 生平 - Life */

2013-02-16T06:54:34Z

生平 - Life

Brandon H: /* 结论 - Conclusion */

2013-02-16T06:21:12Z

结论 - Conclusion

Brandon H: /* 「李杜」- "Li-Du" */

2013-02-16T06:18:35Z

「李杜」- "Li-Du"

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 = 生平 - Life =
-[[file:20070724153529691.jpg|thumb|right|A painting of me]]
+[[file:du_fu_painting.jpg|thumb|right|A painting of me from the book called "Wan hsiao tang-Chu chuang -Hua chuan（晩笑堂竹荘畫傳）. Click [http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Du_Fu.jpg] for the original image.]]
 I was born in 712 as the grandson of Du Shenyan (杜審言), a known prose writer and poet of his day. It is quite likely that his reputation motivated me to study literary works - his works included - in my early years (Davis 14-16). My ancestor Du Yu (222-284) was a Confucian scholar who compiled an authoritative commentary on the ''Zuozhuan''. As stated in my poem "The Wanderings of My Prime," I was composing poetry at the age of seven, writing calligraphy at age nine, and had poems in the literary arena by fourteen/fifteen. Like most of the great poets of my time, such as Li Bai, I enjoyed drinking wine, even at a relatively young age. I attempted to associate with men who were far more wise than those of my own age (Du Fu, "Wanderings").

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:38, 5 March 2013
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	[[Media:Du_Fu_Brandon_Heil.pdf]]		[[Media:Du_Fu_Brandon_Heil.pdf]]
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		+	[[File:Du_Fu_Brandon_Heil.pptx]]

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-== Author Commentary ==
+== Contemporary Commentator ==
 Du Fu's poetry stands out as significant because of its intensely personal subject matters. Often he looked toward the political in his poems, relating the political turmoil of the time to his life or to an image of nature, such as the poem "Pitying the Prince" where it begins, "Over Chang'an city walls white-headed crows/ fly by night, crying above Greeting Autumn Gate./ Then they turn to homes of the populace, pecking at great mansions,/ mansions where high officials scramble to flee the barbarians" (Watson 26). The white-headed crows are omens of evil, foreshadowing, in the first line, a troubled future, and by the fourth line, have become the evil, "pecking" at the homes of the people.
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 In his writing, much of the skill seen in his poetry is lost in translation. Because English and Chinese are very different languages, the mastery of five, four, or seven syllable lines simply cannot be represented. The closest one can come in translation is to understand the great variance of his subject matter. For the reader of translated Du Fu, the title "poet historian" is very fitting because the reader does not see the mastery of style. Perhaps the best way to examine Du Fu's varying style is to compare his longer poems to his ''jueju'', a quatrain of couplets in five or seven syllable lines. The ''jueju'' works within a very confined style in order to present a complete poem. The form demonstrates a great mastery of language because of its requirements not only of length but of tone, rhythm, and so on. In the way a sonnet often has a shift in idea during the eighth line, this form often features a shift in idea during the third line. The poem "On the Spur of the Moment" gives incredibly strong imagery: "River Moon barely a foot or two away from us;/ a windblown torch lights the night, nearly third watch./ Along the sand, roosting herons bunched together, silent; by the stern a fish leaps up, comes down with a smack" (Watson 119). In the same way court style poetry gave a transient image of the moment, this poem features such an idea. The fish moves through the last line, smacking the water and disappearing. The moon in the first line is only a reflection of the moon, but he notes that it's almost within reach, a strange tone of hope permeating the line. Comparing this to a poem from Du Fu's captivity in Chang'an, "Moonlight Night," not only is the subject and tone vastly different, but the sense of distance is significant. "From her room in Fuzhou tonight,/ all alone she watches the moon" (Watson 28). In this line, the sense of distance is significant. Unlike the later poem, this description of Du Fu's wife shows her inability to act out toward him and reflects on his similar paralysis. The moon is featured as an image in both poems, but in "Moonlight Night," it's not an image filled with much hope. In addition, the tone throughout the poem is filled with loneliness. The image of the poem is transient, as in the other poem, "Fragrant mist in her cloud hair damp,/ clear lucence on her jade arms cold."
-While only a small sample of the amount of comparisons that could be done among Du Fu's 1,400 poems, both of these poems show a significant amount of diversity, even if in translation the skill in style and form is lost.
+While only a small sample of the amount of comparisons that could be done among Du Fu's 1,400 poems, both of these poems show a significant amount of diversity, even if in translation the skill in style and form is sometimes lost.

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	== Presentation ==		== Presentation ==

−	[[~~File~~:Du_Fu_Brandon_Heil.pdf]]	+	[[Media:Du_Fu_Brandon_Heil.pdf]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:02, 24 February 2013
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	== Presentation ==		== Presentation ==

−	[[File:~~Du Fu Brandon Heil~~]]	+	[[File:Du_Fu_Brandon_Heil.pdf]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:58, 24 February 2013
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	== Presentation ==		== Presentation ==

−	~~https~~:~~//docs.google.com/presentation/d/1xhVYQO4WWFkkAj4P0qVJJFxVgnSjt7qiMuOFNQp6g0M/edit?usp=sharing~~	+	[[File:Du Fu Brandon Heil]]

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 In 755, I was finally given a small post as "adjutant in the Office of the Right Commander of the Heir-Apparent's Palace Guard" (Davis 41). In December, the An Lushan Rebellion(安史之乱) erupted and soon I took my family and fled. My family was safe, but I was captured as I attempted to reach the court in Fengxiang and forced to stay in Chang'an for eight months, during which I wrote many poems. I attempted to record the war in my poetry and continued after the rebellion ended, which earned the title of "Poet Historian" (Davis 49-52).
-I escaped Chang'an in the fourth month of captivity. I managed to make my way to Fengxiang, the temporary court of the new Emperor, Suzong, where I was appointed to the position of "Reminder." Either due to my inexperience and lack of political connections, or because I did too much "reminding," I was sent to my family in the village of Qiang. In 757, the capital was retaken and I returned to the court of Chang'an. Unfortunately, my support of an unpopular minister led to my transfer to a far away post in Huazhou, east of the capital. Unhappy with this position, in 759, I left for Qinzhou, and at the end of the year I traveled west to Chengdu. For the next ten years, until my death in 770, I traveled, but often returned to Chengdu.
+I escaped Chang'an in the fourth month of captivity. I managed to make my way to Fengxiang, the temporary court of the new Emperor, Suzong, where I was appointed to the position of "Reminder." Either due to my inexperience and lack of political connections, or because I did too much "reminding," I was sent to my family in the village of Qiang. In 757, the capital was retaken and I returned to the court of Chang'an. Unfortunately, my support of an unpopular minister led to my transfer to a far away post in Huazhou, east of the capital. Unhappy with this position, in 759, I left for Qinzhou, and at the end of the year I traveled west to Chengdu. For the next ten years, until my death at age 59, I traveled, but often returned to Chengdu.
 = 诗歌 - Poetry =

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 I was raised with traditional Confucian beliefs, but when I was around thirty, I became somewhat curious about Buddhism and Taoism. My interest in Taoism increased with the meeting with Li Bai (李白) in 744. I was very fond of him, and I wrote to and about him after we parted. I continued to write even though neither my feelings nor my letters were returned. Eventually, my interest in Taoism soon faded (Davis 23-27).
-I was no longer young and could not afford to waste the rest of my life, so at age thirty-three I returned to the capital. In 747, I had the opportunity to take the Civil Service Examination again. This time, Chief Minister Li Linfu intervened and failed all of the participants. I never attempted to take another one of the exams; instead, I petitioned to officials and the Emperor himself. I was not able to gain office and lived poverty for the next ten or so years. The elements reflected in my poems written during this period were not only disappointment and frustration, but also an awareness in this part of society and sympathy towards those who were suffering (Davis 27-36).
+I was no longer young and could not afford to waste the rest of my life, so at age thirty-three I returned to the capital. In 747, I had the opportunity to take the Civil Service Examination again. This time, Chief Minister Li Linfu intervened and failed all of the participants. I never attempted to take another one of the exams; instead, I appealed to officials and the Emperor himself. I was not able to gain office and lived poverty for the next ten or so years. The elements reflected in my poems written during this period were not only disappointment and frustration, but also an awareness in this part of society and sympathy towards those who were suffering (Davis 27-36).
 In 755, I was finally given a small post as "adjutant in the Office of the Right Commander of the Heir-Apparent's Palace Guard" (Davis 41). In December, the An Lushan Rebellion(安史之乱) erupted and soon I took my family and fled. My family was safe, but I was captured as I attempted to reach the court in Fengxiang and forced to stay in Chang'an for eight months, during which I wrote many poems. I attempted to record the war in my poetry and continued after the rebellion ended, which earned the title of "Poet Historian" (Davis 49-52).

← Older revision		Revision as of 06:21, 16 February 2013
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	= 结论 - Conclusion =		= 结论 - Conclusion =

−	I was an ordinary man who lived an ordinary life ~~in which~~ I ~~achieved extraordinary accomplishments~~. ~~However,~~ never ~~in my 'life' did I expect~~ such influence ~~I have on the field of~~ poetry. In fact, I considered myself a failure, having failed the Imperial Examination twice, being unable to secure a post for many years ~~thus~~ living in poverty~~, and getting captured right after finally getting an appointment after ten years of wanderings in frustration~~. I did not contribute to the politics of the time or hold high offices. I - and my poems - remained unknown until long after my death. I wrote about common things: objects, my feelings, farewells to friends, things I saw at during the rebellion, society, politics, the common life - things as I see them. I recorded truth~~: It is what~~ it is.	+	I was an ordinary man who lived an ordinary life. I simply wrote my poetry. I never expected to have a such an influence in poetry. In fact, I considered myself a failure, having failed the Imperial Examination twice, being unable to secure a post for many years and living in poverty. I did not contribute to the politics of the time or hold high offices. I - and my poems - remained unknown until long after my death. I wrote about common things: objects, my feelings, farewells to friends, things I saw at during the rebellion, society, politics, the common life - things as I see them. I recorded truth as I saw it.

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 =「李杜」- "Li-Du" =
-As single persons, Li Bai (李白) and I can only be considered very competent poets, but together, we are considered the greatest poets of all time, to the point that people called us "Li-Du" (李杜). This is because we were, in fact, as different as can be, while still balancing each other. We were complementary, him being Yin and I Yang. Li Bai was a Taoist; I was Confucian. Li Bai had a unique personality; I left no striking impression about mine. Li Bai was very well known during his own lifetime; I was a nobody. Li Bai was carefree Li Bai did not take the Imperial Examination because he believed himself worthy of higher positions; I took the exam twice and failed both times and was still content in getting a small post after wandering in poverty for years. Most of Li Bai's poems were about dreams and wine; most of mine were historical (Cooper 15-44).
+As individuals, Li Bai (李白) and I can only be considered very competent poets; in my time, I never achieved fame like Li Bai. After our lives, we are often considered two of the greatest poets in China's history. We are often associated together. Sometimes we are referred to as "Li-Du" (李杜). Our lives seem to contrast. Li Bai was a Taoist; I was Confucian. Li Bai had a unique personality; while I left no striking impression. Li Bai was very well known during his own lifetime; I was not. Li Bai was carefree; he did not take the Imperial Examination because he believed he was worthy of higher positions; I took the exam twice and failed twice. I was still content in achieving a small post after wandering in poverty for years. Most of Li Bai's poems were about dreams and wine; most of mine were historical (Cooper 15-44).
 = 结论 - Conclusion =