Du Fu

杜甫 - Du Fu (712-770)

生平 - Life

A painting of me from the book called "Wan hsiao tang-Chu chuang -Hua chuan（晩笑堂竹荘畫傳）. Click [1] 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").

At nineteen, I began to travel, although the poems that I wrote during that period were not preserved. Even so, in my later poems, I often reflected on my travels, though I might have remembered the times more fondly; they often seem to be a lighter mood than during the actual travels, especially after the harsh life I had endured. I returned to take the Civil Services Examination and was unsuccessful, much to my surprise. In my disappointment, I set out to travel again, this time focusing more on riding and hunting than poetry (Davis 17-20).

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 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).

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

Part of my poem "On Visiting the Temple of Laozi"

More than 1400 of my poems have survived; others often say they reflect four major periods of my life:

• My youth, schooling, and wandering (712-747)

• My captivity in Chang'an because of the An Lushan Rebellion (747-756)

• My escape from rebel-held Chang'an and my official government appointment as "Reminder" to Emperor Suzong (756-760)

• More traveling, following the Yangzi to Kuizhou, to Yueyang, and so on. (760-770)

My collection of poems are of a variety of topics - it was arranged into as many as seventy-two categories. I myself prefer to organize them into four subgroups: poems of travel, poems on paintings, allegorical poems, and poems of friendship (Davis 128). Because of my varying style, translations tend to poorly reflect the shifting moods and focuses in my poetry. I wrote in all the styles of the time, sometimes playing with forms considered suitable for only certain topics (Watson xviii).

Poems of Travel

I am a traveler. In my early years, I wandered due to my own desires, and in later years, forced by the rebellion. My observations and emotions mixed with a hint of danger led to the creation of some powerful poems, in which "[my] hardships are treated with irony, [my] companions are shown compassion, and the barriers or land, water, and weather are accorded appreciation and awe" (Davis 129). A significant aspect of traveling is being apart from family. Therefore, many of my poems are more to do with homesickness then actual travels. In my youth, I missed my hometown and in later years, my wife and children. My later travels were caused by the rebellion, so some of my poems expressed my sadness and unwillingness (Davis 128-131).

泥功山 - Nigong Mountain

朝行青泥上，暮在青泥中。

泥泞非一时，版筑劳人功。

不畏道途永，乃将汩没同？

白马为铁骊，小儿成老翁。

哀猿透却坠，死鹿力所穷。

寄语北来人，後来莫匆匆。

(Du Fu and Fang)

In the morning we travel over black mud;

In the evening we are still amid black mud.

The mud is not all from one time;

Many men have labored to ram the earth here.

I do not fear the unendingness of the road;

Only it could be like drowning.

My white horse has become an iron black;

My small son has turned into an old man.

A miserable gibbon crossed but fell;

A dead deer whose strength failed.

I send word to those coming from the north,

That from here on they should not hurry.

(as quoted in Davis 131)

Qiang Village

Red clouds, their towering shapes move westward;

sun's rays streak down to the level plain.

Bramble gate, sparrows and little birds chattering

the traveler home from his thousand-mile trek.

My wife, amazed to see me alive,

recovers from her astonishment, wipes away tears.

A world in chaos, buffeted, tumbled,

by sheerest chance I've managed to make it back.

Faces of my neighbors crowd the wall;

pitying, they add their sighs and exclamations.

As night deepens, we bring out candles,

face one another as though in a dream.

(Watson 41).

This poem was about my return to my family after my captivity in Chang'an in 757.

Poems on Paintings

I could not study poetry without studying calligraphy and paintings. I myself have great respect and affection for painters and composed twenty or so poems about paintings and their representations (Davis 133-134).

An example of one such poem:

画鹰 - The Painted Hawk

素练风霜起 苍鹰画作殊

竦身思狡兔 侧目似愁胡

绦镟光堪摘 轩楹势可呼

何当击凡鸟 毛血洒平芜

(Du Fu Poems 1)

Wind and frost swirl up from the white silk surface,

so superb, this painting of the gray hawk!

Shoulders hunched, he schemes to outwit the wily rabbit;

peers to one side like a vexed barbarian.

Foot cord and ring, a gleam bright enough to grasp;

by pillar and eaves, poised to come if you should call.

When will he swoop down on those lesser birds,

feathers and blood splattered over the barren plain?

(Du Fu and Watson 3)

There are three reasons to why a lyrical poem with an item - an object, live plants, or an animal - as the subject is difficult to write. First, the item must be accurately described. Second, the 'life characteristics' of the item must be clearly expressed. And third, a relationship between the item and people on a spiritual level must be established to suggest its importance and merge it into people's purpose of life. An inanimate object of an animated subject, such as the hawk painted in this poem, is especially difficult to write about. Writing it as a real hawk would make the poem a failure, since the painting is obviously not real, but writing it as just an object makes it impossible to convey the spirit that the painting suggests. I was, however, able to mix the two aspects, using the details of the painting to express how it "comes alive" (Du Fu Poems 1).

Allegorical Poems

The expression of my personal emotions in my poems was done by using either allusions to earlier poets or symbolism relating to plants and animals. When the correct references are found, these poems are easy to understand; however, when the content moves beyond the personal level to allegorical writings the poems' meanings are no longer apparent (Davis 140).

This poem is clearly not about me personally:

萤火 - The Firefly

幸因腐草出，敢近太阳飞。

未足临书卷，时能点客衣。

随风隔幔小，带雨傍林微。

十月清霜重，飘零何处归。

(Du Fu, "The Firefly")

Luckily you have come out from rotting weeds;

Dare you fly near the sun?

You are not able to illumine books,

But can always bespot a traveler's clothes.

Carried on the wind, you seem small outside the curtain;

Specked with rain, you are faint by the side of the wood.

When in the tenth month the chill frost is heavy,

In your distress where will you turn?

(as quoted in Davis 142)

This poem is a political allegory with Li Fuguo (李辅国), a eunuch official, as the subject. I called him a rotten weed that shamelessly got too close to the emperor, the sun. I criticized the eunuch for being uneducated and thus causing sufferings to the people and I wished him to be removed from office as soon as possible (Davis 143).

Poems of Friendship

Some of my most passionate poems were written to my friends, the most notable person - to be at least - being Li Bai (李白).

春日忆李白 - On a Spring Day Thinking of Li Bai

白也诗无敌，飘然思不群。

清新庚开府，俊逸鲍参军。

渭北春天树，江东日暮云。

何时一尊酒，重与细论文？

(Du Fu and Fang)

Li Bai—poems unrivaled,

thought soaring airborne, never banal:

the freshness, newness of Yu the Commander,

the rare excellence of Adjutant Bao.

Here by the northern Wei, springtime trees;

east of the Yangzi, clouds at the close of day—

when will we share a cask of wine,

once more debate the subtleties of the written word?

(Du Fu and Watson 4)

He was the poet that I admired the most and I was so sad to have to part with him without knowing whether we would be able to meet again. Another poem titled "Dreaming of Li Bai" (梦李白) is possibly an "expression of a deep but generally unsatisfied desire" (Davis 149).

Accompanying Mr. Zheng of the Broad Learning Academy on an Outing to General He's Mountain Villa

Beside the bed, books piled to the ceiling;

in front of the steps, trees that brush the clouds:

the General has no taste for military matters;

his young sons are all skilled in literature.

Sobering up from wine, we let in the gentle breeze,

listen to poems, pass the quiet night.

Thin summer cloaks are draped on the vines

where cool moonlight, white, shimmers over them.

(Watson 15)

This poem was written in about 752, on an outing to the hills south of Chang'an in the summer.

「李杜」- "Li-Du"

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

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.

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.

Du Fu's political nature doesn't necessarily reflect his entire person. It was clear that the state of the country was important to him, but other poems, such as the poems indicated in the "Poems of Friendship" section, show a side of Du Fu that cannot be discounted. The reality of Du Fu's writing was that his subject matter seems hardly contained in his 1,400 extant poems. One must wonder how many poems have been lost.

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 sometimes lost.

In his life, he did not ever achieve a grand position in the government, and he failed the civil examination twice, but only decades after his life, his fame grew. His poems contained not only strong style, but also subjects that, in later centuries, helped to establish an idea of the sometimes mundane parts of life in the Tang Dynasty. Because his poetry seems almost written for himself or people close to him, the personal nature of his poetry reveals his strong sense of country as well as honesty sometimes hidden in other poets.

Brandon Heil

参考 - References

Davis, A.R. Tu Fu. New York: Twayne Publishers, 1971. Print.

"Du Fu Poems 1" (杜甫诗(一)). 佛山市图书馆. Web. 25 Feb 2012. <http://www.fslib.com.cn/oldfslib/Study/chinaculture/view.Asp?ID=53>

Du Fu. "Wanderings of My Prime" (状游). 教學資源,成語字典,花蓮吉安鄉合法民宿. Web. 03 Mar 2012. <http://www.gotop.idv.tw/content/dofu/travel1.htm>

Du Fu. "The Firefly" (萤火). 诗词名句网. Web. 04 Mar 2012. <http://www.shicimingju.com/baidu/list/118776.html>

Du Fu. The Selected Poems of Du Fu. Trans. Burton Watson. New York: Columbia University Press, 2002. Print. <http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=100345806>

Du Fu and Fang Zhouzi (方舟子). The Complete Poems of Du Fu (杜甫诗全集). Web. 03 Mar 2012. <http://www.njmuseum.com/zh/book/scgf/dufu/dufu.html>

Cooper, Arthur. Li Po and Tu Fu. Penguin Books, 1973. Print.

Images

Web. <http://86art.net/art/hl/zghl/rw/200707/20070724153459.html>

Web. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Du_Fu>

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