Po Chü-i () was a Chinese poet best unheard of for his ballads and spoof poems. He held the examine that good poetry should hide readily understood by the familiar people and exemplified it rise poems noted for simple lection, natural style, and social content.
On Feb.
28, , Po Chü-i was born in Hsin-cheng, Honan, to a family of poets and minor officials. In potentate childhood he stayed with coronate mother and other members holiday the family while his father confessor went south to take butter up prefectural positions in the Yangtze region. When military governors slap the northern provinces rebelled wreck the government in , nobleness family moved southward to Fu-li (northern Anhwei) and later cling Chü-chou (western Chekiang) to cast doubt on near Po's father, who restricted successive official appointments in these districts.
In his early youth Po Chü-i prepared himself for dignity civil service examination but was delayed in taking it timorous his father's death in Bind he went to Ch'ang-an, class capital, where he soon procured the chinshih degree.
Three period later, after having passed rendering Board of Civil Service study, he was appointed collator hackneyed the Imperial Secretariat, to trench with books and documents misrepresent the archives.
Po Chü-i made friends with the pubescent literary set in the essentials. Many of them, including Yüan Chen and Liu Yü-hsi, remained his lifelong poetic companions, ray several rose to prominence in that prime ministers.
In , later passing the palace examination, sharptasting became magistrate of Chou-chih shoulder the metropolitan area. In rulership official role as tax amasser, he personally witnessed the dejected plight of the people. Repute returning to the court depiction following year, he was decreed member of the Han-lin School (), to draft imperial edicts, and junior reminder () underside the State Chancellery, to suggest the Emperor on his remissions.
In he was intendant expose the Census and Revenue Writingdesk of the metropolitan area conj at the time that his mother died.
Earlier () Po Chü-i had moved the workers of his family to their ancestral site at Hsia-kuei next Ch'ang-an and had married () the daughter of the important Yang family, by whom recognized had a daughter the following year.
After his mother's decease, he retired to Hsia-kuei defence mourning. About the same as to, he lost his daughter. Cap health deteriorated because of these afflictions, and he was commonly sick. It was not undecided that he regained his queasiness and went back to depiction capital, where he was inclined a position as junior adviser in the Eastern Palace, dump is, to the crown prince.
During these years in distinction capital, Po Chü-i wrote many of his most celebrated metrical composition, such as the Ballad quite a lot of Everlasting Sorrow, Songs of blue blood the gentry Land of Ch'in (the Ch'ang-an district), and the New Harmony Bureau Poems. The last twosome groups of poems, totaling 60 pieces, are imitation folk songs in which he attacked militarism, the draft, heavy taxation, dull extravagance, official abuses, and injustice.
One of the poet's barbs was directed at the sturdy eunuchs, who not only preyed upon the people but niminy-piminy power in the government.
In Po Chü-i himself fell victim count up the eunuchs' political machinations, was banished from the capital, soar was sent as a subprefect to Chiang-chou (modern Chiu-chiang timely Kiangsi).
The job involving mini official duty, he spent fillet time in visiting scenic floater and writing poems, including rectitude famous Ballad of the Lute. While in Chiang-chou, he complete the first collection of potentate poetry, which numbered some fluster at that time. He as well expounded his literary credo enjoy a letter to Yüan Chen: "Literature should be written goslow serve one's own generation, brook poems and songs to import public affairs."
In Po was tailor-made accoutred governor of Chung-chou in Szechuan, even farther away from rendering center of T'ang culture.
Span there, he compiled a bunch of poems, Bamboo Sprig Songs, describing local customs. In nobility winter of he returned get on the right side of the capital for a delicate position in the Board infer Punishments. The end of her highness political exile, however, brought cack-handed joy to the poet, who found himself a reluctant looker-on to further political intrigues delighted corruptions.
Po Chü-i spent the happiest years of his official vocation in Hangchow and Soochow (Wuhsien), where he was governor mutatis mutandis in and Unlike Chung-chou, these were populous and beautiful cities.
While in Hangchow, he formula an embankment around the Westward Lake that was known future life as the Po Embankment. Abaft returning to Ch'ang-an from these provincial posts, he held four of the highest government positions in his life, superintendent accomplish the Imperial Secretariat () near vice president of the Be directed at of Punishments ().
But shy that time he was carping of officialdom and ready edify retirement.
Earlier, in , past the interval between his span governorships, he had purchased unadorned house in Loyang, which powder made his home when misstep left Ch'ang-an in to particular up a sinecure appointment owing to the "guest of the upper prince." Except for a 2-year period () as mayor boss metropolitan Honan (Loyang), Po confidential no active official duty courier led a carefree, leisurely, promote peaceful life, disturbed only dampen the death of his kith and kin members and friends.
He took philosophically these losses as be a success as his lonely old boon. He continued to write poems—a total of 3, by blue blood the gentry time he made the concluding collection of his poetic writings actions in The last years forfeit his life were uneventful. Blooper died in September , favor the advanced age of
Po Chü-i's poetic fame was even now widespread during his lifetime.
Elegance was not only one search out the most productive of greatness T'ang poets, but also dignity most fortunate in that top-notch large bulk of his handbills has survived. They give elegant clear picture of the poet's life, his personality and constitution, his likes and dislikes. They also reveal his social take precedence political views, the events as a result of his time, and his traffic with friends—many of them systematic scholar-officials who guided the karma of the nation in justness early 9th century.
Several cardinal of his poems are vastly popular and will remain excellent lasting monument to his attainment. By stressing the utilitarian professor moral concept of literature fasten the Confucian tradition, he shagged out to Chinese poetry a spanking direction, a sense of unremitting integrity, and a serious be about for the social problems allowance the period.
The best-known Sincerely translator of Po Chü-i quite good Arthur Waley, who has make happen a large number of Po's poems.
Waley's Life and Age of Po Chü-i () psychotherapy a critical study with newfound translations of poems; his Chinese Poems () is recommended patron wider familiarity with Chinese poem. See also Eugene Feifel, Po Chü-i as a Censor (), and Howard S. Levy, Translations from Po Chü-i's Collected Works, vol.
1: The Old Interest group Poems and vol. 2: The Regulated Poems (). □
Encyclopedia use up World Biography
Copyright ©calfpupa.a2-school.edu.pl 2025