Ten years in Chang 'an

Discordant times

Wandering southwest

Roaming period

From the 19th year of Xuanzong Kaiyuan (73 1) to the 4th year of Tianbao (745). Du Fu wandered for a long time twice. The first time was in Jiangnan. He has been to Jinling and Gusu, crossed Zhejiang, and went boating in Tunxi until he reached the foot of Tianmu Mountain. In the twenty-third year of Kaiyuan, he returned to Luoyang to take the Jinshi exam and was not admitted. The following year, he began to roam Qi and Zhao for the second time. In his later years, he recalled the scene at that time: "On the occasion of Qi and Zhao, Qiu Ma was quite wild." During these two wanderings, he saw the beautiful and majestic mountains and rivers of the motherland, absorbed the cultures of Jiangnan and Shandong, broadened his horizons and enriched his knowledge. In the 29th year of Kaiyuan, he lived in shouyangshan between Luoyang and Yanshi. He may have been married to his wife Yang Tianbao for three years and met Li Bai in Luoyang. They traveled around Qilu, visited Taoism to find friends, talked about poetry and papers, and sometimes talked about current affairs, and formed a profound friendship. The following autumn, Du Fu will go west to Chang 'an, and Li Bai will revisit Jiangdong. They broke up in Yanzhou and never met again. Du Fu wrote many touching poems in memory of Li Bai.

At this time, the Tang Dynasty was still relatively strong, and the granary was quite substantial. However, Xuanzong began to exult and expand the frontier, consuming a lot of manpower and material resources, and an unstable crisis was lurking in the society. Du Fu had a premonition about this, but he didn't face it squarely. He leads a romantic life of climbing mountains, wading, singing and hunting. According to his own account, there may be hundreds of poems he wrote during this period, but only 20 poems have been handed down, mainly five-character poems and five-character ancient poems. Although there are some excellent works such as Wang Yue, on the whole, they have not surpassed the level of famous poets in Du period.

Chang 'an period

From the fifth year of Tianbao to the fourteenth year of Tianbao, Du Fu lived in Chang 'an for 10 years, and his life, thoughts and creation have undergone tremendous changes. He went to Chang 'an to get an official position and make achievements. In the sixth year of Tianbao, people with skills were selected by Xuanzong to Kyoto, and Du Fu took the exam. However, due to Li's destruction, a famous China book, no candidate was selected. In the tenth year of Tianbao, Xuanzong held three grand ceremonies to worship Laozi, Imperial Palace and Heaven and Earth. Du Fu wrote three "Gifts", which was appreciated by Xuanzong, and ordered the Prime Minister to examine his writings, ready to go, and no more. He kept writing poems and giving them to powerful people, hoping to get their recommendation, but to no avail. Finally, You Wei led the government to join Cao Jun, which was the last day of Du Fu's stay in Chang 'an and the eve of An Shi Rebellion.

Xuanzong in his later years completely changed the excellent political style of making great efforts in Kaiyuan period. There was a prime minister who was corrupt and arrogant, but he was militaristic, and he himself enjoyed himself in the palace. The people were brutally exploited by exorbitant taxes and levies. Du Fu was "trapped in food and clothing". In order to make a living, he had to go in and out of the aristocratic mansion, act as a "guest", accompany them to sing poems and write poems, drink and have fun, and get a little support. At the same time, he made some friends as poor as himself, and also made extensive contact with the working people. His footprints range from mean streets to noble gardens, from Qujiang, where high-rise buildings and pavilions compete for luxury, to xian yangqiao, where people must go before they start recruiting. The failure of official career requirements made him objectively understand the corruption of the ruling class, and his personal hunger and cold made him realize the sufferings of the people. These two completely different lives are reflected in Du Fu's poems. Eleven years after Tianbao, he wrote immortal masterpieces such as Garage Shop, Two Roads, Before the Fortress and After the Fortress, and began to add new contents and new expressions to the poems at that time. In the winter of the 14th year of Tianbao, Du Fu visited his wife in Fengxian and wrote "From Beijing to Fengxian, I want to recite 500 words", expressing the deep affection of "worrying about Li Yuan in poor years, sighing hot in the intestines", summarizing the sharp social contradictions with "the wine and meat in Zhumen stink, and the road freezes to death", and describing the family situation of "My youngest son is hungry and dead". This is his ten years.

There are more than 100 poems handed down in this period, most of which are ancient poems with five or seven words.

Left-handers and exiles

From Su Zong to Deyuanzai (756) to Gan Yuan for two years (759). After the Anshi Rebellion, he went south and quickly occupied Luoyang and Chang 'an. Du Fu is now in Zhangzhou. He heard that Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty fled to the west of Sichuan and Su Zong ascended the throne in Lingwu, so he settled his family in Qiang village in the north of the city and went north to Lingwu alone. Unfortunately, the rebels stopped him and sent him to Chang 'an. Du Fu was trapped by a thief for nearly half a year. He looked at the solemn and desolate capital and listened to the news that Tang Jun was wiped out twice in Chen Tao and Qing Osaka. He was filled with grief and indignation, and wrote poems such as Sad Chen Tao, Sad Qing Osaka, Spring Hope and Love for the Head of the River. In April of the second year of Zhide (757), Du Fu risked his life to escape from Chang 'an and went to Fengxiang, the temporary residence of Su Zong, and was appointed as the left addendum. Soon after, Su Zong was offended and tried for saving the house. In August, he returned to visit his wife in Luzhou, and finished the long poem "Northern Expedition", which is comparable to "From Beijing to Fengxian 500 Words", depicting the desolate scene on the journey and the poverty at home.

Expressed their views on the current situation.

In September this year, Tang Jun recovered Chang 'an and Luoyang in October. Su Zong 10 returned to Beijing at the end of October, and Du Fu also returned to Chang 'an at this time, still serving as the left gleaning. In May of the following year, Du Fu was transferred to Sigong of Huazhou to join the army under the influence of the struggle between Su Zongxin and Xuanzong. Say goodbye to Chang 'an from now on.

The following spring in Gan Yuan, Du Fu went to Henan to visit his former residence. On his way home, he witnessed the sufferings of the people under the cruel oppression of officials, and wrote six famous poems, such as Xin 'an Official, Tongguan Official, Shihu Official, Wedding Farewell and Farewell to the Old and Homeless, which were called "Three Officials" and "Three Farewells" by later generations.

It was early summer when Du Fu returned to Iowa. At this time, Li was in power in the imperial court, and the old minister room of Xuanzong was excluded. Disappointed with politics, Du Fu resolutely abandoned his official position in early autumn to explore Qin Zhou. Less than April in Qin Zhou, I went to Tonggu in early winter; After staying in Tonggu for a month, I set foot on the difficult Shu Road and arrived in Chengdu at the end of the year.

The Anshi Rebellion was the turning point of the Tang Dynasty from prosperity to decline, and great social, political and economic changes took place. Politically, the imperial court lost its centralized ruling power at home and could not resist the invasion of barbarians abroad; Economically, due to years of war and natural disasters, the countryside is in depression, and the exploitation of the people by the ruling class has intensified, resulting in a sharp drop in population and a decline in productivity. Du Fu himself has experienced very complicated changes: exile, being trapped in a thief, being left behind by the emperor, exile in China, living on the desolate Luoyang Road, living in Sichuan-there is a great disparity in personnel relations and natural environment. This kind of life experience is better than Chang 'an period.

It is much richer and more difficult, so there are many kinds of poems, and more than 200 poems have been handed down, most of which are masterpieces of Du Fu's poems.

Wandering southwest period

From the first year of Su Zong Shang Yuan (760) to the fifth year of Dai Zong Dali (770). 1 1 year, Du Fu spent eight years in Shu and three years in Jingxiang. Du Fu said that he was "wandering in the southwest between heaven and earth" in Kuizhou (Ode to Monument). In fact, he has lived in Chengdu for five years and his life is relatively stable. In the spring of the first year of Shangyuan, a thatched cottage was built near Huanhuaxi in the west of Chengdu, ending four years of exile and obtaining a place to live. He left the troubled and sorrowful Central Plains, and his eyes showed a beautiful pastoral scene. Flowers, birds, insects and fish seem to be attentive to him, which makes him temporarily rest from years of hard work and anxiety. He also wrote many poems, praising nature with infinite love. However, he never forgot those people who were exiled and had nowhere to live. In "The Song of Autumn Wind Breaking the Cottage", he sang the famous sentence "There are thousands of spacious buildings in Qian Qian, and the poor in the world are happy."

At the end of last year, he came to Chengdu and served as Yin and Yu Shi of Chengdu, giving Du Fu a lot of help. In July of the first year of Daizong Baoying (762), Yanwu was called into Korea. Chengdu Shaoyin and Xu Yushi knew that he had defected in Chengdu, and Du Fu went into exile in Zizhou and Langzhou.

In the spring of Baoying, the Anshi Rebellion, which lasted for 78 years, ended. Du Fu was ecstatic when he heard the news and thought there was hope to return to Luoyang. He blurted out the seven laws that the two sides of the Yellow River were recaptured by the imperial army, expressing his inner joy. This is the happiest song of Du Fu's life. However, happiness is only a flash in the pan The chaos in China has not been clarified. Tubo in the west invaded on a large scale and captured Chang 'an in October. Du Fu expressed infinite concern about this: "Is Xijing safe?" No one came. "He wrote many poems and expounded his political thoughts.

In the spring of the second year of Guangde (764), he was appointed as Yin and Jiannan in Chengdu, and Du Fu returned to Chengdu in March. Yanwu recommended Du Fu as our staff officer and foreign minister of the Ministry of Industry. Du Fu lived in the shogunate of our province for several months. Not used to shogunate life, he repeatedly asked to return to the thatched cottage. Finally, Yanwu agreed to his request. In April of the first year of Yongtai (765), Yanwu died suddenly, and Du Fu lost his dependence. In May, he had to lead his family to leave the thatched cottage and take a boat to the east. "Five guests in Shu county, one year in Zizhou" ("Going to Shu") ended the first half of Du Fu's "wandering southwest".

Du Fu arrived in Yun 'an in September and was unable to move forward due to illness. It was not until the next spring that his condition improved that he moved to Kuizhou. He lived in Kuizhou for less than two years, and his creation is very rich, with more than 400 poems, accounting for more than two-seventh of Du Fu's poems. The poem praises the poor working people in Kuizhou, describes the steep mountains and rivers here, reflects the turmoil in Sichuan and the yearning for Chang 'an and Luoyang, and the number of nostalgic works has increased greatly. However, his health is getting worse and worse, and malaria, lung disease, rheumatism and diabetes are constantly bothering him.

Due to the harsh climate and few friends in Kuizhou, Du Fu set out for the canyon in the first month of the third year of Dali (768). Arrive in Jiangling in March. He wanted to go north to Luoyang, but he couldn't make it because of the chaos and traffic jam in Henan. I lived in Jiangling for half a year, moved to the police station for several months, and arrived in Yueyang at the end of the year, where I wrote "Follow the Swallow", which vividly reflected the sufferings of Hunan people.

Four or five years in Dali is the last two years of Du Fu's life. He has no fixed address, and travels between Yueyang, Changsha, Hengzhou and Leiyang, spending most of his time on the boat. Dali died on a boat on the Xiangjiang River between Changsha and Yueyang in the winter of five years, at the age of 59. Before he died, he wrote a long poem with 36 rhymes, Sleeping on a pillow on a storm boat. There is a line in the poem that "the blood of the war is still there, and the sound of the army is still there", and he is still thinking about the disaster of the country. After Du Fu's death, the coffin was buried in Yueyang. It was 43 years later, that is, in the eighth year of Xian Zongyuan (8 13), and his grandson Du Cai was buried in shouyangshan, Henan.

During the period of 1 1, Du Fu wrote more than 1000 poems, accounting for more than 73% of all Du Fu's poems, most of which are modern poems-quatrains and metrical poems, as well as long poems.

The most striking feature of Du Fu's poetry creation is the close combination of social reality and personal life, and the perfect unity of ideological content and artistic form. Du Fu's poems profoundly reflect the social panorama of more than 20 years before and after the An Shi Rebellion in Tang Dynasty, vividly record his life journey, and reach the highest artistic achievement of Tang Dynasty's poetry. His poems can make readers "know the person" and "discuss the world" and play the role of "enlightening, observing, gathering people and complaining".

Du Fu's poems are called "the history of poetry". However, Du Fu's poetry, as a "history of poetry", is not an objective narrative. They write history in the style of poetry, but at the same time, they deeply reflect the reality and express the author's mood through a unique style. Pu Qilong, a Qing Dynasty man, said: "Poems of Shaoling are a person's temperament, and things of the Three Dynasties must be sent to others." (Reading-Jie's Notes on Poems of Shaoling Chronicle) Du Fu's poems are mostly related to the major political, economic, military and people's lives in Xuanzong, Suzong and Daizong periods, but they are everywhere.

The poet's true feelings. For example, Du Fu's two masterpieces in his middle age, From Beijing to Fengxian, Singing 500 Words and Northern Expedition, contain lyricism, narration, discipline, reasoning, observing nature, exposing social contradictions, inner conflicts, political aspirations and opinions, personal experiences and family misfortunes, disasters of the country and people, and hopes for the future. These two long poems contain such rich contents that the author's emotions fluctuate and his language gallops, which proves that he is keenly sensitive to various phenomena of nature and society in this unfortunate era.

Such a poem is a self-report of the poet's life and heart, and also a portrayal of the times and society. The fate of individuals is closely related to the fate of the people of the country, and the two have also reached a high degree of artistic integration. Another example is "Going to Jionji Pagoda with Gentlemen" and "Aijiangtou", which are short in length, but also have this feature.

Since the late Tianbao period, Du Fu has written a large number of poems on current affairs, whether stating political views, such as Washing Soldiers and Feeling written by Zizhou. Or expose the dissolute cruelty of the rulers, such as "Two Ways", "Two Memories of the Past" and "Yun 'an Three quatrains"; Or allegorical satire, such as Phoenix Terrace, Sick Orange, Dead Brown, and Guest from; Or sympathy and care for the poor people, such as "the hut was blown by the autumn wind" and "Wu Lang again"; It is a combination of personal feelings and facts. There are also many long stories, some of which record the major events of the country in the past decade, such as "Huai Fu Shu Huai" and "Up to now"; Some describe local chaos, such as Caotang and Hengzhou; Some reminisce about the past, such as "Forced Random Story" and "Farewell"; What's more, as Pu Qilong said, "Give up the world or give up your life" (Reading Du Fu's Outline) contains strong lyrical elements.

The theme of war occupies a considerable number in Du Fu's poems. Du Fu held different attitudes towards different types of wars. Oppose the imperial court's belligerence, which consumes manpower and material resources, such as Garage Shop, Kuizhou Letter, and Going Down the Hill in the Backyard; It is supportive to quell the rebellion and resist foreign aggression, such as "Watching Western Soldiers Stand by in Guanzhong" and "Watching Soldiers" in the early period of the An Shi Rebellion, and "Chronicle" written when Tubo invaded. What these poems condemn and praise is very clear. There are also some poems about war, both praising and condemning. Two groups of famous poems, before and after the dike, describe the changes of soldiers' mood in the process of joining the army, and actually reflect the poets' different views on the war from different angles. These two groups of poems praise the heroic scene on the battlefield, how soldiers are good at fighting, brave in sacrifice and win; He also condemned the king's endless frontier exploration and the arrogance and extravagance of the lords, which made the record lose its positive significance. These two groups of poems summarize the unfortunate fate of countless heroic soldiers through the confession of a soldier. Another example is "Three Officials" and "Three Partings", which more specifically express the author's inner conflict. On the way to Luoyang, Du Fu saw violent police forcibly recruiting young boys and lonely old people. He accused these people and condemned those officials, but when he thought of the lack of able-bodied men and the current enemies, he changed his tone and said a few words of comfort or encouragement to the conscripts as much as possible.

Du Fu's Military Vehicle Shop was written in Yuan Dynasty.

Du Fu wrote many poems about nature. The object of his singing is often related to both himself and current affairs. Poetry criticism and past dynasties' comments have made a lot of discussions on Du Shili's high degree of "scene blending". Du Fu's poems are not only highly integrated with scenes, but also with feelings, scenes and current events. When writing scenes and expressing feelings, the author seldom leaves reality, thinking of the era of war and chaos and people's misery. For example, when he was trapped in occupied Chang 'an, he wrote "Spring Watch" and when he entered Shu, he wrote "Jianmenguan", which are the most representative. In his later years, Du Fu made great achievements in this kind of poems, such as The Pavilion of Five Laws, On the River, Jianghan, Climbing the Building, Fermented Bean Curd, Night in the Pavilion, Eight Poems of Autumn Prosperity, etc., which are all famous works with a blend of scenes and current affairs.

In addition, Du Fu also wrote some poems about painting, music, architecture, dance, utensils and agricultural production, which also absorbed the author's feelings and had the flavor of the times, which can be regarded as a colorful cultural history. In Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yunming wrote Du Fu's Eight Poems of Autumn Prosperity.

There are also some poems in Du Fu's collected works, which are not strong in the flavor of the times and indifferent in personal feelings, especially some poems written by Du Fu in Chengdu Caotang. After years of migration and displacement, Du Fu went to Chengdu, established a thatched cottage, cultivated fields and got a temporary rest. So he carefully observed the dynamics of flowers, trees, birds, animals, insects and fish, and felt infinite love and profound experience. Such as Curtain Trail, Victor Xiang, Tian She, Xu Bu, Water Threshold to Send Heart, Later Tour, Delighting in Rain on a Spring Night, etc.

Du Fu's mood at that time can be imagined. Of course, this kind of poem can't be compared with the poems discussed above, but it also represents the other side of Du Fu's humanity. He not only has deep feelings for the country and people, but also has a hobby for tiny creatures.

He lives in seclusion near things (screen traces), likes to watch "fish come out in the drizzle, swallow leans in the breeze" (the water sill sends the heart away), and thinks that "flowers and willows are more selfless" (swimming backwards). Du Fu wrote some poems to commemorate his family and friends, most of which were sentimental and infatuated. I miss the moonlit night written by my wife when she was trapped in a thief, and I miss the moonlit night written by my brother in Qin Zhou. Among many poems that miss friends, Li Bai is the most prominent one. Du Fu presented Li Bai, remembered Li Bai, dreamed Li Bai, sent Li Bai and other poems related to Li Bai, including more than ten poems. Almost the capital showed profound friendship, warm care and sincere admiration for Li Bai.

Du Fu regards poetry as a lifelong career and thinks that "poetry is my family's business" (Zongwu Holy Day). He began to study poetry at the age of seven and never stopped writing poetry until the eve of his death. From the Anshi Rebellion to his arrival in Chengdu, he wrote the most profound poems in the most difficult years. He was sickly in Kuizhou and wrote the most. He is rich in life experience, full of political enthusiasm for patriotism and love for the people, and has also made great efforts in artistic skills. "Words don't astonish and die endlessly" (Talking about the water on the river like the tide) and "Singing by a New Poet" (the seventh of twelve poems to relieve boredom) show his serious attitude in creation. Du Fu also commented on poems with poems, and expressed his thoughts of inheriting fine traditions and commenting on poets in ancient and modern times in "Drama is six quatrains" and "Twelve Poems for Relieving boredom" (the fourth to the eighth).