Poets in Tang Dynasty. The word zi an. Jiangzhou Longmen (now Hejin, Shanxi) people. Together with Yang Jiong and Lu, they are called "Wang Luo" and "four outstanding figures in the early Tang Dynasty". Wang Bo's grandfather, Wang Tong, was a famous scholar in the late Sui Dynasty. His father, Wang Fu, worked as a doctor and secretary in Yongzhou. Wang Bo's talent was revealed very early. When he was a teenager, he was praised as a child prodigy by Liu Xiangdao, the governor of the imperial court. He recommended it to the imperial court and took countermeasures to seal him as a court official. At the beginning of 666, Gan, a native, took part in reading in the palace. Two years later, he was expelled from the palace for his role in The King's Chicken. Then go to Bashu. In the third year of Xian Heng (672), he made up for Zhou Guo to join the army. He was dismissed because he was good at killing officials and slaves. His father was also involved and was demoted to toe order. In the second year (675) or the third year (676), Wang Bo went south to visit relatives and drowned across the sea.
Wang Bo's literature advocates practicality, thinking that "a gentleman's word is decided. Mencius did not do it; It is shameful for Yang Xiong to advise you to be sarcastic. If you can't clarify the righteousness, rectify the last stream, vulgarize the rise and fall of the capital, and the home country depends on it, the ancients didn't pay attention to it ("Official Department Pei Shi Lang Qi"). At that time, the poetic style, represented by Shangguan Yi, prevailed in the literary world, with "trying to slim the structure and carve it", "doing one's best to keep one's backbone, but not listening to it", and Wang Bo "thinking about its disadvantages and pursuing its career lightly" (Preface to Yang Jiong and Wang Bo). His poems are "strong but not empty, firm and moist, engraved without breaking, strengthened by pressing", which has played a great role in changing the atmosphere.
Wang Bo now writes more than 80 poems, most of which are five-character poems and quatrains. Among them, writing Farewell to Homesickness is more famous. The Biography of Du Shaofu as a Book is a famous farewell poem in the Tang Dynasty, which describes the feelings of parting, consoled by "However, China has our friendship and the sky is our neighbor", and the artistic conception is open, sweeping away the deep breath of parting and pain. Five laws, such as Farewell to Xue Hua and Farewell to Xue Hua, are sincere and touching. Five-character quatrains, such as In the Mountains, Ji Chun, A Spring Tour and Two Poems on the Riverside, express deep homesickness through scenery writing. In the Ming Dynasty, Hu Yinglin thought that Wang Bo's Five Laws were graceful in image and vigorous in spirit, which really opened the wonderful scene of prosperous (Tang) and middle (Tang) times. Five words absolutely Yi Shu writes sadness, washes and cuts the flow. Investigating their talents is naturally the first time for the Tang people to open up the atmosphere "("Poetry Internal Compilation "Volume 4).
There are more than 10 ancient poems in Wang Bo alone, among which "Lingaotai" reflects the bustling life of the city and secretly satirizes the nobles and giants. "Lotus Picking Song" and "Autumn Night is Long" describe that women miss their husbands when picking lotus and smashing clothes, which directly inherits the tradition of Yuefu folk songs and can open up artistic conception. Although these poems still have the gorgeous colors of the Six Dynasties, their styles are fresh and clear, showing a new atmosphere of Tang poetry.
There are more than 90 existing essays, such as fu and preface, table, monument, fu and so on. Most of them are parallel prose, among which there are many excellent works. Preface to Wang Teng-ting has become a household name in the Tang Dynasty, and it is considered as a "genius" work that should be immortal (Tang Dynasty). And famous sayings such as "The sunset is lonely in Qi Fei, the autumn water is * * * and the sky is one color" are highly praised by theorists. "Biography of Old Tang Dynasty Wen Yuan" quoted Cui Rong as saying: "Wang Bowen and Zhang Hongyi are very popular." The catalogue of Sikuquanshu is also called "Bowen is the crown of the four outstanding figures".
He has also written many academic works, including five volumes of Zhouyi Opera, five volumes of The Analects of Confucius (one of which is 10), the Chronicle of Chitose, Yan Zhu, etc., as well as 10 Platform Notes. Except for a few chapters, such as Preface to the Eighty-one Difficult Classics of the Yellow Emperor and Comments on Platform Tips, all these works were lost in Huaying Wenyuan Pavilion.
Earlier, 20 volumes, 30 volumes and 27 volumes of Selected Works of Wang Bo were not circulated. The existing Wang Zian Collection 16 compiled by Zhang Xie during the Chongzhen period of the Ming Dynasty; Notes on Wang Zian was written by JOE and Jiang Qingyi, tongzhi people in Qing Dynasty, and it is divided into twenty volumes. In addition, Yang Shoujing's "Visit to Japan" recorded ancient paper's "Prince An Wen" 1 volume, and copied 13 volume (actually, it was 12 volume, of which 6 volumes were incomplete). Luo Zhenyu's essay continuation of Yongfeng Farmer 1 volume ***24 articles, adding 12 articles that Yang did not have, and supplementing the 6 incomplete articles recorded by Yang. Roche's preface also mentioned that "Tomioka Jun (Cang Qian) kept the 29th and 30th volumes of Wang Zi 'an's collected works in Kyoto". According to this volume 1 transcript of Imperial University in Kyoto, Japan, there are two volumes of Wang Canben, which says "twenty-nine to thirty" and was immediately collected by Tomoka. In the third year of Qing Dynasty (19 1 1), Yao's Collection of Relieving Daowei Zhai included the Chronicle of Wang Zian.
For his life story, see Old Tang Book and Biography of Wen Yuan, New Tang Book and Biography of Literature, Biography of Talents in Tang Dynasty.
Wang Bo 049-676) ①, Zi Zi 'an, was born in Longmen, Jiangzhou (now Hejin, Shanxi). Father Wang Fuchuan, Dr. Ren Taichang. Grandfather Wang Tong was a famous scholar in the late Sui Dynasty and wrote many books. Wang Ji, the ancestor, was a famous poet who created the poetic world in the prosperous Tang Dynasty in the late Sui Dynasty and early Tang Dynasty. His poetic style directly influenced Wang Bo's poetry. Due to the family style, the poems of the six brothers Wang Bo are praised by people.
Wang Bo has been very clever since he was a child. At the age of nine, he corrected the notes in Yan Shigu's Hanshu and wrote ten volumes of Finger Defects. At the age of twelve, he went to Chang 'an to learn Zhouyi Zhang Ju and Huangdi Suwen Difficult Classics from the famous doctor Cao Yuan. Yang Jiong called him "a teacher who has learned for a hundred years and has a job in ten days;" The opportunities of the past thousand years are obvious. It's easy to live in difficulties, and it's easy to get through the plug; Art is not stagnant, and words are not false. " Although exaggerated, it also shows the talent of young Wang Bo.
However, Wang Bo's family didn't give much political support to his career, so he paid attention to practical learning, cared about state affairs, and looked for opportunities to write hymns and recommend himself. The greatest victory of the foreign war in the early Tang Dynasty was the establishment of the northern frontier, but the rulers of the Tang Dynasty developed aggressive ambitions, relying on the strength of the country and soldiers in an attempt to harm the weak neighbors. As a result, it has brought many disadvantages. In the Mid-Autumn Festival in the first year of Linde (664), Liu Xiangdao, the right-hand man, toured the customs. At the age of fifteen, he wrote to Liu. The first letter was to attack the aggressive policy of the Tang Dynasty and oppose the eastward expedition to Korea. He believes: "It is useless to seal the land for thousands of miles; The diligent soldier is 180 thousand, and the emperor is tired. Warning signs spread, Qin Luo's sorrow; Flying millet, exhausting the cost of Huaihai. " It truly reflects the people's dissatisfaction. Liu Xiangdao was very surprised after reading it. He praised Wang Bo as a "child prodigy" and recommended it on the table.
In the first year of Ganfeng (666), Emperor Gaozong issued a letter to open a branch in Su You. Huang Fuchangbo, a member of the examiner's official department, appreciates Wang Boying's low-key attitude towards Taiwan Province. And, worship for scattered lang. This book was introduced by Huangfu Changbo and edited by Ren Pei Wang Mi. In the Tang Dynasty, although the Ministry was not as good as the Ministry, the official was dismissed until the seventh grade, but the 17-year-old was accepted by Lu before he was weak, and he was favored by Pei Po, which can be said to be the most proud time in his life. However, just when he dreamed of weaving the world with articles, a surprise attack fell on his head.
At that time, the game of cockfighting was popular in the court, and the kings also enjoyed cockfighting. On one occasion, Li Xi 'an, king of Pei, and Li Zhe, king of England, had a chicken fight. After all, Wang Bo is still young. He jokingly wrote an article "Chicken of the King of England" to crusade against the King of England, so as to increase the fun of Pei Wang chicken. However, when this game was seen by the emperor, he was greatly dissatisfied and thought it was a "gradual change of friends". He immediately wrote to abolish the official position and expelled Pei on the same day. Wang Bo, a child prodigy, has just finished his official career with his own talent and painstaking efforts, thus ruined.
Cockfighting was originally a custom in the Tang Dynasty, and it was especially loved by upper-class aristocrats and their dude children. Chen Hong's "Biography of the Elder in Dongcheng" says: "The Wangs, consorts, your family and Hou family all lost their money." You can imagine the enthusiasm. Under such a wind, the two kings will have a cockfight, and of course both families will come to cheer. Wang is above the rest and has a successful career. The game words written on a whim are just for fun. However, under the specific circumstances at that time, it attracted a ruthless blow and affected my life. Of course, this has a profound background.
Since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, the struggle between kings for the throne and attacking each other has never stopped. Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong, killed his younger brother Cheng Jian and his younger brother Yuan Ji in the Xuanwumen Revolution and gained political power. Li Zhi, Tang Gaozong himself, also experienced similar incidents, so he paid special attention to it. Wang Bo's "The Story of Overlord Chicken" inadvertently touched the most sensitive nerve of Emperor Gaozong, so it was regarded as provoking the relationship between kings. It can be seen that Wang Bo's loss of office is not accidental, but the tension between the upper rulers for power and interests.
After such a blow, Wang Bo, a successful teenager, felt very heavy. In Preface to Xia Poetry, he said, "Heaven and earth are heartless and powerless, which endows servants with sad and lonely nature, and at the same time forces them to have Geng Jie's unjust spirit. Forget the mountain and bump in the dynasty of Tang Yao; I am proud of the haze and ashamed of the people of Ming Sheng. " You can see his pain and indignation at that time. In May of the second year of Tongzhang (669), Wang Bo left Chang 'an and went south to Shu, where he began his wandering life for nearly three years. The frustration of official career, the experience of life and the inspiration of mountains and rivers made Wang Bo write many poems expressing his feelings, mainly singing among friends, lamenting the difficulties of official career and some works expressing homesickness.
During his stay in Shu, he was accepted by North Korea and declined to take sick leave. In the third year of Xianheng (672), Wang Bo returned to Chang 'an. Pei Xingjian and Li Xuan chose something with the same code name, and the name they heard was called several times. However, Wang Bo was ashamed to be called a literary talent and wrote a composition to describe his ambition. As a result, Pei Xingjian was angered and dismissed as "a talented person with a reputation as a noble person." The next year, I heard from his friend Lu that there were many herbs, and he wanted to go, so he managed to join the army. This is Wang Bo's second job. But who would have thought that the second heavy blow was waiting for him.
With his talent and arrogance, Wang Bo had a stiff relationship with his colleagues when Zhou Guo joined the army. At that time, Cao Da, an official slave, committed a capital crime, but Wang Bo somehow hid him in his house. Later, he was afraid that things would get out, so he killed Cao Da in private. It was soon discovered that Wang Bo was sentenced to death and imprisoned. Later, he happened to meet an Amnesty and was exempted from the death penalty. However, because of this incident, Wang Bo's father was demoted from the position of Yongzhou secretariat to a toe rank to join the army. As for the specific circumstances of Wang Bo's killing of government slaves, there is no detailed history, and it is impossible to distinguish right from wrong. However, Wang Bo did not care about mountains and rivers as he did after his first dismissal, but cherished the rest of his life. "Wealth is not as good as floating clouds, and time is not as good as feet. Most of my writing ambitions began at that time. ..... care about resigning and pay more attention. " In the second year, although the court restored Wang Bo's original post, he decided to abandon his official position for the people and no longer take office. In just over a year, Wang Bo completed sixteen missing articles in his grandfather Wang Tong's sequel, which was published in 25 volumes. He is the author of five volumes of Zhouyi Drama, Tang Family's Millennium Calendar, Ten Essays on How to Discuss, and Eighteen Essays on Li Bai's Chang Yan. At the same time, he also created a large number of poems and articles. This is the most prosperous period of Wang Bo's creation in his life.
In the spring of the second year of Shang Yuan (675), Wang Bo went south from his hometown in Longmen to visit his father. All the way through Luoyang, Yangzhou and Jiangning, and arrived in Hongzhou in early September. Here, Wang Bo left the famous Preface to Wang Tengting. This is a wonderful parallel prose, with gorgeous words, neat antithesis and natural momentum. There is nothing wrong with piling up. This article describes the scenery and grand banquet around the Wang Teng Pavilion, and the artistic conception is extremely open. Finally, I felt that when life met, I expressed my life experience, and my indignation was beyond words.
Although Beihai is on credit, it can be accepted; The cold corner has gone, and the mulberry is not late. Meng's taste is noble and pure, and he has a heart to serve the country; Ruan Ji is crazy, how can he cry to the end of the road! Bob is a scholar. There is no way to ask for it, and the final army will be weak; With a pen and a bosom, Mu Zong is Changfeng. Give up hair for a hundred years, and Wan Li will faint in the morning. ……
A talented and ambitious poet cannot display his talent and realize his ambition because of his environment and experience. He tends to be more active when he is depressed. We say "Preface to Wang Teng Pavilion" is the concrete embodiment of this talent and ambition, injustice and enterprising spirit. There is also a vivid story about Wang Tengting's Preface. After the newly-built museum was completed, on the Double Ninth Festival, Governor Yan hosted a banquet in the museum to entertain guests and friends, and people from all over the world gathered together. Yan Gongyou's son-in-law is Wu, and the article is quite well written. Qi Huangong intended to show his son-in-law's literary talent at this grand event, so he asked Wu to write a preface for the pavilion in advance. When he published it at the banquet, he thought it would be impromptu. At the banquet, Yan Gong really took out his own pen and ink and distributed them to the guests one by one. Please make a preface to Teng, and all the guests dared to be presumptuous in front of the Governor Yan Gongguo, and they all declined politely. Only Wang Bo, with a pen and paper, generously agreed. Gong Yan's purpose is to show off his son-in-law's talent, not to invite guests sincerely. Wang Bo's youthful spirit naturally aroused his dissatisfaction and contempt. So he let his attendants watch Wang Bo write. At first, Gong Yan heard that "Nanchang is an old county and Hongdu is a new house", shook his head and said that "this is also a cliche", and later heard that "the stars are divided into wings and meet Lu Heng", so he pondered silently and began to appreciate the extraordinary. When I heard that "the sunset is lonely, the autumn water is * * * and the sky is one color", I was surprised and shouted: "Think immortal!" He also praised Wang Bo and presented 100 brocade. This legendary plot was passed down as a much-told story for a while, and later generations also perfumed the story into scripts and plays, which have been passed down to this day.
Wu's preface to Wang Teng-ting has long been forgotten, but his preface to Wang Teng-ting has become an immortal work.
After the banquet in Tengwangge, Wang Bo continued to go south, arrived in Nanhai, the seat of Lingnan viceroy, on the seventh day of November, and crossed the sea from Guangzhou to Jiaodong the following autumn. Unfortunately, he drowned at the age of 27.
Although Wang Bo, a teenager, was called a prodigy in the ruling and opposition villages, he could "force his family to become poor, but his failure was rewarded". After he became an official, he abolished the official twice because of something, and his status was low in his life. In just 27 spring and autumn, there are only setbacks and failures in politics. But in literature, he is really successful. As far as Wang Bo's poetry is concerned, it can be divided into two periods before and after he was expelled from Pei Palace. I have to do a lot of books, revelations, expressions and praises in the early stage, although it is not weak and derogatory; However, in the later period, due to the bumpy career, the poems about nostalgia are even more brilliant: the content is very rich: expressing homesickness, praising friendship, praising the mountains and rivers of the motherland, and lamenting the difficulties of the world, including the joy of banquets and the yearning for mountains and rivers, as well as the contradictions and positive spirit in the bottom of my heart; And in terms of creative methods, it has embarked on a completely different road from palace poetry. Judging from Wang Bo's less than 100 poems, he really formed his own unique style.
When talking about the contribution of Wang Bo's poems to later generations, Mr. Zheng Zhenduo said with passion: "Just as the myriad rays of the sun god have not passed through the East, the East has already been covered with the rosy dawn of the goddess of dawn." (Zheng Zhenduo's "Illustrated History of China Literature") Wang Bo is the goddess of dawn in the poetry of the prosperous Tang Dynasty, and she is innocent. (Xu Jun)
(1) There are different records about the year of Wang Bo's birth and death in various books, and there is no exact textual research at present. The date of birth here is calculated according to the preface of Wang Bo's "Ode to Spring Thoughts", "The second year of Xianheng (67 1), in the second year of Spring and Autumn", and it is set as 649 years. According to Yang Jiong's Preface to the Collection of Wang Bo, the year of death was designated as the third year of Shangyuan, that is, the first year of Yifeng (676).
② There have always been two opinions about the writing time of Preface to Wang Teng-ting: one is that Wang Bo was fourteen years old when he went to Shangjiang to learn from his father, and the other is that Wang Bo went to Jiaodong to learn from his father, passing through Nanchang. This will be said later.