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Chapter 311 The Legendary Poet of the Tang Dynasty

[He was a genius among geniuses, and the leader of the Four Great Talents of the Early Tang Dynasty. Unfortunately, he died young. Historical Trivia: Tang Dynasty]

He was a genius among geniuses. He could speak fluently at the age of 6, had read the Six Classics at the age of 10, and became the youngest civil servant in the Tang Dynasty at the age of 16. He wrote an impromptu article that shocked later generations for more than 1300 years.

The whole text is less than 800 words, but it uses 37 allusions and 40 idioms, which no one has ever matched. Unfortunately, since ancient times, beautiful women have always had a short life, and talented men have always had a bad life. He drowned at the age of 27.

He is Wang Bo, the leader of the Four Great Poets of the Early Tang Dynasty. If there is no Wang Bo, seeing such a scene, you will only say "the sun is so big" instead of "the setting sun and the solitary wild goose fly together, and the autumn water and the sky are the same color".

If there was no Wang Bo, when you said goodbye to your good friend, you would only say "Brother, take care", instead of "A bosom friend is a friend indeed". If others are blessed by God, then Wang Bo is like a royal kitchen opened by God.

Wang Bo was born in 650 AD into a prominent family in Hejin, Shanxi. This family is a cradle of genius: his grandfather Wang Tong was a famous educator in the Sui Dynasty, with many students all over the world; his great-uncle Wang Ji was the founder of Tang legends and the founder of five-character regulated verse.

His elder brother Wang Ji became famous in the capital at the age of 12 and passed the imperial examination at the age of 20. When children of the same age were still learning to speak, Wang Bo, who was 6 years old, could already speak fluently and write articles.

When he was 9 years old, he read the "Book of Han" annotated by the Confucian scholar Yan Shigu, and found many errors in it. He then wrote a 10-volume "Zhi Xia" to point out the omissions in the annotations.

This move shocked the entire literary world. A group of veteran scholars looked at him with admiration and called him a "child prodigy."

However, Wang Bo's talent was far more than that. At the age of 10, he had read the Six Classics and was so knowledgeable that it was astonishing. At the age of 12, just because his father said, "If a son does not know medicine, the ancients think it is unfilial", he ran to learn medicine from the famous doctor Cao Yuan.

In just 15 months, he not only mastered the Book of Changes, Zhang Zhongjing, and Huangdi Neijing, but also wrote a book on medicine, creating a new academic field. His learning and comprehension abilities are beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

At the age of 14, Wang Bo volunteered to present a letter to the then Prime Minister Liu Xiangdao, "A Letter to Liu, Right Prime Minister". In the letter, he quoted classics and talked about the strategies of governing the country, with more than a thousand words, showing his extraordinary talent.

After reading it, Prime Minister Liu Xiangdao was very impressed and called Wang Bo a "child prodigy" and recommended him to the court. When Wang Bo was 15 years old, he shocked the court and the public with his "Ode to Qianyuan Palace".

This article was written in gorgeous language and with magnificent momentum. After reading it, Emperor Gaozong of Tang Dynasty was amazed and said, "This is a rare talent of our Tang Dynasty." From then on, Wang Bo became famous.

In 666 AD, 16-year-old Wang Bo took the Yougong exam and passed it. He was awarded the title of Chao San Lang, becoming the youngest official appointed by the court in the Tang Dynasty. At this time, he was in high spirits and had a bright future.

During his tenure in Chang'an, he wrote the popular poem "Farewell to Du Shaofu on his Assignment to Shuzhou": "The city walls and towers support the three Qins, and the wind and smoke can be seen from the five rivers. I am parting with you, as we are both officials on a journey.

A bosom friend is always there, and the world is but a neighbor. When one is at a crossroads, his children and heals his tears together. This poem changed the sad tone of previous farewell poems, and expressed the firm belief in friendship with its heroic feelings and broad artistic conception, becoming an eternal masterpiece among farewell poems.

However, fate always seems to play tricks on geniuses. At the age of 17, Wang Bo entered the palace of Prince Pei and became the tutor of Prince Pei Li Xian. He and Prince Pei were of similar age and had similar interests, so they soon became good friends.

At that time, cockfighting was popular in Chang'an, and the kings of Pei and Ying were also keen on this game. Once, in order to cheer up the king of Pei, Wang Bo wrote an article "Exhortation to the King of Ying for Chicken".

Originally, Wang Bo wrote this article for fun, but he did not expect that this article would bring him disaster. The sharp words in the article were considered by Emperor Gaozong of Tang to be an attempt to sow discord among the princes. Emperor Gaozong was furious and immediately ordered Wang Bo to be expelled from the Prince of Pei's mansion and banned him from serving as an official in the court.

Just like that, Wang Bo's official career instantly fell to the bottom, and he fell from the peak of his life into the abyss.

One can imagine how Wang Bo felt after suffering such a heavy blow, but he did not fall into despair. Instead, he chose to leave Chang'an and travel around Bashu, looking for solace and inspiration among the mountains and rivers.

During this period, he created a large number of poems and essays, and his style gradually changed from the heroic and unrestrained style of his youth to deep and restrained, full of thoughts and emotions about life.

From the poem "The Yangtze River is sadly stagnant, and I miss returning home thousands of miles away. What's more, it is a windy and evening, and yellow leaves are flying on the mountains", we can feel his inner sorrow and homesickness.

A few years later, Wang Bo was invited by a friend to serve as a military officer in Guozhou. However, his fate did not seem to improve. While in Guozhou, he was sentenced to death for hiding and killing Cao Da, an official slave.

Although he managed to escape death when Emperor Gaozong of Tang later changed the reign title and issued a general amnesty, he was dismissed from his official position and his father was also implicated and demoted to be a county magistrate in the remote Jiaozhi.

This incident plunged Wang Bo's life into a deeper darkness. He felt that his life had completely failed, and his heart was filled with self-blame and regret.

After returning to his hometown, he closed the door to visitors, devoted himself to studying, completed the works of his grandfather Wang Tong, and wrote many works on philosophy, literature and history. During this period, his thoughts became more mature and his literary attainments reached a new height.

In 675 AD, Wang Bo decided to travel south to visit his father who was far away in Jiaozhi.

When passing through Nanchang, he happened to catch up with the banquet held by the governor Yan Boyu at Tengwang Pavilion. At the banquet, Yan Boyu invited guests to write a preface for Tengwang Pavilion to commemorate its reconstruction.

Everyone understood Yan Boyu's intention. He wanted to take this opportunity to let his son-in-law show his talents in front of everyone, so they all declined.

However, Wang Bo took the paper and pen without hesitation, and wrote the "Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng" on the spot, which has been passed down through the ages: "Yuzhang is the old county, Hongdu is the new capital.

The stars are divided into Yi and Zhen, and the land is connected to Heng and Lu. It embraces three rivers and five lakes, controls the barbarians and attracts Ou and Yue. The natural resources are rich and the dragon's light shines on the ruins of Niu and Dou; the people are outstanding and the land is blessed, Xu Ru sits on Chen Fan's bed..." Wang Bo's thoughts flowed freely and he wrote it in one go.

This article uses gorgeous words and exquisite allusions. It depicts the magnificent scenery around Tengwang Pavilion, expresses the author's regret for not being able to realize his talent, and also expresses his positive attitude towards life.

The two lines of poetry, "The setting sun and the solitary wild goose fly together, and the autumn water and the sky are the same color", vividly describe the beauty of Tengwang Pavilion and have become famous lines that have been passed down through the ages. As a result, Tengwang Pavilion has become one of the three famous towers in Jiangnan.

When Wang Bo finished writing this preface, all the guests were impressed by his talent, and Yan Boyu also admired him highly.

However, this article seemed to have exhausted his life's energy. A year later, Wang Bo was unfortunately caught in a storm on his way back from visiting his father and drowned at the age of 27. Meanwhile, "Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng" had spread throughout the Tang Dynasty.

After reading this article, Emperor Gaozong of Tang Dynasty clapped his hands and exclaimed "What a genius, what a genius!" He anxiously inquired about Wang Bo's whereabouts and said frankly that he wanted to use this man. However, he never thought that the young man who was expelled from Chang'an had now drowned.

[It turns out that having a good attitude can really help you live longer. The first anti-emo person in the Tang Dynasty, he was so stubborn that he could catch the sky with his mouth. Historical trivia: Tang Dynasty]

He was the most stubborn poet in the Tang Dynasty. Because of his bad mouth, he was demoted 27 times and exiled for 23 years. He experienced many hardships. However, he was still a young man when he returned.

His good attitude kept him alive into his 70s, outlasting one person who hated him after another, and also making himself "% successful".

He became the most insightful, optimistic and open-minded poet in the Tang Dynasty. He is the national poet of the Tang Dynasty - the poet Liu Yuxi. Some people like Li Bai, some like Du Fu, and of course some like Su Shi, but in the end they still like Liu Yuxi.

It is said that poets cannot write poems without criticism. Liu Yuxi's open-minded and optimistic attitude is rare. He also used his life to interpret the saying "If you are heartless, you will not feel tired; if you are not worried about things, you will be the best in the world."

Liu Yuxi was born in 772 AD. Some say he was born in Jiaxing, while others say he was born in Henan. He also claimed to be a descendant of Liu Sheng, the King of Zhongshan in the Han Dynasty, but it is difficult to verify whether this is true or not.

Liu Yuxi was extremely intelligent and well-read since childhood. He made his mark in the field of literature at a young age and became famous. In 793 AD, the 22-year-old Liu Yuxi took the imperial examination and passed the imperial examination.

You have to know that in the Tang Dynasty, "thirty is old Mingjing, fifty is young Jinshi", this is such an honor! Afterwards, he passed the Boxue Hongci exam and the Libu Qushi exam, and passed three exams in a row. At a young age, he became a supervisory censor, making a name for himself in the officialdom and attracting everyone's attention.

However, the twists and turns of fate always come unexpectedly. Although the An-Shi Rebellion had been quelled in the Tang Dynasty at that time, the aftermath was still lingering. Local warlords were separatist, court officials formed cliques for personal gain, and eunuchs took advantage of the opportunity to monopolize power, and the imperial power was shaky.

The young and vigorous Liu Yuxi, full of patriotic enthusiasm, joined forces with like-minded partners such as Liu Zongyuan to join the Yongzhen Reform team. They tried to take back the military power from the eunuchs and revive the glory of the Tang Dynasty.

However, reality dealt them a heavy blow. This group of people who only had writing skills but no military power, in the complex political struggle, the Yongzhen Reform lasted only a few months before it failed.

Emperor Shunzong of Tang was forced to abdicate, the leading figures of the reformists were executed, and eight people including Liu Yuxi and Liu Zongyuan were demoted to remote places to serve as Sima, which was known in history as the "Two Kings and Eight Sima Incident." This demotion lasted for a long 8 years.

Liu Yuxi was demoted to the remote and backward Langzhou, but he was not defeated by the predicament. Instead, he embraced life with an optimistic and open-minded attitude.

He actively collected folk songs and compiled them into romantic poems, among which "Zhuzhici" is particularly famous: "The sun rises in the east and the rain falls in the west. It is said that there is no sunshine, but there is sunshine."

During these nearly 10 years, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang deliberately suppressed them and ordered that even if there was an amnesty from the court, they would not be included in the scope of pardon and relocation.

However, Liu Yuxi remained as passionate as ever, and shouted: "Since ancient times, people have felt sad and lonely when autumn comes. I say that autumn is better than spring. A crane flies above the clouds in the clear sky, and it brings poetic sentiment to the blue sky." In his eyes, autumn is full of hope and vitality, showing a unique optimism and open-mindedness.

In 815 AD, Liu Yuxi finally received the news that he was ordered to return to Beijing. But after returning to the capital, he still had the same flamboyant personality.

When he visited Xuandu Temple, he saw peach blossoms in full bloom and was inspired to write a poem: "The purple road and the red dust blow against my face, and everyone comes to see the flowers. There are thousands of peach trees in Xuandu Temple, all planted after Liu Lang left."

The poem was written on the surface to describe peach blossoms, but in reality it was a satire on the new nobility, and the words were full of disdain for those who gained power after he was demoted. As you can imagine, this poem soon brought him disaster. Liu Yuxi was demoted again, this time to the even more remote Lianzhou.

In Lianzhou, Liu Yuxi did not become depressed by the setbacks in his official career.

He actively participated in grassroots construction, repaired pavilions and waterside pavilions, and improved the local environment. In 817 AD, Lianzhou suffered a rare epidemic. He showed his medical talent and developed a prescription for treatment with the help of Liu Zongyuan, and also wrote "Chuan Xin Fang".

Later, the book was included in Japan's "Yishinfang" and Korea's "Gongyi Baojian", benefiting countless people.

After that, Liu Yuxi worked in Guizhou, Hezhou and other places. In Kuizhou, he collected and sorted folk songs like he did in Langzhou, and created many works with strong local characteristics.

In Hezhou, he encountered difficulties from the county magistrate. He had to move three times within half a year. His residence changed again and again, from a spacious house to a small and shabby room. But he did not complain, but wrote the famous "Humble House Ode": "Mountains are not high, but they are famous if there are immortals. Water is not deep, but it is magical if there are dragons. This is a humble room, but my virtue is fragrant."

In his heart, the house, though shabby, shines with his noble character. "There are great scholars in conversation and laughter, and no unlearned people in contact", which further reflects his adherence to noble interests and disdain for the secular.

In 826 AD, Liu Yuxi finally ended his long exile and returned to Luoyang. After 23 years of wandering, he turned from a high-spirited young man into an old man with frosty hair. But his heroic spirit remained.

When his good friend Bai Juyi complained about him, he responded generously: "I have been abandoned in the desolate land of Bashan and Chushui for twenty-three years. I am nostalgic and recite poems when I hear the flute. When I return to my hometown, I feel like a person who has lost himself in the past. Thousands of ships pass by the side of the sunken boat, and thousands of trees bloom in front of the dead tree.

Today I will listen to your song and drink a glass of wine to liven up my spirits." After returning to Chang'an, Liu Yuxi visited Xuandu Temple again. At this time, Xuandu Temple was deserted and the peach blossoms were no longer there. He was filled with emotion and wrote "Visiting Xuandu Temple Again": "Half of the hundred-acre garden is covered with moss, the peach blossoms are gone and the cauliflowers are blooming. Where did the Taoist who planted peaches go? The former lover Liu Lang is here again."

He used this poem to announce his return and to express his indomitable spirit against fate. Some of those who oppressed him are no longer alive, but he persevered.

In the last few years of his life, Liu Yuxi enjoyed a leisurely time with his friends such as Bai Juyi. Even at this time, he still refused to admit his old age: "Don't say it's too late, the sky is still full of clouds." He showed his spirit of being strong even in old age.

In 842 AD, Liu Yuxi died in Luoyang at the age of 71. Throughout his life, he suffered many setbacks in politics, but he never gave up.

During his exile, he still lived actively and worked for the welfare of the people. His poems and essays fully showed his heroic, open-minded and optimistic spirit. Liu Yuxi used his life to set an excellent example for us to grow against the wind and gave countless frustrated people the courage to make a comeback.

——"Why are the names of these poets so nice, Li Bai, Meng Haoran, Bai Juyi, Chen Ziang, He Zhizhang, etc."

——"My favorite is this one of his poems. It is said that autumn is sad and lonely since ancient times. I say that autumn is better than spring. It is really heroic."