Wang Wei

Poet Wang Wei, and also known by other names such as Wang Youcheng, was a Tang Dynasty Chinese poet, musician, painter, and statesman. He was one of the most famous men of arts and letters of his time. Poems by Wang Wei (A.D. 701 - 761)

AT PARTING I dismount from my horse and I offer you wine, And I ask you where you are going and why. And you answer: "I am discontent And would rest at the foot of the southern mountain. So give me leave and ask me no questions. White clouds pass there without end."

Li Bai (Li Pai; Chinese: ; pinyin: L Bi; WadeGiles: Li3 Pai2, 701 762), also
known as Li Bo (or Li Po; pinyin: L B; WadeGiles: Li3 Po2), is one of the most acclaimed poets in the history of Chinese poetry. He and his friend Du Fu (712-770) are the two most prominent figures in the flourishing of Chinese poetry in the mid-Tang Dynasty that is often called the "Golden Age." Li Bai was a prolific and creative poet who stretched the rules of versification of his time. Around a thousand poems attributed to him are extant today. [1] Li Bai's poetry has been much esteemed from his lifetime through the present day in the Chinese culture area and in other parts of the world. Thirty-four of his poems are included in the canonical 18th-century anthology Three Hundred Tang Poems. Poems by Li Po (also known as Li Bai A.D. 701 - 762) IN SPRING Your grasses up north are as blue as jade, Our mulberries here curve green-threaded branches; And at last you think of returning home, Now when my heart is almost broken.... O breeze of the spring, since I dare not know you, Why part the silk curtains by my bed?

Du Fu
Poet Du Fu was a prominent Chinese poet of the Tang Dynasty. Along with Li Bai, he is frequently called the greatest of the Chinese poets. Autumn Meditations (1) Du Fu Jade dew withers and wounds the groves of maple trees, On Wu mountain, in Wu gorge, the air is dull and drear. On the river surging waves rise to meet the sky, Above the pass wind and cloud join the earth with darkness. Chrysanthemum bushes open twice, weeping for their days, A lonely boat, a single line, my heart is full of home. Winter clothes everywhere are urgently cut and measured, Baidicheng above, the evening's driven by beating on stones.

Po Chu-i was a gentleman poet and government official during the golden age of the
Tang dynasty in China. He was born in Shansi, but later settled in Ch'ang-an in the north-west. He held several government posts during his lifetime, including palace librarian and several provincial governorships. But, because of his willingness to openly speak out against government policies, he was also banished several times. Po Chu-i eventually retired to a monastery when he was in his 50s. One of his legs was paralyzed at the end of his life. His poetry often has the easy, retiring quality of Chan poetry of the time, but he also displayed a biting sense of humor often sharply critical of greedy government officials, military activity and overlooked social problems. Autumn Rain, A Night of Sleep Its a late autumn night, cold and quiet. A lone old man at ease here in idleness, I lie down late, after the lamp goes dark, sleep deep and rich amid sounds of rain. Ashes burn all night under the winejar, and incense keeps the quilt-rack warm. Day dawns cold and clear, but I stay put. Frosty leaves crowd the steps with red.

Su Shi (traditional Chinese: ; simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: S Sh), also known

as Dong Po (January 8, 1037 August 24, 1101) was a Chinese writer, poet, painter, calligrapher, pharmacologist, gastronome, and a statesman of the Song Dynasty (960 1279). A major personality of the Song era, Su was an important figure in Song Dynasty politics, aligning himself with Sima Guang and others, against the New Policy party lead by Wang Anshi. Su Shi was famed as an essayist, and his prose writings lucidly contribute to the understanding of topics such as 11th-century Chinese travel literature or detailed information on the contemporary Chinese iron industry. His poetry has a long history of popularity and influence in China, Japan, and other areas in the near vicinity; and, his poetry is well known in the English speaking parts of the world through the translations by Arthur Waley, among others. In terms of the arts, Su Shi has some claim to being "the pre-eminent personality of the eleventh century."[1] Jiang zhenzi: "Ten years living and dead have drawn apart I do nothing to remember But I cannot forget Your lonely grave a thousand miles away... Nowhere can I talk of my sorrow Even if we met, how would you know me My face full of dust My hair like snow? In the dark of night, a dream: suddenly, I am home You by the window Doing your hair I look at you and cannot speak Your face is streaked by endless tears Year after year must they break my heart These moonlit nights? That low pine grave?"