| Biography of Li Bai |
Li Bai (701-762) is also known as Li Po. He was born in Suiye in Central Asia. His ancestors had been banished there by the Sui rulers. At five he moved to Sichuan with his father, who was probably a rich merchant. When young, he studied not only Confucian classics, but works of other schools. His scholarship was outstanding and he was able to write beautiful poetry. He did not sit for the civil service examination, for he looked down upon it, but he wished to become an official. In his early years, the Tang Dynasty was at its peak and the people lived in a stable, prosperous environment. Li Bai and other poets were free to travel widely, visit China's famous landmarks and drink excellent wine together. Many of his poems from this era speak of the freedoms and enjoyments of his life. When he was a young man he lived for some time as a Taoist hermit, taming and raising many strange species of birds. This sense of seclusion and close contact with nature pervades some of his poetry. When he was about twenty five years old he began an extensive tour of eastern and northern China and married a Hubei woman named Hsu. Li Bai was very loyal to his friends and there is a story about a friend who died. Li Bai buried the body temporarily, recovered it later and personally carried it on his back a great distance to Wuchang, where he buried it properly. When he was 42, he was recommended to the Emperor, Tang Xuan Zong, who ordered him to go to the capital, Chang'an (now Xian). He stayed there for three years and was bitterly disappointed by the degree of corruption and waste at court. During the years of the warlord An Lushan's rebellion (755 onwards), he joined the staff of Prince Li Lin. Later, because Li Lin tried to seize power and failed, Li Bai was exiled to Yelang. However, while he was on his way to Yelang, he was freed by an amnesty. For ten years he travelled widely , revisiting many of the places he had seen as a younger man. The carefree life of the poets was resumed. He went to East China and died at 62 in Dangtu, Anhui. He wrote about 900 poems. Some of them describe the life of the people; some describe the magnificent scenery he saw; others express his own wishes and sorrows. His poems show unusual imagination and free, direct expression of feelings. There are three philosophical threads in his poetry: contempt for the corruption of people in power; pursuit of individual freedom; the fate of his country and its people. My favourite poems of his are: Seeing a friend off The hard road Moon over mountain pass A farewell to Meng Haoran Ching Ping Tiao Looking at the moon Down into Sichuan Drinking Alone with the Moon Merv Daw |
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