About the Author
As Irving Lo has written of him in Sunflower Splendor: "Certainly no Chinese writer has mirrored in his work more completely the world he lives in than Tu Fu. Nor has anyone revealed himself with greater passion and candor, or displayed a greater dedication to his craft, or achieved such consummate show more mastery of his art." Lo's words echo what the Chinese have felt about this writer for more than 10 centuries, for he is revered as the finest poet China has ever produced. Tu Fu truly is outstanding for his humility, his passion, his social concern, and his extraordinary experimentations with the shih form. Though he never passed the official examinations and held only minor posts, he wrote prolifically of his patriotic concern for the nation's welfare and his own search for the most suitable way to be true to himself and to serve society. He had the misfortune of living just as the T'ang dynasty was reeling under the great challenge of the An Lu-shan Rebellion. As a result, he spent some of his best years away from his beloved capital of Ch'ang-an seeking refuge from the incessant warfare and resulting social dislocations in the north. Two of his most moving ballads in the folk style are narrative accounts, one of meeting soldiers on the road, and the other of meeting an abandoned imperial prince on a crossroads near the capital after the emperor and his entourage have fled to the southwest. Tu Fu's poetry is complex, polished, and emotionally powerful. One of his poems contains the line "If my words don't startle people, I won't rest even in death." (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: From Wikipedia
Works by Du Fu
Li Po and Tu Fu: Poems Selected and Translated with an Introduction and Notes (1973) — Contributor — 369 copies
Thirty-six Poems. 4 copies
Poetry 2 copies
La Guerre Civile (755-759): Oeuvre Poetique II (Bibliotheque Chinoise) (Chinese and French Edition) (2018) 1 copy
Kam spěchají ty květy 1 copy
Dieux et diables pleurent 1 copy
Tu Fu selected poems 1 copy
杜甫草堂詩注 1 copy
Associated Works
Buzz Words: Poems About Insects (Everyman's Library Pocket Poets Series) (2021) — Contributor — 32 copies
Oogst der tijden : keur uit de werken van schrijvers en dichters aller volken en eeuwen (1940) — Contributor — 10 copies
Joham: Drei Themen = Joham: Three Themes — Contributor — 1 copy
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Reviews
It was a splendid journey with Du Fu, portraying a humble man from the Tang times, that was torn between longing for home, care for his family, fulfillment of Confucian ideals, and conflict between love of poetry and leading a life of a Chan Buddhist. The elegant way everything is translated, one knows that the originals must have been masterful, yet a token left by Burton Watson is sufficient to gaze into the poet's life. Du Fu complained that he has failed to be of political significance, and as a person "far from ideal", yet by small signs, he was rewarded and immortalized in poetry; It was a journey of a common man, that nevertheless was highly skilled, a master in poetry; How many others whose stories unwritten in such a great way of his times - Dragons only know. Reading also Chuang Tzu in Watson's translation - was not Du Fu a "true man", that in honest manner traversed his authentic genii, or as the Chinese call it - Hsing - human nature.
"Sleepless, I listen for the sound of bronze locks,
in the wind imagine I hear jeweled horse bells.
I’ve sealed papers to present to the Throne at dawn;
again and again I ask the hour of the night."
For it is a timeless anthem to the starry night. Longing to melt between us and the world, yet separated and contemplated only in this very moment, to be cast away with a whim of circumstance, or a short breath. For some longing is between a place on Earth, transposing it towards the Stars, how solitary a man's, a woman's life. To find home everywhere is to be at home everywhere, not to find home anywhere on Earth, how do we imagine to find oneself at ease with another place beyond it?… (more)
"Sleepless, I listen for the sound of bronze locks,
in the wind imagine I hear jeweled horse bells.
I’ve sealed papers to present to the Throne at dawn;
again and again I ask the hour of the night."
For it is a timeless anthem to the starry night. Longing to melt between us and the world, yet separated and contemplated only in this very moment, to be cast away with a whim of circumstance, or a short breath. For some longing is between a place on Earth, transposing it towards the Stars, how solitary a man's, a woman's life. To find home everywhere is to be at home everywhere, not to find home anywhere on Earth, how do we imagine to find oneself at ease with another place beyond it?… (more)
This collection of translated poetry begins with a long introduction, which provides context on Li Po, Tu Fu, and Chinese poetry as a whole. I really appreciated this because of my lack of knowledge in any of these areas. The poems themselves were enjoyable to read, and each piece was accompanied by extensive notes that provided additional context & information. Overall, this was a very good collection.
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brp6kk | 3 other reviews | Jun 30, 2021 |
brp6kk | 3 other reviews | Jun 30, 2021 | Lists
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"Sleepless, I listen for the sound of bronze locks,
in the wind imagine I hear jeweled horse bells.
I’ve sealed papers to present to the Throne at dawn;
again and again I ask the hour of the night."
For it is a timeless anthem to the starry night. Longing to melt between us and the world, yet separated and contemplated only in this very moment, to be cast away with a whim of circumstance, or a short breath. For some longing is between a place on Earth, transposing it towards the Stars, how solitary a man's, a woman's life. To find home everywhere is to be at home everywhere, not to find home anywhere on Earth, how do we imagine to find oneself at ease with another place beyond it?… (more)