On a Prospect of T’ai-shan
700s
How is one to describe this king of mountains? Throughout the whole of Ch’i and
Lu one never loses sight of its greenness. In it the Creator has concentrated
all that is numinous and beautiful. Its northern and southern slopes divide the
dawn from the dark. The layered clouds begin at the climber’s heaving chest,
and homing birds fly suddenly within range of his straining eyes. One day I
must stand on top of its highest peak and at a single glance see all the other
mountains grown tiny beneath me
Du Fu
Born: 12 February 712, Gongyi, Zhengzhou, China
Nationality: Chinese
Died: 770, Tan Prefecture, China
Du Fu was a poet and politician of the Tang dynasty. Along with his older contemporary Li Po he is considered one of the greatest Chinese poets. Du Fu’s ambition to serve his country as a civil servant proved unsuccessful as he was unable to make the necessary accommodations. Like the whole of China, Du Fu’s life was devastated by the An Lushan Rebellion of 755, and the last decade or so of his life was a time of constant unrest. Initially unknown to other writers, Du Fu’s work became a huge influence in Both Chinese and Japanese literature and literary culture. Referred to as the ‘Poet-Historian’ and the ‘Poet-Sage’ by Chinese critics, his range of work has allowed Du Fu to be introduced to Western readers
Jezzie G 