 | The works of Li Po, the Chinese poet |  |
LI PO—A BIOGRAPHY by LIU HSU
(From the "Old Book of Tang"[1])
Li Po, surnamed Tai-po, was a man of Shantung.[2]
While young, he possessed a superior talent, a great and
tameless spirit, and fantastical ways of a transcendent
mind. His father was Captain of Jen-cheng, and there
Po made his home. While young still, he with the
youths of Luh—Kung Chao-fu, Han Chun, Pei-Cheng,
Chang Shu-ming, and Tao-Mien—retired in the mountain
of Chu-lai, where they drank wine freely amid blithe
singing. They were known at the time as "the Six Idlers
of the Bamboo Valley."
Early in the Tien-pao era Po went traveling to Kuei-chi.
He retired to a district in Yen with a Taoist, whose
name was Wu-yun. Yun was called and went up to the
imperial palace. He recommended Po to the court. And
they were both ordered to wait upon the emperor in the
Han-ling Academy.
Po loved wine as hithertofore; and with his drinking
companions drowsed daily in the tavern.
The emperor Hsuan Tsung arranged tunes and desired
to have new words for the court music. At once he
water and dashed it on his face, after which he was
made to hold the writing brush. Anon, he composed
ten or more songs. The emperor was much pleased
withal.
Once while dead drunk in the palace hall Po held out
his feet and made Kao Li-shih to pull off his shoes.
Because of this he was dismissed and sent away.
Now he wandered over lakes and rivers. He drank
heavily all day long. At this time Tsui Tsung-chi, the
Court Historian, demoted, was serving at Chin-ling.
With Po he matched poems and drank wine. One moonlight
night they took a boat from Tsai-shih to Chin-ling.
Arrayed in the palace robe of brocade, Po sat in the
boat, laughed and rolled his intrepid eyes as though
there were no mortals near him. Ere this, Ho Chi-chang
met Po and praised him, saying, "This man is a
god exiled from the heaven above."
In the rebellion of Luh-shan the emperor Hsuan
Tsung made his progress to the land of Shuh. On his
way he appointed Ling, Prince of Yung, as supreme Military
Commander of Chiang and Hwai Regions and Governor-general
of Yang-chou. Po was at Hsuan-Chou,
and had an audience of the prince, and at last entered
his service. Prince of Yung plotted conspiracy, and
was defeated in the war. Po, involved, was sentenced
to perpetual banishment to Yeh-lang. Later he was pardoned
and enabled to return. He died at last at Hsuan-cheng
with too much drinking. There are twenty volumes
of his writing which prevail at this time.
| The works of Li Po, the Chinese poet | |