I lived from 701-762. I was from China, and am in the Asian category.
Li Po was considered one of the greatest poets of his time along with Tu Fu(Du Fu). Both these great poets lived during the T'ang Dynasty in China. Li Po was also called as Li Bai or Li Pai. He was born in Jiangyou, Sichuan province, Western China in the year 701. Some believe that he was born elsewhere and moved to Jianyou when he was five. He was a romantic and a wanderer. He traveled extensively in the eastern and central parts of China. His poems are graceful, eloquent and romantic. He is known for his exquisite imagery and Taoist philosophy found in his poems. He added flavor to traditional themes with his grandeur and made them exceptional.
Li Po loved drinking wine and wrote a lot of poems about the joy of drinking. He seems to have had a liking for the moon and wrote many poems on Moon. He also wrote poems on nature, friendship, solitude and the passage of time. Legend has it that he drowned when he tried to catch the reflection of the moon in the river. He died in the year 762 in Dangtu which is the modern day Anhui province. It is believed that he wrote many thousands of poems during his extensive travels but only about 1,100 poems are extant at present. His first wife left him and took his two children with her and he is believed to have married two more times.
In the year 742 his poems caught the attention of the emperor Xuanzong himself and he was given a post in Hanlin Academy which catered to the poetic needs of the emperor. However per chance one of his poems was found to be a satire on the emperor and he was exiled after about two years in the academy and he had to flee the capital. Some time around the year 755 he was once again exiled due to his involvement in a rebellion by one of the imperial family members (prince Yung) but was later pardoned and he resumed his wandering.
His poems came to the attention of the west mainly due to the loose translation of his work from Japanese versions by Ezra Pound. A crater in the planet Mercury is named after him. He has used strange diction and rhyme in his poems and his poems also have playfulness and extravaganza, although he leans more towards fantasy than reality. His best poems are the ones in which he describes travels through imaginary landscapes, producing exotic Taoist imagery and powerful emotions of fear and excitement. He preferred to write in the classical style of lyrics or ballads.
His most famous poem is "Drinking alone under the moon" and it is a very good example for his poetic style and excellence. Li Po and his poems were liked by both the commoners and the aristocrats.
Credits:
The Columbia Book of Chinese Poetry
Britannica.com
A History of World Societies Fourth Edition by McKay Hill Buckler
About.com
The Penguin Book of Chinese Verse, Edited by A.R. Davis
Humanistictexts
Answers.com
Li Po loved drinking wine and wrote a lot of poems about the joy of drinking. He seems to have had a liking for the moon and wrote many poems on Moon. He also wrote poems on nature, friendship, solitude and the passage of time. Legend has it that he drowned when he tried to catch the reflection of the moon in the river. He died in the year 762 in Dangtu which is the modern day Anhui province. It is believed that he wrote many thousands of poems during his extensive travels but only about 1,100 poems are extant at present. His first wife left him and took his two children with her and he is believed to have married two more times.
In the year 742 his poems caught the attention of the emperor Xuanzong himself and he was given a post in Hanlin Academy which catered to the poetic needs of the emperor. However per chance one of his poems was found to be a satire on the emperor and he was exiled after about two years in the academy and he had to flee the capital. Some time around the year 755 he was once again exiled due to his involvement in a rebellion by one of the imperial family members (prince Yung) but was later pardoned and he resumed his wandering.
His poems came to the attention of the west mainly due to the loose translation of his work from Japanese versions by Ezra Pound. A crater in the planet Mercury is named after him. He has used strange diction and rhyme in his poems and his poems also have playfulness and extravaganza, although he leans more towards fantasy than reality. His best poems are the ones in which he describes travels through imaginary landscapes, producing exotic Taoist imagery and powerful emotions of fear and excitement. He preferred to write in the classical style of lyrics or ballads.
His most famous poem is "Drinking alone under the moon" and it is a very good example for his poetic style and excellence. Li Po and his poems were liked by both the commoners and the aristocrats.
Credits:
The Columbia Book of Chinese Poetry
Britannica.com
A History of World Societies Fourth Edition by McKay Hill Buckler
About.com
The Penguin Book of Chinese Verse, Edited by A.R. Davis
Humanistictexts
Answers.com
Links of interest include http://www.humanistictexts.org/LiPo.htm
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