Li Po and Tu Fu – Poems
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Li Po (AD 701-62) and Tu Fu (AD 712-70) were devoted friends who are traditionally considered to be among China’s greatest poets. Li Po, a legendary carouser, was an itinerant poet whose writing, often dream poems or spirit-journeys, soars to sublime heights in its descriptions of natural scenes and powerful emotions. His sheer escapism and joy is balanced by Tu Fu, who expresses the Confucian virtues of humanity and humility in more autobiographical works that are imbued with great compassion and earthy reality, and shot through with humour. Together these two poets of the T’ang dynasty complement each other so well that they often came to be spoken of as one – ‘Li-Tu’ – who covers the whole spectrum of human life, experience and feeling.
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Additional information
Publisher | 1st edition (26 April 1973), Penguin Classics |
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Language | English |
Paperback | 256 pages |
ISBN-10 | 0140442723 |
ISBN-13 | 978-0140442724 |
Dimensions | 21.6 x 13.8 x 1.56 cm |
by Rhona
Amazon Prime delivery took 21 days!!
by Amazon Customer
Perfect for my needs
by customer trillion
The poetry transported me.
by Philip R. H. Allen
One of the greatest Chinese poets. Wonderful to be able to carry Li Po’s poems around with me
by John Mccutcheon
The translations seem dated, but one can still sense the greatness of the poetry. The commentaries are useful and excellent. The background the the poets is good too.
by Dodwell
A very clear and expansive introduction to these two beloved Chinese poets; both very different, but both very similar. Their works show that, although the world changes, the human heart does not.
by cbmb
Lovely poems and helpful introduction
by Abdiel LeRoy
Arthur Cooper knows these Chinese poets intimately and the structures of their poetry. And the explanations following each poem bring colour to their times in Tang-dynasty China.
But I wish the poems themselves had been translated with more passion than precision. Although flashes of these poets’ brilliance come through, elsewhere I sense it is dimmed in translation.