Du Fu

Du Fu

Du Fu (712-770), also known as Du Zimei, is a great realistic poet of the Tang Dynasty from Gongxian County (present-day Gongyi, Henan Province). He is known as the "Sage of Poetry," and his poems are believed to constitute a "history of poetry." About 1,500 of Du Fu's poems are extant today.

Living at a time when the Tang Dynasty was on the decline, Du Fu witnessed how extravagant and decadent the upper class was and how miserable the people were during the social crisis. His poems described social turmoil and political corruption, recorded the eventful period of Tang's fall, and reflected social conflicts and people's afflictions, expressing the Confucian spirit of benevolence and a strong sense of crisis.

Du Fu was a noble character who was deeply concerned about his country and people and a great poet whose works represent the realistic genre. His poems convey the central idea of benevolence underneath apparent gloominess and dismay. They are of diverse styles, and typical representatives include On the Height, Spring View, To the North, and My Cottage Unroofed by Autumn Gales. They have a far-reaching impact on Chinese and Japanese literature.

杜甫

杜甫（公元712年—公元770年），字子美，河南鞏縣（今河南省鞏義市）人，唐朝偉大的現實主義詩人，被稱為“詩圣”，其詩被稱為“詩史”，共有約1500首詩歌被保留下來。

杜甫生活在唐朝由盛轉衰的歷史時期，他目睹了唐朝上層社會的奢靡與社會危機，其詩多涉筆社會動蕩、政治黑暗，他的詩反映了當時的社會矛盾和人民疾苦，記錄了唐朝由盛轉衰的歷史巨變，表達了崇高的儒家仁愛精神和強烈的憂患意識。杜甫憂國憂民，人格高尚，詩藝精湛，其思想核心是仁政思想，其作品是現實主義詩歌的代表作。杜甫詩風沉郁頓挫，以古體、律詩見長，風格多樣，代表作有《登高》《春望》《北征》《茅屋為秋風所破歌》等，對中國文學和日本文學都產生了深遠的影響。