The poetry of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) is considered the high point of Chinese poetry. Every educated Chinese during the Tang Dynasty was expected to be able to dash off a poem with grace, or at least technical competence. The poetry served as parting gifts, descriptions of pleasure excursions and journeys, praise of the imperial court, and criticism of policies.
Wang Wei’s (699-761) nature poems are compelling in their simplicity and quiet presentation of nature – this is achieved partly through his selective and disciplined attitude toward the poetic subject. He doesn’t attempt to describe an entire scene. For instance, “Deer Enclosure” doesn’t mention an animal but man, and in fact says that he is only heard, not seen. The poet’s language incorporates a simple juxtaposition of the massive and the minute, such as the mountain and moss.
Li Bo’s (701-762) poetry is a poetics of immediacy, the concept that poetic expression ought to be a spontaneous expression of emotion. His poems are dramatic—a contrast to other types of contemplative poetry—and through these dramatic elements he conveys the sense of poetic immediacy.
Du Fu (712-770) is considered the “poet-historian” of Chinese literature because he chronicles and criticizes the events of his time. He writes with a particular poetic realism in both thematic subject and language. He neither dampens emotion, nor exalts it beyond normal experience.
