What is history: it is the echo of the past to the future, the reflection of the future on the past. - Hugo
China's thousands of years of feudal dynasties, the Tang Dynasty was the strongest period of prosperity. The Tang Dynasty in history had a strong diplomacy, a rapidly developing economy, a stable and prosperous life, and even the development of literature and art was unprecedented, reaching the peak of perfection. However, it was such a prosperous and grand dynasty that eventually changed everything because of a rebellion.
In the last year of Tang Xuanzong's reign, the Tang generals represented by An Lushan and Shi Siming launched a rebellion against the Tang Dynasty for power, known as the An Shi Rebellion. This war turned the Tang Dynasty from prosperity to decline, the country's strength rapidly decreased, a large number of ordinary people were mutilated, countless court officials were persecuted, and a tragic love story of Li Yang, which has been passed down from generation to generation and lamented and sung by people, was also born during this period.
Under such a social background, a group of outstanding poets and writers in the literary world at that time suffered an unprecedented blow: they were either ostracized, or imprisoned, or helplessly captured, and a considerable number of people were reduced to the point of almost losing their lives. Big celebrities like Wang Wei, Du Fu, and Li Bai still haven't escaped this fate, and they struggled to survive in that turbulent war and chaotic era.
Today, let us walk into their lives together and look at the different fates of those famous poets in that turbulent era.
1. Du Fu
Among the many literati writers who were tragically persecuted, Du Fu was one of the more "lucky", he did not experience too many twists and turns, of course, this is also relatively equal to his status. In his entire career as an official, he did not hold a relatively high position, so his life was relatively poor, but Du Fu was not poor, and after the outbreak of the Anshi Rebellion, he resolutely threw himself into Lingwu, where the crown prince Li Heng was located, hoping to make a difference and serve the imperial court. On the way to surrender, he was captured by the rebels and became a prisoner. During this period, he was not afraid of authority, and wrote one after another passionate works, contributing to the defeat of the rebels.
Or because the Du Fu people were light-hearted and did not receive people's attention when they were captured, they easily escaped, and they were also praised by Tang Suzong and obtained an official position of "Left Shiyi". In this position, he was demoted to prison for interceding for Fang Xuan, angered Tang Suzong, and was later released under the intercession of others, and his last life was not used, so he spent the rest of his life in poverty.
It can be seen that Du Fu was also a poet who was killed by the chaos of war, and although he did not suffer a serious blow when he was captured, the root cause of the tragedy of his life was ultimately due to the disputes in this rebellion.
2. Wang Wei
Wang Wei, like Du Fu, was captured by the rebels during the Anshi Rebellion, but he was not able to escape easily. At that time, he was in the position of giving things, which was a relatively high official position, plus he was already quite famous himself, and he received special attention from An Lushan. He admired Wang Wei's talent, so he left it in his court for his own use, which Wang Wei was certainly unwilling or even disgusted with, but in order to survive, he could only obey orders, so he lived a difficult and bitter life in the rebel camp.
During this time, he never forgot his identity as a citizen of the Tang Dynasty, often remembered the day of the Pilgrimage of hundreds of officials, and lived in pain every day, but due to the current situation, he could not speak directly about his pain and grief.
He could only pin his helplessness and loyalty to the Tang Dynasty in the creation of a wordless poem, so there was "Ningbi Poem", which is a masterpiece throughout the ages.
It is precisely because of this that after the Anshi Rebellion was settled, Wang Wei was not greatly implicated, but was demoted to an official position and removed from his name.
3. Li Bai
Compared with Du Fu's fall and Wang Wei's trapping, Li Bai's situation is particularly bleak. When he was young, Li Bai enjoyed endless honor because of his poetry, and was personally received by Tang Xuanzong and enshrined as a Hanlin student, always with him, and made countless talents in the world deeply feel for him. However, due to Li Baisheng's debauchery and disdain for the magnates of the court, he inadvertently offended the eunuch in power at that time, Gao Lishi, so he was slandered by rumors, and was eventually dismissed from his official post and expelled from the palace. Since then, he has been drinking and having fun, not asking about the world, but also living happily.
Later, under the chaos of An Shi, Tang Xuanzong fled, and the crown prince Li Heng established himself as king, while the Yong King Li Xuan was not willing to do so, and wanted to support the army and dominate Jiangnan, and the contradiction between the two gradually deepened. At this time, Li Bai was originally a idle person, but he was invited by Li Xuan, and his ambition was instantly aroused, so he joined Li Xuan's camp. However, Li Xuan's army was soon suppressed by Li Heng, then Emperor Suzong of Tang, who was killed and Li Bai was arrested and imprisoned in Xunyang.
How could the arrogant Li Bai be willing to do so? In prison, he tried to win others over and find a way out, and repeatedly asked his young friend Gao Shi to help him, but he was ruthlessly refused. This made him almost desperate, and just when he was close to death, he was accidentally known by Guo Ziyi, and nian begged for help in front of the emperor in the past, so he reluctantly exonerated Li Bai from the death penalty and changed the charge of exile. Perhaps, if there were no coincidences of various opportunities and Guo Ziyi's consideration of old feelings, Li Bai would really end up in a tragic death.
From this point of view, in that turbulent era, thousands of literati were inevitably implicated, light or heavy, or exiled or executed, and in the end, although most of them were exempted from cruel punishment, they did indeed have an indelible impact on their lives.