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Lu You (Wade-Giles name: Lu Yu) | |
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LU YOU (LU YU) (1125 1210) Lu You was the most prolific poet of the Southern Song dynasty, writing around 10,000 poems. He is known as the Patriotic Poet for the fervor of his many poems exhorting the government to go to war and reunify China. In 1153, he was successful in passing the examinations necessary for a government position, but the prime minister was his enemy and he found himself without a post until 1160 after upon the prime minister's death. He served in the military on the border of Sichuan and Shaanxi, and this military experience deeply affected his outlook and his writing. After some years in the capital, he was dismissed from office for his outspokenness, and went through a series of provincial posts until his retirement in 1190. His poetry is noted for its criticism of Song bureaucracy, its celebration of wine and Taoist individualism, and its sympathy for the poor. ___________________ Caught in a Drizzle on
the Way to Sword Gate Mountain ---Translated by Tony Barnstone and Chou Ping ___________________ Note: Donkeys were supposed to be ideal for
poets, in fact they were said to assist their
creative thinking. Horses are too fast, but
donkeys are slow and meditative and safe, and
riding on a donkey a poet can lose himself in
the rhythm and let his mind wander into
creativity. Lu You, a soldier constantly
concerned about the recovery of lost land,
clearly had mixed feelings about his own status
as a poet. "Plum Flowers" To the Tune of "Fortune
Teller" ---Translated by Tony Barnstone and Chou Ping
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