ThePoemsoftheT'angDynasty(唐诗)

　　AsmanyadynastyinChinesehistoryismarkedbysomephaseofsuccessrepresentingthethoughtandlifeofthatperiod,theT'angDynastyiscommonlyrecognizedasthegoldenageofpoetry.Beginningwiththefounderofthedynasty,downtothelastruler,almosteveryoneoftheemperorswasagreatloverandpatronofpoetry,andmanywerepoetsthemselves.AspecialtributeshouldbepaidtotheEmpressWuChaoorthe"WomanEmperor"(684-704),throughwhoseinfluencepoetrybecamearequisiteinexaminationsfordegreesandanimportantcourseleadingtoofficialpromotion.Thismadeeveryofficialaswellaseveryscholarapoet.Thepoemsrequiredintheexamination,afterlongyearsofgradualdevelopment,followedaformula,andmanyregulationswereestablished.Notonlymustthelengthofalinebelimitedtoacertainnumberofthecharacters,usuallyfiveorseven,butalsothelengthofapoemwaslimitedtoacertainnumberoflines,usuallyfouroreightortwelve.Themaintenanceofrhymes,theparallelismofcharacters,andthebalanceoftoneswereotherrulesconsideredessential.Thisiscalledthe"modern"or"ruled"poetry.IntheCh'ingorManchuDynastytheexaminationpoemwasstandardizedasafive-character-linepoemofsixteenlineswitheveryotherlinerhymed.This"eight-rhyme"poemwasaccompaniedbythefamous"eight-legged"literature(aformofliteraturedividedintoeightsections)asaguidinglightforentranceintomandarinlife.

　　Theabove-mentionedrulesofpoetryappliedfirstonlytoexaminationpoems.Butafterwardstheybecameacommonexercisewith"modern"or"ruled"poemsingeneral.ChinesepoetrysincetheT'angDynastyhasfollowedpracticallyonlytwoforms,the"modern"or"ruled"formandthe"ancient"or"unruled"form.Apoetusuallywritesboth.The"eight-rhyme"poem,however,waspractisedforofficialexaminationsonly.

　　ThemostfamouswritersareLiBai李白(LiTaibai李太白),DuFu杜甫,DuMu杜牧,MengHaoran孟浩然,WangWei王维,BaiJuyi白居易(BoJuyi),LiShangyin李商隐,YuanZhen元稹,andmanymore.SeveralthousandTangpoemsarecollectedintheQingtimecompilationQuanTangShi(Quantangshi)全唐诗.ThesecondhalfofTangDynastysawtheriseofanewpoetrystyle.Apoetshouldfillatraditionalmelodypatternwithnewwords(ci词).ThiscistylepoemwasmorecomplicatedliketheoldshistylepoemsandreacheditsmaturityduringSongDynasty.ThemostimportantrepresentantofTangcipoetrywasLiYu李煜,emperorofSouthernTang(937-975).

　　-------

　　TheLyricsoftheS'ongDynasty(宋词)

　　Theci词lyricisverydifferentfromtheshitype.Todaythetermcisimplymeans"word".WhiletheolderTangDynastyshilyriccanbereadwithoutmindingtheunderlyingmelodies-evenifthereexistedsomeunderlyingmelodies-cipoetrymustbeseenaswrittensongs.Mostofthepoemsdonotevenhavetheirowntitle,buttheyarenamedafteranoriginalmelody.Composersandwritersusedthismelodytowriteanewpoemthatcouldbesungtotheoriginalfamousmelodyortunepattern(cipai词牌),atechniquecalledcontrafactury.Thisisthereasonwhyweoftenseethesametitleforacipoem,likeDielianhua蝶恋花"Butterfliesloveblossoms",Mantingfang满庭芳"Scentfillsthehall",orYumeiren虞美人"LadyYu".Therearemorethan800tunepatterns.CilyricemergedduringtheTangDynastyinresponsetothepopularityofforeignmusicaltunesimportedfromInnerAsia.

　　DuringSongDyna