he
When I was young, I traveled south and north
Despite reaching middle age, one fails repeatedly
Seeking a position of government and a half, yet encountering wars and turmoil
In his later years, his life was full of ups and downs
He is Du Fu
A man revered as the ‘Poet Saint’ by later generations
A textbook level historical figure who is’ very busy, very busy ‘
Du Fu is really busy!
A few years ago, a meme suddenly became popular on the internet: Du Fu is very busy!
It is said that ‘Du Fu is very busy’
Joke is a joke
But he’s really busy too
What exactly is he busy with in his life
In fact, Du Fu is really busy! Because he dare not idle away.
Because Du Fu’s father’s name was Du Xian, ancient people had a tradition of avoiding the taboo of respecting elders. Du Fu wrote thousands of poems throughout his life, and over 1500 of them have been preserved. However, there is no poem that contains the word “Xian”. People can “leisurely listen to the osmanthus falling”, but Du Fu dare not.
At the moment of Du Fu’s birth, his busy life was predetermined.
When Du Fu was not yet one year old, his mother suddenly passed away, and his father remarried a “stepmother”. Du Fu had to be raised by his aunt.
Although his background was unfortunate, Du Fu’s family had very favorable conditions and received a good education from a young age. Du Fu was able to write poetry at the age of seven, claiming that “at the age of seven, one’s thoughts become strong and one can sing praises to the phoenix”.
At the age of nineteen, Du Fu traveled from Shanxi to Wuyue. At the age of 23, Du Fu returned to his hometown for the first time to participate in the “rural tribute”, but ended up losing his reputation as Sun Shan.
After failing the exam, Du Fu was not idle and immediately went to seek refuge with his father. Du Fu, who came to the land of Qi and Zhao, wandered freely on this land, exploring famous mountains and rivers.
During this trip, Du Fu went to Mount Taishan, a landmark scenic spot in Qilu, and wrote the famous “Watching the Mountains”. At a time when he was young and full of energy, although Du Fu had not yet achieved much, his ambition and spirit of “reaching the summit and overlooking the mountains” had already fully demonstrated his willingness to overlook everything and climb bravely.
Although ambitious, the result was very awkward. During the nearly ten years he stayed in Chang’an as a guest, Du Fu still failed to achieve fame and fortune. Whether it was the official imperial examination or the “backdoor” visit to the powerful, Du Fu failed all of them.
When Du Fu was nearly 50 years old, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty saw Du Fu’s “Da Li Fu” presented in advance to prepare for the ceremony, and allowed him to be assigned a position. However, because the prime minister Li Linfu was obstructing him, once again failed to join the company.
A few years later, Du Fu had to accept some of the lowest level official positions in order to make a living, such as “Right Guard leading the troops to join the army”, which sounded very advanced but was actually the gatekeeper of ancient military camps.
With the outbreak of the An Lushan Rebellion, Du Fu moved to seek refuge and settled his family before being captured by the rebels on his way north. Another year later, Du Fu escaped during the war and sought refuge with Emperor Suzong of Tang. He was awarded the title of “Left Attendant” and historically known as “Du Attendant”.
Du Fu, who thought he could live a good life, was unexpectedly demoted one after another. Coupled with the constant wars in the world, Du Fu returned to Huazhou to take up his position. Along the way, Du Fu witnessed the suffering brought by war to the people and wrote the famous “Three Officials” (“Xin’an Officials”, “Shihao Officials”, “Tongguan Officials”) and “Three Partings” (“Farewell to Newlyweds”, “Farewell to Elderly”, “Farewell to No Family”).
Faced with the deteriorating political situation, Du Fu gave up his official position in Huazhou and became an ordinary citizen. With the help of his friend Yan Wu, he went through many twists and turns and arrived in Chengdu, where he built the “Du Fu Thatched Cottage” and was recommended as a member of the Ministry of Education, known as the “Du Ministry of Education” in history.
In his later years, Du Fu lived a miserable life, suffering from hunger in the thatched cottage, and wrote the song ‘The Thatched Cottage is Broken by Autumn Wind’. Despite the hardships of life, Du Fu still demonstrated a state of concern for the country and the people
With the death of his friend Yan Wu, Du Fu began his turbulent life again. At the end of his life, Du Fu returned north with one heart, but encountered many obstacles along the way, drifted around, and ultimately passed away on a lonely boat.
After listening to Du Fu’s “Busy Life”
Did you suddenly feel
Compared to my own life, it’s not that bad
