Bai Juyi 白居易 (772-846)

One of the most famous men of letters in the Tang dynasty. Born in modern-day Henan, he held several senior official posts during his lifetime, although his outspoken criticisms of government policies resulted in his exile from Chang’an in 815. Already popular in his lifetime and with an international reputation, he was one of the leaders of the New Yuefu Movement 新樂府運動, which advocated structural freedom, seriousness of intent, and simplicity of language. Among his close to 3,000 extant poems that make him the most prolific among Tang poets, many are fundamentally critical of the society of the time.
Works:

  • Baishi Changqiang ji

    Works available in English:

  • Bai Juyi: 200 Selected Poems (Rewi Alley). Beijing: New World Press, 1983.
  • Chinese Poems: Selected from 170 Chinese Poems (Arthur Waley). London:
       George Allen and Unwin, 1946, pp.120-192.
  • More Translations from the Chinese (Arthur Waley). London: George Allen and
       Unwin, 1919, pp.24-67.
  • One Hundred and Seventy Chinese Poems (Arthur Waley). London: Constable,
       1918, pp.105-168.
  • Po Chu-I: Selected Poems (Burton Watson). New York: Columbia University
       Press, 2000.
  • The Selected Poems of Po Chu-I (David Hinton). New York: New Directions
       Publishing Corp., 1999.
  • Translations from Po Chu-I's Collected Works (Howard S. Levy). New York:
       Paragon Book Reprint Corp., 1971-1978.

    Studies and Biographies:

  • Arthur Waley, The Life and Times of Po Chü-I, 772-846 A.D.
       Longon: George Allen & Unwin, 1949.
  • Eugen Feifel, Po Chu-I as a censor: his memorials presented to Hsien-tsung during the years 808-810.
       Ann Arbor, Mich. UMI, 1985.
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