In the sixth poem of his “Thirteen Poems from the Southern Garden,” Li He paints a fleeting vision of flowers and grasses, then swiftly shifts to a note of lament for a h⋯ Read the full article

“Thirteen Poems from the Southern Garden” (《南园十三首》) is a cycle in which Li He muses on themes of fragility, longing, and the eerily beautiful. Poem No. 5 centers o⋯ Read the full article

Although “River Journey” (《江行》) is not among Li He’s most widely anthologized poems, it reflects hallmarks of his style: richly layered imagery, a touch of the mythic⋯ Read the full article

In this four-line jueju (quatrain), Li He evokes the region of Shu (present-day Sichuan) through concise yet evocative images. The poem’s title, “Shu Kingdom Melody,” hin⋯ Read the full article

This fifth poem in Li He’s celebrated series of twenty-three horse poems exemplifies his hallmark fusion of dynamic imagery and subtle commentary on the fate of martial s⋯ Read the full article

Li He’s poem “Dreaming of Heaven” (《梦天》) is a prime example of his famously vivid and mysterious style, loaded with celestial imagery and allusions that transport the⋯ Read the full article

“Song of the Gilt-Bronze Immortal Leaving the Han” (《金铜仙人辞汉歌》) is among the most evocative works by Tang dynasty poet Li He. Through a sequence of vivid, dreamli⋯ Read the full article

This short yet evocative poem by Li He captures a sense of gentle melancholy surrounding the figure of Su Xiaoxiao—a renowned courtesan of the Southern Qi era (5th–6th ce⋯ Read the full article

Li He’s “Yanmen Taishou Xing,” often translated as “Song of the Yanmen Prefect,” is an iconic piece of Tang Dynasty poetry. With its vivid images of looming black clouds,⋯ Read the full article

“Li Ping’s Konghou Ballad” (《李凭箜篌引》) by Li He is renowned for its intense, richly imaginative language. The poem centers on Li Ping’s performance of the konghou, a⋯ Read the full article

In this poem, traditionally attributed to Han Yu, the poet reflects on his reappointment to an official post and his subsequent journey northward to the imperial capital.⋯ Read the full article

In this eight-line poem attributed to Han Yu, the poet addresses his friend Qu Hong, who is departing for the south. The poem opens with the shared bond formed ‘in the so⋯ Read the full article

Han Yu’s “Stone Drum Song” (《石鼓歌》) is an ode to the so-called Stone Drums—ancient relics dating back to the time of King Xuan of the Zhou Dynasty. These drums, engra⋯ Read the full article

Though widely known for his essays and moral remonstrations, Han Yu also composed poems reflecting on nature, life’s transience, and the scholar-official’s perpetual jour⋯ Read the full article

In this poem, Han Yu captures both the physical and emotional distances that define a scholar-official’s life in the Tang dynasty. Having received a new appointment, he t⋯ Read the full article