Li He’s “Song of the Sword for the Spring Office Proofreader” (《春坊正字剑子歌》) exemplifies the Tang poet’s flair for weaving together seemingly disparate worlds: the ⋯ Read the full article

This poem is the first in a trio known as “碧城三首,” or “Three Poems of Bi Cheng.” Though “碧城” (Bicheng) literally suggests a ‘Jade-Green City,’ Li He often uses place⋯ Read the full article

In this short quatrain, drawn from Li He’s larger collection often referred to as the Chang Gu Anthology (《昌谷集》), the poet delivers a vivid snapshot of youthful ambi⋯ Read the full article

Li He’s brief poem “High on Wushan” (《巫山高》) captures the alluring mystique of Wushan—a region in China famed in classical literature for its cloud-wreathed peaks and⋯ Read the full article

“Summons to Wine” (《致酒行》) is one of Li He’s poems that blends mythic allusions, martial imagery, and an almost existential yearning for freedom in the face of fate’s⋯ Read the full article

Though Li He lived during the Tang Dynasty, a period renowned for its flourishing literary culture, many of his poems exist in variant forms or remain obscure. This piece⋯ Read the full article

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