How did Du Fu, who was known as a poet as well as Li Bai, die?

Article | Feiyu tells history

Speaking of the poets of the Tang Dynasty, we have to talk about Li Bai and Du Fu.

In terms of their attainments in ancient poetry alone, they can stand out from the crowd. After all, they can get the poetry immortals and poetry saints from so many poets. This ability is not just blown away, but relied on. Written with real skills.

So if we were to compare Li Bai and Du Fu, who do you think is better?

I think many people will say Li Bai, because Li Bai is more famous than Du Fu, and his poems are more down-to-earth. Even children can recite a few catchy sentences, and that The freedom and ease are incomparable to Du Fu.

But Du Fu also has some aspects that Li Bai cannot compare with, especially the strong concern for the country and the people in his poems, which can often strike a person's heart more.

Which is stronger, immortal or saint, of course, you have the final say.

The story of Li Bai may be well-known to every household. Let’s talk about Du Fu, a great poet who is ignored by daily life but has the world at heart.

Du Fu, also known as Zimei, also known as Shaoling Yelao, is a famous realist poet in the Tang Dynasty. He is as famous as Li Bai and is known as the Saint of Poetry. The two are collectively known as "Big Li Du". Of course, they can also Just call him Lao Du.

The life of Lao Du, like Li Bai, was actually very bumpy. Of course, it was precisely because of these twists and turns that he had a taste of the warmth and coldness of the world, so that he could integrate his own experiences into his creations. Among the poems, it arouses the excitement of reading the poet.

However, no matter how you interpret Du Fu's poems, you cannot restore his true life. At least there are several different theories about his death. So how did Du Fu die?

You may not be able to imagine the real history, let’s take a look together. Du Fu, who comes from a well-off family, likes to travel mountains and rivers

Du Fu's family background was superior since he was a child. His father and mother were both from famous families at that time. In a stable and prosperous life, Du Fu also studied very hard. It is said that when he was seven years old, he I can now open my mouth to compose poems. As the saying goes: Seven years old, thinking makes you strong, and you can open your mouth to chant the phoenix.

I feel really ashamed when I think about when I was seven years old and all I could think about was playing in the mud all day long.

Du Fu, like Li Bai, also likes to travel mountains and rivers. Li Bai is older than Du Fu. Perhaps Du Fu was influenced by Li Bai at that time and fell in love with traveling.

When Du Fu was 19 years old, he traveled to Xunxia, ??and later to Wuyue, which lasted for several years. During this period, Li Bai was not happy, and he traveled to several places.

After several years of traveling, Du Fu felt confident, so he returned to his hometown to participate in the rural tribute, and then went to Luoyang to take the Jinshi examination. However, he failed and Du Fu was depressed.

Since he failed the exam, Du Fu was quite open-minded, so he took advantage of the opportunity to go to Yanzhou to visit his relatives, and together with Su Yuanming and others, they went to Qizhao Plain and started their second wandering.

During this period, Du Fu's talent was already impressive. It was at this time that he wrote "Being at the top of the mountain and seeing all the small mountains at a glance".

In 744 AD, Du Fu was 32 years old and Li Bai was 43 years old. As fate would have it, these two great poets met unexpectedly. The sincere friendship between Li Bai and Du Fu

When Du Fu was traveling in the Qi Zhao Plain, Li Bai's life was going well, because he was recruited into the palace by Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty and became an imperial scholar.

But Li Bai was bohemian after all, and his free and easy temperament made him unable to accept the constraints of the palace. In the end, he offended the powerful after drinking and was driven out of Chang'an.

When Li Bai passed through Luoyang, he met Du Fu, who had already traveled here. Just compliments.

As equals, the two formed a deep friendship that was enviable to everyone.

Then they also traveled to Liang, Song and other places together, and met the poet Gao Shi during their travels. The three of them each had great ambitions, but the same ambition made them get along very well, commenting on essays and poems. Reciting poems and composing poems is really unhappy.

After the three separated, they embarked on the journey of life in different places. In the next year, Du Fu and Li Bai met again in Qilu. Before they separated, they also gave each other poems.

Li Bai wrote this:

Autumn waves fall on the Si River, and the sea is bright and clear. The flying pods are far away from each other, and the cups in their hands are empty.

Du Fu also wrote:

Yu Yidong was a guest and pitied you like a brother. Drunk and sleeping in autumn, we walk hand in hand with each other.

After this separation, the two never saw each other again. Du Fu's depressed life

In 747 AD, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty announced to the world that talented people should go to Chang'an to take the exam. Du Fu actively participated. However, the powerful prime minister at the time, Li Linfu, choreographed and directed a "campaign" In the farce of "There are no talents left behind", all the scholars who took the exam failed.

The depressed Du Fu already understood that the road to the imperial examination was no longer feasible, so he began to join the powerful, but unfortunately he still had no way to get ahead. After that, Du Fu lived in Chang'an for ten years, feeling depressed and frustrated. He lived a life of poverty and poverty, and later his youngest son even starved to death at home.

After the Anshi Rebellion broke out, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty fled west. In order to get ahead, Du Fu did not hesitate to seek refuge with the crown prince Li Heng in Lingwu. Unfortunately, he was captured by the rebels on his way north. He was escorted back to Chang'an.

Because the official position he held at that time was very small, Du Fu was not imprisoned. After that, Du Fu wrote many famous articles about caring for the country and the people, which are still praised today.

During the turmoil of the Anshi Rebellion and a severe drought in the Guanzhong area, Du Fu had to travel a lot, and finally arrived in Chengdu, and his thatched cottage was built in Chengdu. Du Fu also recited the famous saying "There are tens of thousands of mansions, and the great shelter makes all the poor people in the world happy".

In 770 AD, Zang Jie caused rebellion in Tanzhou, and Du Fu fled to Hengzhou again. However, Leiyang encountered a surge in the river and was trapped by the flood. He was starved for five days in the flood ( Another said nine days), and later the local county magistrate rescued Du Fu back in a boat.

In order to revive the dying Du Fu, the county magistrate personally prepared white wine and beef to entertain him. Unexpectedly, this meal of wine and meat killed Du Fu. Du Fu, who had been hungry for several days, was killed by a meal of wine and meat

Du Fu, who had been hungry for a long time, naturally couldn't help but feast on the good wine and food. However, because he ate too much, coupled with this Du Fu was already old at that time, and his intestines and stomach could not digest the food and wine, and he was eventually strangled to death.

As recorded in "New Book of Tang Dynasty":

(Du Fu) was visiting Yue Temple. The flood came suddenly and he could not eat for ten days. The county magistrate brought a boat to welcome him and he was able to return. One day, I ordered him to taste the white wine roasted by cattle, and he was very drunk. He died in the past year at the age of fifty-nine.

However, many people do not believe that Du Fu died in this way, which has led to other different theories about Du Fu's death.

For example, Mr. Guo Moruo, a famous modern scholar, believes that Du Fu died of food poisoning. For example, some people think that Du Fu was ordered to die by Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty. For example, some people think that Du Fu died of illness. Some even say that Du Fu died of illness. , Du Fu jumped into the river and died by himself, etc.

In fact, these statements are not supported by strong historical documents and can only be regarded as personal literary creations.

Whether it is the "Old Book of Tang" or the "New Book of Tang", it is recorded that Du Fu was starved to death by a meal of wine and food. This is a certain historical data. We blindly want to find another way and hypothesize the cause of Du Fu's death. It's better to take a shower and go to sleep.

Looking at Du Fu's life, it is really sighing. He cared about the country and the people throughout his life, and experienced all the sufferings in the world. Unexpectedly, his final ending was so tragic.

The country is broken by mountains and rivers, and the city is full of spring vegetation. The flowers shed tears when I feel grateful, and the birds are frightened by the hatred.

Reading Du Fu’s poems and savoring Du Fu’s life, it turns out that after Du Fu, there was no more Du Fu...