Comparison of Li Po and Tu Fu's Poetry

Comparison of Li Po and Tu Fu's Poetry

During the Tang Dynasty, Li Po and Tu Fu have reigned the literary world with their poetry. Their writing techniques and themes in their poetry allow them to stand out amongst other poets at the time. With the unique aspects and images these poets write about, they distinguish the similarities between themselves and contain different intensities in their poetry. While Li Po has a more relaxed tone to his poetry, Tu Fu deals with the serious aspects of life such as war, poverty, and suffering.

Li Po's writing style is conventional and contains no new innovations. Much of his poetry contains older styles such as lu-shih, chueh-chu, and especially the ku-shih. Li Po also tends to look upon the past more than the future. In his poem, " At Su Terrace Viewing the Past", Li Po states, "Old gardens, a ruined terrace, willow trees new…and now there is only the west river moon, that shone once on a lady in the palace of the king of Wu." Throughout this poem, Li Po shows a longing for the past, the longing of that lady who lived in that palace. Now he is looking back upon the past and the wonderful experiences he had. Although Li Po suffered through exile and complicated political connections, he rarely expresses his grief through his poetry. Usually, his poetry contains the happier aspects of life and avoids being too personal and less revealing on his inner emotions.

Perhaps one of the more notable aspects of his writing is his fondness of nature,

especially with mountainous landscapes and celestial scenery. In the poem, "Poem #19 in the Old Manner", Li Po expresses the beauty of nature. "West ascending Lotus Flower Mountain, far far away I...

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It took me a long time to interpret the works of Tu Fu and the depth his poetry displayed. Not only does he distort his poetry, much of his poetry is vague and ambiguous, which leaves everything open for interpretation. Li Po takes a more direct approach, it can be said that he is much more simple minded than Tu Fu. I find it ironic, however, that these two poets were such close friends. Perhaps, you could say "Opposites attract". In general, for my leisure, I would read Li Po due to the directness and the delight his poetry brings. Yet, Tu Fu's poetry gives me something to contemplate and requires a lot of thought. I find his poetry much more intriguing and worthwhile to read. For me, both poets can be enjoyed, pending on the mood of the reader and the desire to think!