Du Fu, Tu Fu

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Du Fu 杜甫
To Ho in Japanese とほ【杜甫】

712–770



Du Fu (Chinese: 杜甫; pinyin: Dù Fǔ; Wade–Giles: Tu Fu ) was a prominent Chinese poet of the Tang Dynasty. Along with Li Bai (Li Bo), he is frequently called the greatest of the Chinese poets. His greatest ambition was to serve his country as a successful civil servant, but he proved unable to make the necessary accommodations. His life, like the whole country, was devastated by the An Lushan Rebellion of 755, and his last 15 years were a time of almost constant unrest.

Although initially he was little known to other writers, his works came to be hugely influential in both Chinese and Japanese literary culture. Of his poetic writing, nearly fifteen hundred poems have been preserved over the ages. He has been called the "Poet-Historian" and the "Poet-Sage" .

Most of what is known of Du Fu’s life comes from his poems.

.... when he learned of the death of his youngest child, he turned to the suffering of others in his poetry instead of dwelling upon his own misfortunes.
Du Fu wrote:

Brooding on what I have lived through,
if even I know such suffering,
the common man must surely
be rattled by the winds.

In 760, he arrived in Chengdu.
Criticism of Du Fu's works has focused on his strong sense of history, his moral engagement, and his technical excellence.

©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !


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詩聖・杜甫



Paper cut from the serious of five poets of the Tang period

source : e_himajiisan

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My German professor of Chinese, Gunther Debon (Debon, Günther) at Heidelberg University, has translated many poems of Du Fu.

Chinesische Dichtung, Geschichte, Struktur, Theorie.
Günther Debon
Handbuch





Herbstlich helles Leuchten überm See.
Chinesische Gedichte aus der Tang- Zeit
Günther Debon (Autor)


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A cider drink for children, named Sangaria サンガリア

唐の詩人・杜甫の作にある
「国破れて山河あり...」の「山河あり」に由来してるらしい。
kuni yaburete sanga ari

The company name originates from the Chinese poem
Spring View (春望, Ch: Chūn Wàng, Jpn: Shumbō) by Du Fu (杜甫).
Included is the phrase,

"The country (or its capital Chang'an) has collapsed,
but there are still mountains and rivers."

(Chinese: 「國破山河在」, Gúo pò shān hé zài,
Japanese: 「国破れて山河在り」, Kuni yaburete sanga ari).
The words 山河在り mean that the mountains and rivers (still) exist.
The company is famous for the slogan
"1, 2, Sangaria!" (「いち、に、サンガリア」, "Ichi, Ni, Sangaria!" ),
a play on "1, 2, 3!" ("Ichi, Ni, San!").

Japan Sangaria Beverage Co., Ltd.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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Translation of most poems of Du Fu

Du Fu (also known as Tu Fu) wrote in the High Tang period. His work is very diverse, but his most characteristic poems are autobiographical and historical, recording the effects of war on his own life.
Each poem indexed below appears in characters, pinyin, gloss and English translation; they are grouped chronologically according to the main periods of Du Fu's life. Alternatively, the English translations are collected.

The following periods of his life are covered:

Chang'an (pre-rebellion: 750-755)
. . . Sighs of Autumn (1)
. . . Sighs of Autumn (2)
. . . Sighs of Autumn (3)

Chang'an (755-757)
Qiang (757)
Chang'an (757-758)
Huazhou (758-759)
Qinzhou (759)
Chengdu (759-765)
Chengdu to Kuizhou (765-766)
Kuizhou (766-768)
Lower Yangtze (768-770)

source : www.chinese-poems.com

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Reference

. Du Fu .




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Haiku and Senryu


The Influence of Tu Fu on Basho
Fumiko Fujikawa
Monumenta Nipponica 20 (1965)

According to Fumiko Fujikawa (p. 375), Basho says, “hige kaze o fuite,” that is, “beard blowing the wind, “ instead of putting it in the normal way, “kaze hige o fuite,” “the wind blowing the beard.”
Basho employs the inversion technique in writing this haiku.

Basho's poem is influenced by "Autumn Thoughts" (p. 375).

. Reference .



Tu Fu's "Autumn Meditations":
An Exercise in Linguistic Criticism
Tsu-lin Mei; Yu-kung Kao
Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies, Vol. 28. (1968), pp. 44-80.

Online Text PDF

. . . . .

Written in Kuizhou (766-768)

Autumn Meditations, Autumn Thoughts (8)

昆吾御宿自逶迤
紫阁峰阴入渼陂
香稻啄余鹦鹉粒
碧梧栖老凤凰枝
佳人拾翠春相问
仙侣同舟晚更移
彩笔昔游干气象
白头吟望苦低垂

From Kunwu, Yusu river winds round and round,
Purple Tower mountain's shadow enters Meipi lake.
Fragrant rice; pecking; leaving surplus; parrots; grains;
Emerald wutong; perching; growing old; phoenixes; branches.
Beautiful women gather green feathers, talk to each other in spring,
Immortal companions share a boat, move on in the evening.
My coloured brush in olden days captured the image of life,
My white head drones and gazes, bitterly hanging low.

source : www.chinese-poems.com

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Matsuo Basho was greatly influenced by the poets of the Tang dynasty.

Basho wrote that Du Fu was austre (wabi　侘び) and
unrestraind, witty (share 洒落).


憶老杜（らうとヲおもフ） Thinking of Old Du Fu

髭風ヲ吹いて暮秋嘆ズルハ誰ガ子ゾ　
hige kaze fuite boshuu tan zureba taga ko zo
（ひげかぜヲふいてぼしゆうたンズルハたガこゾ

his beard blown by the autumn wind
while he ponders the end of autumn -
who might he be ?

Matsuo Basho, Age 39

lit.
beard wind blowing
end of autumn pondering
who is this

. . . . .


Here is a similar poem by Du Fu, with the last two characters:



杖藜嘆世者誰子

藜(あかざ)を杖(つえつ)いて
世を嘆ずる者は誰子ぞ

akaza o tsue tsuite
yo o tanzuru mono wa
taga ko zo

holding an akaza cane
he grieves over this world -
who might he be ?



三十九歳（虚栗）
☆老杜とは杜甫の異称。「杜甫のことを憶って」

「冷たい秋風に髭を吹かれながら、暮秋の悲哀を嘆じている人物はいったい誰であろうか。」

秋ー暮秋 . Autumn Meditations
杜甫の詩「杖藜嘆世者誰子（あかざヲつえシテよヲたんズルハたガこゾ」」のもじり。
source : studio 159


akaze 藜 Chenopodium album var. centrorubrum
fat-hen, goosefoot, nickel greens, smearwort
It is used in Asia to make canes, and refers to the Gods of Long Life.

(Thanks to Chen-ou Liu for help with the translations.)



MORE - hokku about the beard by
. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .



宿りせん藜の杖になる日まで
yadorisen akaza no tsue ni naru hi made

MORE - hokku about the walking stick
. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .

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. summer grass ... Basho and Du Fu 　


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Related words

***** Personal Names used in Haiku
Introduction　


Li Po, Li Bo, Li Bai 李白


***** Introducing Japanese Haiku Poets　


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