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Meng Haoran (; 689/691–740) was a Chinese poet and a major literary figure of the
Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...
. He was somewhat an older contemporary of Wang Wei,
Li Bai Li Bai (, 701–762), Literary and colloquial readings, also pronounced Li Bo, courtesy name Taibai (), was a Chinese poet acclaimed as one of the greatest and most important poets of the Tang dynasty and in Chinese history as a whole. He and hi ...
and
Du Fu Du Fu (; 712–770) was a Chinese poet and politician during the Tang dynasty. Together with his elder contemporary and friend Li Bai, Du is often considered one of the greatest Chinese poets of his time. His greatest ambition was to serve ...
. Despite his brief pursuit of an official career, Meng Haoran spent most of his life in and around his hometown
Xiangyang Xiangyang is the second-largest prefecture-level city by population in northwestern Hubei province, China. It was known as Xiangfan from 1950 to 2010. The Han River (Hanshui), Han River runs through Xiangyang's centre and divides the city n ...
of the Hubei Province living like a hermit, while creating poems inspired by its landscapes and milieu. Meng Haoran was a major influence on both contemporary and subsequent poets of the Tang dynasty due to his excellency in Shanshui poetry and his composed, independent spirit. Meng was prominently featured in the
Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...
(and subsequently frequently republished) poetry anthology Three Hundred Tang Poems, having the fifth largest number of poems selected for a total of fifteen, exceeded only by
Du Fu Du Fu (; 712–770) was a Chinese poet and politician during the Tang dynasty. Together with his elder contemporary and friend Li Bai, Du is often considered one of the greatest Chinese poets of his time. His greatest ambition was to serve ...
,
Li Bai Li Bai (, 701–762), Literary and colloquial readings, also pronounced Li Bo, courtesy name Taibai (), was a Chinese poet acclaimed as one of the greatest and most important poets of the Tang dynasty and in Chinese history as a whole. He and hi ...
, Wang Wei, and Li Shangyin. These poems of Meng Haoran were made available in English translations by Witter Bynner and Kiang Kanghu with the publication of ''The Jade Mountain'' in 1920. In 2021, a complete translation of all Meng's poems by Paul W. Kroll was published as ''The Poetry of Meng Haoran'', which also contains an introduction of Meng's life and historical contexts of his poetry. The ''Three Hundred Tang Poems'' also collected two poems by Li Bai addressed to Meng Haoran, one in his praise and one written in farewell.


Biography

One of the major poets during a peak era of the Tang Poetry, known as the High Tang, Meng Haoran was born in Xiangyang District, Xiangfan, south of the Han River, in the modern province of
Hubei Hubei is a province of China, province in Central China. It has the List of Chinese provincial-level divisions by GDP, seventh-largest economy among Chinese provinces, the second-largest within Central China, and the third-largest among inland ...
. He remained strongly attached to this area and its scenery throughout his life. He had the desire to pursue a career in politics in his youth, but never successes in securing an official position. As recorded by the ''
New Book of Tang The ''New Book of Tang'', generally translated as the "New History of the Tang" or "New Tang History", is a work of official history covering the Tang dynasty in ten volumes and 225 chapters. The work was compiled by a team of scholars of the So ...
'', he was recommended by his good friend Wang Wei to Emperor Xuanzong, who granted him an audience during which he recited his poem. However, one line therein angered the emperor: "The untalented the wise lord discards" (), which Xuanzong interpreted as a sarcastic complaint for not employing him sooner in the imperial government. Thus, he was sent away from the palace. He received his only quasi-civil service position as an advisor to Zhang Jiuling three years before his death, but resigned after less than a year due to his aloofness and pride. He lived in the Xiangyang area almost all his life, except for a brief trip to the capital city of
Chang'an Chang'an (; zh, t=長安, s=长安, p=Cháng'ān, first=t) is the traditional name of the city now named Xi'an and was the capital of several Chinese dynasties, ranging from 202 BCE to 907 CE. The site has been inhabited since Neolithic time ...
where he was hosted by Wang Wei in 728. The landscape, history and legends of his hometown are the subjects of a majority of his poems. Some particularly prominent landmarks include Nanshan (or South Mountain, his family seat) and Lumen Shan, a temple site, where he briefly lived in retreat.


Works

Meng Haoran is often bracketed with Wang Wei, due to the friendship they shared and their prominence as landscape poets. In fact, Meng composed several poems about Wang and their parting. While Wang's work focused on the natural world, in particular the solitude and reprieve it granted from human life along with the scale of the natural world, Meng's poetry focuses more on foreground details and human life, such as returning villagers waiting at the ferry crossing, fishermen, or (often unseen) mountain hermits dwelling in religious seclusion. Meng's poetic language was as simple as everyday conversation, yet this simplicity did not diminish their careful craftsmanship. Critics have noted that Meng's artistry resides in his adeptness at transforming ordinary daily experiences into enduring poetry. Meng's quatrain "''Spring Morning"'' () is one of the best known Tang poems, partly due to its inclusion as the opening piece of the Qian-Jia Shi (Poems of a Thousand Masters), a beginner's anthology of verses widely adopted in elementary curriculum since the late
Song dynasty The Song dynasty ( ) was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Fiv ...
.


Reception and Legacy

Meng was highly regarded by his contemporaries, notably both
Li Bai Li Bai (, 701–762), Literary and colloquial readings, also pronounced Li Bo, courtesy name Taibai (), was a Chinese poet acclaimed as one of the greatest and most important poets of the Tang dynasty and in Chinese history as a whole. He and hi ...
and
Du Fu Du Fu (; 712–770) was a Chinese poet and politician during the Tang dynasty. Together with his elder contemporary and friend Li Bai, Du is often considered one of the greatest Chinese poets of his time. His greatest ambition was to serve ...
had written poems in his praise. According to Du Fu, Meng's poetry surpassed those of Bao Zhao and Xie Lingyun in quality. Li Bai's tribute, on the other hand, honored Meng's noble character and independent spirit.
Song dynasty The Song dynasty ( ) was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Fiv ...
critics held that Meng's poetry excelled in creativity but lacked depth and breadth in its topics.
Su Shi Su Shi ( zh, t=, s=苏轼, p=Sū Shì; 8 January 1037 – 24 August 1101), courtesy name Zizhan (), art name Dongpo (), was a Chinese poet, essayist, calligrapher, painter, scholar-official, literatus, artist, pharmacologist, and gastronome wh ...
likened Meng's artistry to that of a skilled wine maker with supreme craftsmanship but a shortage of ingredients.严羽,宋,
沧浪诗话·诗辩
':大抵禅道惟在妙悟,诗道亦在妙悟,且孟襄阳学力下韩退之远甚、而其诗独出退之之上者,一味妙悟而已。惟悟乃为当行,乃为本色。
20th century scholar Wen Yiduo aligned with Li Bai in his assessment of Meng, praising his poetry as an genuine expression of his serene demeanor and hermit lifestyle. The themes and styles of Meng Haoran's Shanshui poetry helped to set a convention followed by younger poets, such as Wang Wei.


See also

*
Classical Chinese poetry Classical Chinese poetry is traditional Chinese poetry written in Classical Chinese and typified by certain traditional forms, or modes; traditional genres; and connections with particular historical periods, such as the poetry of the Tang dy ...
* Meng Jiao *
Tang poetry Tang poetry () refers to poetry written in or around the time of or in the characteristic style of China's Tang dynasty, (June 18, 618 – June 4, 907, including the 690–705 reign of Wu Zetian) and/or follows a certain style, often considered a ...
* Wang Wei * Chinese Wikipedia article on relationship to Mencius (孟家) (In Chinese)


References


Further reading

* Kroll, Paul W. (2021)
The Poetry of Meng Haoran
. ''De Gruyter Mouton''. * Contains English translations of all known poems by Meng Haoran. *Nienhauser, William H (ed.). ''The Indiana Companion to Traditional Chinese Literature''. Indiana University Press 1986. *Ma Maoyuan
"Meng Haoran"
''
Encyclopedia of China The ''Encyclopedia of China'' () is the first large-entry modern encyclopedia in the Chinese language. The compilation began in 1978. Published by the Encyclopedia of China Publishing House, the encyclopedia was issued one volume at a time, be ...
'' (Chinese Literature Edition), 1st ed.


External links


Five-character regulated verses of Meng Haoran, with English translation, pinyin transliteration, and tonal patterns.

15 poems by Meng Haoran in the 300 Tang Poems (trans. Bynner)
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Meng, Haoran 7th-century births 740 deaths 8th-century Chinese poets People from Xiangyang Poets from Hubei Three Hundred Tang Poems poets