Pei Di
Encyclopedia
Pei Di was a Chinese poet of the Tang Dynasty
, and a contemporary of Wang Wei, although younger by fifteen years. The poet's name is also rendered into English as "Pei Ti". the close personal friendship between Wang Wei and Pei Di is preserved in a letter by Wang Wei inviting him for a Springtime visit together at Wang's country estate. This letter has been translated by Arthur Waley
. Pei also had a poetic relationship of with Du Fu
. Other than through his few surviving poems, and the poems addressed to him by Wang Wei and Du Fu, "pitifully little" is known about Pei Di, other than that he had a reasonably successful government career.
as "A Farewell to Cui" , a farewell poem dedicated to a friend named Cui, was included in the important collection Three Hundred Tang Poems
. Pei Di is also famous for his collaboration with Wang Wei. This series of poems is translated as "The Wang River Collection", or similarly. Consisting of twenty preserved titles, for each title Wang Wei wrote a pair of couplets loosely inspired by landscape features around his country estate. These were then matched by a pair by Pei Di. These and a few other poems by Pei Di are preserved in scroll 129 of the Quantangshi
.
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
, and a contemporary of Wang Wei, although younger by fifteen years. The poet's name is also rendered into English as "Pei Ti". the close personal friendship between Wang Wei and Pei Di is preserved in a letter by Wang Wei inviting him for a Springtime visit together at Wang's country estate. This letter has been translated by Arthur Waley
Arthur Waley
Arthur David Waley CH, CBE was an English orientalist and sinologist.-Life:Waley was born in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England, as Arthur David Schloss, son of the economist David Frederick Schloss...
. Pei also had a poetic relationship of with Du Fu
Du Fu
Du Fu was a prominent Chinese poet of the Tang Dynasty.Along with Li Bai , 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...
. Other than through his few surviving poems, and the poems addressed to him by Wang Wei and Du Fu, "pitifully little" is known about Pei Di, other than that he had a reasonably successful government career.
Poems
One of Pei Di's poems, translated by Witter BynnerWitter Bynner
Harold Witter Bynner was an American poet, writer and scholar, known for his long residence in Santa Fe, New Mexico, at what is now the Inn of the Turquoise Bear.-Early life:...
as "A Farewell to Cui" , a farewell poem dedicated to a friend named Cui, was included in the important collection Three Hundred Tang Poems
Three Hundred Tang Poems
The Three Hundred Tang Poems is an anthology of poems from the Chinese Tang Dynasty first compiled around 1763 by Sun Zhu , the Qing scholar also known as Hengtang Tuishi . Various later editions also exist...
. Pei Di is also famous for his collaboration with Wang Wei. This series of poems is translated as "The Wang River Collection", or similarly. Consisting of twenty preserved titles, for each title Wang Wei wrote a pair of couplets loosely inspired by landscape features around his country estate. These were then matched by a pair by Pei Di. These and a few other poems by Pei Di are preserved in scroll 129 of the Quantangshi
Quantangshi
The Quantangshi , and also translated as the Complete Tang Poems, is a collection of Tang poetry...
.
Wang Wei's letter to Pei Di
A letter from Wang Wei to his friend Pei Di is preserved, and has been translated by Arthur Waley:
PROSE LETTER
_To the Bachelor-of-Arts P`ei Ti_
Of late during the sacrificial month, the weather has been calm and
clear, and I might easily have crossed the mountain. But I knew that you
were conning the classics and did not dare disturb you. So I roamed
about the mountain-side, rested at the Kan-p`ei Temple, dined with the
mountain priests, and, after dinner, came home again. Going northwards,
I crossed the Yuuan-pa, over whose waters the unclouded moon shone with
dazzling rim. When night was far advanced, I mounted Hua-tzuu's Hill and
saw the moonlight tossed up and thrown down by the jostling waves of
Wang River. On the wintry mountain distant lights twinkled and vanished;
in some deep lane beyond the forest a dog barked at the cold, with a cry
as fierce as a wolf's. The sound of villagers grinding their corn at
night filled the gaps between the slow chiming of a distant bell.
Now I am sitting alone. I listen, but cannot hear my grooms and servants
move or speak. I think much of old days: how hand in hand, composing
poems as we went, we walked down twisting paths to the banks of clear
streams.
We must wait for Spring to come: till the grasses sprout and the trees
bloom. Then wandering together in the spring hills we shall see the
trout leap lightly from the stream, the white gulls stretch their wings,
the dew fall on the green moss. And in the morning we shall hear the cry
of curlews in the barley-fields.
It is not long to wait. Shall you be with me then? Did I not know the
natural subtlety of your intelligence, I would not dare address to you
so remote an invitation. You will understand that a deep feeling
dictates this course.
Written without disrespect by Wang Wei, a dweller in the mountains.
See also
- Classical Chinese poetryClassical Chinese poetrythumb|right|300px|Attributed to [[Han Gan]], Huiyebai , about 750CE .Classical Chinese poetry is that type of poetry that is the traditional Chinese poetry written in Classical Chinese. It is typified by certain traditional forms, or modes, and certain traditional genres...
- Du FuDu FuDu Fu was a prominent Chinese poet of the Tang Dynasty.Along with Li Bai , 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...
- Tang poetryTang poetryTang poetry refers to poetry written in or around the time of and in the characteristic style of China's Tang dynasty, and/or follows a certain style, often considered as the Golden Age of Chinese poetry...
- QuantangshiQuantangshiThe Quantangshi , and also translated as the Complete Tang Poems, is a collection of Tang poetry...
- Three Hundred Tang PoemsThree Hundred Tang PoemsThe Three Hundred Tang Poems is an anthology of poems from the Chinese Tang Dynasty first compiled around 1763 by Sun Zhu , the Qing scholar also known as Hengtang Tuishi . Various later editions also exist...
- Shi (poetry)Shi (poetry)Shi is the Chinese word for "poetry" or "poem", anciently associated with Chinese poetry. In modern times, shi can and has been used as an umbrella term to mean poetry in any form or language, whether or not Chinese; but, it may imply or be used to refer certain classical forms of poetry, for...
- Chinese poetryChinese poetryChinese poetry is poetry written, spoken, or chanted in the Chinese language, which includes various versions of Chinese language, including Classical Chinese, Standard Chinese, Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese, Yue Chinese, as well as many other historical and vernacular varieties of the Chinese language...
- JuejuJuejuJueju is a style of jintishi, or "Modern form poetry", that grew popular among Chinese poets in the Tang Dynasty , although traceable to earlier origins...
- Tang Dynasty poets (list)
- List of Chinese language poets
- Wang Wei (8th century poet)
External links
- http://wengu.tartarie.com/wg/wengu.php?lang=en&l=Tangshi&no=229 Pei Di poem in Tang 300
- http://scrolls.uchicago.edu/view.php?env=STD_PUB&_scroll_id=2&lang=default University of Chicago, includes stone rubbing