Wei Yingwu (737–792), and also transliterated into English "Wei Yinwu" or "Wei Yin-wu", was a Chinese poet of the Tang Dynasty

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...

, with twelve of his poems being included in the famous anthology 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...

.

Poetry

Wei Yingwu poems collected in Three Hundred Tang Poems were translated by Witter Bynner

Witter 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:

• "Entertaining Literary Men in my Official Residence on a Rainy Day"
• "Setting Sail on the Yangzi to Secretary Yuan"
• "A Poem to a Taoist Hermit Chuanjiao Mountain"
• "On Meeting my Friend Feng Zhu in the Capital"
• "Mooring at Twilight in Yuyi District"
• "East of the Town"
• "To my Daughter on Her Marriage Into the Yang Family"
• "A Greeting on the Huai River to my Old Friends from Liangchuan"
• "A Farewell in the Evening Rain to Li Cao"
• "To my Friends Li Dan and Yuanxi"
• "An Autumn Night Message to Qiu"
• "At Chuzhou on the Western Stream"

Biography

According to John C. H. Wu, the turbulence and lack of strong central leadership of China during Wei Yingwu's poetry-writing years was a major influencing factor upon his work. One example of such sociopolitical turmoil is the An Shi Rebellion

An Shi Rebellion

The An Lushan Rebellion took place in China during the Tang Dynasty from CE December 16, 755 to CE February 17, 763, beginning when general An Lushan declared himself emperor, establishing the rival Yan Dynasty in Northern China...

 of 755-763. Wu suggests that images such as the boat moving without a person steering in "At Chuzhou on the Western Stream" is a reference to the ship of state without a person at the helm.

Translations

Wei Yingwu was translated by Red Pine (Bill Porter) as In Such Hard Times: The Poetry of Wei Ying-wu (Copper Canyon Press

Copper Canyon Press

Copper Canyon Press is an independent, non-profit small press, specializing in the publication of poetry and located in the picturesque town of Port Townsend, Washington. Since 1972, the Press has published poetry exclusively and has established an international reputation for its commitment to...

, 2009), for which he won the Best Translated Book Award

Best Translated Book Award

Best Translated Book Award is an annual literature award given by Three Percent, the online literature magazine of Open Letter Books, which is the book translation press of the University of Rochester. It is awarded to the best original translation published that year. A long list and short list...

, from the book translation press of the University of Rochester

University of Rochester

The University of Rochester is a private, nonsectarian, research university in Rochester, New York, United States. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The university has six schools and various interdisciplinary programs.The...

; and the American Literary Translators Association (ALTA)'s inaugural Lucien Stryk Asian Translation Prize in 2010.