On the Artistic Origins of Li Bai’s Various Genres of Shanshui Poetry and Their Development in Tradition

Abstract

Shanshui 山水 (landscape) poetry of Wang Wei 王维 and Meng Haoran 孟浩然 primarily utilizes five-character lines, while poets like Gao Shi 高适, Cen Shen 岑参, and Wang Changling 王昌龄 seldom employed seven-character lines for shanshui themes. However, Li Bai 李 白, even before the rebellion of An Lushan and Shi Siming, extensively adopted various genres, such as five-character ancient-style poetry 五言古诗, five-character rhythmic poetry 五言律诗, five-character quatrains 五言绝句, seven-character quatrains 七言绝句, and seven-character song verses 七言歌行, to express shanshui themes, achieving significant artistic accomplishments. By examining his shanshui poetry from the perspective of genre, it can be said that Li Bai is the poet of the High Tang period who exerted the most effort, explored the widest range, and innovated the most in the creation of shanshui poetry. Li Bai’s various genres of shanshui poetry each have their unique origins and stylistic features, exhibiting different expressions between inheritance and transformation, as well as between tradition and innovation. Overall, there are two main characteristics: first, a full expression of individuality, and second, an emphasis on the pursuit of musicality, drawing from the unique features of each poetic genre. These two characteristics form the unique identity of Li Bai’s shanshui poetry, distinguishing it from that of other poets of the High Tang period, and they have had a profound influence on the art of shanshui poetry in later generations.

Keywords

Li Bai / shanshui poetry / artistic origins / seven-character quatrains / five-character ancient-style poetry / song verses

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Higher Education Press