Li Bai, whose word is Taibai, was born in Broken Leaves in Central Asia in the first year of Chang 'an after Tang Wu (7O 1). At the age of 5, he moved to Qinglian Township, Jiangyou County, Sichuan Province with his father. Li Bai received a good education from an early age. He said: "At the age of five, recite six precepts, and at the age of ten, watch a hundred schools." 15 years old, learning fencing. About 20 years old, studying in my hometown of Kuangshan, learning vertical and horizontal skills from my friends. Li Bai is diligent and studious, and "often reads classics and is tireless". After the age of 20, Li Bai visited many places of interest in Sichuan. The magnificent mountains and rivers in Sichuan have cultivated Li Bai's broad-minded mind, bold personality and love for nature. Influenced by strategists and Confucianism, Li Bai has a strong enterprising spirit and hopes to make contributions. However, deeply influenced by Taoism and Taoist thought, he yearned for the secluded life of seeking immortality and learning Taoism. This contradictory ideal of life finally formed a desire to give consideration to both in his mind, that is, "success, reputation and retirement"
In the fourteenth year of Kaiyuan (AD 726), Li Bai "made great efforts to govern, intending to be thousands of miles away." So "go to the countryside with a sword, leave your loved ones and travel far." On the way, I wrote the famous "Emei Mountain Moon Song": "Emei Mountain is in autumn, and the shadows are flat on the Qiang River. Qingxi went to the Three Gorges at night, and the four gentlemen did not see Yuzhou. " After leaving the Three Gorges, Li Bai first roamed the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. At that time, it was the prosperity of Kaiyuan and the prosperity of the country. Li Bai firmly believes that "since God has given talents, let them be used!" Full of confidence in the future. At that time, if people wanted to make a difference in politics, they would generally take the road of imperial examination. In addition, there is a "shortcut to the south", that is, to expand the influence and attract the attention of the court through the seclusion of seeking immortals and visiting Taoism, which may also be called being an official. Li Bai is bold, ambitious and thinks highly of himself. He didn't want to take the imperial examination, so he chose a shortcut to the south. Therefore, Li Bai visited Sima Cheng Town, a famous Taoist priest in Jiangling, and wrote a poem "Fu Dapeng", describing the meeting in the form of fable. This poem expresses his great ambition of "inspiring 3,000 people to rise and recruiting 90,000 people quickly" through the image of Dapeng.
Li Bai paid great attention to making friends with "heroes", that is, those chivalrous men who can resist violence and help the weak and sacrifice their lives for justice. Li Bai himself is "less Ren Xia" and "generous with money". Less than a year after his trip to wuyue, he donated 300,000 yuan to help people in need. Li Bai wrote many poems in praise of chivalrous men in his life, praising those chivalrous men who dared to sacrifice their lives to get into trouble without taking credit and lusting after nobles. For example, Chivalrous Man praised Hou Ying and Zhu Hai for "three cups of vomit, five mountains are light." "It is not shameful to die as a chivalrous man." The tenth song of "Ancient Style" praises Lu Zhonglian. "Only Qin Zhenying speaks, and later generations look back." And said: "I am also a slut, and brushing clothes is also a tone." His worship of these historical figures reflects his character, ambition and ideal. During his travels, Li Bai paid great attention to learning from Yuefu folk songs. With the growth of his experience, his poetry creation became more and more perfect and he wrote many famous works. For example, Looking at Tianmen Mountain: "Tianmen was interrupted by Chu Tiankai, and Higashi Shimizu flowed straight back to the north. The green hills on both sides of the strait are opposite, and the sails are alone. " Another example is "Looking at the two waterfalls of Lushan Mountain", and the second one is: "The incense burner in Rizhao gives birth to purple smoke, and the waterfalls hang far in front of Sichuan. Flying down three thousands of feet, it is suspected that the Milky Way has fallen for nine days. " The magnificent scenery of the motherland's mountains and rivers, skillfully recited by the poet, left a deep and unforgettable impression on future generations. Li Bai wrote many Yuefu poems while studying Yuefu folk songs. The first six sentences of the Long March are: "My hair hasn't covered my forehead yet. I'm picking flowers and paying by my door." When you, my love, ride a bamboo horse, run in circles and throw your childhood. We live together in an alley in Changgan, and we are all young and happy. " Later, "childhood friends" and "two children without guessing" became famous idioms to describe children's love.
In the early spring of the sixteenth year of Kaiyuan, Li Bai came to Anlu, Hubei. Here, he married the granddaughter of Xu Weishi, a former prime minister, and began a life of "ten years of food and clothing". He once lived in seclusion in Taohuayan, Shoushan and Anlu Baizhao Mountain, and later lived in seclusion in Songshan with Taoist Yuan Danqiu.
In the twenty-fourth year of Kaiyuan, he went to Shandong and lived in seclusion in Zhuxi, Zuxu Mountain, interacting with Confucius, Han Zhun and others. At that time, his name was "Zhuxi Liu Yi". He wrote "Dai Shoushan's Answer to Meng Shaofu's Notes", declaring that his seclusion at this time was "nurturing the virtuous" rather than seclusion, and he was waiting for an opportunity. The article said, "Be smart and be willing to help porridge, so that the declining areas will be settled and Hai Xian will be clear." So you don't forget politics. In the twenty-second year of Kaiyuan, Li Bai was in Xiangyang, "Gao Guan Xiong Jian, a long visit to Jingzhou Han". Han Jingzhou, namely Han Chaozong, served as governor of Jingzhou, and was also sentenced to Xiangzhou Secretariat and Shannan East Road for an interview. Li Bai's book Jingzhou and North Korea is a self-recommendation book when he first met North Korea. At the beginning of the article, I borrowed the words of scholars from all over the world-"I was born without sealing Wan Huhou, but I hope to know Jingzhou in Korea", and praised corporal Han Chaozong for being modest and talented. Then I took the initiative to introduce my experience, talent and integrity. The article shows Li Bai's spirit of "being less than seven feet long, but full of heart" and his conceit of "trying to figure out every word every day and relying on horses to wait on him", as well as his character of "being humble and fair". The article is magnificent and popular. During this period, Li Bai met Meng Haoran, who was 12 years older than him. Meng Haoran is famous for writing pastoral poems, and they hit it off at first sight. When breaking up, Li Bai wrote the famous seven-character quatrain "Yellow Crane Tower Farewell to Meng Haoran on the way to Yangzhou": "The old friend stayed in the Yellow Crane Tower in the west, and the fireworks went down to Yangzhou in March. Lonely sails overlook the blue sky, but I can see the Yangtze River flowing in the sky. "
In the 24th year of Kaiyuan, Li Bai moved to Donglu (now Jining, Shandong), and he continued to travel around looking for a political outlet. In the first year of Tianbao (AD 742), he moved south with his family and lived in Nanling, Anhui. Soon, Li Bai was recruited by the imperial court to Chang 'an. When he left, he wrote a poem "Nanling children don't go to Beijing", expressing his ecstasy: "Go out and laugh, my generation is Artemisia!" In Chang 'an, Li Bai met the old poet He, who was the guest of the prince. He Zhangzhi appreciates Li Bai's Difficult Road to Shu very much. "I haven't finished reading it yet, and there are four people who sigh." He thought that this poem could only be written by a fairy, so he called Li Bai "a daffodil". "Difficult Road to Shu" describes the mountains and rivers on the way from Qin people to Shu. From the beginning, I said, "This is a great danger!" It is difficult to go to the sky! "This emotional appeal full of sighs quickly caught the readers, trying to describe the steep mountains and rivers in Sichuan, and then lining it with the sad atmosphere of' sad birds and ancient trees' and' Zigui crying', as well as the poet's repeated lamentations, which made the high-risk and dangerous roads in Sichuan stand out and stirred people's hearts. Due to the further recommendation of Princess He, Li Bai was finally personally received by Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty and was placed in the Imperial Academy as a sacrifice by the Hanlin. The main duty of Hanlin Festival is to draft Wen Hao letters and other documents for the emperor. At the same time, he catered to the emperor's interest and wrote some poems at any time. Li Bai used the opportunity of approaching Xuanzong to express his views and opinions on state affairs to Xuanzong. Regrettably, Xuanzong at this time is no longer the enlightened monarch who made great efforts to appoint talents in his early years, but has become a person who loves pleasure and does not ask about political affairs. He paid "the Prime Minister for DPRK affairs, and please pay him for border affairs". He is deeply immersed in officialdom and indulges in debauchery. Xuanzong once attached great importance to Li Bai, with the aim of asking him to write poems and lyrics for his own appreciation. Xuanzong alienated Li Bai when he felt that he was talkative about politics and was not satisfied with being a tame royal scholar. As far as Li Bai is concerned, the reason why Xuanzong alienated him is related to his arrogant personality. Du Fu said in "The Eight Immortals Song of Drinking": "Li Bai has a bucket of hundreds of poems and sleeps in Chang 'an Restaurant. The son of heaven called instead of boarding the boat, claiming that he was Brewmaster. "Li Bai's rebellious spirit of ignoring feudal order is obviously disliked by the rulers. Legend has it that when Xuanzong summoned Li Zicheng in the temporary hall, Li Bai asked Gao Lishi to take off his boots for him. Gao Lishi is one of the best eunuchs. In order to get rid of the hatred of "taking off his boots", he provoked Yang Guifei to say that Li Bai said in "Qingpingdiao": "I asked who the Han Palace looked like, and the poor swallow leaned on the new makeup." "Pointing at concubines with swallows is very cheap!" Yang Guifei hated Gigi Lai from this. They are all people that Xuanzong likes. Defaming in front of Xuanzong will naturally affect Xuanzong's view of Li Bai, not to mention denigrating him, as well as Xu Zhang * and others. The downfall of Guicheng, the powerful minister, and the alienation of Xuanzong made Li Bai very depressed and lamented that it was "difficult to go".
In the spring of the third year of Tianbao, Li Bai knew that there was nothing he could do to stay in Chang 'an, so he went to the desert to "beg for the mountain". Xuanzong did not keep him, but "paid back the money". Li Bai actually only stayed in Chang 'an for a year and a half. During this period, he witnessed the darkness and corruption of the state affairs, and wrote many poems that exposed and criticized the reality with great anger, such as the fifteenth "Antique", condemning the ruling class for "buying songs with pearls and jade and cultivating talents with dross".
In the third year of Tianbao, Li Bai met Du Fu, a poet 1 1 years younger than him in Luoyang, the eastern capital. Du Fu was "addicted to alcohol, detested evil and rigid." His ambition is to "obey the monarch and then purify the customs." Like Li Bai. They are like brothers, "drunk in autumn, walking hand in hand." After Li Bai left Du Fu, he wandered for 1O years. At this time, because his wife, Xu, had passed away, he married Xiangmen's daughter, Zong, in Guo Liang, Guangzhou (in Kaifeng, Henan) and lived here, so he said, "When I go to Beijing, I will take ten guests to Guo Liang". Li Bai revisited many places, such as Liangyuan as the center, Vietnam in the south, Youzhou and Jinling in the north. His roaming is, on the one hand, seeking immortality and visiting Taoism, and on the other hand, appreciating the beauty of nature. He said: "The five mountains are sacred mountains, and there is no distance. Good people spend their lives visiting famous mountains." In addition, it is also an opportunity to seek to serve the country. He said in "Song of Liangyuan": "Dongshan lies high, not too late." During this period, the political affairs were even darker, and Li Dali, the prime minister who held the power of political affairs, wronged the prison army and cracked down on honest officials and talents. Seeing that the country is Japan and Africa, Li Bai's inner pain is increasing day by day. But he will never bow to the powerful. In his famous poem "Dream of Climbing Mount Tianmu", he wrote: "An can push his eyebrows and serve the powerful, and no one will suffer!" Shows his noble personality. He also wrote many poems that exposed and castigated the dark reality. "Farewell" warned that Xuanzong favored Li and other traitors, and their power was excluded: "If you lose your official, you will make the dragon a fish and the power will belong to him." Popular in the North criticized An Lushan's war against Xi, Qidan and other ethnic minorities, which was provoked by "trying to attack the city with border workers".
During the long roaming, Li Bai had more contact with the working people and wrote some poems reflecting the working people. "Love the home under the Wusong Mountain" is right. "Autumn in Tianjia is bitter, and the neighborhood is cold at night." Deep sympathy. The song "Autumn Puge"No. 14 eulogizes the smelting workers: "The fire shines all over the world, and red stars are everywhere. Langlang moonlit night, winding cold Sichuan. " He is also full of affection for the old man who makes wine. {Crying about Xuancheng's good record of brewing} wrote: "In front of Ying Ji's grave, we should also brew old springs. There is no Li Bai at the night show. Who are you drinking with? " Praising the motherland's great rivers and mountains is a major aspect of Li Bai's poetry creation in this period, and he has also made new achievements. For example, in the description of the Yellow River, there are many famous sentences: "How magnificent the Xiyue is! The Yellow River is like a silk sky. " "The Yellow River goes west to Kunlun, roaring Wan Li out of Longmen." "Don't you see how the water of the Yellow River flows down from the sky and into the ocean, never to return?" "Sitting alone in Jingting Mountain"; "Birds fly high, and solitary clouds will be idle. Seeing each other tirelessly, I only respect Tingshan. " Then write the mountain alive.
In the 14th year of Tianbao, An Shi Rebellion broke out. At that time, An Lushan, who served as the semi-final of our conference in Pinglu, Fanyang and Hedong, led1.5000, and decided to attack the Central Plains with Fanyang (now Daxing, Beijing). In just over 30 days, Luoyang fell into the hands of the rebels. In the first month of the following year, An Lushan proclaimed himself the Great Yan Emperor in Luoyang. In June, the obstacles of the Kyoto Protocol disappeared. Xuanzong hastily chose the west, so Chang 'an in Kyoto was also occupied by rebels. At the beginning of Anshi Rebellion, Liangyuan fell, and Li Bai and his wife took refuge in Jiangnan. He wrote many poems, expressing his hatred for the disorderly army and his concern for the fate of the country and the people. The 19th song of "Antique" wrote: "Overlooking the Luoyang River, we can walk among the Hu Bing. Blood grass, jackal crown. " At this time, the poet longed to serve the country and kill the enemy. The poem "To Zhang Xiangyu" says: "The sword cries at night, and the ambition is high. I swear to kill whales and clarify Luoyang water. "
In the fifteenth year of Tianbao, Xuanzong fled to Chengdu in the west. In July, Prince Hengli ascended the throne in Lingwu. In order to save the sect, he changed his country name to Zhide. Emperor Yongli Li, ordered by Xuanzong, went out to fight the enemy and set up an army in Jiangling. In the first month of the following year, after visiting Yang, I learned that Li Bai lived in Lushan Mountain in seclusion, and sent Wei Zichun, a counselor, up the mountain three times to hire Li Bai into the shogunate. The second song of Li Bai's "Wang Yongdong's Wandering Songs" wrote: "The three rivers in the north are chaotic, and the four seas are like Yongjia South. But if there is Xie Anshi in Dongshan, I will laugh for you and laugh at Jinghu Sand. " He compared himself to Xie An, a famous minister in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and said that he would help Wang Yongping set up a rebellion. But unexpectedly, there was a conflict between Wang Yong and Su Zong, and soon Wang Yong was wiped out by Su Zong's army. Li Bai was also convicted, arrested and imprisoned, and exiled Yelang (now Tongzi County, Guizhou Province). His heart is very heavy at this time. "Yelang Wan Li said that the west is old." In February of the second year of Gan Yuan (AD 759), Li Bai regained his freedom when he went to Wushan after 15 months of exile. He immediately hired the owner to return. The famous work "Morning Delivery in Bai Di City" wrote: "When you bid farewell to Bai Di, you will return it within one day. The apes on both sides of the strait can't stop crying, and the canoe has passed Chung Shan Man. " The style of this poem is light, reflecting Li Bai's cheerful mood after he was released from prison.
In the first year of Shangyuan (AD 760), Li Bai went from Jiangxia to Zhang Yu (now Nanchang, Jiangxi) to reunite with his wife. In the last few years of Li Bai's life, he was down and out, and his life was very bleak. But he always pays attention to the changes in the current situation. In the second year of Shangyuan, the southeast region was once again in a state of tension. When the court sent Li Guangbi out of the city to Linhuai (now Lingxian County, Anhui Province), Li Bai, 6 1 year-old, still refused to give up this last opportunity to serve the country and planned to meet Li Guangbi in Linhuai. Unfortunately, I fell ill halfway and failed to do so. The following year, Li Bai died of illness in Dangtu, Anhui.
Li Bai was politically frustrated all his life, suffering from poverty and illness, but he built a monument for himself with his outstanding poetry creation. He inherited the romantic tradition initiated by Qu Yuan and Zhuangzi, opposed the gentle poetic style of Qi and Liang, and made outstanding achievements in poetic innovation. Nearly a thousand of his poems have been handed down from generation to generation, all of which are well-known, especially the seven-character poems and the five-seven-character quatrains. His poems are magnificent in weather, bold in style, heroic in feelings, open in realm, fresh and natural, and memorable. Li Bai and Du Fu, great realistic poets, pushed China's poetic art to the peak and left a precious legacy to future generations. As Han Yu said: "Du Li's article is there, and the flame is long."