Chinese Poet PO- Chu- I

Po Ch-i
Po Ch-i (772-846) was a Chinese poet best known for his ballads and satirical
poems. He held the view that good poetry should be readily understood by the
common people and exemplified it in poems noted for simple diction, natural style,
and social content.

According to legend, Po Chu-i used to read his poems to

an old peasant woman and change any line that she
couldnt understand.
On Feb. 28, 772, Po Ch-i was born in Hsin-cheng, Honan, to a family of poets and
minor officials. In his childhood he stayed with his mother and other members of the
family while his father went south to take up prefectural positions in the Yangtze
region

A lazy man Song

I could have a job, but am too lazy to choose it;

I have got land, but am too lazy to farm it.
My house leaks; I am too lazy to mend it.
My clothes are torn; I am too lazy to darn them.
I have got wine, but I am too lazy to drink;
So it's just the same as if my cup were empty.
I have got a lute, but am too lazy to play;
So it's just the same as if it had no strings.
My family tells me there is no more steamed rice;
I want to cook, but am too lazy to grind.
My friends and relatives write me long letters;
I should like to read them, but they're such a bother to open.
I have always been told that Hsi Shu-yeh
Passed his whole life in absolute idleness.
But he played his lute and sometimes worked at his forge;
So even he was not so lazy as I.

Po Chu-I
Po Chu-i was the most prolific of the Tang poets. He was a
member of the Han-lin Academy and mayor of Lo-yang, the
eastern capital of China.
Po, like Tu-Fu, was deeply con-cerned with the social problems of
his time. His poetry is marked by humour and clarity.

According to tradition, he tested his compositions on an old

country woman, rejecting anything that she could not understand.
The resulting simplicity and directness help explain Po's continued
popularity in China.

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Motivational activity