What's the difference between Li Bai and Du Fu's official letters?

Li Bai and Du Fu were twin constellations of China's poems in the prosperous Tang Dynasty. Recently, a close reading of Du Li's Letter of Seeking Officials made me realize their urgency and bitterness in seeking an official position, and lamented the persistence and hardship of China literati in their official career. Du Fu's seeking for an official position was achieved overnight, while Li Bai's seeking for an official position was frustrated. It can be seen that if a scholar wants to be an official, he must first lower his head and beg humbly.

The reason why the two great poets seek official positions is that they both have political ambitions, and the other is that they cannot make ends meet. If they were born today, they don't need hype, they can live a well-off life by remuneration, and they can enter their careers by fame, so there is no need to write an official letter.

Li Bai and Du Fu were the twin stars of China's poetry in the prosperous Tang Dynasty. Han Yu praised: "Du Li's article is there, and the flames are endless." Zhao Yi commented: "Du Li's poems have been passed down from mouth to mouth and are not new so far." Recently, a close reading of Du Li's Letter of Seeking Officials made me realize their urgency and bitterness in seeking an official position, and lamented the persistence and hardship of China literati in their official career.

In the 14th year of Kaiyuan, 26-year-old Li Bai went out to Sichuan to be an official. Li Bai has great ambitions. He wants to "help ordinary people" and "settle down". He believes that "since God has given talents, let them be used!" But I think highly of myself. He didn't want to take the usual way of imperial examination, but chose another "shortcut to the south", that is, to expand his influence and attract the attention of the court, so he was called an official. To this end, Li Bai visited Sima Cheng Town, a famous Taoist priest in Jiangling, and wrote a song "Fu Dapeng", aiming at "inspiring 3,000 people to rise up and quickly recruiting 90,000 people". First he lived in seclusion in Shoushan, Anlu, Taohuayan, Baizhao Mountain, then he lived in seclusion in Songshan with Taoist Yuan Danqiu, and then he lived in seclusion in Zhuxi, Zuxu Mountain with Confucius and Han Zhun.

Regrettably, Li Bai's quest for immortality did not attract the attention of the court, nor was he called to be an official. As a result, Li Bai, eager to "save the country", felt that time could not afford to delay, so he condescended to contact Pei Changshi, Li Changshi and other local officials and eagerly paid for a treat. As a result, he spent a lot of money, but the official failed to make it.

In the 22nd year of Kaiyuan, 34-year-old Li Bai made a special trip to Xiangyang City and Jingzhou Institute to meet with Han Jingzhou (Han Chaozong, who immediately served as governor of Jingzhou, also sentenced Xiangzhou secretariat and Shannan Dongdao to interview and punish him). It is said that he recommended and promoted him, and submitted an official letter "Book with Han Jingzhou". The vernacular translation is as follows:

When I heard about the world, experts got together and said: Life doesn't need to be named Wan Huhou, I just want to know Han Jingzhou. How to make people admire and love, to such an extent! Isn't it because you have the style of the Duke of Zhou and practice hair shaking that heroes and gentlemen all over the country run around and return to your door?

The reputation of scholars will greatly increase once your reception scope is expanded, so all wise men who bend but don't stretch want to get a good reputation here and establish their own reputation. I hope you don't be arrogant to them because of your wealth, and don't despise them because of their meanness, so that there will be wizards like Mao Sui among your many guests. If I can have a chance to show my talent, I am such a person.

I am a civilian in Longxi, living in Chuhan. 15 years old, loves fencing and knows many local governors. At the age of 30, he made great achievements in writing and met many dignitaries. Although he is less than seven feet long, he is more ambitious than ten thousand people. All the princes praised my generosity and morality. That's what I was worried about. How dare I not show it to you?

Your works can be compared with the gods, and your virtues touch the world; The article works with nature, and its knowledge is extremely poor. I hope you are generous and kind, and don't refuse me because I don't worship. If you are willing to give me a banquet and let me speak freely, please write a few thousand words every day and try me again, and I will keep waving my hand and do it in an instant.

Now everyone in the world thinks that you are the authority to decide the fate of the article and measure the competition of characters. Once your comments come out, you will be regarded as a beautiful woman. Why don't you have the heart to put me in front of the stage just one foot, so that I can't stand straight and * * * is full of energy?

Heart to heart, honest, so I don't ask for help from others, but I am willing to trust you. If there is something useful to me in an emergency, I should serve wholeheartedly.

Most people are not saints like Yao Shun. Who can be perfect? Can I boast about my strategic plan? As for my work, it has accumulated into scrolls, but I want you to have a look.

I'm afraid these tricks are beyond the appreciation of adults. If you are interested in reading my poor work, please give it to paper, ink and copy, and then I will go back and clean the quiet room and write it up and submit it. I hope Green Sword and Green Jade can add value to Xue Zhu and Bian He. May you care for those with lower status and win the grand prize. Please think about it.

In this letter, Li Bai began by borrowing the words of scholars all over the world-"I was born without sealing Wan Huhou, but I only wish to know Jingzhou in Korea" to praise corporal Li Xian of the Han Dynasty, and then kowtowed to each other, which was simply disgusting. Later, he introduced his experience, talent and ethics with a little conceit, and told himself that "although he is less than seven feet, he is full of heart", "try every day, wait on horses" and "make friends with princes"

I don't know whether Li Bai's flattery is too much, which makes the other party unbearable, or his boasting is too much, which makes the other party feel uncomfortable. Anyway, Li Bai's hot face was posted on the cold * * of Han Jingzhou this time.

Du Fu, like Li Bai, also has the political ambition of "respecting the monarch and observing the rules, and then making the vulgar pure". Different from Li Bai, Du Fu, who was born in a family of "observing Confucianism and officials", tried the imperial examination, but failed several times. So, he tried to find another way and kept throwing poems at powerful people, hoping to get their recommendation, but to no avail.

Ten years after Tianbao, he wandered in Chang 'an for five years. Du Fu, who made a living by "buying medicine in the city and sending food to his friends", finally seized an opportunity and introduced himself directly to the emperor. On the eighth, ninth and tenth day of the first month of this year, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty held three ceremonies to worship the Taiqing Palace, the ancestral temple and the southern suburbs for three consecutive days.

Du Fu soon wrote three poems, which were called "Three Gifts" and presented to Tang Xuanzong together with official letters. Du Fu's official letter reads as follows: Since the ancestors Du Shu and Tu Yu, eleven generations have followed Confucianism and served as officials in * * * *. My grandfather, Du, was famous for his articles in middle school.

Nearly forty years have passed since I was seven years old, relying on the inheritance of my ancestors. However, it has always been naked and often delivers food to others. Privately, I often think that maybe one day I will dump my body in the wilderness valley.

Hope to get the sympathy and love of the son of heaven. If I can engage in the cause of my ancestors and change the status quo, then even if my poems can't fully publicize the Six Classics and reach the level of a hundred schools of thought, they can still catch up with the level of Yang Xiong and Gaomei. Does the emperor have the heart to abandon such a courtier?

Du Fu's official letter is concise and clear. He moved his ancestors out first, then introduced his current situation of being down and out, and then begged the emperor to give him an official position. "If there is such a minister, your majesty will bear it."

It's pathetic and humble. After reading his official letter and "Three Rites", Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty thought that Du Fu was a talented person, so he arranged for Du Fu to be appointed as a Jixian Academy. Du Fu waited for four years before he was granted a real post, but he entered the official position through a letter of asking for an official position.

Du Fu's seeking for an official position was achieved overnight, while Li Bai's seeking for an official position was frustrated. It can be seen that if a scholar wants to be an official, he must first lower his head and beg humbly.