Tang Poets' Historical Views In Tang Poems On History

The thesis mainly analyzes Tang poets' historical views in their poems on history.The ancestors wrote few articles about Tang poems on history, and they mostly summarized them generally on the basis of the characteristic of that period, such as their conception, development, value, writing background, technique of expression, artistic features, and so on. In addition, some scholars also studied some individual poets' poems specially, such as those of Li Shangyin and DuFu. Therefore, the author will set about the thesis from the contents of Tang poems on history. Then they will be analyzed concretely and systematically in term of the historical figures and events in that dynasty. The author summarizes the Tang poets' historical views in Tang poems on history, and comes to the conclusion that their historical views have the properties of reality and objectivity on the basis of the contents of Tang poems on history.Proving history according as poems mainly involves two aspects. The one hand, the history of the same dynasty is proved by the poems of the same dynasty. So they don't be confined to the epics. They mainly prove the historical data; On the other hand, the ancient history is proved by the posterity's epics to express their historical views. Although a good poem on history is not as concrete as some historical comments, the poets conclude their views with brevity and brilliant verses. And the readers can appreciate the different historical views in the different works about the same object, which is a real treasure to study history for us. For example, there are more than thirty poems about Yang emperor of Sui dynasty. Most poems expresses the complaints to the tyrant. Li Shangyin's poem describes that Yang emperor was extravagant, lascivious and traveling without limit. Obviously, Yang emperor already was nailled on the historical pillar of disgrace as a lascivious and inhumanity monarch. Did his dredging Bian river have hundreds of harms but no benefit truly? Pi Rixiu hypothesized cleverly to change Yang emperor's record. The poet thought that if Yang emperor hadn't made the dragon boat and visited the capitals beside the river, his merits must have been compared with DaYu's. Because he dredged the Bian river/'The people of Sui hardly endured its harm, but it did good for the people of Tang dynasty."(Pi Rixiu "THE INSCRIPTION OF BIAN RIVER") It is scarce to appraise Yang emperor objectively in ancient society.inIt is very clear that the themes of the epics have the function of admonishing the world. The emperors of Tang derived the lesson from the downfall of Sui dynasty at the prime of the foundation. And they adjusted the social conflicts, which made the people's living conditions improved to a certain degree. There appeared prosperous situations in the society. In this circumstance, the poems on history which have the function of making use of ancientry to mock today didn't have an effect sufficiently. They were mostly confined to the facts of the historical figures and events. They were the simple republications. The appearance of the KaiYuan Peace created a good environment for the people of Tang to obtain material and spiritual wealth. But the conflicts of the society still existed. The irrational phenomenon in reality influenced the poets' ideas. The outbreak of AnShi's disorder pushed the society towards a . difficult position. All kinds of conflicts of the society exposed. Some poets who had plenty sense of the responsibility and mission began to analyze the radical changes since the middle Tang dynasty. They wished they could find a way to prevent the society from the poverty by rethinking of the history. From the DaHe first year of Wen ancestor to the end of Tang dynasty, the society was becoming weaker and weaker, and also the poets' thinking changed. They thought the rise and fall of the society deeply. At the end of Tang dynasty, the poets not only contributed the declining of the society to the governors, but also exposed some evil phenomenon which brought harms to the developm...