The Image Of Seven Sages Of The Bamboo Grove In Tang Poems

During the period of Zhengshi, Ji Kang, Ruan Ji, Shan Tao, Xiang Xiu, Liu Ling, Wang Rong, and Ruan Xian, the seven people often gather in Shanyang Bamboo Grove to drink merrily and lively. They were called as "Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove" by the Chinese people.The title was earliest found in Sun Sheng’s "History of the Wei Dynasty" in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and was also mentioned in "Theory of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove", "Biography of Personages in Bamboo Grove " and other works afterwards. That they are against prevalent custom and they have transcendently special opinions formed the famous "Travel in the Bamboo Grove" in the history.The grace of Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove had very important influence on later generations. The later scholars always admired and appreciated their spirits and imitates their behaviors. Therefore, many images of "Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove" appeared in the literature. People borrowed the images of the seven sages to express their noble wills and broad-minded moral characters. Their images formed a unique cultural phenomenon through the transformation of the later.During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, seven sages of the bamboo grove had an image of graceful bearing, drinking to excess, birth, virtue and rich. In the Southern Dynasty, their images began to change. A new image was produced in" A New Account of the Tales of the World"," Poems on Ruan Ji, Ji Kang, Liu Ling, Ruan Xian and Xiang Xiu, "Theory of Seven Sages" and tomb murals.During the glorious age of Tang Dynasty, it had strong national strength, open-minded politics, prosperous economy, and frequent foreign exchange. Under the influence of this kind of atmosphere, the scholars of the Tang Dynasty generally had a positive and progressive attitude. At that time, the seven sages of the bamboo grove in the Tang poetry had an image of distinguished men in managing state affairs pen-minded ahead, open-minded and enterprising refined scholars who are good at musical instruments and and like drinking and supernatural gods who is frustrated and anxious. In the Mid-Tang Dynasty, due to the influence of rebellion of An and Shi, the nation was destitute and people were miserable. Poets paid more attention on social reality. During the period, seven sages of the bamboo grove in scholars’ poems had an image of critics, anti-ambitions, hermits and others. In the late Tang Dynasty, the warlords set up a separatist regime by force of arms and political chaos, the whole society developed to the point of extremely dark. Scholars’ careers were blocked that they only had the mind of saving the world, but no road to serve the country worthily. At this time, seven sages of the bamboo grove in scholars’ poems had an image of reclusive, social critics and hermits.The changes of images of seven sages of the bamboo grove are not only impacted by the social environmental in different periods. What is more important is the fit between the poet’s own strong historical sense of identity and the spirit of reality. For the poets of the scholar class, the establishment of Li Tang Dynasty undoubtedly broke the pattern of selecting talents since Wei and Jin Dynasties. The ways of selecting talents in Li Tang Dynasty made those scholars who were not born in a noble family or even a poor family realize their ideas through their own knowledge and ability. It’s a certain that the poets would express their wills in form of poetry. In addition, the images of seven sages of the bamboo grove which are developed continuously from Jin Dynasty to Tang Dynasty are closely linked with its own image that is free and unfettered. Their upsurging image is the fundamental reason for future generations to pursue it.The development of images of seven sages of the bamboo grove in the Tang poetry is a stage of the process. The images of seven sages of the bamboo grove in people’s mind changed with wrong conclusions by false analogy and imaginations of the poets in early Tang Dynasty, Glorious age of Tang Dynasty, Mid-Tang Dynasty, late Tang Dynasty. There are many reasons for this:first of all, the times decided the theme of the poet to chant. The images of the seven sages of the bamboo grove in every age has the imprint of times. Secondly, the inherent image of the seven sages of the bamboo grove touch the poets’ thinking. The allusions of the seven sages of the bamboo grove cited in the poetry of the Tang Dynasty just proved that seven sages of the bamboo grove is a part of scholars’ spirits and traditions in the Tang Dynasty. The spirit of the Tang Dynasty was built up in this situation.