After Du Fu, during the reign of Emperor Daizong of the Tang Dynasty, another outstanding realist poet emerged: Bai Juyi, known as the "Poetry Demon."
Bai Juyi, courtesy name Letian and also known as the Hermit of Xiangshan, was born in Xinzheng, Henan (present-day Xinzheng, Zhengzhou, Henan). Shortly after his birth, Li Zhengji, the military governor of Puzhen, launched a rebellion and seized more than ten prefectures in Henan. When Bai Juyi was two years old, his grandfather and grandmother passed away one after another, and his father, Bai Jigeng, was reassigned from his post as administrative aide in Songzhou to serve as the magistrate of Pengcheng County. A year later, Bai Jigeng was promoted to the position of deputy governor of Xuzhou. To escape the chaos of war, Bai Jigeng moved his family to Fuli (northeast of present-day Suzhou, Anhui), where Bai Juyi spent his childhood.
Bai Juyi was exceptionally intelligent from a young age and studied with such diligence that his palms developed calluses and his mouth became covered in sores from constant recitation. Starting at age eleven, his peaceful life was shattered by war and turmoil, and for the next five to six years, he endured a life of displacement and hardship.
At the age of eighteen, Bai Juyi passed the imperial examination and became a jinshi, and two years later he began serving as a secretary in the imperial library. In 806 AD, Bai Juyi was demoted to a local county magistrate. During this period, he wrote outstanding poems such as "Song of Everlasting Regret," "Viewing the Wheat Harvest," and "On the Pond." In 807 AD, Bai Juyi returned to the court and was promoted to a Hanlin academician, and the following year he was further promoted to the position of Left Reminder. During this time, Bai Juyi composed a large number of allegorical poems, including fifty pieces of "New Music Bureau Poems" and ten pieces of "Qinzhong Chants."
Bai Juyi was known for speaking bluntly and not fearing the powerful, which earned him a good reputation but also brought him trouble. In 815 AD, Pei Du, the Deputy Chief Censor, and Prime Minister Wu Yuanheng were assassinated. Pei Du narrowly escaped, but Wu Yuanheng was killed. The murder of a high-ranking court official was a grave matter that needed to be resolved quickly. However, the ruling bureaucratic and eunuch factions at the time took the incident lightly. Outraged, Bai Juyi strongly urged the arrest of the assassins. At the time, Bai Juyi held the position of Left Advisor to the Crown Prince, responsible only for teaching moral principles to the heir apparent, with no authority to intervene in state affairs. The powerful figures used this as grounds to accuse him of overstepping his bounds. Emperor Xianzong of Tang, unable to distinguish right from wrong, heeded slanderous rumors and demoted Bai Juyi to the post of Prefect of Jiangzhou (present-day Jiujiang, Jiangxi). Bai Juyi had previously written satirical poems criticizing court official Wang Ya, who seized this opportunity to retaliate and maliciously slander him. As a result, before Bai Juyi could even assume his new post, he was further demoted to the position of Sima (a minor advisory role) of Jiangzhou.
This incident dealt a very heavy blow to Bai Juyi, and from then on, Buddhist and Daoist ideas began to occupy an increasingly larger place in his mind. Losing interest in politics, he started to devote more energy to poetry creation.
In 820 AD, Emperor Xianzong of Tang died, and Emperor Muzong became the new emperor. Knowing that Bai Juyi was exceptionally talented, Emperor Muzong decided to promote him. Thus, Bai Juyi returned to Chang'an and successively held positions such as Vice Director of the Bureau of Passes, Secretary of the Bureau of Receptions and Edicts, and Imperial Drafter. However, Bai Juyi had lost his political enthusiasm, and since Emperor Muzong neglected state affairs while court officials vied for power, Bai Juyi strongly requested to be transferred to a local post. The emperor granted his request. In 822 AD, Bai Juyi became the Prefect of Hangzhou, and three years later, he was transferred to serve as Prefect of Suzhou. In his later years, Bai Juyi held office in Luoyang until he retired at the age of seventy.
A Painting Inspired by Bai Juyi's "Song of the Pipa" Ming Dynasty Qiu Ying
Bai Bai Juyi created over 2,800 poems in his lifetime, making him a highly prolific poet. His works such as "The Song of the Pipa," "The Song of Everlasting Sorrow," "The Old Charcoal Seller," and "The Old Man of Duling" are all great masterpieces that have been passed down through the ages.
Bai Juyi's poetry was known for being simple and easy to understand, with a strong emphasis on realism and a tendency toward satire. He opposed the ornate and flashy poetic style, advocating instead: "Establish officials to collect poetry, open channels for criticism, observe the gains and losses of governance, and connect the sentiments of the upper and lower classes." As a result, his poems carried deeper social significance and were widely beloved by the people.