Meng Haoran is one of the most famous poets from the Tang Dynasty. He was a poetic genius, with Wang Wei, Li Bai and Du Fu as his equals.
Meng Haoran lived in the place that is now called Hubei. This is a Chinese province in the Eastern part of the country. Meng Haoran’s hometown is Xiangyang.
A temple in Xiangyang, the city Meng Haoran was born
Meng Haoran stayed in and around Xiangyang all his life. He loved the nature around the town. He frequently refers to this in his poems. He also refers to his friends and frequently discussed the experiences of human life. One example of this is a poem about him saying goodbye to Wang Wei, one of his greatest friends. The poem is called: Saying goodbyes to Wang Wei – 留別王維
寂寂竟何待，朝朝空自歸。
欲尋芳草去，惜與故人違。
當路誰相假，知音世所稀。
隻應守寂寞，還掩故園扉。
Quietly and quietly I await, but for what?
Day after day I return empty-handed and lean.
I intend to look for greener pastures,
Though saddened I am by having to of you take leave.
Who in power is willing to lend a hand?
In this world, friends as close as one’s second self are few and far between.
I should know how to keep my solitude company,
I shall go home and stay within my humble retreat.
There is a famous collection of poems from the Tang Dynasty as well. It contains three hundred poems, the most famous and most high-quality of them all. Meng Haoran is the author of fifteen of these poems, preceded by only four other poets.
Contemporary Xiangyang
Meng Haoran is so famous in China, some people even name their children after him. They will give them Haoran as first name. This means vast, great or grand. They wish that their children will grow up to become a skillful person who will contribute something beautiful to the world.
Meng Haoran’s contemporary fame is due to his most famous poem, Spring Dusk 春曉。This poem has been used for many years in Chinese language books, used by children all over China to learn the Mandarin language. Spring Dusk is a short poem (certainly compared to the one we talked about before).
「春曉」
春眠不覺曉，處處聞啼鳥。
夜來風雨聲，花落知多少。
In spring one sleeps, unaware of dawn,
Everywhere one hears chirping birds.
In the night came the sound of wind and rain,
Who knows how many flowers fell?