portrays Buddhism through his compassion of the small motions of nature such as ripples on a pond, or the wings on a bird. Tu Fu states “where mud is soft the swallows fly; where sands are warm the mandarin ducks doze.” He pays attention to the little things that many readers don’t notice, which opens readers to a different perspective. Along with the natural aspect of his poetry, Tu Fu opens up his emotions and insight through his poetry. It can be noted that Tu Fu particularly writes about women and their grief. One good example of his fondness of women is in his poem “The Lovely Lady”. In this poem, the main character is a woman who had lost everything, yet she was strong enough to uphold her dignity. “The lady picks a flower but does not put it in her hair, gathers juniper berries, sometimes a handful. When the sky is cold, in thin azure sleeves, at dusk she stands leaning by the tall bamboo.” He also write other poems that displays his affections towards his wife and the pain she suffered with him. Tu Fu uses his literature to attack social injustice and the corruption of the government. “Song of Beautiful Ladies” depicts his attack on social injustice in a descriptive and enchanting way. He disguises his insults with vivid and illustrative words. “The snow of willow catkins blankets the white flowered reeds” refers to an officer who used his position to gain power and wealth. Because his cousin was the emperor’s favorite concubine, he used this power against others and for himself. It took me a long time to interpret the works of Tu Fu and the depth his poetry displayed. Not only does he distort his poetry, much of his poetry is vague and ambiguous, which leaves everything open for interpretation. Li Po takes a more direct approach, it can be said that he is much more simple minded than Tu Fu. I find it ironic, however, that these two poets were such close fr...
