oem of a set entitled Ch’iang Village is analyzed in this paper to show how Tu Fu brings forward the description of common life during a civil war. When the Tang ruled China, it was a cosmopolitan wonderland. The Mystic Emperor, Xuanzong (712-755) was an ardent patron of arts. Throughout his rule poetry flourished, but it was his downfall that created one of the most respected Chinese poets of all time. The An-Lushan rebellion features prominently in Tu Fu’s work. He gives us descriptions of rulers, governors and soldiers, but his reunion with his family after being stranded in the capital is really the one that grabs attention. Ch’iang Village is a set of three poems that starts out with an emotional reunion of him and his wife and children. It was written about a year after the beginning of the rebellion. Both capitals were already taken and Tu Fu was behind enemy lines. When he escaped, as a true Confucianist he made his way to the emperor and not his family. It was only after he was granted leave, he made his way to this now famous village to see them. The last poem of the set (see above) describes him after he has already settled in. It is not a depressing poem, but it shows the strain that the rebellion has placed on everyone, no matter how distant from the fighting. Tu Fu starts out with a description of chickens and they chaos they cause (he makes it so easy to imagine), a regular rural occasion, not even worth mentioning. But it is just a trick to make us think everything is okay, everyone is happy. Then a knock, and some people enter. They are not soldiers or bloodthirsty rebels. They are simply some elders who came to pay their respects. They brought a bit of wine (see, the pleasures are still the same) and they want to hear about his travels, his adventures. Or do they? May be they would like to find out the fate of their children. It turns out all the young are away, some fighting, some dying. The field...
