About the author

Xu Yin was a poet of the Tang dynasty; details of his life, including his dates and birthplace, are limited in publicly available sources and remain to be further verified. Judging from the six works collected here, his writing consists mainly of classical poetry, with some engagement in literary appreciation. Representative pieces include "To Yan Sizhi," "Good Fortune," "Inscribed at a Monk's Lodging," and "Newly Embroidered Socks," among which "To Yan Sizhi" and "Newly Embroidered Socks" each appear more than once, suggesting these are relatively common among his extant works. "To Yan Sizhi" is a dedicatory poem expressing friendship and esteem for a companion; "Inscribed at a Monk's Lodging" relates to a monk's dwelling and carries the flavor of a responding or inscribed verse; "Newly Embroidered Socks" takes an everyday object as its subject, with a touch close to daily life. Overall, Xu Yin's poems draw their subjects largely from social exchange, dedicatory verse, and observations of daily life, in plain and concise language, and occupy a place within the Tang tradition of dedicatory and occasional poetry. Because the transmitted materials are scattered, his biography and poetic lineage cannot be described in detail; readers may glimpse his writing through the works mentioned above.

Written (6)

Publishers

Jinzhang Book Company (Jinzhang Shuju)Nanhai Publication Company