戴叔伦

Dai Shulun was a poet of the Tang dynasty. Public information about his dates and native place is limited, and little is known about the details of his life. Seven of his works are collected here, including "Zhuan Ying Ci," a lyric in the miscellaneous-song style; "Thinking of Li He (Changji) on a Winter Day"; "Passing the Old Residence of Jia Yi"; "Drinking and Showing It to Academician Shentu"; "Touring the Prefectures and Gradually Reaching Kongling Garrison"; and "On New Year's Eve, Summoned by a Dispatch from the Investigating Commissioner." Most are classical poems, also classified under Eastern philosophy. The surviving titles show that his verse covers farewell and exchange, remembrance of friends and the past, travel and journey records, and New Year's Eve occasions, staying close to everyday travel and scholars' social life. His language is plain yet restrained in feeling, often using scenery at hand to convey a sense of personal circumstance. "Zhuan Ying Ci," a miscellaneous-song lyric with circular phrasing, shows his familiarity with yuefu forms. Because much of his work is lost, Dai Shulun is not prominent in later poetic fame; his poems survive mainly through general anthologies and selections, and they remain useful for studying the social circles and travel writing of middle- and lower-ranking Tang literati.