Du Mu

Du Mu (803–852), courtesy name Muzhi and styled Fanchuan Jushi, was a native of Wannian in Jingzhao (present-day Xi'an, Shaanxi). A distinguished poet and prose writer of the Tang Dynasty, he was the grandson of the chancellor Du You. He rose to the office of Zhongshu Sheren and is known above all for his seven-character quatrains; together with Li Shangyin he is called one of the "Little Li-Du." His works include the prose piece "Epang Palace Fu" and poems such as "Mountain Journey" and "Mooring on the Qinhuai River." This library holds nineteen of his works, among them "Two Poems of Parting," "The Complete Works of Du Mu," "The Collected Works of Du Mu," "A Quatrain Sent to a Recluse," and "Three Poems Recalling Past Travels"; they are commonly classified under social sciences, classical poetry, and classic works. His writing is admired for its vigor and clarity, and his quatrains in particular have been praised by later generations, giving him an important place in Tang literary history.