韩翃

Han Hong was a poet of the Tang dynasty; reliable public sources on his birth and death dates, native place, and other biographical details are limited, so they cannot be firmly established. Only a small number of his works survive. The library holds five of his pieces, including "Sending Off Lang, Prefect of Yingzhou," "Sending Secretary Li of the Prefectural Staff into Shu," "A Gathering at Registrar Chu's Residence with Vice Minister Bi," "Zhangtai Willow," and "Farewell to Governor Meng." Most are farewell, banquet, and occasional poems, showing that his circle included local officials and literati. His subjects center on everyday social exchange and the partings of travel; his language is clear and fluent, his feeling tactful and restrained, and he is skilled at expressing concern for friends and reflections on official careers within farewell scenes. "Zhangtai Willow" circulated widely and is often classed with ancient poetry and folk literature; later readers have used it to figure parting sorrow and a sense of shifting fortune, and its influence extends to ci and popular literature. Because the historical sources are scattered, details of his life and his literary standing await further study.