顾况

Gu Kuang was a Tang dynasty poet. Publicly available sources provide limited information about his life, including the dates of his birth and death and his native place; he is known today chiefly for his poetry. This collection holds six of his works—Song Li Shanren Returning to Yuxi, Three Yuefu Songs: The Hard Road, Letter to Liu Shisan on the Huai River, Remembering Chang'an on the Night of the Lantern Festival, Ten Poems in the Ancient Manner Restoring Lost Traditions, and Thoughts of Return—all classified as classical poetry. These titles show that his writing covers farewell, travel, longing for friends, reminiscence, and imitation of ancient models. He wrote short pieces sent to friends, yuefu-style songs on the hardships of the world, and poems recalling the Lantern Festival night in Chang'an. His language is plain yet his feelings are deep and subtle, and he has a distinctive place among Tang poets.