刘长卿

Liu Changqing was a Tang dynasty poet; public information about his dates and native place is limited, and this collection contains twelve of his works. His poems often deal with farewells, travel, and climbing to viewpoints. Pieces such as "Seeing Off Censor Li on His Demotion to Poyang" and "Seeing Off Prefect Liu to Yuanzhou" portray partings caused by demotion and exile, while "From Daolin Temple West onto the Stone Road" and "Waiting for Huang Sui and Zhang Huan at Yueyang on the Double Ninth" reflect landscapes along the way and seasonal feelings. "A Night Banquet at the Residence of Registrar Cheng in Luoyang" shows the pleasure of gatherings and poetic exchange. His style is clear and restrained, using natural scenery to set off emotion, with plain language and lingering meaning. That two of his poems were included in Three Hundred Tang Poems shows his place in Tang anthologies. The categories here—ancient poetry, literary appreciation, Eastern philosophy, and classics—make him suitable reading for understanding middle Tang poets' friendships and landscape travel verse.