CHINESE POETRY AND ITS CONNOTATIONS 



131 



period Sui Tsung came to the throne, thereupon Tu Fu who 

 was living with a relative at "White Waters," dressed in 

 very poor clothes started to walk to the Capital hoping to 



Tu Fu. 



obtain some position under the new ruler. He was, however, 

 captured by brigands on a mountain road and for over a year 

 lived in captivity ; when he finally made his escape he fled to 

 Feng Chiang M, ^ , where the Emperor was in residence, and 

 presented himself to the Imperial presence. He appeared 

 haggard and thin, his shoulder sticking out of his coat and 

 his rags literally tied together. The Emperor was terribly 

 distressed and at once appointed him to the post of Censor; 

 this, however, did not last more than about a month as 

 Tu Fu expressed himself very frankly in his disapproval of 

 the Emperor's behaviour towards Tang Kuan and it was only 

 by the active intervention of his friends that he was spared 

 the indignity of an enquiry and was allowed to go to his 

 home and see the family from whom he had been separated 

 for so long. He found that their sufferings had been dreadful, 

 several of his children having died of starvation. 



His work is held in the highest esteem by the Chinese 

 who regard him as their greatest poet, the eulogies are 

 numerous and most eloquent. Yuan Chen yt fj| declares : 

 "The Empire's History can be read in his poems; His mean- 

 ings are profound; His poems have perfect balance, if he 



