Ballad of an Old Cypress (Masterplots II: Poetry, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Du Fu
- First Published: 766
- Type of Work: Ballad
- Genres: Poetry, Ballad
- Subjects: Nature, Kings, queens, or royalty, Government, Trees, Asian Americans, China or Chinese people, Aging
The Poem
“Ballad of an Old Cypress” is a short poem written by a talented Confucian scholar in his old age, who had tried repeatedly but failed, in the end, to realize his dream of serving a noble ruler in order to build a just and harmonious society. The poem addresses scholars who have “grand aims” as well as men who “live hidden away.” It explores the issue of how to cope with the ironic situation that great talents often lack the opportunity to meet rulers eager for their services. The advice it offers to its readers is that they should accept the irony without...
[The entire page is 1544 words long]
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