Picture of Bai Juyi from the book "Wan hsiao tang"
Reading Laozi
Bai Juyi
Those who speak do not know, those who know are silent,
I heard this saying from the old gentleman.
If the old gentleman was one who knew the way,
Why did he feel able to write five thousand words?
Bai Juyi (772-846; also known as Bo Juyi and Po Chuyi) wrote in the Mid-Tang period, living through the reigns of eight or nine emperors. A government official, his social and political criticism led to getting into official trouble, and subsequent exile, several times; he lived in "interesting times".
One of the most prolific of all Chinese poets, Bai Juyi is best known for his short occasional verses written in simple language. Hei wrote over 2,800 poems, which he had copied and distributed to ensure their survival. They are notable for their relative accessibility: it is said that he would rewrite any part of a poem if one of his servants was unable to understand it.
His best-known poems are indexed on this site, appearing in characters, pinyin, and literal and literary English translation.
*Laozi (Lao Tzu, Lao-Tze) was an ancient Chinese philosopher and writer. He is the reputed author of the Tao Te Ching, and the founder of philosophical Taoism.
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