Tu Mu

Born 803, in Sian; died 853. Chinese poet.

Tu Mu, the son of an official, was influenced by the literature of Tu Fu. He created the models for verse lampoons, love lyrics (“At Parting”), nature sketches (“A Stroll in the Mountains” and “Autumn Evening”), and rhythmic prose. The didactic “Song of the Afang Palace,” in which Tu Mu allegorically foretells the death of the monarch as a result of his lack of concern for his subjects, is of particular interest. Tu Mu’s poems (for example, “My Anguish”) often contain pessimistic motifs. His work, in terms of perfection of form, ranks among the major achievements of T’ang poetry.