Meng Jiao

Meng​ Jiao​ (Chinese: 孟郊; pinyin: Mèng​ Jiāo​, 751-814), and whose name, especially in older English transliteration, appears as Meng Chiao, was a poet of the Late Tang Dynasty, and some of whose poems were collected in the popular anthology Three Hundred Tang Poems.

Biography

As a result of failing to pass even the first stage of the examination system, Meng Jiao was doomed to a life of poverty and adversity. However, this did not prevent his success as a poet. He was part of the circle centering on Han Yu.

Poetry

His poetry, often upon the themes of poverty and cold, is typified by the strong −— and sometimes shocking —— imagery advocated by Han Yu. Two of his poems are included in the Three Hundred Tang Poems. One of which, translated by Witter Bynner as "A Traveller's Song", by A. C. Graham as "Wanderer's Song", and by John C. H. Wu as "The Song of a Wandering Son", is one of the most famous Classical Chinese poems.

References

• Graham, A. C. (1977). Poems of the Late T'ang. New York, New York: The New York Review of Books. ISBN 978-1-59017-257-5
• Wu, John C. H. (1972). The Four Seasons of Tang Poetry. Rutland, Vermont: Charles E.Tuttle. ISBN 978-0804801973