The Making of Classics: Li Bai and Du Fu’s Poems in Anthologies of Tang Poetry between the Tang and the Ming Dynasties

Abstract The canonization of Li Bai and Du Fu’s poetry occurred over a period that spanned centuries and dynasties. The treatment of Li Bai and Du Fu’s works differed through the ages. Among anthologies from the Tang and the Five Dynasties that remain to our disposition today, only three contain poems by Li Bai, and only one includes some by Du Fu. Tang compilers had a poor opinion of the two poets. Their criticism contrasts substantially with the praise that was offered by Han Yu and other poets. During the Song and Yuan dynasties, scholars held Li Bai and Du Fu in high regard, yet their poems were often omitted by compilers. The main reason for this exclusion was that both poets’ complete works had long been considered unworthy and set aside. Compilers respected the skills of the two poets, but they did not truly appreciate their work. During the Ming dynasty, anthologies would comment on the two poets as important figures of literary history. Compilers praised their art as being of the highest quality. By then, both poets were highly respected, and their poems had officially already been made into classics. In the process of becoming classics, works of art can be seen as enduring, and as cumulating value through different periods of time. Times keep on changing, yet the significance of Li Bai and Du Fu’s poetry became all the more obvious as centuries passed.