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Lu You

Southern Song poet from Shanyin who pressed for recovering the north, served at the Nanzheng front and left more than nine thousand poems

Also known as Zi Wuguan · Hao Fangweng · Lu Fangweng

Lu You, courtesy name Wuguan, styled Fangweng, came from Shanyin in Yuezhou (modern Shaoxing) and first entered service through his family's hereditary privilege. In 1153 he placed first in the qualifying examination for serving officials, ahead of Qin Gui's grandson Qin Xun, and was failed in the ministry examination the following year. Emperor Xiaozong granted him jinshi status, and in 1172 he joined the staff of Wang Yan, pacification commissioner of Sichuan, visiting the front at Nanzheng; later, as an adviser to Fan Chengda in Chengdu, he was mocked as dissolute and took the name Fangweng, the Unrestrained Old Man. In later life he lived mostly at Shanyin, was briefly recalled to work on the dynastic history, rose to academician of the Baozhang Pavilion, and died in 1210 aged eighty-five, writing the poem 'To My Sons' on his deathbed. He spoke of ten thousand poems in sixty years; over nine thousand survive in the *Jiannan Poetry Drafts* (*Jiannan shigao*), alongside his *Weinan Collection* (*Weinan wenji*) of prose.

Life and times

  1. 1125 CEBornSong
  2. 1210 CEDied

Works

  1. Literature · Sayings16
    1. Mountains upon Mountains, Rivers upon RiversSongFrom Lu You's 'Village West of the Mountain': winding hills and streams, a seeming dead end
    2. Shady Willows and Bright FlowersSongFrom Lu You's 'Village West of the Mountain': a sudden turn for the better amid hardship
    3. Great Talent Put to Petty UseSongIdiom from a Lu You poem for Xin Qiji: great talent wasted on petty tasks
    4. Beyond Dark Willows, Bright Blossoms and Another VillageSongFrom Lu You's 'Village West of the Mountain': a new village and new hope beyond the impasse
    5. Chicken and Pork for Guests in a Bountiful YearSongLine from Lu You's Visiting a Village West of the Hills: a harvest-year welcome
    6. +11 more
      1. Vowing to Be a Great Wall on the FrontierSongFamous line from Lu You's Venting My Frustration: a frontier guardian's vow left unfulfilled
      2. Vows Firm as Mountains Still RemainSongAphorism from Lu You's Phoenix Hairpin: vows that outlast a lost love
      3. Towered Warships on a Snowy Night at GuazhouSongFamous line from Lu You's Venting My Indignation: memories of the front against the Jin
      4. The Day the Royal Army Retakes the NorthSongFamous line from Lu You's deathbed poem To My Sons: longing for the army to retake the north
      5. Armored Horses and Autumn Wind at Dasan PassSongLine from Lu You's Venting My Indignation recalling cavalry on the autumn frontier
      6. A Brocade Letter That Cannot Be SentSongLine from Lu You's Phoenix Hairpin: vows remain, but no letter can be sent
      7. The Nine Provinces Reunited: Lu You's Last WishSongFamous phrase from Lu You's deathbed poem To My Son: longing to see the land made whole
      8. Only Its Fragrance Remains UnchangedSongFamous line from Lu You's lyric on the plum blossom: integrity unchanged even in the dust
      9. Tell Your Father at the Family AltarSongFamous line from Lu You's deathbed poem To My Sons: patriotism that outlives the poet
      10. Envied by All the Other BlossomsSongFamous line from Lu You's Ode to the Plum: the plum shrugs off the envy of other flowers
      11. Fallen to Mud and Ground into DustSongFamous line from Lu You's Ode to the Plum: crushed to dust, yet its fragrance remains
  2. Literature · Poetry5
    1. To My SonSongLu You's deathbed quatrain at eighty-five, charging his sons with news of the north's recovery
    2. Visiting the Village West of the MountainSongLu You's regulated verse on a village outing near Shanyin, rustic customs and hospitality
    3. Venting My IndignationSongLu You's regulated verse at sixty-two, recalling martial hopes against a mirror of grey hair
    4. New BambooSongA poet tends new bamboo and praises its cool shade, a place he wants to visit often
    5. Autumn Reflections on Greed and FameSongLu You in autumn sees through greed and fame, and longs for a high tower to look far
  3. Literature · Lyrics3
    1. Phoenix Hairpin (Pink Delicate Hands)SongLu You's ci written on a wall at Shen Garden after meeting his former wife Tang Wan
    2. Song of Divination (Ode to the Plum Blossom)SongLu You's plum-blossom ci, a lonely flower that keeps its scent as a vow of integrity
    3. Tune: Su Zhong Qing — Years Ago I Went Ten Thousand Li Seeking a FiefSongLu You's late lyric recalling frontier service at Nanzheng, ambition unspent as he grows old
  4. Treasures · Brushwork1
    1. Ten Rhymes Remembering ChengduSouthern Song dynastyLu You's poem recalling Chengdu

Family tree

  1. Direct kin
    Lu SongElder brother
    Lu You
    Former wife
    Tang Wan
    Former wife
    Tang Wan

Connections

  1. Teachers and students1
    1. Zeng JiTeacher · 1084 CE–1166 CE