Lin Bu
Lin Bu (967–1028),[1] formerly romanized as Lin Pu and also known by his posthumous name as Lin Hejing, was a Chinese poet and hermit during the Northern Song dynasty. LifeOne of the most famous verse masters of his era,[2] Lin Bu was born in 967, a time when Hangzhou was still the capital of the independent kingdom of Wuyue. This was absorbed by Song in 978. Lin lived as a recluse on Gushan ("Solitary Island") in West Lake from about the age of 40 until his death[3] in 1028. At the time, the lake was outside Hangzhou's walls and he supposedly never deigned to enter them.[1] He was never, however, a strict hermit: he had servants[4] and met and talked constantly with nearby scholars, Buddhist monks, and other guests.[5] He was famed for his skill at Chinese chess and the guqin,[3] as well as writing. If visitors arrived while he was boating on the lake, he would be summoned back by seeing one of his cranes released by his staff.[4] His supposed grave has been restored on Gushan Island, along with a commemorative pavilion called the "Crane Releasing Pavilion"[3] (放鶴亭, Fànghètíng). His descendant Lin Hong (林洪) later imitated his lifestyle, retiring to a hermitage on Gushan as well in the 13th century.[6] Works Japan, Edo period, 17th century. His works and theatrical solitude won him nationwide fame,[2] and he was offered prestigious government posts, although he refused all civic duties in pursuit of his poetry. Long after he died, Lin's eccentric attitude and his works retained a vivid place in Song cultural imagination and later works.[2] His supposed claim that the plum blossom was his wife and the cranes he raised were his sons became a standard motif in Chinese poetry concerning seclusion from the world.[7] Lin is well known for his romantic poems. The most famous and influential was a couplet from the two-verse "Small Plum in a Mountain Garden" (《山園小梅》, Shānyuán Xiǎoméi),[8] also known as "How Plum Flowers Embarrass a Garden".[9]
It was prized as a vivid instance of appreciating quiet subtle beauty in mundane things; allusions to it became a way of signalling other writers' own similar sophistication.[10] Another example of his work is "Everlasting Longing" (《長相思》, Chángxiāngsī):[11]
He is traditionally associated with the guqin piece "Moon atop a Plum Tree" (梅梢月, Meishao Yue), believed to resemble his "Small Plum in a Mountain Garden".[3] In Japan, the melodies "Plum Blossoms" (梅花) and "Flying Snow Crystal Intonation" (飛瓊吟) traditionally employ lyrics drawn from Lin Bu's poetry.[3] Gallery
ReferencesCitations
Bibliography Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lin Bu.
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