Lu Tong
Lu Tong (simplified Chinese: å¢ä»; traditional Chinese: ç›§ä»; pinyin: Lú Tóng; Wade–Giles: Lu T'ung; 790–835) was a Tang dynasty Chinese poet, known for his lifelong study of the Tea Culture. He never became an official, and is better known for his love of tea than his poetry.[1][2]
About the Lu Tong and his tea poems
Lu Tong, also called Yuchuanzi, was from the city Jiyuan in the Chinese province of Henan. He was a mid-Tang Dynasty poet, four literati after the generation Lu Zhaolin. Most of his poetry was devoted to tea and tea ceremony.
Lu Tong when young was smart, before 20 years old went into inclusion at Shaoshi Mountain, Songshan, he refused to be an official. He was in Han Yu's good graces later, and moved to Luoyang. In November 20, 835, eve of Ganlu Incident, Lu Tong was a guest in the home of Wang Ya who was a prime minister. He was killed with Wang Ya when the incident broken out on November 21. “Lu Tong had no hair, and died due to a nail in the back of the headâ€. The “Jiyuan County Annals†that Xiao Yingzhi with friends written in Qianlong period records: There is a “Tomb of Lu Tong†in Wushantou and 12 miles away from the northwest county. In the poem “Crying for Lu Tongâ€, his good friends Jia Dao said: “He wore white clothes once in forty years of his life.â€.
The poem of Lu Tong is surprising, unusual, risky and strange, people call “Lu Tong’s Styleâ€. His “Yuchuanzi’s Collection of Poetry†is handed down to the world. He likes tea, and his “Thanks Meng Jianyi for Sending the New Tea Handwriting†is called “Tea Song of Yuchuanâ€, and is as famous as the “Tea Classic†of Lu Yu. The poems that survive are about tea, a favorite being the "Seven Bowls of Tea", translated below:
Poetry
Lu Tong's Seven Bowls of Tea 七碗诗 å¢ä»ï¼ˆå”. 790~835)
The first bowl moistens my lips and throat; ä¸€ç¢—å–‰å»æ½¤ï¼Œ
The second bowl breaks my loneliness; äºŒç¢—ç ´å¤æ‚¶ï¼Œ
The third bowl searches my barren entrails but to find ä¸‰ç¢—æœæž¯è…¸ï¼Œ
Therein some five thousand scrolls; 惟有文å—五åƒå·ï¼Œ
The fourth bowl raises a slight perspiration 四碗發輕汗,
And all life's inequities pass out through my pores; 平生ä¸å¹³äº‹ç›¡å‘æ¯›å”æ•£ï¼Œ
The fifth bowl purifies my flesh and bones; 五碗肌骨清,
The sixth bowl calls me to the immortals. å…碗通仙éˆï¼Œ
The seventh bowl could not be drunk, 七碗åƒä¸å¾—也,
only the breath of the cool wind raises in my sleeves. 唯覺兩腋習習清風生。
Where is Penglai Island, Yuchuanzi wishes to ride on this sweet breeze and go back. 蓬èŠå±±ï¹åœ¨ä½•處,玉å·åä¹˜æ¤æ¸…風欲æ¸åŽ»ã€‚
See also
- The Classic of Tea Lu-yu's Tea Classic book
- Tea
- History of tea in China
- Tea Classics
References
- “Chinese-English Tea Studies Terminologyâ€, (2010), Lu-Yu Tea Culture Institute, Co., Ltd, ISBN 978-957-9690-06-5
- lutong poem
- The Seven Cups of Tea, in English and Chinese