Li Shen
Li Shen

Li Shen (李紳) (died July 29, 846), courtesy name Gongchui (公垂), formally Duke Wensu of Zhao (趙文肅公), was a Chinese historian, military general, poet, and politician of the Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Wuzong. It was said that Li Shen was short in stature but energetic, and was capable in songs and poetry. The year that he submitted himself to the local preliminary round of the imperial examinations, his poems became well known in the region.

Li Shen Famous Poems

    • ○ Pity the Peasants/Ancient Air, 1 of 2 (古风 / 悯农二首 其一)
      "1- Each grain of millet sown in springComposed during the mid-to-late Tang Dynasty amid relentless warfare and oppressive taxation, this poem lays bare the struggles of peasants under an unjust social system. Li Shen, a scholar-official who …"
    • ○ Toiling Farmers (悯农)
      "A common Chinese nursery rhyme still popular today, “Toiling Farmers” depicts the hard work and life of a Chinese farmer. Written by Tang Dynasty poet Li Shen, the poem emphasises how hard each farmers work for every grain of rice, and ser…"
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    Slow Tune of Yangzhou
    "Jiang Kui (1155?-1221?)was the first musi…"
    To the Willow by the River
    To the Willow by the River
    ""
    Deer-park Hermitage
    Deer-park Hermitage
    "Five-character-quatrainWang Wei, a wealth…"
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