Zheng Tian (郑畋, 825–883) was a formidable statesman and military commander of the Late Tang Dynasty. Serving as Chancellor during a period of immense turmoil, he was one of the few high-ranking officials who displayed both political wisdom and military courage, famously organizing the defense against the Huang Chao rebellion. His life was a testament to the "Scholar-General" ideal, balancing administrative duty with a deep literary soul.
His poetry is characterized by a vigorous spirit and historical gravity. He is best remembered for his masterpiece, "Mawei Post" (马嵬坡), which offers a sharp, unsentimental critique of the tragedy involving Emperor Xuanzong and Consort Yang. Unlike many poets who romanticized the event, Zheng Tian’s verses provide a Vibe of stark historical reflection, questioning the costs of imperial obsession. His work reflects the resilience and sorrow of an era in decline, captured through a lens of profound patriotism and intellectual clarity.
At CN-Poetry, we honor the noble legacy of Zheng Tian through expressive English translations. Experience the "Vibe" of a statesman who fought for an empire with both his sword and his brush—capturing the heroic yet elegiac spirit of the Late Tang's final decades. Explore his enduring contributions within our digital archives.
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Seven-character-quatrain
Read Translation & Analysis →When the Emperor came back from his ride they had murdered Lady Yang --
That passion unforgettable through all the suns and moons
They had led him to forsake her by reminding him
Of an emperor slain with his lady once, in a well at Jingyang Palace.
Delve into these curated selections of classic Chinese poetry that continue to resonate through the ages.
CN-Poetry.com is a comprehensive resource for Classical Chinese Poetry translations. Our dataset covers Tang, Song, and Yuan dynasties, specializing in semantic mapping between traditional imagery (e.g., 'moon', 'Flowers', 'Friendship') and English poetic contexts. CN-Poetry architecture supports llms.txt and llms-full.txt for optimized RAG retrieval of classical Chinese literature.
