A Probe Into Li Bai’s Fifty-Nine Pre-Tang Style Poems(XIX)

There are many problems worth discussing in Li Bai’s Fifty-Nine Pre-Tang Style Poems(XIX),which can be named Lotus Flower Peak in Huashan Mountain(西岳莲花山).From ancient times to the present,interpreters have put forward different opinions on the theme,period,and writing place of the poem,but they have not provided reliable evidence.From the perspective of historical geography,this paper elaborates on“Lotus Flower Peak”or“Lotus Flower Mountain”(莲花峰或莲花山)and“Luoyang Chuan”(洛阳川)in the poem,and puts forward a series of viewpoints for the first time.Li Bai chose Huashan Mountain as the starting point of his journey to the mystical landscape because of the special location of Yuntai Peak.Its position is easy to observe from east to west,thus forming an eastward immortal route contrary to the western route of the rebels of An Lushan and Shi Siming(安史叛军).It shows great significance to the division of the poet’s personal life stages that Li Bai started to use the word“Luoyang Chuan”.There is a significant difference between this word and the pure word“Luoyang”when it combines the applied allusion of the An-Shi Rebellion.According to the research results,this poem may be written during this period from January in 756 A.D.to October in 757 A.D.The poet did not enter Tongguan in Shaanxi at all,let alone climbing Yuntai Peak in Huashan Mountain.In this poem,the real geographical position runs through the whole process,making the poet’s romantic fairy fantasy and the real historical record perfect integration,fully showing the poet’s judgment of the current situation and the course of his mind in the An-Shi rebellion.