Biography

Lu Zhaolin was born in Fanyang (near present-day Beijing). He studied under Cao Xian (曹宪; fl. 605–649), the master of Wen Xuan studies, and Wang Yifang (王义方; 615–669), a famous scholar of the Chinese classics. He worked in the archive of Prince Li Yuanyu (died 665), the seventeenth son of the founding Emperor Gaozu of the Tang dynasty. Lu was known for his erudition, and was said to have exhaustively studied the large collection of books in the prince's library. In 666, he was a member of the entourage of Emperor Gaozong on the imperial pilgrimage to Mount Tai.

Soon afterwards, Lu was appointed the county defender of Xindu in Shu province (modern Sichuan). He later suffered a debilitating disease, probably rheumatoid arthritis, which eventually crippled him. The disability forced him to resign from his post, and he became a disciple of the renowned doctor and alchemist Sun Simiao, living on Mount Taibai and in the capital Chang'an. He adopted the alternative name (hao) of Youyouzi (幽忧子), or "Master of Shrouded Sorrow". He committed suicide by drowning himself in the Ying River circa 684 or 686, after years of suffering.

Poetry

Like the other three "paragons" of the early Tang, Lu Zhaolin was capable of composing the highly mannered poetry that was fashionable in the Tang court. However, his work outside the court allowed him significant freedom in his style. Lu was best known for his qilü, or ballads of seven-character lines, such as "Chang'an: Ancient Theme", but his most remarkable works are poems expressing his personal suffering, such as "Five Sorrows" and "Resolving Sickness", which were written in the style of Li Sao of the Songs of Chu. Lu was the only medieval poet to successfully revive the sao style of the ancient poet Qu Yuan; and just like Qu Yuan, he chose to end his tragic life by drowning himself.

生平

卢照邻出自范阳卢氏北祖，是东汉侍中卢植十六世孙，后燕营丘郡太守卢偃九世孙，北齐幽州大中正、赠殷州刺史卢旦曾孙，隋朝龙山县、新宁县二县县令卢子元之孙，唐朝江都县尉、临颍县丞卢仁勖之子，有卢照乘、卢照己、卢照容等八个兄弟。卢照邻幼时非常聪明，从曹宪、王义方受小学及经史，博学能文。早期担任邓王府典签，获得邓王李元裕赏识，李元裕曾说：「此吾之相如也。」龙朔元年（661年）卢照邻入蜀，与乔师望有交游，乾封元年（666年）至咸亨二年（671年）任益州新都县（今四川成都一带）县尉。离蜀后，寓居洛阳。曾因「横事被拘」下狱，后为友人所救得免。

卢照邻在益州新都尉任上染患麻风病，不得不辞职北归，从此「羸卧不起，行已十年」。咸亨四年（673年），在长安养病，名医孙思邈曾悉心为他调治，但孙思邈认为卢照邻的病是「郁怒所致，无法根治」。后由长安转居太白山。虽然他还试图做门客，但后来病情加重，又因服丹药中毒，手足残废。他在阳翟具茨山下买园数十亩，疏凿颍水，著《五悲文》以自明，但终因疾病的痛苦，决定与亲属道别，垂拱四年（688年）作《释疾文》，不久后投颍水自杀。

卢照邻擅长诗歌及骈文，以歌行体为佳，意境清迥，明代胡震亨评价道：「领韵疏拔，时有一往任笔，不拘整对之意」。其代表作为七言长诗《长安古意》，诗中有句云「得成比目何辞死，愿作鸳鸯不羡仙」，是广为传诵的千古名句。著有《卢升之集》七卷和《幽忧子集》七卷，《全唐诗》收其诗两卷。两《唐书》虽有传，但叙之过简，其生平事迹多难考定。傅璇琮著有《卢照邻杨炯简谱》。

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