The Life of Wang Changling

Wang Changling (698–757), a renowned Tang dynasty frontier poet, was hailed as the master of the seven-character quatrain. He was celebrated for his bold, stirring frontier poems and his graceful, poignant poems of palace longing. His best-known works, “Beyond the Border” and “A Song of Joining the Army,” evoke the vast landscapes of the frontier and the feelings of its soldiers. The line “A heart of ice in a jade pot” from “Seeing Xin Jian Off at Furong Tower” has become an immortal verse. His concise, elevated style combines masculine strength with feminine grace and has had a profound influence on later generations.