Abstract
This study focuses on the two main “place” themes of Li De-Yu’s poetry: the Hanlin Academy of Imperial Ministry in Jingji 京畿 and Pingquan Garden in Dongdu 東都. This thesis divides the life of Li De-yu, the two-time prime minister who went through numerous up and downs throughout his career, into two stages. In the early stage, after being ousted from Chang An 長安 to the south of Tang Empire, Li’s poetry clearly captures the sense of nostalgia he has with the Gyeonggi Imperial Ministry through describing his old friends, memories and objects within. In the later stage, Li’s poetry depicts how he creates his private garden under his own will; through his arrangement of stones, trees, and flowers, Li’s garden becomes a chronicle of his stay in the south and a certain condensation of his life. Thus, the recalling in Li’s poetry about his officer’s life around the Tang Empire surly reveals the transition of his mental state from emphasizing the Imperial Ministry to the gardens of the South. In other words, this thesis demonstrates how Li De-yu’s lifelong pursuit of fame and prestige condensed and crystalized into his wisdom of being disillusioned by earthly titles. Li De-yu remoulded Pingquan garden into a typical symbol which succeeding literati in later dynasties aspire to encompass.