If you’re staring at a crossword grid and the prompt says poet written about in the books of tang nyt, your brain probably jumped straight to those three letters everyone knows: Li Bo or Li Po. Maybe even Tu Fu. But honestly, there is a lot more to this than just filling in a few squares before your morning coffee gets cold. We are talking about the Old Book of Tang (Jiu Tangshu) and the New Book of Tang (Xin Tangshu), which are basically the definitive historical records of one of China’s most legendary eras.
Li Bai.
That’s the guy. He’s the rockstar of the Tang Dynasty. While most poets of the time were busy trying to pass civil service exams and grinding through mid-level government jobs, Li Bai was out there drinking wine, staring at the moon, and writing verses that people still memorize 1,300 years later. He wasn't just a writer; he was a phenomenon. The New Book of Tang actually goes into quite a bit of detail about his life, portraying him as this brilliant, eccentric, and occasionally deeply frustrated genius who was "exiled from heaven."
Why the Books of Tang Care About Poets
You’ve got to understand how weird it is that these official histories spend so much time on poets. Usually, official dynastic histories are dry. They are lists of tax records, military campaigns, and who betrayed whom in the imperial court. But the Tang Dynasty was different. In Tang China, if you couldn't write a poem, you basically weren't a person of consequence.
The Old Book of Tang, compiled in the 940s, and the New Book of Tang, edited by the scholar Ouyang Xiu in the 11th century, treat these literary figures like essential state infrastructure. Li Bai and his contemporary Du Fu (Tu Fu) aren't just footnotes. They are the emotional pulse of the empire.
Li Bai, specifically, is a frequent flyer in NYT crosswords because his name is short, vowel-heavy, and he’s the "Immortal of Poetry." If you see a clue about a "Tang poet" or "Drunken poet," it’s almost always him. The Books of Tang describe him as having "extraordinary talent" but also being someone who couldn't quite fit into the rigid social structures of the time. He was too wild.
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The Li Bai vs. Du Fu Dynamic
Most people who look up the poet written about in the books of tang nyt find themselves at a crossroads between Li Bai and Du Fu. It’s like the Beatles vs. the Stones of 8th-century China.
Li Bai is the romantic. He’s the guy who supposedly died trying to embrace the reflection of the moon in a lake while he was drunk on a boat. (That’s probably a myth, but it’s in the spirit of his biography in the Books of Tang). His poetry is about freedom, nature, and the supernatural. He didn't care about the rules of prosody. He just let it rip.
Then you have Du Fu.
Du Fu is the "Poet-Historian." If Li Bai is the guy you want to party with, Du Fu is the guy you want to talk to when the world is falling apart. His mentions in the Books of Tang are often tied to the An Lushan Rebellion, a massive civil war that nearly destroyed the dynasty. Du Fu’s work is gritty. It’s about starving children, the horrors of war, and the heavy burden of taxes.
The New Book of Tang makes a point to contrast them. It notes that while Li Bai’s spirit was soaring and unconstrained, Du Fu was the master of form and social critique. Interestingly, during their actual lives, Li Bai was the famous one. Du Fu was a bit of a "poet's poet" who didn't get his full flowers until after he was gone.
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How to Solve These Crossword Clues Like an Expert
If you're stuck on a clue regarding a Tang poet, here is the shorthand you need to survive the Sunday puzzle.
- 3 Letters: LI PO (The older Romanization of Li Bai). This is the gold standard for NYT editors.
- 4 Letters: TU FU (The older Romanization of Du Fu) or WANG (referring to Wang Wei, the painter-poet).
- 5 Letters: LI BAI.
- 7 Letters: BAI JUYI. He’s the guy who wrote "Song of Everlasting Regret." He’s a bit more "populist" and was incredibly famous in Japan and Korea too.
The Books of Tang give us the juicy biographical details that these clues often hint at. For instance, the fact that Li Bai was part of the "Eight Immortals of the Wine Cup." That’s a real thing recorded in history. They were a group of elite scholars who were known for being perpetually intoxicated and incredibly brilliant.
The Historical Accuracy of the Books of Tang
It is worth noting that the Old Book and the New Book don't always agree. The Old Book of Tang was written quickly during the Five Dynasties period. It’s a bit rough around the edges. The New Book of Tang was a "prestige project" by the Song Dynasty to clean up the records and make them more "moral."
When they write about Li Bai, the New Book is a bit more critical of his drinking and his lack of political discipline. They saw him as a cautionary tale: a man of immense talent who couldn't serve the state effectively because he was too focused on his own whims. But they couldn't ignore him. His influence was too massive.
Beyond the Crossword: Why This Matters Today
You might think, "Who cares about a guy who wrote 1,200 years ago?"
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Well, you’ve probably used his imagery without knowing it. The "bright moon" over a childhood home? The "toast to the moon"? That’s Li Bai. His work is the foundation of East Asian literary culture. The Books of Tang preserved these poems not just as art, but as a map of the Chinese soul during its most prosperous and most chaotic periods.
When the NYT features a poet written about in the books of tang, they aren't just testing your trivia. They are tapping into a lineage of literature that has survived collapses, censors, and a dozen different dynasties.
Actionable Steps for Poetry Lovers and Solvers
If you want to actually master this topic instead of just guessing letters, start with these specific actions:
- Read "The Selected Poems of Li Po" (translated by David Hinton). Hinton is the gold standard for making these ancient Chinese concepts feel modern and visceral. You’ll see why the Tang historians were so obsessed with him.
- Check the "Guan" or "Style" names. In the Books of Tang, poets are often referred to by their courtesy names. Li Bai is Taibai. Knowing these variations can help when a crossword throws a curveball.
- Memorize the "Golden Age" dates. The High Tang period (712–765 AD) is where the most famous poets lived. If a clue mentions "High Tang," you are looking for Li Bai or Du Fu.
- Watch for Romanization shifts. The NYT is slowly moving from Wade-Giles (Li Po) to Pinyin (Li Bai). If "LI PO" doesn't fit, try "LI BAI." If "TU FU" doesn't fit, try "DU FU."
- Explore the "Three Wonders." The Tang Dynasty officially declared Li Bai’s poetry, Pei Min’s swordplay, and Zhang Xu’s calligraphy as the "Three Wonders" of the empire. This shows up in clues about "Tang achievements."
The Books of Tang are essentially the first "best of" lists in human history. They decided who mattered, and 1,300 years later, we are still filling their names into crossword grids. Whether it's the 3-letter "POI" or the full "LI BAI," these poets remain the most enduring symbols of a lost golden age.