Li He

Li He (born 790, Fuchang [now Yiyang], Henan province, China—died 816, Chang’an [now Xi’an], Shaanxi province) was a brilliant Chinese poet who showed great promise until his untimely death at age 26.

Literary legend describes Li He as a man of guicai (“devilish talent”) who composed his haunting verses by jotting down single lines on small slips of paper while on horseback, dropping the slips into an embroidered black bag, and assembling a finished poem each evening. Li He was expected to do well on the literary examinations necessary for an official career, but he was excluded from the examinations by a minor technicality; his resulting disappointment was said to have triggered the poor health that led to his death a few years later. Li He’s verse is characterized by its vivid imagery, odd diction, striking juxtapositions, and unrelieved pessimism.