(3) Poets of the same family

In the annals of Chinese poetry, there had been famous poets in the same families, like father and son, husband and wife, brothers and sisters. But, because of varying environments, the contents and moods of these blood-related poets, such as two brothers, may differ markedly.

We begin with Emperor Cao Cao 曹操(155-200)……

His two sons were also poets of distinction. They were, however of different characters. The older son Cao Pi 曹丕(186-226) was keen on amassing power. The younger Cao Zhi 曹植(192-232) was a prodigy, and contended to be a good poet.  Continue reading