T'ao Ch'ien
(365–427)

T'ao Ch'ien was among the finest "old style" shih poets. Shih poems consist of an even amount of lines, each with the same number of words. The simple style of the poem echoes T'ao Ch'ien's pleasure in the simple life he lived in the countryside where he reveled in his love of family, nature, and poetry. T'ao Ch'ien did not always enjoy such a serene life.

Born into a family of government officials, he too pursued a career in government. Because he found it difficult to act subservient to higher-ranking officials, he resigned from the office when he was thirty-five. It is at this time that he retired to a rural village to enjoy the simple life.

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