Li Po (CE 701-762) and Tu Fu (CE 712-770) are traditionally regarded by the Chinese as their two greatest poets. Together their poetry encompasses all of human nature. Li Po, whose addiction to wine was legendary, is a poet of the spirit, and his verses penetrate into the human mind and go beyond consciousness. Tu Fu chronicles everyday life with humility and compassion shot thorugh with humour and a sense of desolation. Escapist but earthy, spiritual but realistic, romantic but precise, these two are often appropriately referred to as one poet, "Li-Tu". The Chinese calligraphy in this volume is by Shui Chien-Tung.