During the Tianxi reign period (1017-21) of Song Zhenzong 宋真宗 (r. 997-1022), Yang Danian, Qian Wenxi, Yan Yuanxian and Liu Ziyi all won a place at court by virtue of their literary achievements. Their poetry belonged to the school of Li Shangyin 李商隐 (813-58) and their later poems stole lines from his poetry.
At a palace banquet, a jester played the part of the plagiarized poet, wearing shabby torn clothes and accusing his imitators, `I’ve been pulled to pieces like this by all these officials of the Assembled Noble Minds Academy’. Everybody who heard had a good laugh.
祥符、天禧中，楊大年、錢文僖、晏元獻、劉子儀以文章立朝，為詩皆宗尚李義山，號「西昆體」，後進多竊義山語句。賜宴，優人有為義山者，衣服敗敝，告人曰：「我為諸館職撏扯至此。」聞者歡笑。
Source: Zhongshan Shihua 中山詩話, by Liu Bin 劉斌 (1022-88), in Siku Quanshu 四庫全書 (Shanghai: Guji Chubanshe, 1987), vol. 1478, pp. 268b-269a.
Image credit: Portrait of Li Shangyin
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