唐代恢复并发展了“诗可以观”的“考见得失”传统, 原因有三: 推行进士制为诗人参政创造了条件, 皇帝纳谏及谏议制度促使谏诤精神的确立, 文网较松使以诗论政成为了可能。从“观风俗之盛衰”, 到“考见得失”, 是以诗干政的理论概括, 其变化关纽在唐朝。孔颖达以官方立场阐释了诗歌的功能, 杜甫、元结、白居易等都强调了诗歌的政教作用, 而皮日休道出了以“诗”言政多类“歌”的特点。唐代具观政价值的诗歌兼涉内外, 不仅是杜甫, 盛唐边塞诗和悯民诗、张王乐府、元白讽谕诗及晚唐指陈弊政之作, 都属于此类。

The tradition that "political situations can be observed through poems" was restored and developed under the Tang Dynasty. The reasons lay in that the implementation of the system of presented scholar created a condition for poets who could participate in political activities, emperors' accepting admonitions and a system of remonstration promoted the development of the spirit of frank criticisms, and under a loose literary circumstance politics might be remarked on by poets. Du Fu, Yuan Jie, Bai Juyi and the like all emphasized the poetical role of political education.