The last two sentences.
The first two sentences exaggerate the typical wedding room environment and describe the bride's meticulous dressing up. The last two sentences describe the bride not knowing whether her appearance would please her parents-in-law, so she worriedly asked her husband whether the eyebrows she had painted were appropriate.
From - Tang Dynasty poet Zhu Qingyu's "Recent Examination of the Water Department of Zhang Ji".
Original text: The red candles were lit in the bridal chamber last night, waiting to pay homage to my uncle and aunt in front of the Xiaotang Hall. After putting on makeup, she asked her husband in a low voice, "How dark or light is my eyebrows?"
Translation: The wedding room was brightly lit with candles and flowers last night, waiting for dawn to pay homage to my parents-in-law. After I finished dressing up, I gently asked my husband: Is my eyebrow painting thick or light according to fashion?
Extended information:
1. Creation background
This poem was written by Zhu Qingyu on the eve of taking the Jinshi examination during the Baoli period (825-827 reign of Emperor Jingzong of the Tang Dynasty) . Before taking the Jinshi examination, scholars in the Tang Dynasty popularized "Xingjuan", that is, presenting their poems to famous people, in the hope of their praise and introduction to the Minister of Rites who presided over the examination. The recipient of Zhu Qingyu's poem was Zhang Ji, a doctor in the Ministry of Water at that time.
Zhang Ji was as famous as Han Yu for being good at literature and willing to promote underachievers. Zhu Qingyu wrote papers for him on weekdays, and he had already gained his appreciation. When the exam was coming, he was worried that his work might not meet the examiner's requirements, so he wrote this poem to see if it would suit the examiner's wishes. This poem is a written work.
2. Anecdotal stories
In the Tang Dynasty, there was an unwritten but practical popular practice for those taking the Jinshi examination, that is, candidates should Often with the recommendation of a very reputable person, he quickly attracts the attention of the examiner and successfully obtains the title.
Candidate Zhu Qingyu, who was rushing to take the exam in Beijing, had the good fortune to meet the famous poet Zhang Ji. After the two talked, Zhang admired Zhu's talent and learning very much, so he asked Zhu to take his recent works together with his old works. Come to him.
Zhu searched out 26 poems from his book bag and presented them to Zhang. Zhang put them in his arms and hurried away. Immediately afterwards, Zhang praised Zhu highly to his colleagues.
Since Zhang already had a high reputation in society at that time, many people hurriedly copied Zhu's works so that they could recite them; this is similar to the enthusiasm that people use to buy certain pop song CDs today. Son. As a result, Zhu's reputation rose instantly.
However, even though Zhu Qingyu had submitted the poem manuscript before, he still felt that he was not very sure about it. During the days after the exam when he was waiting for the announcement, he felt a little uneasy; Whether you can be admitted or not.
So Zhu wrote a seven-character quatrain entitled "Girlfriend's Feelings" and presented it to Zhang Ji to test the results of the examination; of course, if possible, Mr. Zhang could say something nice so that he could If Zhu successfully passes, that would be great.
This is a good poem that he can only write in the beautiful scenery of a newlywed couple, which has been mentioned above. The whole poem reads: The red candles were stopped in the bridal chamber last night, waiting in front of the dawn hall Greetings aunt. After putting on makeup, she asked her husband in a low voice: "How dark is the thrush?"
The aunt in this poem refers to the father-in-law and mother-in-law, that is, the husband's parents; in order to please the elders, the new wife The daughter-in-law can be said to dress up as much as possible so that she can get "high marks" when she goes to see her in the early morning. This was undoubtedly Zhu Qingyu's question as to whether the poems he had carefully written were appropriate and could be appreciated by the examiner and finally admitted.
Zhang Ji smiled after reading Zhu Qingyu’s euphemistic poem. What’s interesting is that Zhang, who was stroking his beard and meditating, also used beauty to compare the candidate. A tactful way to answer the candidate Zhu Jun: A Yue girl is interested in appearing on camera with new makeup, and she is even more thoughtful when she knows she is bright and beautiful. When Qi Wan was not yet young, people were valuable, and a rhombus song was worth thousands of gold.
The meaning of this poem is that you don’t have to worry. The examiner will definitely favor a qualified candidate like you.
As expected, Zhu Qingyu, who had been promoted and recommended by Zhang Ji, passed the Jinshi examination in one fell swoop in the second year of Jingzong Baoli (826).
However, Zhang Ji's story of deeply appreciating talents has been passed down forever and has become an excellent example for future generations to appreciate talents.
Baidu Encyclopedia—Zhu Qingyu