The first two sentences of the poem use two metaphors to express the poet's views on the situation in China at that time. "Thousands of horses are silent" is a metaphor for the reality that under the decadent and cruel reactionary rule, ideas are imprisoned, talents are stifled, and there is lethargy, vulgarity, ignorance, and a dead silence and suffocating reality. "Wind and thunder" is a metaphor for emerging social forces and sharp and violent reforms. Focus on the big picture, focus on the whole, and create a majestic, powerful and profound artistic realm. The last two lines of the poem, "I urge God to cheer up and send talents of any kind" are famous lines that have been recited. The poet expresses his passionate hope with unique imagination. He is looking forward to the emergence of outstanding figures and the reform trend to form new "wind and thunder" and new vitality, which will sweep away the dull and sluggish situation that has enveloped Kyushu. It not only reveals the contradictions , criticize reality, and look forward to the future, full of ideals. It is a unique wonderland, unique, calling for change and the future.
[Note]
1. Kyushu: China.
2． Angry: A lively situation.
3． rely on (shì): rely on.
4． 忑(yīn): dumb. Thousands of horses are in silence: a metaphor for the lifeless social and political situation. After all: after all, after all.
5． God: Creator. Heavy: Renew. Cheer up: cheer up.
6． Descend: to be born.
Translation
Only the huge force like the agitation of wind and snow can make the land of China full of vitality. However, it is ultimately sad that the subjects of the government and the public remain silent. I advise the Emperor of Heaven to regain his spirit and not stick to certain standards and send down more talents.
Writing background
In the 19th year of Daoguang's reign (1831), Gong Zizhen resigned and returned to his hometown, and then went north to meet his wife and children. On the way between the north and the south, he was impressed by the Qing Dynasty The court suppressed and restricted talents, so he wrote 315 poems to express his strong desire to change society.
Appreciation
This is an excellent political poem. The whole poem has clear levels, divided into three levels: the first level describes the lifeless real society where thousands of horses and horses are silent, and the government and the public are silent. On the second level, the author points out that in order to change this dull and decadent outlook, we must rely on the huge power of wind and thunder. It is a metaphor that China must undergo tremendous social changes to become vibrant. On the third level, the author believes that such power comes from talents, and what the court should do is to recommend talents out of the norm. Only in this way can China have hope. The poem uses subjective images with majestic characteristics such as "Jiuzhou", "Wind and Thunder", "Ten Thousand Horses" and "Tiangong", which are profound in meaning and majestic. The poet passionately calls for social change, and believes that the bigger the better, it should be as big as earth-shattering spring thunder. He also believed that the most important factor in implementing social change is talent, so he passionately called out: God! Please cheer up and give us all kinds of talents.