Title "Ode to the Willows" A seven-character quatrain written in the genre of He Zhizhang during the prosperous Tang Dynasty
Original text of the work
Ode to the Willows ⑴ The jasper is made up to the height of a tree ⑵, and thousands of them hang down Green silk ribbon⑶. I don’t know who cuts the thin leaves⑷, the spring breeze in February is like scissors⑸.
Notes
⑴Willow: Willow tree, deciduous tree or shrub, with long and narrow leaves, many types. This poem describes a weeping willow. ⑵ Jasper: jade green. Here it is used as a metaphor that the tender green willow leaves in spring are as green as jade. Makeup: decoration, dressing up. A tree: full of trees. One, full, complete. In classical Chinese poetry and articles, quantifiers do not necessarily indicate exact quantities when used. The "wan" in the next sentence means a lot. ⑶绦(tāo): a rope made of silk. Silk ribbon: describes a strand of wicker like a ribbon. ⑷Cut: Cut, use a knife or scissors to divide the object into several parts. ⑸February: February of the lunar calendar is the time of early spring. Like: as if, as if, as if.
Translation
The tall willow tree is dressed like jasper, and the thousands of willow branches hang down with green silk strips. I don’t know who cut these thin willow leaves, but the spring breeze in February, which is suddenly warm but still cold, is like scissors.
Appreciation of works:
This is a poem about things, written about willows in early spring in February. The image beauty of willow lies in its long and flowing branches. Once a year, it grows new green leaves, drooping, and has a charming attitude in the spring breeze. This is something everyone can appreciate. In classical poetry, this kind of image beauty is used to describe and compare the slim figure and graceful waist of a beautiful woman, which is what readers often see. This poem has a new idea and is turned upside down. "Jasper makes up a tree as high as a tree". At the beginning, willow appears as a beauty: "Ten thousand green silk ribbons hang down", and these thousands of draping silks also become her skirt. The word "gao" in the upper sentence brings out the graceful grace of the beauty Tingting; the word "hang" in the second sentence implies that the slender waist is flowing in the wind. There are no words "willow" and "waist branch" in the poem, but the weeping willows in early spring and the beauty incarnated by the willow trees come alive. "Southern History" said that Liu Zhizhi, the governor of Yizhou, presented several willow trees, "the branches are very long, like silk threads." Emperor Wu of Qi planted these willows in front of the Yunhe Palace in Taichang, and admired them without caring about them, saying that they were "romantic and cute." ". The wicker is referred to as "green silk ribbon" here, which may be a metaphor for this famous allusion about willow. But this is chemical use, and no trace can be seen. "Jasper made up" leads to "green silk ribbon", "green silk ribbon" leads to "who cuts it out", and finally, the invisible and elusive "spring breeze" is also visualized as "like scissors" Depicted. These "scissors" cut out green and bright red flowers and plants, giving the earth a new look. It is a symbol of natural vitality and a revelation of beauty that spring brings to people. From "jasper makeup" to "scissors", readers can see a series of processes of the poet's artistic conception. The series of images that appear in the poem are closely linked to each other. There were many famous beauties in ancient my country, like Liu, why should they be compared only with jasper? This has two meanings: First, the name Biyu is related to the color of willow. "Bi" and "green" in the following sentence are complementary to each other. Second, Biyu will always leave a youthful impression in people's minds. When people think of jasper, they will think of the widely circulated "Jasper Song", "When Jasper Breaks the Melon", as well as poems such as "The Little House Girl of Biyu" (Xiao Yi's "Lotus Picking Ode"). In ancient literary works, jasper has almost become a general term for young and beautiful women. Comparing willow with jasper, people will imagine that this beauty has not yet reached the age of prosperity; this willow is still a young willow in early spring, and has not yet reached the time of dense leaves hiding crows; and the following "thin leaves" and "February" "Spring Breeze" is related again. "The jasper is as high as a tree, with thousands of green silk ribbons hanging down", which deeply captures the characteristics of the weeping willow. In the poet's eyes, it is like the incarnation of beauty. The tall tree trunks are like her graceful grace, and the drooping wickers are like the ribbons on her skirt. Here, willow is the human, and the human is the willow. There seems to be no clear distinction between the two.
And "jasper" also has a pun meaning. It not only coincides with the green color of the willow tree in the literal sense, but also refers to a young and beautiful girl. It echoes the "February Spring Breeze" below - this is a weeping willow in early spring. It has not yet reached summer and autumn. time. However, the following two sentences are even better: "I don't know who carried the thin leaves. The spring breeze in February is like scissors." Before He Zhizhang, who had ever thought that the spring breeze was like scissors? It turns the spring breeze in February, which is suddenly warm and cold, from invisible to tangible. It shows the magical dexterity of the spring breeze and makes "Ode to the Willows" a model work of poetry about objects. This poem uses the willow tree to sing about the spring breeze, comparing the spring breeze to scissors, saying that she is the creator of beauty, and praising her for cutting out spring. The poem is filled with people's joy at early spring. The novelty and appropriateness of comparisons and metaphors are the success of this poem. Therefore, "Notes on Tang Poems" says: "The objects are wonderfully written, and the language is gentle."
About the author
He Zhizhang (659-744) was a poet of the Tang Dynasty. He was given the nickname Jizhen, also known as Vimalakia, and his nickname was Shichuang. In his later years, he changed his name to Siming Kuangke, also known as Secretary Wai Jian. He ranked eighth and was known as "He Ba". A native of Yongxing, Yuezhou (now Xiaoshan City, Zhejiang Province). Wu Zetian became a Jinshi, and was awarded the doctorate of the Four Gates of Guozi, and moved to the doctorate of Taichang. Later, he served successively as Minister of Rites, Secretary and Supervisor, and Guest of the Crown Prince. He is open-minded and uninhibited, and is known as a "clear talker". He retired and returned to his hometown at the age of eighty-six, and passed away. He was a poet in the early Tang Dynasty and a famous calligrapher. Most of his works have been lost, and only twenty poems remain.