1. Writing background
"Wandering Zi Yin" was written in Liyang (now Jiangsu). Meng Jiao's own annotation under the title of this poem: "Composed to welcome his mother in Li." Meng Jiao was homeless in his early years and lived in poverty all his life. It was not until the age of fifty that he got the humble position of a Liyang County captain, ending his long-term career. Living a wandering life, he took his mother to live with him.
The poet was frustrated in his official career and experienced the harshness of the world. At this time, he became more and more aware of the value of family love, so he wrote this heartfelt and deeply touching poem in praise of his mother.
2. Poetry
The loving mother uses the needle and thread in her hand to make clothes for her son who is traveling far away.
Before leaving, I sewed stitch by stitch, fearing that my son’s clothes would be damaged if he came back late.
Who dares to say that children with filial piety as weak as Xiaocao can repay the kindness of Chunhui Puze?
3. Original text
The thread in the hands of a loving mother, the clothes on the body of a wanderer.
Before leaving, I am worried that I will return later.
Whoever speaks an inch of grass will be rewarded with three rays of spring.
4. Source
Extended information on "The Wandering Son" written by Meng Jiao in the Tang Dynasty
1. Appreciation
The first two sentences are "Thread in the hands of a loving mother" ", the clothes on the wanderer's body" are actually two phrases, not two sentences. When written in this way, it goes from people to things, using "thread" and "clothing", two very common and common things, to combine "loving mother" and "loving mother". "Youzi" are closely linked together, writing about the flesh-and-blood love of mother and son depending on each other.
The following two sentences, "There is a tight gap before departure, and I am afraid that I will return later." They describe the movements and mood of the person, focusing the pen and ink on the loving mother. Here, through the action and psychological portrayal of the loving mother rushing to make clothes for the wanderer to go out, the flesh-and-blood relationship between mother and child is deepened. At this moment before departure, the mother was sewing thousands of needles and threads "densely" because she was afraid that her son would not return home "late".
The deep affection of a loving mother is naturally revealed through the details in daily life. Simple, natural, friendly and touching. There are neither words nor tears here, but pure love overflows from this ordinary scene.
The first four sentences are drawn in line without any modification, but the image of the loving mother is truly touching. The last two sentences are the sublimation of the first four sentences, using the intuition of the person involved to reveal a deeper meaning: "Whoever speaks from the heart of an inch of grass will be rewarded with three rays of spring light." The author expresses his heart directly and sings heartily about maternal love.
These two sentences use traditional metaphors: children are like mere grass, and maternal love is like spring sunshine. Children cannot repay their mother's love. The suspenseful contrasts and vivid metaphors express the child's heartfelt passionate feelings for his loving mother.
2. Introduction to the author
Meng Jiao (751-814), courtesy name Dongye, was a famous poet in the Tang Dynasty. A native of Wukang, Huzhou (now Deqing County, Zhejiang Province), his ancestral home is Pingchang (now Linyi County, Dezhou, Shandong). He lived in Luoyang (now Luoyang, Henan Province) for his first generation, and later lived in seclusion in Songshan Mountain.
Meng Jiao's poetry. Because most of his poems wrote about the harsh conditions of the world and the suffering of the people, he was known as the "poem prisoner". Together with Jia Dao, he was also called "the cold island in the suburbs". There are more than 500 Meng poems in existence, among which the five ancient short stories are the most numerous. The current version of "Collected Poems of Meng Dongye" is in 10 volumes.
Meng Jiao took over the retro banner from the Yuanjie faction and continued to promote his retro ideas in social and political thought. He promoted benevolence and morality, praised the ancient customs of Yao and Shun, and criticized the current trends and rebels. He always showed the posture of a stalwart gentleman and adopted an uncooperative attitude towards the current customs: "Shame and new learning travel, and I am willing to bring ancient farmers together." ”
Most of the bureaucrats and friends he made, such as Zheng Yuqing, were people who valued morality and adhered to ancient times. The main connotation of his slogan "A gentleman is a gentleman with talent, and he is a gentleman with knowledge" mainly lies in his willingness to not go with the current customs and only seek to restore the old ways and abide by the truth.
His thoughts and actions of defending and practicing Tao are similar to the "Tao" advocated by Han Yu, and his living standards are exactly the practice of Han Yu's "Tao" in social life. Meng Jiao not only cherishes the ancient Tao in his life, but also aims to promote this "Tao" in his creations.
In terms of poetry content, Meng Jiao's poems go beyond the narrow subject matter scope of the Dali and Zhenyuan eras. Of course, the main theme of his poems is the resentment of middle- and lower-class scribes against poverty and hardship, which was determined by his life experiences such as repeated failures in trials, hardships in his official career, and the loss of his son in middle age.
But he can still see some broader social life through his personal destiny, and reflects these lives in poetry. Some of them expose and criticize the ugly phenomena in interpersonal relationships in society, while others sharply reveal the inequality between the rich and the poor.
Baidu Encyclopedia—Mengjiao
Baidu Encyclopedia—Wandering Ziyin