The whole poem is
Gold Threaded Clothes
Du Qiuniang? [Tang Dynasty]
I advise you not to cherish your golden threaded clothes; You cherish your youth. (Take it with care, one work: you must take it)
Flowers can be broken when they are in bloom, but branches must be broken when there are no flowers left. (花开一作：有花)
Translation and annotations
Translation
I advise you not to pay too much attention to the pursuit of fame and wealth, but to cherish the best of your youth in studying. period.
Put off the flowers when they are ready to be harvested. Don’t wait until the flowers fade and only end up with an empty branch.
Notes
Gold threaded clothing: Clothing decorated with gold threads is a metaphor for glory and wealth.
Xu Xi: Cherish.
Kan: Yes, I can.
Naosu: Although. Straight: direct and straightforward.
Don’t wait: Don’t wait.
Appreciation
The meaning of this poem is very easy to understand and can be summarized by the word "cherish time". This is a truth that everyone understands. However, it makes readers feel the simple and strong desire, makes people feel extremely shocked, and has an irresistible charm. Every sentence in the whole poem seems to repeatedly emphasize "Don't let the good times pass by", and each sentence has some subtle changes. It is repeated without being verbose, and the loop is neither fast nor slow, forming a beautiful and light melody.
"I advise you not to cherish your gold-threaded clothes, and I advise you to cherish your youth." The sentence structure is the same, starting with "to advise you", and the word "cherish" also appears twice. This is the second sentence Repeated factors. But the first sentence says "to advise you not to cherish", and the second sentence says "to advise you to cherish". The meanings of "mo" and "be" are opposite. These are some changes in the repetition, but the main thing is The meaning remains unchanged. The "gold-threaded garment" is a very expensive piece of clothing, but "I advise you not to cherish it", which shows that there are things in the world that are more precious than it. This is the "youth" that "advises you not to cherish it". Why do you say that? The poem does not say it directly, but it is self-evident: "An inch of time is worth an inch of gold, and an inch of gold cannot buy an inch of time." However, youth is very precious, and once it is gone, it can never be returned. He repeatedly "persuaded you" in a persuasive tone, sincere and sincere, with a strong sense of song and eloquent charm. One of the two sentences is negative and the other is affirmative. Negating the former is to affirm the latter. It seems that the real and the real are combined, and the virtual and the real are intertwined, forming the first repetition and chant in the poem. The melody and rhythm are light and soothing.
"Flowers are ready to be broken when they are in bloom. Don't wait until there are no flowers to break the branches." This constitutes the second repetition and chant. In terms of poetic meaning, it is similar to the first and second sentences. It is still "Don't bear the burden of good things." Time" means. In this way, in addition to the repetition between sentences, there is also a larger roundabout repetition between the first couplet and the second couplet. However, the expression techniques of the two couplets are different. The first couplet directly expresses the feelings, which is a metaphor; the second couplet uses a metaphor, which is a metaphor. So there is still variation in the repetition. Three and four do not have the neat sentence structure of one and two, but they are symmetrical to each other in meaning. The upper sentence says what it should be like if there are flowers, and the next sentence says what it will be like if there are no flowers; the upper sentence says what it should be like if it is "must", and the next sentence says what it should be like if it is "mo". There are also positive and negative oppositions. The meanings of the two sentences are closely related: "If there are flowers, you must break them straight away" means "please wait until spring" from the positive side, "Don't wait until there are no flowers to break branches" means "please wait until spring" from the negative side, which is like It is a continuation of "persuading you" to express the same feelings repeatedly, but the tone and rhythm change from slow and slow to urgent and passionate. The phrase "Ken Zhe - Zhi Xu Zhe" has a short rhythm and extremely strong intensity. The "Zhi Xu" is more emphasized than the previous "Xu". This is a bold song of youth and love. The enthusiasm and unrestrainedness here are not only straightforward and bold, but also vivid and beautiful. The word "花" appears twice, and the word "Zhe" appears three times; "Xu——Mo" and so on, and "Mo——Xu" in the first couplet, naturally form a palindromic overlapping beauty. This series of natural and wonderful repetitions of words, sentences, and couplets make the poems catchy and the language sung. In addition to the beauty of the form, its emotions change from a slow loop to a passionate turbulence, which also constitutes the internal rhythm of the poem, making people feel even more soul-stirring when read.
Another notable feature of this poem is its unique and novel rhetoric. Generally speaking, the metaphorical techniques in old poems are often combined and used at the beginning of the poem; while the quatrains often start with scene language and then love language. This poem goes against the usual conventions. It is full of interest in its poems. It puts poems first and then compares them, and expresses emotions first and then the scenery. It is unique. The sentence "I advise you not to cherish your gold-threaded clothes" is a poem, and using things to arouse feelings also has the effect of excitement. The second couplet of the poem is a metaphor, and it is also a continuation of the poetic meaning of the previous sentence "I must cherish my youth". Instead of using the "Geometry of Life" style of direct emotion, flowers are used to represent the good times of youth, and folded flowers are used to represent the youth of great youth. It is both vivid and beautiful, creating a world of imagery.
This is the expression of art, image thinking. Missing youth will lead to endless regret. This poem could have used idioms such as "the boss is sad" but did not use it to express this meaning. Instead, it moved closely towards the metaphor of folding flowers, and then created " There is such an unheard-of strange saying. There is no word of regret, but the three words "empty broken branches" are thought-provoking and full of artistic appeal.
Creative background
The author of the lyrics is no longer known, and the specific creation time is unknown. This is a popular lyric from the mid-Tang Dynasty. It is said that Li Qi, the governor of Zhenhai during the Yuan Dynasty, loved this word so much that he often ordered his concubine Du Qiuniang to sing it at banquets (see Du Mu's "Poems of Du Qiuniang" and his own notes).
Some anthologies of Tang poetry are titled Du Qiuniang's work or Li Qi's work, which is inaccurate.
Author
Du Qiuniang (about 791-?), known as Du Zhongyang in Zizhi Tongjian, and often called "Du Qiuniang" in later generations, was a native of Jinling in the Tang Dynasty. At the age of 15, she became Li Qi's concubine. In the second year of Yuanhe (807), Li Qi officially launched an army to rebel. Later, Li Qi's rebellion failed and Du Qiu was included in the palace. Later, he was favored by Emperor Xianzong of Tang Dynasty. In the fifteenth year of Yuanhe (820), Tang Muzong ascended the throne and appointed her as the wife of his son Li Chou. Later, Li Min was deposed as King of Zhang, and Du Qiuci returned to his hometown. When Du Mu passed by Jinling, he saw her poor and old condition, so he wrote "Poems of Du Qiuniang", the preface of which briefly describes Du Qiuniang's life experience.