Jiangnan, the sound of green and red flowers, the waterside village in the foothills.
More than 480 ancient temples were left in the Southern Dynasties, and countless pagodas were shrouded in wind and rain.
Literally speaking, the first two sentences are simply about the scenery in the south of the Yangtze River, and the understanding of the last two sentences is a little more complicated. "Four hundred and eighty temples in the Southern Dynasties,
How many terraces are misty and rainy? First of all, it can be thought of as describing the temple terraces hidden in the misty rain south of the Yangtze River. The levels are strewn at random, and the word "misty rain" unfolds a vast picture, echoing the "thousands of miles" in the first sentence. Secondly, the "480 Temple in the Southern Dynasties" obviously refers to the temple built in the Southern and Northern Dynasties when Buddhism flourished. It is two or three hundred years apart from the late Tang Dynasty where Du Mu lived, with historical vicissitudes in its tone. Du Mu is against building temples to worship Buddha, which is clearly stated in his article "Newly Built South Pavilion in Hangzhou". From this point of view, the last two sentences do have the meaning of mocking the prosperity of Buddhism in the Southern Dynasties. If the ending period is broken into a question mark, this ridicule is obvious: how many towers are still standing in the misty rain of the 480 Temple in the Southern Dynasties?
As to whether we are satirizing the present through the ancient times, it depends on the specific writing time of this poem, because the last twelve years of Du Mu happened to experience two emperors, Tang Wuzong and Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty. Tang Wuzong was famous for worshipping Taoism and destroying Buddhism, and then Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty vigorously restored Buddhist temples.
It is common in ancient poetry to express emotion by borrowing scenery and chanting ambition by supporting objects, but it is not obvious in Du Mu's poems. If you don't understand Du Mu's attitude towards Buddhism and his writing background, it is difficult to make an accurate judgment.