Meng Jiao
In the past, it is not enough to boast about being sordid, but now there is no limit to the dissolute thoughts.
The spring breeze makes horses hoofy, and I can see all the flowers in Chang'an in one day.
Meng Jiao's "After Enrollment" is widely recited because he left two idioms to future generations: "be proud of the spring breeze" and "walking around looking at flowers".
Meng Jiaokan? Lifelong. His poems are "bitter and astringent" (biography No. 110 of "New Book of Tang"), but "After Enrollment" is an obvious exception. The fact that he was a Jinshi scholar at the age of forty-six gave him the illusion that he would be able to have a new life from now on, and that he would be able to make great strides in the world. I was so full of joy that I couldn't hold it back, and my outpouring of emotion turned into this unique little poem.
One or two sentences are straightforward, the pen and ink are vivid, and the joyful and colorful emotions are ready to be expressed. "Dirty" refers to the unsatisfactory situation and the rigid and cramped thinking. It has a similar meaning to the word "coward" in modern northern dialect. "Liberty" is the opposite of "dirty", which means freedom and unrestraint. It is synonymous with "broadness" (the book "Liberty" is called "broadness") and "liberalness". These two sentences mean that the difficulties in life and the embarrassment in thinking in the past are no longer worth mentioning. Now that I have been named on the gold list, the depression has been blown away like the wind and clouds, and I feel indescribable happiness in my heart. The poet was quite carried away. Of course there is a reason for this. The Sui and Tang Dynasties changed the clan system since the Wei and Jin Dynasties. The imperial examination became the main method for the ruling class to recruit talents, and it was also the first step for scholars to advance. Judging from Meng Jiao's own experience, he passed the Jinshi examination in the twelfth year of Zhenyuan (796). Before that, he had the painful experience of failing twice. The first time was in the eighth year of Zhenyuan (792). He said in the poem "Sitting on the Night of Lost Ambition and Thinking of Returning to the Chu River": "The humiliation of death hurts for a moment, but the humiliation of birth and humiliation lasts for a long time." The pain was abnormal due to the failure. He also said in the poem "Night Worry": "I have failed to set my ambitions, but my thoughts are whirling in the waves. Why should there be another rain to wash away the fresh flowers?" In the midst of frustration, he tried to rise again. Unexpectedly, Sun Shan would lose his name again next year. "Two times on the road to Chang'an, I will burst into tears" ("Again"), "Abandoned again, love is like a knife-edge wound" ("Lost"). This time the blow was even heavier, and my confidence in taking the exam was greatly shaken. In order to relieve his depressed feelings, he started a long trip to Chu Xiang in the spring of that year. If it were not for Han Yu's persuasion ("Mencius": "Bian He tried three times, and the future is in Qiu Zhan."), maybe he would never have the courage to take the exam for the third time. Unexpectedly, he passed the exam. He seemed to be saved from the sea of ??suffering and climbed to the peak of joy. In front of him, the sky was high and the road was wide, as if it was just waiting for him to get wind. In another poem he wrote at the same time, he said: "The depression is suddenly over" and "We will always be apart from each other in the sand and mud, and everyone will adjust their clouds and Han rituals" ("Spring Banquet of the Same Year"), which is a portrayal of the same mood.
The above two sentences adopt a dual sentence pattern, using "past" to set off "present". The contrast is sharp and the atmosphere is rich. According to the Tang system, the Jinshi examination was held in the autumn, and the results were released in the spring of the following year. At this time in Chang'an, the spring breeze was blowing gently and spring flowers were in full bloom. The spring atmosphere is stronger in Qujiang and Xingyuan areas in the southeast of the city. Every year, new scholars gather here to celebrate the same year. "(Volume 3 of "Tang Zhayan"). The new Jinshi "are full of spring beauty and move towards people, covering the road with flowers to welcome the red horses" (Zhao Gu's "This year's new ancestors must write a book to express their congratulations when there is a banquet to contain the secrets"). It can be seen that this poem says that when the spring breeze is full of joy and you immediately see the flowers, it is the actual situation. In terms of situational relationships, the poet does not linger on the objective description of the scenery, but highlights the "debauchery" of his self-feeling: on the one hand, he cannot help but utter the word "satisfied", and on the other hand, he starts from his feelings and does not hesitate to exaggerate to the best of his ability. Things - How can he be allowed to gallop on the Chang'an Road where cars and horses are crowded and tourists are vying to see it? Chang'an is so big and there are countless spring flowers. How can he "see them all in one day"? However, the poet can think of himself The horse's hooves are particularly light today. It can be said that I have seen all the Chang'an flowers in one day. The readers do not find it absurd, but feel that although it is unreasonable, it is sentimental, so they believe it without any doubt.
The popularity of the poetic image of three or four lines is not only a positive and hearty expression of a moment of joy, but also inseparable from its symbolic meaning. The so-called "spring breeze" is not only the spring breeze in nature, but also a symbol of the suitable political climate that the poet feels can make a lot of difference. The so-called "satisfaction" includes both the self-satisfaction after passing the Jinshi examination, and the complacency of achieving one's life aspirations and looking forward to the future. Therefore, the artistic image displayed in the poem is not limited to Meng Jiao himself, who galloped on the Chang'an Road in the spring breeze after passing the Jinshi examination, but also an artistic image of universal significance as time passes and he drives on the ideal road. In this way, the individual and the general, the bright and the implicit, are unified in this poem, giving the poem a greater ideological and artistic capacity, which is both concrete and vivid, yet general, clear and smooth, yet uniquely emotional.
There has been a lot of discussion about this poem by Meng Jiao. For example, "Qingxiang Miscellaneous Notes" believes that from the sadness and joy in the two poems "Zai Xia Di" and "After Enrollment", It can be seen that Meng Jiao had a narrow mind, so he could only be a minor official throughout his life. Meng Jiao's worry about gains and losses revealed in his poems is certainly related to his personal talent, but in the final analysis, it is still a product of the specific era in which he lived.
Regardless of whether it was for merit or fame, he could not leave the imperial examination and escape this historical fate. Therefore, his feelings of sadness or joy had to be linked to the success or failure of the imperial examination.
Finally, it needs to be added that the idiom "walking around and seeing flowers" cast from this poem was originally used to describe a proud and happy mood. For example, Yu Qian's poem in the Ming Dynasty: "I hope the weather will be good and the people will be safe, and I will also go back to the imperial capital to see the flowers." ("Happy Rain Journey") But in modern times, the semantics have evolved, and it is used as a metaphor. A rough observation is consistent with the original meaning of the poem "After Admission" It's a far cry from that.
I read Meng Dongye's poem "Lost": "Abandoned again, love is like a knife blade." When he ascended to the first place, he said that "the spring breeze is so proud that the horse's hoof is sick, and I can see all the flowers in Chang'an in one day." The gains and losses, joys and sorrows are like this, so it is appropriate that even though they have gained them, they cannot enjoy them. ([Song Dynasty] Zhou Zizhi's "Zhupo Poetry Talk")
Meng Jiao's poem "Lost"... There is more than enough sorrow... There is more than enough resentment. When it comes to the poems written after passing the imperial examination, it goes like this: The commentator uses this poem to test whether the suburbs are far away. I said that those who live in the suburbs fail to achieve their ambitions. As for those who cry repeatedly and cannot be submissive, they will only get the first place at the age of fifty. However, if they are dissolute and endless, singing and praising, but cannot control themselves, they cannot be lofty and lofty. It is appropriate.
(Volume 18 of "Yun Yu Yang Qiu" by Ge Lifang)