1. Appreciating peonies
Author: Liu Yuxi of the Tang Dynasty
The peony demon in front of the court has no character, and the hibiscus on the pond is pure and less sentimental.
Only peonies are the true national beauty, and they move the capital when they bloom.
Translation:
The peonies in front of the court are enchanting and beautiful but lack structure, and the lotus in the pond is elegant and clean but lacks charm.
Only peony is the real beauty of the sky. When it blooms, it attracts countless people to appreciate it, shocking the entire city of Chang'an.
Appreciation:
This poem is a work that praises peonies. The technique of praising is to suppress the other and exalt the other. The poet did not describe the beauty of the peony from the front, but from the side. The poem begins by commenting on peony and hibiscus. Peonies and hibiscus are originally favorite flowers. However, when praising peonies, poets use the words "peonies are unqualified" and "hibiscus is pure and less sentimental" to set off the peony's high standard and emotional beauty.
"Peony" was originally a flower with ornamental value, but it is said that after Wu Zetian in the Tang Dynasty, "peony began to flourish while peony's beauty declined" (Wang Yufu's "Preface to the Poetry of Peony"). Some people even compare peonies to the "King of Flowers" and peonies to the "King of Flowers". Here, Liu Yuxi also described Peony as enchanting but not high-end with subjective feelings.
"Flower" is a flower that often appears in poetry with a noble and clean appearance. However, Liu Yuxi probably said that because she stood gracefully on the surface of the pool, people could only look at it from a distance but not play with it up close. Said she was pure and unfeeling. This implies that peony has the four qualities of charm, purity, character and emotion, and can be said to be the most beautiful among flowers.
2. Qingping Diao · Clouds think of clothes, flowers think of appearance
Author: Tang Li Bai
Clouds think of clothes, flowers think of appearance, the spring breeze blows the threshold and the dew is rich.
If we hadn’t met at the top of the jade mountain, we would have met under the moonlight at Yaotai.
Translation:
The clouds are her clothes, and the flowers are her face; the spring breeze blows on the railings, and the dewdrops moisten the flowers and make them more colorful. If such beauty of the sky and the country are not seen on the top of the jade mountains, then they can only be seen under the moonlight of Yaotai!
Appreciation:
This poem is cleverly imagined and easy to read without any trace of artificiality. The language in the poem is rich and colorful, and the words are flowing. When reading this poem, one feels like the spring breeze fills the paper, the eyes are full of flowers, and the human face is blurred. There is no need to describe it. Naturally, people feel that this is a peony, a beauty and jade color, and not anything else. . Artistically, this poem mainly uses a variety of rhetorical techniques.
First, use the rhetorical technique of metaphor. For example, the sentence "Clouds think of clothes and flowers think of appearance" uses metaphorical rhetoric to describe the beauty of Concubine Yang's appearance and clothes, and to show Concubine Yang's wealth and dignity.
Secondly, it uses personification and exaggerated rhetorical techniques. For example, the sentence "The spring breeze blows the threshold and reveals Revlon" describes Yang Guifei's beautiful appearance and noble status through personification and exaggerated rhetoric.
3. Buying Flowers and Peonies
Author: Bai Juyi of the Tang Dynasty
Spring is approaching dusk in the imperial city, and there is noisy traffic and horses.
When *** talked about peonies, he went to buy flowers with him.
There is no permanent price for high or low, and the reward depends on the number of flowers.
A hundred red flowers are burning, and there are five bunches of primeval flowers.
There is a curtain on the top for shelter, and a fence on the side for protection.
Sprinkle water and seal it with mud, and the color will remain the same.
Every family has a common practice, and everyone is confused and unaware of it.
There is a farm owner who occasionally comes to buy flowers.
He lowered his head and sighed alone, no one can explain this sigh.
A clump of dark flowers is a gift from ten households.
Translation:
In the late spring of this year, Chang'an City was bustling with traffic and bustle. It turned out that it was the time when peonies were in full bloom, and the famous families in Chang'an City came to buy flowers. The price of peonies varies, depending on the type of flower.
Some of the peonies here are lush and bright red, and a small bunch of flowers costs the price of five bundles of white silk. They were carefully cared for, and the owner put up curtains, built fences, and cultivated the most fertile soil after hard watering, so the colors of the flowers were as bright as before.
Everyone is accustomed to it, and no one thinks it is wrong. An old farmer accidentally came to the place where he was buying flowers. Seeing this scene, I couldn't help but lower my head and sigh, but who cares about this sigh: the price of this dark-colored peony is equivalent to a year's tax for ten medium-sized households.
Appreciation:
Li Zhao, a contemporary of Bai Juyi, said in "Supplement to the History of the Tang Dynasty": "Peony has been popular in Beijing for more than thirty years. Every spring evening, carriages and horses If you are crazy, you will be ashamed of not playing too much. If you plant gold to build palaces and temples, you will be worth tens of thousands."
This poem expresses the meaning of "expensive travel in the capital." "The description of buying peonies reveals some essential aspects of social contradictions and expresses a theme of profound social significance. The poet's brilliance lies in the fact that he discovered a "field man" who was ignored by others from the place where he bought flowers, which triggered his inspiration and completed his original artistic conception.
4. Red Peony
Author: Wang Wei of Tang Dynasty
The green color is leisurely and quiet, while the red color is light and deep.
The heart of a flower is full of sorrow, but the beauty of spring does not know the heart.
Translation:
The green leaves of the red peony are quietly stretching, and the colors of the red peony vary from bright to dark.
Facing withering, the peony is heartbroken. I would like to ask Spring, do you understand what the peony is thinking?
Appreciation:
This poem uses a beautiful woman as a metaphor for a flower, with a beautiful artistic conception and intriguing meaning. Even more painstaking efforts have been made in using words and sentences. The "green" is used to set off the "red", making the peony look charming and charming. The author does not express his worries about the fleeting nature of spring and the fading of beauty, but allows the flowers to grieve, hurt, and sigh.
The whole poem describes the peony flowers with flesh and blood and emotions, achieving the deification and visualization of the artistic conception. It is a better poem about things.
5. Admiring Peonies at Si'an Nanshu
Author: Liu Yuxi of the Tang Dynasty
They met the human world by chance and met at grandma's house in Zengcheng.
With this alluring color, Tianjiao’s late arrival is as good as all flowers.
Translation: How can one encounter such a beautiful flower like peony in the human world? Its double petals are layered like the nine layers of Zengcheng of the Queen Mother of the West. With such a beautiful color that will captivate the whole country, God should allow you to bloom later and compete with other flowers!
Appreciation:
Qi Jue's "Appreciating Peonies in Nanshu, Si'an" uses allusions to describe the beauty of peonies that outshine the others. The poet uses virtual writing to praise the beauty of the whole poem. The first two sentences of this poem describe the poet's joy when he encounters a peony by chance, and the last two sentences of the peony express his admiration for its beautiful color.
"Meeting the human world by chance, we met at Grandma's house in Zengcheng." The first line points out that in Niu Sengru's Nanshu, by chance, seeing peonies for the first time was like meeting " Like a "noble", he unintentionally revealed the lofty realm of peonies in the poet's mind. In the poet's view, peonies are the crystallization of the essence of the sun and the moon and should be planted in the sky. Today's meeting in the world is purely "accidental", so the first sight When you come to the cow house with peony, you will make a startling speech.
The third sentence changes from the admiration when seeing peonies for the first time to the sincere praise of the beauty of flowers. The poet calls the appearance of peonies "Qingcheng". The word "Qingcheng", It's not an exaggeration.
Finally, the poet comments on the character of flowers with the sentence "Heaven's late blooming is like all flowers". The focus is on the two words "late" and "race". Peonies bloom late and bloom in late spring. The heroine Du Liniang in Tang Xianzu's "The Peony Pavilion" sang in the song "A Dream in the Garden": "Although peonies are good, she How can spring return first!" It is both a sigh and a praise. The beauty of peonies does not compete with spring, and Tianjiao blooms late and gathers the advantages of all the flowers.