Questions and Answers in the Mountains (Li Bai)
Ask me why I want to live in the green mountains,
I feel at ease when I smile without answering.
The peach blossoms and flowing water disappear,
There is no other world than this world.
This is a seven-character quatrain with a faint poetic meaning.
In the first couplet of the poem, "Ask me why I live in the green mountains, I laugh without answering and my heart feels free." The first sentence is abrupt, and the second sentence is confusing. The title of this poem is "Answering the Common People in the Mountains", so the subject of the "question" is the so-called "common people"; "Yu" refers to the poet himself; "What does it mean" means "What is it". "Bishan" refers to the green color of the mountain. The poem begins in the form of a question, highlighting the topic and arousing the reader's attention. When people are about to listen to the answer, the poet's pen deliberately flickers, "laughing but not answering." The word "laughing" is worth pondering. It not only shows the poet's joyful and reserved demeanor, creating a relaxed and happy atmosphere; but also "laughing without answering" has a somewhat mysterious color, creating suspense and inducing people to think. interest. The three words "the heart is at ease" are not only a portrayal of the state of mind of living in the mountains, but also show that the question of "why to live in the green mountains" is neither new nor confusing to the poet. It is just a "leisurely understanding" "It's hard to tell you the beauty of it." The second sentence is confusing and wonderful in not answering, which adds twists and turns to the poem and has its own swaying and fascinating charm.
The second couplet "The peach blossoms and flowing water have gone away, and there is no other world than this world." This is the scene of "Bishan", which is actually the answer to "Why do you want to live in Bishan?" This structure of "answering without answering", which seems to be a broken connection, deepens the charm of the poem. Although the poem describes the scenery of flowers drifting along the stream and disappearing into the distance, it does not have the rustic mood of "the flowers fall on the flowing water and the spring is gone". Instead, it is used to exaggerate and admire it as a fascinating beauty. How can you see it? Because the "laughing but not answering" demeanor written above and the discussion in the last sentence all reveal this feeling. "Mountain flowers are like embroidered cheeks" is certainly beautiful, and peach blossoms flowing with flowing water are also beautiful. They all show different beauties in their prosperity and disappearance according to the laws of nature, but these different beauties have the same thing - That is the word "natural". This aesthetic view reflects the poet's free, innocent and cheerful character. This kind of "heaven and earth" in the "Bishan Mountain" that is not obsessed with glory, does not live in silence, and is full of natural and peaceful beauty is truly beyond the comparison of the "human world"! So what is the "human world" like? This time the poet really stopped talking. However, as long as we have a little understanding of the dark reality at that time and Li Bai's unfortunate experience, it is not difficult to understand that the poet "lived in Bishan" and loved "Bishan". It can be seen that this "there is no other world than this world" contains much hurt and hatred in the poet's heart! Therefore, it may not be appropriate to say that this poem expresses Li Bai's leisurely mood that transcends reality. The word "Xian" is used in the poem to imply the "beauty" of "Bishan" and to form a sharp contrast with the "human world". Therefore, the poem does have a flavor of "combining solemnity with harmony" in style, but this is not "detached". Cynicism and optimism and romance are often so wonderfully unified in his works.
Although the whole poem only has four sentences, it contains questions, answers, narratives, descriptions, and discussions, and the transitions are light and lively and fluent. There is both virtuality and reality in the use of the pen, the real part can be felt, and the virtual part can be touched at the touch. The contrast between the virtual and the real creates a profound meaning. Li Dongyang of the Ming Dynasty once said: "Poems value meaning. The meaning is far rather than near, and light rather than dense. Those that are thick and close are easy to recognize, while those that are light and far are difficult to know. Such as... Li Taibai's "The peach blossoms are flowing away, and there is a different world." "Not in this world,"...are all lighter and thicker, closer and farther. It can be explained to those who know it, but it is difficult to explain it to ordinary people." This passage is quite inspiring for us to read this poem. The poem rhymes with flat tones and adopts an ancient form that does not adhere to rhythm. It looks simple, natural, leisurely and soothing, and is more conducive to conveying the emotional charm of the poem.
Li Bai has a poem that goes: "Ask me what's going on in the green mountains, smile without answering and feel at ease. The peach blossoms and flowing water will disappear, and there is no other world than this world." Laughing without answering is an attitude towards life, and it is also a mysterious thing. A state of thinking. This includes freedom, open-mindedness, enlightenment and touching; it also implies helplessness, irony, bitterness and inexplicability.
“If you laugh without answering, your heart will be at ease”, excerpted from Li Bai’s poem “Questions and Answers in the Mountains”. The original sentence "Ask me why I want to live in Bishan", when combined, means "Someone asked me why I want to live in Bishan? I laughed and didn't answer. In fact, I knew it in my heart, and I was leisurely and contented.
”