Meng Haoran
The mountain light suddenly sets in the west, and the moon in the pond gradually rises in the east.
Enjoy the cool evening breeze, open the pavilion and lie down in an open space.
The lotus breeze brings fragrance, and the bamboo dew drops make a clear sound.
I want to play the piano, but I hate the ignorance of the music.
Feeling nostalgic for my old friend, I am tired of my dreams.
This five-character ancient poem is believed to be at the Lumen Hermitage. The "Xin Da" in the title refers to Xin E, Xing Da, a friend of the poet's hometown, who was living in seclusion in Xishan at that time. According to "Zhang Qi and Xin Da Jian Xun Nan Pavilion Drunk Works", it is known that Xin Da and others often come to Nan Pavilion to enjoy the cool and drink in summer. This poem is about enjoying the cool air in the water pavilion on a summer night and missing friends. It is a famous poem that is light, elegant and natural.
The first six lines of the poem describe the beautiful and quiet scenery of the South Pavilion in late summer and the leisurely contentment of enjoying the cool air. "The mountain light suddenly sets in the west, and the moon in the pond gradually rises in the east." The opening chapter uses calm and fresh brushwork to describe the beautiful and quiet mountain and forest scenery on a summer moonlit night, exaggerating the natural and tranquil environmental atmosphere. The wording in these two sentences requires great care. The words "suddenly" and "gradually" are very touching. They not only describe the poet's actual feelings about the setting of the mountains in the west and the rising of the pond in the east, but also the poet's psychological feelings about the retreat of summer and the coldness of life. *. The two sentences "distribute" describe one's own leisure and contentment. Distribution is not only for enjoying the coolness, but also expresses the pursuit and yearning for an uninhibited and free life. After bathing, the poet opened the window and lay down by the window to enjoy the coolness. It is quite similar to Tao Qian's "lying under the north window in May and June, when the cool breeze came for a while, he said he was Emperor Xi". The two sentences "Lotus Wind" describe the joy of contentment in a quiet night from both the sense of smell and hearing. The previous sentence is slightly modified to use the meaning of the sentence "The fragrance of lotus is sent far away by the wind" by Xiao Yi, Emperor Yuan of Liang Dynasty, to show the infinite tranquility. The next sentence writes about bamboo leaves dripping dew, and its sound can be heard. This is a method of using movement to contrast the stillness, reflecting the quiet beauty of late night in summer. The poet also has other sentences such as "Bamboo dew dripping on a leisurely night" and "Sparse raindrops on the phoenix tree", etc., all of which use the word "drip" to create a pure and profound realm. These two sentences show the sultry images of the wind in the moonlight night and the dew bamboos, vividly creating the unique beautiful and charming realm of the summer moonlight night. Shen Deqian said that "a good scene also has a good sentence".
On this beautiful occasion, the poet has entered a leisurely and contented state of mind, expressing his feelings, and naturally thought of playing the piano. The ancients believed that "among all instruments, the qin has the best virtues", and the elegant and peaceful sound of the qin "can stir up the mind and vent the deep emotions" (Ji Kang said). But unexpectedly, from "wanting to play", I thought of "a close friend". So the last four sentences naturally turned into the memory of my friend Xin Da. Playing the piano requires a close friend, but when the close friend is not there, the poet feels that his good night has been eclipsed. The two concluding sentences highlight the title, condensing the feeling of loneliness on a moonlit night into the memory of friends, and expressing the sincere feelings for friends. "Dream" is an allusion to Sima Xiangru's allusion of "Suddenly falling asleep and dreaming, as if the king is beside you" ("Ode to Nagato"). This means that when you fall asleep with the melancholy of your friend Xin Da, in your sleep, it seems that your friend Xin Da is beside you. The word "lao" shows how deeply he misses him. The poem ends with a dream, which is meaningful and thought-provoking.
This article uses the moonlit night as the material, and through artistic summary, skillfully creates a clear scene, true feelings, elegant and tranquil artistic conception, as well as the lyrical protagonist image of "Wind God and Sanlang" integrated into it. This forms the unique style of this poem that is light and quiet.
The most exquisite poem by Xie Zao is "The dew wets the cold pond grass, and the eyes reflect the clear Huaihe River." (Note: This poem by He Xun has been identified in "Tiaoxi Yuyincongyu·houji") The teacher said, "The lotus breeze brings fragrance, and the bamboo dew drops make a clear sound." This is more than a hair's breadth better than the ancients. ([Tang Dynasty] Pi Rixiu's "Pizi Wensou" Volume 7 "Yingzhou Mengting Ji")
"Lotus wind" and "bamboo dew" are both beautiful scenery and beautiful sentences.
(Shen Deqian's "Tang Poems")