"Ode to Willows" written by He Zhizhang, a poet in the prosperous Tang Dynasty, describes the spring willows and praises the spring breeze.
This poem uses willow trees to sing about the spring breeze, comparing the spring breeze to scissors, saying that she is the creator of beauty, and praising her for cutting out spring. The poem is filled with people's joy at early spring.
Original poem:
"Ode to Willows/Willow Branches" Tang Dynasty: He Zhizhang
The jasper is made up to the height of a tree, and thousands of green silk ribbons hang down.
I don’t know who cut out the thin leaves. The spring breeze in February is like scissors.
Interpretation:
The tall willow trees are covered with new green leaves, and the light hanging wickers are like thousands of gently fluttering green ribbons. I don’t know who cut these thin willow leaves, but the spring breeze in February is like magic scissors.
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Extended information:
Appreciation:
The beauty of the willow lies in its long and flowing branches. In classical poetry, this kind of image beauty is used to describe and compare the slender figure of a beautiful woman. Ana's waist is also often seen.
This poem has a new idea and is turned upside down. "Jasper makes up a tree as high as a tree" (interpretation: the tall willow tree is covered with emerald new leaves). From the beginning, the willow appears as a beauty: "ten thousand green silk ribbons hanging down" (interpretation: the image of a light hanging wicker tree) Thousands of green ribbons fluttering gently), these thousands of draping silks also became her skirt.
The word "high" in the previous sentence brings out the beauty Tingting's curling grace; the word "hang" in the second sentence implies that the slender waist is flowing in the wind. There are no words "willow" and "waist branch" in the poem, but the weeping willows in early spring and the beauty incarnated by the willow trees come alive.
"Southern History" said that Liu Qianzhi, the governor of Yizhou, presented several willow trees, "the branches are very long, like silk threads (interpretation: the branches are very long, like ribbons)". Planted in front of Yunhe Hall in Taichang, people admired it and said it was "romantic and cute". The wicker is referred to as "green silk ribbon" here, which may be a metaphor for this famous allusion about willow. But this is chemical use, and no trace can be seen.
"Jasper makeup" leads to "green silk ribbon", "green silk ribbon" leads to "who cuts it", and finally, the invisible and elusive "spring breeze" is also used. "Like scissors" is vividly depicted.
This "scissors" cuts out green and bright red flowers and plants, giving the earth a new look. It is a symbol of natural vitality and a revelation of beauty that spring brings to people. From "jasper makeup" to "scissors", readers can see a series of processes of the poet's artistic conception. The series of images that appear in the poem are closely linked to each other.
There were many famous beauties in ancient my country, Liu, why are they only compared with jasper? This has two meanings: First, the name Biyu is related to the color of willow. "Bi" and "green" in the next sentence are mutually reinforcing and complementing each other. Second, Biyu will always leave a youthful impression in people's minds.
When mentioning Biyu, people will think of the widely circulated "Jasper Song" "When Biyu breaks the melon (interpretation: Biyu is sixteen years old)", and "Biyu Xiaojianu" (interpretation: Biyu girl) Poems such as "I am the daughter of a small family)" (Xiao Yi's "Poem on Plucking Lotus").
Jasper has almost become a general term for young and beautiful women in ancient literary works. Comparing willow with jasper, people will imagine that this beauty has not yet reached the age of abundance and prosperity; this willow is still a young willow in early spring, and has not yet reached the time of dense leaves hiding crows; and the following "thin leaves" and "February" "Spring breeze" is also related.
The characteristics of the weeping willow are deeply grasped. In the eyes of the poet, it is like the incarnation of beauty. The tall tree trunk is like her graceful grace, and the drooping wicker is like the ribbon on her skirt. Here, willow is human, and human is willow. There seems to be no clear distinction between the two.
And "jasper" also has a pun meaning. It not only coincides with the green color of the willow tree literally, but also refers to a young and beautiful girl. It echoes the "February Spring Breeze" below - this is a weeping willow in early spring. Before summer and autumn, its pavilions are like canopies and the shade of the trees is clear. Round time.
However, the following two sentences are even more wonderful: "I don’t know who cut out the thin willow leaves. The spring breeze in February is like scissors." "The spring breeze is like a magical scissors." Before He Zhizhang, who had thought that the spring breeze in February was like a pair of scissors, turning the spring breeze from warm to cold into something tangible? It has become a model work of poetry chanting things.
Baidu Encyclopedia - Yong Liu (He Zhizhang's seven-character quatrains)