Miscellaneous Poems of Ji Hai
Gong Zizhen
The vitality of Kyushu relies on wind and thunder,
It is sad that thousands of horses are silent.
I urge God to cheer up and send talents of any kind.
Notes
1. This is the 220th poem in "Jihai Miscellaneous Poems". Kyushu: China.
2. Angry: A lively situation.
3． rely on (shì): rely on.
4. 忑(yīn): dumb. Thousands of horses are in silence: a metaphor for the lifeless social and political situation. After all: after all, after all.
5. God: Creator. Heavy: Renew. Cheer up: cheer up.
6. Descend: to be born.
Translation
Only the huge force like the agitation of wind and snow can make the land of China full of vitality.
However, the silence of the subjects of the government and the public is ultimately a kind of sadness. .
I advise the Emperor of Heaven to regain his spirit,
Don’t stick to certain standards and reduce more talents.
Writing background
In the 19th year of Daoguang's reign (1831), Gong Zizhen resigned and returned to his hometown, and then went north to meet his wife and children. On the way between the north and the south, he was impressed by the Qing Dynasty The court suppressed and restricted talents, so he wrote 315 poems to express his strong desire to change society.
Appreciation
This is an excellent political poem. The whole poem has clear levels, divided into three levels: the first level describes the lifeless real society where thousands of horses and horses are silent, and the government and the public are silent. On the second level, the author points out that in order to change this dull and decadent outlook, we must rely on the huge power of wind and thunder. It is a metaphor that China must undergo tremendous social changes before it can become vibrant. On the third level, the author believes that such power comes from talents, and what the court should do is to recommend talents out of the norm. Only in this way can China have hope. The poem uses subjective images with majestic characteristics such as "Kyuzhou", "Wind and Thunder", "Ten Thousand Horses" and "Tiangong", which are profound in meaning and majestic.