Wuyi Alley
Liu Yuxi of the Tang Dynasty
Wild grass and flowers beside Zhuque Bridge,
The setting sun sets at the entrance of Wuyi Alley.
In the old days, the king Xietang Qianyan flew into the homes of ordinary people.
Genre
Seven-Character Quatrains
Annotations
1. Wuyi Lane: in the southeast of today's Nanjing City, on the south bank of Wende Bridge , was the place where the Forbidden Army was stationed during the Soochow Period of the Three Kingdoms. Because the imperial guards wore black military uniforms at that time, the place was commonly known as Wuyi Lane. During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, two major families, Wang Dao and Xie An, both lived in Wuyi Lane, and people called their children "Wuyi Lang". After entering the Tang Dynasty, Wuyi Lane fell into ruins. It is now a gathering place for folk handicrafts.
2. Zhuque Bridge: Today's Jiangning District, Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province, crosses the Qinhuai River.
3. Ordinary: ordinary.
4. Old times: Jin Dynasty.
Rhyme Translation
Some wild grasses are blooming beside the Zhuque Bridge, and only the setting sun hangs slantingly at the entrance of Wuyi Alley. The swallows that were once under the eaves of wealthy families have now flown into the homes of ordinary people.
Appreciation
This is a nostalgic poem. Paying tribute to the prosperity of the Zhuque Bridge on the Qinhuai River in Nanjing during the Eastern Jin Dynasty and the Wuyi Alley on the south bank, they are now overgrown with weeds and desolate. Feeling the vicissitudes of life and the changeable life. The old nest of swallows is used to arouse people's imagination, but it is not exposed; the background is painted with "weeds, flowers" and "sunset sun", which is beautiful but not vulgar. Although the words are very simple, the taste is infinite. Commenting on the third and fourth lines of this poem in "Xian Maid's Poems" by Shi Buhua, he said: "If he goes away like a swallow, he will stay there. The swallows still enter this hall, and the king and his wife are scattered, and they have turned into ordinary people. This is the case. The poem is filled with endless emotions and the writing is extremely beautiful."
The first sentence is "Wild grass and flowers beside the Zhuque Bridge." The Zhuque Bridge spans the Qinhuai River in Nanjing and is the only way from the city center to Wuyi Lane. The bridge and Wuyi Lane on the south bank of the river are not only adjacent in location, but also related in history. During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Wuyi Lane was the inhabited area of ??the Gaomen Tu people. The founding father Wang Dao and Xie An, who directed the Battle of Feishui, both lived here. The heavy tower decorated with two bronze birds on the Old Bridge was built by Xie An. Literally, Zhuque Bridge and Wuyi Lane are in harmony with each other. Using Zhuque Bridge to outline the environment of Wuyi Lane not only conforms to the geographical reality, but also creates a sense of contrast and evokes relevant historical associations. It is a choice of "killing three birds with one stone". The most striking thing in the sentence is the wild grass and wild flowers growing beside the bridge. The grass is growing and the flowers are blooming, indicating that it is spring. The word "wild" is placed in front of "grass and flowers", which adds a remote atmosphere to the scenery. In addition, these wild grasses and wild flowers are growing beside the Suzaku Bridge, which is always busy with travelers, which makes us think that there may be a deep meaning in it. I remember that the author used "weeds" to symbolize decline in the poem "Ten thousand households and thousands of doors become weeds" ("Taicheng"). Now, in this poem, the emphasis on "weeds and flowers" in this way just shows that the Zhuque Bridge, which used to be bustling with traffic, is now desolate and desolate!
The second sentence "The sunset is setting at the entrance of Wuyi Alley" shows that Wuyi Alley is not only set against the background of the decayed and desolate ancient bridge, but also appears in the afterglow of the setting sun. The word "Xie" in the sentence, which is interpreted as "Xiezhao", corresponds to the word "花" in the previous sentence, which is interpreted as "花花". They are all used as verbs. They both describe the dynamics of the scenery. "Sunset", the setting sun in the west, and the word "slant" highlighted the bleak scene of the setting sun. Originally, the entrance of Wuyi Alley in its heyday was supposed to be a place where people came and went with people wearing clothes and noisy cars and horses. But now, the author uses a ray of slanting light to completely envelope Wuyi Lane in a lonely and bleak atmosphere.
After the environment and the atmosphere are enhanced, it seems that it is time to turn to a positive description of the changes in Wuyi Lane and express the author's emotions. However, the author did not use too superficial writing methods, such as, "Who lives in Wuyi Lane? Looking back makes people remember Xie's family" (Sun Yuanyan's "Ode to Wuyi Lane"), "Wang Xie's house is nowhere to be found, the flowers fall and the birds sing in the spring." "(Anonymous) and so on; instead, he continued to use the description of the scenery to write a famous sentence: "In the old days, the swallows in front of the king's hall flew into the homes of ordinary people." Unexpectedly, he suddenly turned his brushstrokes to the flying swallows nesting in the sky above Wuyi Lane, asking people to follow the direction of the swallows' flight and identify them. Nowadays, ordinary people live in Wuyi Lane. In order for readers to clearly understand the poet's intention, the author specifically points out that these swallows flying into people's homes were the old swallows that perched on the eaves and purlins of the high hall of Wang Xie's royal gate in the past. The word "old times" gives Yanzi the status of a historical witness. The word "ordinary" emphasizes how different today's residents are from the past. From it, we can clearly hear the author's infinite emotion about the vicissitudes of this change.
The design of Feiyan's image seems to come easily, but in fact it embodies the author's artistic ingenuity and rich imagination. Fu Xian of Jin Dynasty said in "Preface to Yan Fu": "It is said that the swallow nests here this year and will come back next year. When it is about to pass away, cut its claws to recognize it. The consequences will be severe." Of course, in life, even those with extremely long lifespans Yanzi cannot be the old Yan who was "in front of Wang Xietang" four hundred years ago. However, the author grasps the characteristics of swallows as migratory birds that inhabit old nests, which is enough to arouse readers' imagination, hint at the past prosperity of Wuyi Lane, and play a role in highlighting the contrast between the past and the present. The artistic expression of "Wo Yi Xiang" focuses on depicting the current situation of Bird Yi Xiang; its past is only subtly hinted at. The poet's emotion is hidden and hidden in the description of the scenery.
Therefore, although the scenery in it is ordinary and the language is simple, it has an implicit beauty that makes people read it with endless aftertaste.
Why did Wuyi Lane get its name?
Wuyi Lane on the south side of Panchi in Confucius Temple is the oldest street in Nanjing. It is also the location of the former residences of Prime Ministers Wang Dao and Xie An during the Eastern Jin Dynasty. It was already very prominent in the Six Dynasties, and the poem "Wo Yi Xiang" by Liu Yuxi, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, made it spread throughout the ages. The origin of the name of Wuyi Lane has also attracted attention.
There is a myth and legend: Wang She, a native of Jinling, was capsized by a storm during the voyage and drifted to Wuyi Kingdom. He married a wife and had children, and later returned to his hometown. However, he missed his relatives in Wuyi Kingdom very much, so he moved his residence to the alley. Named "Woyi Lane". There is also a saying: Because the disciples of Wang Dao and Xie An were fashionable and liked to wear black clothes, later generations called this lane "Wuyi Lane".
In fact, the name of Wuyi Lane originated from when Sun Quan established Nanjing as his capital. In 229 AD, Sun Quan established his capital in Nanjing. At that time, the east bank of the Qinhuai River was still a suburb of the city. There were troops stationed to protect the capital. Because the soldiers were all dressed in black, the garrison camp was called "Wuyi Camp". By the end of the Western Jin Dynasty, the former site of Wuyi Camp was renamed Wuyi Camp. Clothes Alley. After Sima Rui crossed south to Jiankang (Nanjing), the Wang and Xie Wang families established their residence in Wuyi Lane.