Dan Ge Xing, translated by Cao Cao:
Sing while drinking, life is short and the days and months fly by.
Just like the morning dew, it is fleeting and there are too many lost days!
The singing at the banquet was passionate and generous, and melancholy filled my heart for a long time.
What can you do to relieve your depression? Only binge drinking can provide relief.
Those students wearing green collars, you make me yearn for you day and night.
It’s just because of you that I still recite it in pain.
Under the sunshine, the deer chirped happily and ate leisurely on the green slope.
Once talented people from all over the world come to my house, I will play the harp and sheng to entertain the guests.
When will I be able to pick up the bright moon hanging in the sky?
The sorrow and anger I have stored up in my heart suddenly spurt out and form a long river.
Guests from far away came to visit me one by one along the field roads.
After a long absence, they reunited for a heart-to-heart talk and a banquet, vying to tell the story of their past friendship.
The moonlight was bright and the stars were sparse, and a group of nesting magpies flew south.
They flew around the tree three times without folding their wings. Where can they find shelter?
The mountains are majestic only if they do not abandon the earth and rocks, and the sea is majestic only if it does not abandon the trickle of water.
I would like to be as courteous as Duke Zhou, and I would like all the heroes in the world to surrender to me.
Appreciation:
The theme of "Singing Over Wine" is very clear, that is, the author hopes to have a large number of talents for his own use. In his political activities, in order to expand his ruling base among the common landowners and combat the reactionary hereditary powerful forces, Cao Cao strongly emphasized the "evaluation of talents only". Order", "Qiu Yicai Order", etc. "Dan Ge Xing" is actually a "Song of Seeking Virtue", and because it uses the form of poetry and contains rich lyrical elements, it can have a unique infectious effect and effectively promote the ideas he insists on. In compliance with the decrees issued by him.
"Dan Ge Xing" originally had "six interpretations" (i.e. six sections), and this song "Singing Over Wine" can be divided into four sections according to poetic meaning.
In the first eight sentences, the author emphasizes that he is very worried and extremely worried. The reason for his sorrow is that he cannot find many "talents" to cooperate with him and seize the time to make achievements together. Even a person as high and powerful as Cao Cao is actually worried about seeking talents. The propaganda effect is self-evident. If there are really "virtuous people" among the common landowners, you can't help but be deeply moved and inspired by these words. They were struggling to find a way out, but they didn't expect that Cao Cao was thirsting for talents, so many people who were truly talented or thought they were talented were very likely to be eager to try and "return to their hearts" with him. On the surface, these eight sentences look very similar to the negative tone in "Nineteen Ancient Poems", but in fact they are quite different. The "Geometry of Life" here is not about "carpe diem", but about making achievements in a timely manner. Here Cao Cao seems to be expressing his personal feelings, worrying that time passes too quickly and he may not have time to make a difference; in fact, he is subtly infecting the "virtuous people" and reminding them that life is like "morning dew" It is easy to disappear, and a lot of time has passed. You should make up your mind quickly and go to him to display your ambitions. Therefore, the rich lyrical atmosphere in the poem contains a quite strong political purpose. Deliberately starting with such a positive purpose in a low tone certainly shows that Cao Cao really has his sorrows, so he speaks truthfully; but on the other hand, it is also because such a tone can open up the people who are at the lower level, who have experienced many hardships, and those who have experienced hardships. The hearts of those who are eager to find a way out. Therefore, the intention and wording are both genuine and clever. In these eight lines of poetry, the main emotion is the word "sorrow", which is so "sorrowful" that it needs to be resolved with wine. The emotion of "sorrow" itself cannot be evaluated. What can be evaluated is only the objective content of this emotion, that is, why it is "sorrowful". If you worry because of selfishness, decadence, or even reaction, then this sadness is a negative emotion; on the contrary, if you worry for some progressive purpose, then it becomes a positive emotion. Viewed in a specific historical context, the melancholy expressed by Cao Cao here belongs to the latter and should receive appropriate historical evaluation.
And such a sentiment also fully exerts the unique infectious effect of poetry. The last four sentences are the finishing touch. They clearly express their sincerity and hope that all talents will come to obey, and clearly clarify the theme of this poem. "The mountains never get too high and the sea never gets too deep" is a metaphor that convincingly expresses that the more talents the better, and there will never be "the problem of overcrowding". The allusion of "The Duke of Zhou spits out food" comes from "Han Shi Wai Zhuan", which says that in order to receive people from all over the world, the Duke of Zhou sometimes stopped several times to wash his hair or eat a meal. This legend is of course somewhat exaggerated. However, the use of this allusion here highlights the author's thirst for talents.
To sum up, this poem "Singing to Wine" is a very political poem, just like Cao Cao's other poems such as "A Walk in the Artemisia", "A Journey to Wine", "A Journey to the Bitter Cold", etc. It served the political line and strategies implemented by Cao Cao at that time; however, its political content and significance were completely cast in a rich lyrical artistic conception. The whole poem gives full play to the specialty of poetry, and accurately and skillfully uses the metaphorical technique to achieve the purpose of integrating reason with emotion and touching people. At that time, Cao Cao was already able to achieve the desired social effects according to the special rules of lyric poetry. This creative experience is obviously worthy of reference by future generations. At the same time, because Cao Cao's emphasis on "elevating talents only" had certain progressive significance at the time, his highly artistic expression of the theme of "seeking talents" should also be recognized by history.
Original text:
Singing while drinking, what is life!
Like morning dew, it will be more painful every day.
Generosity should be treated with generosity, and worries will be unforgettable.
How to relieve worries? Only Du Kang.
Qingqing Zijin, my heart is leisurely.
But for the sake of your Majesty, I still ponder it.
Yo yo, the deer roars, eating apples in the wild.
I have a guest who plays the drum, harp and sheng.
It’s as bright as the moon, when can you wipe it off?
Worry comes from it and cannot be cut off.
The more unfamiliar you are, the more you cross the border, the more useless you are.
Qi Kuo talks about Yan, thinking about old kindness.
The moon and stars are sparse, and the black magpie flies south.
Walking around the tree three times, where is the branch to lean on?
The mountains never get too high and the sea never gets too deep.
When Duke Zhou spits out food, the world returns to its heart.
Notes:
1. Sing to wine: Sing while drinking. When, facing. One means it should be.
2. Geometry: refers to the number of years.
3. The past days have been bitter: Sadly, so many days have passed away, which means lamenting the shortness of life. Suffer, suffer.
4. Be generous and generous: It is said that "be generous and generous", which refers to the passionate and generous singing at the banquet. It should be noted that here it means "should be used". The whole sentence means that singing should be done in an impassioned and generous way.
5. Du Kang: According to legend, he was the first person to make wine, which here refers to wine.
6. Two sentences of "Qingqing": from "The Book of Songs·Zheng Feng·Zijin". Originally written about a girl missing her lover, here it is used as a metaphor for longing for a talented person. Zi, a respectful name for the other person. Jin (jīn), ancient style collar. Qingjin is the clothing worn by scholars in the Zhou Dynasty, here it refers to a learned person. Long, long-lasting, describing continuous thoughts.
7. Chanting: originally refers to whispering and thinking in a low voice, but here it refers to the yearning and admiration for the sage.
8. Four sentences of "Yoyou": from "The Book of Songs·Xiaoya·Lu Ming". Yo (yōu) Yo, the sound of a deer braying. Apple, mugwort. Drum, play.
9. Duō: pick up, pick. It is said that Dui is a character called Tongjia, which refers to "chuò", which means to stop.
10. Yue Mo Du Qian: pass through the criss-crossing paths. Mo, an east-west field road. Qian, a north-south path.
11. Existing in vain: paying a visit. In vain, here is the meaning of "in vain". Use, to. Save, greet, miss.
12. Qi Kuo: Qi means accommodation, Kuo means alienation. This is a compound word with a partial meaning, and the meaning of "Qi" is preferred. ? (yàn): Tong "Yan" or "Yan", banquet.
13. Three turns (zā): three weeks. Turn, week, circle.
14. The sea never gets too deep: A book called "The water never gets too deep". Here are words borrowed from "Guanzi·Xingjie", the original text is: "The sea does not reject water, so it can become as big as it is; the mountain does not reject soil, so it can become as high as possible; the master of the Ming Dynasty does not tire of people, so it can become a crowd; the scholar does not tire of learning, so it can become a crowd. "Can become a saint" means that we hope to accept as many talents as possible.
15. Two sentences of "Zhou Gong": Introduce Zhou Gong to compare himself, explaining his thoughts on seeking talents and building a career. Feed (bǔ), food chewed in the mouth. "Historical Records" records that Zhou Gong said: "I wash my hair three times, eat and drink three times, and I wait for the scholars, as if I am afraid of losing the wise men in the world."
Creative background:
As for the creation time of the first poem, there are roughly five theories in academic circles. First, on the basis of the "Hengshang Fu Poems" language in Su Shi's "Red Cliff Ode", "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" states that Cao Cao recited this "Song to Drinking Wine" before the Battle of Chibi, and the time was set in the 13th year of Jian'an (208 )end. The second is the theory of seeking talents, which comes from Zhang Keli's Chronicle of Sancao: "It expresses the passionate desire to recruit talents, and it was written at the same time as the Order of Seeking Talents." The time was in the 15th year of Jian'an (210). The third is Bin's main song and the harmony theory. This idea comes from Wan Shengnan. He believes that this poem was written in the first year of Jian'an in the Han Dynasty (196), when Cao Cao moved to the Han Dynasty to present the emperor in Xudu. It was a harmonious work by Cao Cao and his close men such as Xun Yu and others. . The fourth is the theory of carpe diem, but there is no research on the specific time. This statement was made by Shen Deqian, Volume 5 of "The Source of Ancient Poetry": ""Dan Ge Xing", it is said that it is time to be happy." The fifth is Wang Qing's statement at the banquet for Karasuma Xingchan Yu Pufulu, The time was in May of the 21st year of Jian'an (216).
About the author:
Cao Cao (155-220, Gengzi in the first month of the year), whose courtesy name was Mengde, whose last name was Geely, and whose nickname was Amo, was born in Peiguoqiao (now Bozhou, Anhui). , Han nationality. An outstanding statesman, military strategist, writer and calligrapher in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. The founder of the Cao Wei regime in the Three Kingdoms, his son Cao Pi became emperor and was honored as Emperor Wu, with the temple name Taizu. Cao Cao was skilled in military tactics and good at poetry, expressing his political ambitions and reflecting the suffering life of the people in the late Han Dynasty. He was majestic, generous and desolate. His prose was also clear and neat, which opened up and prospered Jian'an literature and left a precious spirit to future generations. Wealth is known as the character of Jian'an in history, and Lu Xun evaluated him as "the founder of reformed articles". At the same time, Cao Cao was also good at calligraphy, especially Zhangcao. Zhang Huaiguan of the Tang Dynasty rated it as a "wonderful product" in "Shu Duan".