Main introduction: Firefly is a small animal in nature, just a small insect, insignificant. However, due to its special physiological mechanism, it can emit fluorescence at night. When the starlight flashes a little, the dark areas are faintly bright, which attracts people's special attention. Especially in summer, fireflies are like elves of the night, filling the sky with stars and flying into the endless stars, adding a sense of coolness to people and creating a sense of mystery, which naturally attracts people who are good at reciting poems and painting. Pan Yue of the Western Jin Dynasty's "Autumn Xing Fu" quoted fireflies in the article, saying that "the fireflies shine brightly on the steps, and the crickets chirp on the screen", saying that the fireflies make people sad for autumn; Du Fu's "Tired Night" The poem says: "The flying fireflies shine in the dark, and the water birds call each other", reflecting the beautiful scenery of the summer night; Shen Xuan of Liang Dynasty in the Southern Dynasty wrote about the various moods of the fireflies at different times and places: "The rain falls and the light is lost." When the sun rises, it takes away the light. The trees are like running stars, and the grass is still burning. Look at the fire, and it will shine. "Look, the fireflies flicker, changing, the light is wet in the rain, and the moon shines. It's dark, shooting stars in the trees, lingering flames on the grass, looking at it burns your hands, holding nothing in your hands, the image is cute and lovely. And Xiao Yi and Yu Shinan are not ordinary people. Xiao Yi was the king of Liang in the Southern Dynasty, that is, Emperor Yuan of Liang. His courtesy name was Shicheng. He was a native of Nanlanling (now Wujin, Jiangsu). He named himself Jinlouzi. Although he only reigned for three years (552-554), he later conquered Liang in the Western Wei Dynasty. He was kidnapped by the army, but after all, he was the master of a dynasty. He had read many books since he was a child, and he was able to write a lot of books. He has 52 volumes of poems and essays, and more than 110 existing poems. Although most of them are innocent moans and lewd words, but There are also masterpieces such as "Ode to the Fog", "The wind is suspicious of the drizzle, and the sun is reflected like wandering dust", and "Pan Wu Lake", "The sails follow the swifts, and the drums follow the tide chickens". And what about Yu Shinan? He was a famous calligrapher in the Tang Dynasty. Together with Ouyang Xun, Chu Suiliang and Xue Ji, he was known as the four great calligraphers in the early Tang Dynasty. His courtesy name was Bo Shi. He was a native of Yuyao, Yuezhou (now part of Zhejiang). He was an official to secretary supervisor and was granted the title of Yongxing County. Zi, known as "Yu Yongxing", was famous for his official position, calligraphy and diction at that time. They all admire the firefly and chant specifically for it, which shows that it is different. These two famous poems "Ode to Fireflies" depict shapes on the one hand, reproducing the "grace" of fireflies on the other hand, and convey the rich and complex inner world of little flying insects, inspiring people. In this way, different angles give people a sense of artistic beauty.
Let’s first look at Xiao Yi’s "Ode to Fireflies". This poem closely adheres to the word "fire" and reproduces the image characteristics of fireflies from multiple angles. The four lines of the poem are the four "shapes" of the image of fireflies: "It makes people suspicious but not enthusiastic", written from the perspective of people's feelings. . Fireflies obviously have flames that flicker, but they can attach themselves to the human body. People will be surprised - how come they don't emit heat even if there is fire? This highlights their characteristic of emitting light without generating heat. "Ji Cao was surprised that there was no smoke", written from his perch. Fireflies lay eggs and reproduce from rotten grass, so the ancients mistakenly believed that fireflies were transformed from rotten grass. "Book of Rites? Yue Ling" says: "The rotten grass is the firefly." Many ancient poems about fireflies also used this statement. For example, Shen Xuan said that fireflies are "grass that turns rotten in the fire", and Liu Yuxi also said that "the old roots rot and the leaves turn into fireflies in autumn". This statement naturally has little scientific basis, but it is true that it likes to live in haystacks. There was clearly a bit of fire on the haystack, but the grass didn't burn, and there was no smoke or flame. The second poem not only allows us to further understand the characteristics of fireflies that emit fluorescent light and is neither hot nor burning, but also allows readers to know some of the life habits of fireflies. "It's dark under the lamp" describes the faintness of the firelight. The author writes from the perspective of contrast, using the relative brightness of the light to highlight the weak characteristics of the fireflies, using a contrasting technique. "Turn into the rain", this is a very interesting picture: an ordinary fire will extinguish its flame when the wind blows and the rain pours. As for fireflies, their fluorescence is not affected by the weather environment. In the rain, they can still dance gracefully and the stars twinkle... This is how the poet, with a special feeling for fireflies, meticulously and meticulously described them. Observation from multiple sides brings the colorful and vivid shapes to the readers, making the readers feel affection for it.
Yu Shinan's "Ode to Fireflies" first describes the image of fireflies: slender bodies and graceful wings. The wings spread out and fly sideways in the light wind, swaying smoothly, and dots of fluorescent lights in the dusk embellish the night sky. The poet also wrote about its appearance from the perspective of its flying shape and luminous state. His technique is somewhat similar to "Ode to Fireflies" by Li Jiayu in the Tang Dynasty: "The light reflected in the water is difficult to determine, and the body is light because of its levitation. The night wind cannot extinguish it. , The autumn dew is still bright. The flames are still scattered when I cast the book, and the shadows will still flow, and I will come here to sit beside the eaves." Li Shi dances lightly on the water, spreads his wings in the air, and is not extinguished by the wind. The depictions of returning to the Ming Dynasty, reading with light at night, and lingering on the eaves of the couplets highlight its flying posture and luminous character. But Yu Shinan's poems do not aim at depicting shapes.
The third and fourth lines of the poem go from the outside to the inside, giving a glimpse into Yingying's inner world: "Afraid of no one knowing, alone in the dark." What a tenacious personality, what a valuable pursuit, even though his life is weak, But it is unwilling to be unknown and unwilling to give up on itself. It insists on shining in the dark night, tenaciously expressing its existence and persisting in realizing its own value in life. In this way, the firefly that appears in front of the readers is not a small flying insect or an insignificant life, but a living elf, a resolute man with a unique personality and extraordinary mind. His majestic image is impressive. It is awe-inspiring and makes people think deeply.
Both are poems praising fireflies, but Xiao Yi and Yu Shinan used different techniques, and the images and temperaments of fireflies they wrote are also different. Xiao Yi used the method of presentation to reproduce the beauty of the firefly's form, showing the concentration and meticulousness of an emperor in his spare time. Due to the multi-faceted depiction, the image is complete, and it also left a specific and deep impression on the readers, and its understanding of The writing attitude of careful observation of the writing object and the writing technique of splashing ink and multi-faceted outlines give readers useful inspiration. Yu Shinan, on the other hand, used objects to express his ambitions and used fireflies to reveal his own thoughts. The poet first uses verses such as "the light is small and the wings are light" to highlight the insignificance of the firefly, to set off the next sentence, "fearing no one to know, and being alone in the dark to see". This is the psychology of the firefly, and it is also the poet's heart: a Regardless of a person's status or situation, as long as he has his talents, he must express himself bravely and tenaciously. This kind of ambition and this kind of pursuit naturally allow readers to understand another realm outside of poetry! The same subject matter produces different artistic conceptions, which is naturally related to the author's artistic vision and writing techniques, but more importantly, it depends on the poet's different living environment and ideological realm: Xiao Yi is in a prominent position and is pampered, so naturally he does not need to "worry" "Slander and fear of ridicule", although his observation and description of nature can be exhaustive, it is difficult for him to express how much emotion and dig out the deep meaning. Therefore, although the fireflies in his paintings are very beautiful, they are at best It is for people to appreciate and ponder; and Yu Shinan, as an upright and promising imperial official, had to deal with political affairs, think about reality, and consider strategies. He could not "eat all day long and have no intention." His life values ????and political ideals will naturally be reflected in his works. It is reflected in "Wing of Fireflies" that although "Ying of Fireflies" cannot allow us to see "the whole leopard", it can still get a glimpse of "a speck".
Poetry: "Ode to Fireflies"
Li Bai
It is difficult to extinguish a lamp when it rains, but the color becomes brighter when the wind blows.
If it doesn’t go to the sky,
it will be a star on the edge of the moon.
English translation:
Song: The Firefly
Li Bai
The rain cannot smother your fire;
Swept by wind, the more bright you are.
If you fly to the sky on high,
You'll be viewed as a moon-side star.