"Gift to Liu Jingwen" ? Su Shi of the Song Dynasty
hé jìn yǐ wú qíng yǔ gài, jú cán yóu yǒu ào shuāng zhī?
The load is exhausted? There is no rain cover, and the chrysanthemums are still standing proud of the frost branches.
yī nián hǎo jǐng jūn?xū jì , zhèng shì chéng huáng jú lǜ shí?
You must remember the good scenery in the past year, and it is correct. Orange? Yellow? Orange? Green? Time.
Translation:
The lotus has withered, and even the lotus leaves that hold up the rain have withered. Only the branches of the chrysanthemums that have failed are still proud of the cold and frost.
You must remember the best scenery of the year, that is in late autumn and early winter when oranges are golden and green.
Creative background:
This poem was written in the early winter of 1090 (the fifth year of Yuanyou). At that time, Su Shi was working in Hangzhou, and Liu Jisun, who was the military supervisor of Zhejiang and Zhejiang, was also there. The two had a close relationship and a deep deal. On the one hand, the poet regarded Liu Jingwen as a national scholar and recommended him with the "Liu Jisun Zhuang for Begging for Promotion"; on the other hand, he gave this poem to encourage him.
Appreciation:
This poem was written by the poet as a gift to his friend Liu Jingwen. The first two sentences of the poem describe the scenery, capturing the "end of lotus" and "remnant of chrysanthemums" to depict the bleak scene of late autumn and early winter. "No more" and "still there" form a strong contrast, highlighting the image of the chrysanthemum standing proud of the frost and fighting the cold. The last two sentences discuss the scenery and reveal the purpose of the poem. It shows that although the winter scenery is bleak and desolate, it also has a fruitful, mature and abundant side, and this is precisely what other seasons cannot compare with. The poet writes this to describe a person reaching his prime. Although youth has passed, it is also the golden stage of maturity and great achievements in life. He encourages friends to cherish this good time, be optimistic and work tirelessly, and never be depressed or belittle oneself.
Author introduction:
Su Shi (1037-1101) was a writer, calligrapher, painter and gourmet in the Northern Song Dynasty. His courtesy name is Zizhan and his nickname is Dongpo Jushi. Han nationality, Sichuan native, buried in Yingchang (now Jiaxian County, Pingdingshan City, Henan Province). He had a bumpy official career throughout his life, but he was knowledgeable and talented. He was excellent in poetry, calligraphy and painting. His writing is unbridled, clear and fluent. Together with Ouyang Xiu, he is called Ou Su, and he is one of the "Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties". His poetry is fresh and vigorous, good at using exaggeration and metaphor, and his artistic expression is unique. He is also called Su Huang together with Huang Tingjian. He started a bold and unrestrained school and had a huge influence on later generations. Together with Xin Qiji, he was called Su Xin. He was good at calligraphy in running script and regular script. He could create his own ideas. His pen was rich and ups and downs, and he had an innocent taste. He was called Song Dynasty together with Huang Tingjian, Mi Fu and Cai Xiang. The four schools have the same painting studies and literature, advocate spiritual similarity in painting, and advocate "scholar painting". He is the author of "The Complete Works of Su Dongpo" and "Su Dongpo Yuefu".