The original text and translation of "Cicada" by Yu Shinan, a poet of the Tang Dynasty.
1. Original text
Hands down to drink the clear dew, the sound of flowing out of the sparse tung trees. The reason for speaking loudly and staying far away is not to borrow the autumn wind.
2. Translation
Drinking the clear dew with the hanging crotch, this poem depicts the scene of the cicada drinking the morning dew, which is the pursuit of freedom and pure life. The action of lowering one's head to drink dew implies the yearning for freedom and purity, and expresses the state of mind of transcending the hustle and bustle and pursuing inner truth.
The flow echoes out of the sparse tung trees. This poem depicts the scene of the cicada's sound coming from the sparse tung trees, showing the musical beauty and flow of the cicada's chirping. The sound of cicadas is like a piece of sweet music, flowing in the air, giving people a lively and agile feeling.
The sound of a loud voice comes from afar. This poem describes the sound spread of cicadas. The sound of cicadas came from high places, the sound was distant and clear. This description makes people imagine that the sound of cicadas is drifting in the breeze, distant and charming.
Rather than borrowing the autumn wind, this poem rules out the possibility that the cicada’s sound is aided by the autumn wind. The sound of cicadas is not just caused by the blowing autumn wind, but is an independent and real sound of its own. This denial highlights the uniqueness and beauty of the cicada’s sound.
A brief introduction to the author of Cicada and philosophical reflections on the sound of cicada
1. A brief introduction to the author of Cicada
Yu Shinan (558-638), courtesy name Bo Shi, was born in Yuyao, Yuezhou ( Now belongs to Zhejiang) people. One of the twenty-four heroes of Lingyan Pavilion. His father Yuli, his brother Yu Shiji, and his uncle Yu Ji were all famous for a while. Yu Ji had no children, so Shi Nan adopted him, so he was named Bo Shi.
In the reign of Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty, he served as a secretary and a bachelor in the Hongwen Hall. Yu Yongxing". Good at diction and calligraphy. He compiled one hundred and sixty volumes of "Beitang Shuchao". "Complete Poems of the Tang Dynasty" contains one volume of his poems.
2. Philosophical reflections on the sound of cicadas
The sound of cicadas symbolizes people’s yearning for freedom. In the poem, the author uses "hanging down to drink the clear dew" to describe the scene of the cicada drinking the morning dew, expressing his pursuit of freedom and pure life.
The purity and true thinking contained in the sound of cicadas is one of Yu Shinan’s concerns. The far-reaching and high-pitched sound of cicadas inspires people to have the courage to show themselves and insist on independent voices.