For girls, talent and beauty are both important, but talent is even better. A talented woman in ancient times was like Cai Wenji, whose talent could not be compared with that of ordinary men. Discussing Cai Wenji's achievements mainly focuses on three aspects: literature, music and calligraphy.
Literature
After returning to the Han Dynasty, Cai Yan wrote two "Poems of Sorrow and Indignation", one in five-character style and one in Sao style. [6] The five-character poem focuses on "sentiment, confusion, and separation." It is a narrative poem based on emotions and events. It is the first autobiographical long narrative poem created by a literati in the history of Chinese poetry. Zhang Yugu, a poetry critic in the Qing Dynasty, once wrote a poem praising Cai Yan's five-character poems: "Wen Ji Cai wanted to overpower Wen Jun, and wrote a long and elegant essay "Sorrow and Indignation". Lao Du Gu Zongzong Cao Qibu, he made incense and hairpin skirts." The general idea is that Cai Yan's talent overwhelmed Zhuo Wenjun, a talented woman in the Han Dynasty, and the five-character narrative poems of Cao Zhi and Du Fu were also influenced by Cai Yan.
Because the poem "Poetry of Sorrow and Indignation" in Sao style is intended to be lyrical, the first and last stanzas are relatively brief about the experience of being captured in the Hu and returning to the Han Dynasty. The large natural scenery in the middle is used to exaggerate Cai Yan's grief of leaving his hometown. Mood, in these descriptions of scenery and human feelings, Cai Yan emphasized the differences between them and her hometown in China, in order to describe her deep, sad and angry mood in this environment that was very different from China.
Music
"Eighteen Beats of Hujia" is a lyrics of ancient Chinese Yuefu Qin music. It is 1,297 words long and is a combination of 18 songs. Vocal Suite. It was originally published in Volume 59 of Guo Maoqian's "Yuefu Poems" of the Song Dynasty and Volume 3 of Zhu Xi's "Afterwords of Chu Ci". There are minor differences in the text between the two volumes.
Lu Shiyong, a man of the Ming Dynasty, said in "A General Theory of Poetry Mirror": "Tokyo's style has declined, but Cai Wenji is talented and heroic. Reading "Hu Jia Yin" will make people sit up and shake, and the gravel will fly by themselves. It's really The embrace of fierce people."
Calligraphy
Cai Yan's father, Cai Yong, was a great calligrapher who created the eight-point font. Cai Yan himself was also very good at calligraphy. Han Yu once said: "Zhonglang (Cai Yong) has women who can pass on the legacy." Cai Yan once silently wrote ancient books at Cao Cao's request, saying that he could write in both real and cursive scripts.
Cai Yan's "Poems of Sorrow and Indignation" (Excerpt)
Borderland and China are different, and people have few moral principles.
There is a lot of frost and snow in the place, and the wind blows in spring and summer.
Blow my clothes gracefully, and enter my ears solemnly.
I miss my parents deeply and lament endlessly.
When guests come from outside, they are always happy to hear about them.
When asked for news, he often returned to his hometown.
When I meet you, I hope that my flesh and blood will come to welcome you.
If you can free yourself, you should abandon your son again.
The heavens are bound to the hearts of the people, and there is no time to think otherwise.
Life and death are always separated, and I can’t bear to say goodbye.
My son hugged my neck and asked my mother what she wanted.
People say that my mother will leave, but she will never come back.
My mother has always been compassionate, why should she be even less compassionate now?
I am not yet an adult, so I don’t care.
Seeing this, Wu Nei collapsed, and he was in a trance and became crazy.
Weeping and stroking with hands, you will reply when you ask questions.
Both contemporaries, we say farewell to each other.
I am alone in my return, and my screams are torn apart.
The horse hesitates to stand, and the chariot does not turn.
The spectators all booed and sobbed while walking.