"The Difficult Road to Shu" is a representative work of Li Bai, a great poet of the Tang Dynasty in China. This poem follows the old title of Yuefu, uses romanticism to develop rich imagination, and artistically reproduces the majestic, breathtaking and unsurpassable majesty of the Shu road, such as the steepness, abruptness, strength, and ruggedness, so as to sing the praises of the mountains and rivers of Shu. The majesty of the poem shows the majesty of the mountains and rivers of the motherland, and fully demonstrates the poet's romantic temperament and love for nature. The whole poem has 294 words, using a mixture of rhythm and prose, with uneven sentences, vertical and horizontal writing, bold and unrestrained, strong emotions, and three sighs in one song. Many scenes in the poem appear one after another. Whether it is the height of the mountains, the rush of the water, the changes in the rivers and mountains, the desolation of the trees, or the dangers of the peaks and cliffs, they are all compelling, majestic, and vast. It embodies the artistic characteristics and creative personality of Li Bai's poems, and is highly praised by scholars. It is known as a "strange and strange" work.
Title of work
The Road to Shu is difficult
Era of creation
Prosperous Tang Dynasty
Source of work
"Collection of Heroes in Heyue"
Literary Genre
Miscellaneous Ancient Poems
Author
Li Bai
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Original text of the work
The Road to Shu is Difficult 1
噫囱嚱2, how dangerous it is! The road to Shu is as difficult as climbing to the sky!
The poetic painting of "The Road to Shu is Difficult"
The silkworm bushes and fishtails 3, how confused was the founding of the country 4! You are forty-eight thousand years old5, and you are not in the vicinity of Qin Sai. There is a bird path in Taibai, Xidang, which can cross the top of Emei Mountain. The earth collapses and the mountain destroys the strong man to death 9, and then the stone stacks of the ladder to the sky are connected to each other 10.
There is a high mark of 11 for Six Dragons to return to the sun on the top, and a mark of 12 for returning to Sichuan with a reverse turn of waves. The yellow crane cannot fly beyond 13, and the ape wants to overcome its sorrow and climbs to 14. Where is the green mud? 15. A hundred steps lead to nine twists and turns, and there are 16 mountains. Men went to the Lijing Well, looked up and breathed17, and sat down with his hands on his head and let out a long sigh18.
When will I be 19 again in Journey to the West? Afraid of the steep road and unreachable rocks 20. But I saw the mournful bird calling an ancient tree21, and the male flying and the female flying around the forest22. I also heard Zigui crying about the moon at night and worrying about the empty mountain. The difficulty of the road to Shu is as difficult as climbing to the blue sky, which makes people wither their beauty24.
The sky is not full of 25 feet even when the peaks are gone, and withered pines hang upside down against the cliff. The turbulent waterfalls are noisy26, and the cliffs turn into rocks and thousands of valleys are thundered27. The danger is also like this, for those who have traveled a long way are not sure what to do!28!
The sword pavilion is majestic and Cui Wei 29, one man is in charge of the pass, and ten thousand men cannot open it 30. The guarded or bandit relatives 31 turned into wolves and jackals.
Avoid the tiger in the morning 32, avoid the snake at night; grind your teeth to suck blood 33, killing people like numbness. Although Jincheng is happy, it is better to return home early. The road to Shu is as difficult as climbing to the sky. I turned sideways and looked to the west and sighed 35! [1]
Annotation and translation
Word and sentence annotation
The Road to Shu is Difficult: An old Yuefu title from the Southern Dynasties, belonging to "Xianghe Ge·Se Diaoqu".
噫(yī)困(xū)嚱(xī): exclamation sound, Shu dialect, a sound expressing surprise. Song Xiang's "Notes of Duke Jingwen of the Song Dynasty" volume: "The people of Shu were surprised when they saw things, and they often said '噫嚱'."
Cancong and Yufu (fú): two legendary kings of ancient Shu name; difficult to verify.
He Daran: He: How. Confused: The look of not knowing at all. It means that the ancient history and legends are far away and difficult to know, so I don’t know. According to the Records of the Kings of Shu written by Yang Xiong of the Western Han Dynasty: "The first kings of Shu were named Cancong, Baiguan, Yufu, Puze, and Kaiming. ... From Kaiming to Cancong, they are thirty-four thousand years old."
Er Lai: Since then. Forty-eight thousand years: an extremely long time, an exaggeration but an approximation.
Qin Sai (sài): Qin’s pass refers to the land of Qin. The land of Qin is surrounded by dangerous mountains and rivers, so it is called "the land of four fortresses". Open to the public: people coming and going.
Xidang: in the west. When: At. Taibai: Taibai Mountain, also known as Taiyi Mountain, is located in the west of Chang'an (today's Mei County and Taibai County, Shaanxi Province). Bird Road: Refers to the low place in the mountains, where only birds can fly over and cannot be reached by human beings.
Hengjue: across. Emei Dian (diān): the peak of Emei. The Jiangsu Education Edition Chinese textbook is "Emei Dian".
The sentence "The Earth Collapses": "Huayang Kingdom·Shu Chronicle": According to legend, King Hui of Qin wanted to conquer the Kingdom of Shu. Knowing that the King of Shu was lustful, he promised to give him five beauties. The king of Shu sent five strong men to pick him up.
When I returned to Zitong (today's south of Jiange, Sichuan), I saw a big snake entering the cave. A strong man grabbed its tail, and the other four people came to help and pulled it out. Not long after, the landslide and the ground cracked, and both the strong man and the beautiful woman were crushed to death. The mountain is divided into five ridges, and the road to Shu is open. This is the famous story of "Five Dings Founding a Mountain". Destroy, collapse.
Ladder: a very steep mountain road. Shizhan (zhàn): plank road.
The six dragons return to the sun: "Huainanzi" notes: "The sun rides on a chariot, driven by six dragons. ", which means that the legendary Xi He drove the six-dragon chariot (the sun) to this place and approached Yu Yuan (the legendary sunset). Gaobiao: refers to the highest peak in Shushan that can be used as a mark.
Crushing waves: waves created by the impact of water flow, here refers to rapids. Reverse bend: the water flow rotates. Huichuan: A river with whirlpools.
Yellow Crane: Yellow swan (hú), a big bird that is good at flying. Shang: Still. Got: can.
Ape (náo): The best climbing monkey in Shu Mountain.
Qingni Ridge: Qingni Ridge is located in the south of Hui County, Gansu Province and the north of Lueyang County, Shaanxi Province. "Yuanhe County Chronicles" Volume 22: "Qingni Ridge is located fifty-three miles northwest of the county, connecting the stream to the east, which is now the Tongtong. The cliffs are tens of thousands of meters high, the mountains are cloudy and rainy, and travelers often encounter mud puddles, so it is called Qingni Ridge. . "Pan Pan: The appearance of twists and turns.
100% off in 100 steps: make nine turns in 100 steps. Ying (yíng): coiling around. Yanluan: mountain peak.
扪(mén)神(shēn)Lijing: Shen and Jing are the names of two stars. The ancients assigned the stars in the sky to the states and countries on the earth, which were called "dividing fields", so that they could divine the good and bad luck of the states and countries on the earth by observing the celestial phenomena. Shenxing is the dividing line between Shu and Jingxing is the dividing line between Qin. Meng, touch with hand. Calendar, pass through. Breath-threatening: Holding one's breath and not daring to breathe.
膺(yīng): chest. Sitting: disciple, empty.
Jun: A friend who entered Shu.
Afraid of the road: the terrible road. Chán (chán) Rock: a dangerous and steep mountain wall.
But see: only hear. Hao (háo) ancient wood: cry loudly among the ancient trees.
Follow: follow.
Two sentences of "I heard it again": One is broken down to "I heard Zigui's cry again, and the moon is full of sorrow on the empty mountain at night". Zigui, the cuckoo bird, is the most common in Shu. It sings sadly, like a cloud saying, "It's better to go back." "Book of Shu" says: "In the past, there was a man named Yu named Du, who was king of Shu, and whose name was Wangdi. After Yu died, it is said that Du Yu turned into Zigui. Zigui is also the name of a bird. When people in Shu heard Zigui's call, they all called him Wangdi."
Withering beauty: The beauty is sad, like a flower withering. Wither, the usage is to make...wither. This refers to the change of complexion from ruddy to livid.
Go to: distance. filled.
Tuān: rapids rushing down. Huī: noisy sound, here refers to the loud noise made by rapids and waterfalls.
Ping (pīng) cliff: the sound of water hitting rocks. Ping, the sound made by water hitting the stone wall, is used as a verb here, meaning to hit. Turn: Make scrolling. 呑 (hè): valley.
嗟 (jiē): sigh. Er: You. Hu Wei: Why. Come: refers to Shu.
Jiange: Also known as Jianmenguan, it is a plank road between Dajiang Mountain and Xiaojian Mountain in the north of Jiange County, Sichuan, about thirty miles long. Zhengrong, Cuīwéi: both describe the appearance of tall and majestic mountains.
Two sentences about "one man": Zuo Si's "Ode to the Capital of Shu" in Volume 4 of "Selected Works": "One person guards the narrow gate, but ten thousand men cannot move towards it." Volume 56 of "Selected Works" contains the "Jiange Inscription": "One person carries a halberd, and ten thousand men stumble. In a beautiful place, bandit relatives should not live there." One husband, one person. Be at the gate, guard the gate. Don't open it, you can't open it.
Guardian: refers to the person guarding the pass. Or gangster (fěi) pro: If you are not a trustworthy person. Bandit is the same as "fei".
Chao (zhāo): morning.
Sucking (shǔn) blood (xuè): sucking blood.
Jincheng: Chengdu was famous for its cotton production in ancient times. The imperial court once set up officials here to collect cotton fabrics, so it was called Jincheng or Jincheng. "Yuanhe County Chronicles" Volume 31 Chengdu County, Jiannan Road, Chengdu Prefecture: "Jincheng is ten miles south of the county, so Jincheng is also called Jincheng." Today's Chengdu City, Sichuan.
Zi (zī) sigh: sigh. [2][3][4]
Vernacular translation
Oh my, how tall and majestic! The road to Shu is so difficult to climb that it is almost impossible to reach the sky.
The calligraphy work "The Road to Shu is Difficult"
It is said that Cancong and Yufu established the Kingdom of Shu. The founding era is too long to be discussed in detail. Since then, for about 48,000 years, Qin and Shu have been blocked by the Qinling Mountains and have never communicated back and forth. There is a trail on Mount Taibai to the west that birds can pass through. From that path you can cross the top of Mount Emei. The landslide and the earth split apart, and the five heroes of Shu were crushed to death. Only then did the two places have a ladder and a plank road to connect them.
There are mountaintops above that block the six dragon chariots of the Sun God, and below there are huge rivers that are drained by huge waves and winding back and forth. The yellow crane, which is good at flying high, is still unable to fly over, and even if the hozen wanted to climb over, it would be difficult to climb over. The Qingni Ridge twists and turns around the mountains, making nine turns around the rocks within a hundred steps. You can touch the Shenjing Star and make people look up and hold their breath, put their hands on their chests and sigh in vain.
My good friend, when will you return from your journey to the west? The scary rocky mountain plank road is really difficult to climb! I saw the sad bird whining and crying on the ancient tree, and the male and female flew together among the primeval forests. What I hear on a moonlit night is the sad cry of the cuckoo, which makes me miss this desolate empty mountain! The road to Shu is so difficult to walk, it is almost as difficult as climbing to the sky. How can people not change their expressions when they hear this?
The peaks are connected and less than a foot away from the sky; withered pine branches and old branches hang upside down between the cliffs. The whirlpools are whirling, the waterfalls are rushing and noisy; the water and rocks hit each other and turn like thousands of valleys thundering. The place was so harsh and dangerous; why did you, a guest from afar, come to this dangerous place?
Jiange is a place so majestic and towering that it reaches into the clouds. As long as one person guards it, it is difficult for thousands of troops to capture it. If the garrisoned officials are not close relatives of the royal family, they will inevitably turn into wolves and stand here, which is not rebellion.
In the morning you have to be wary of avoiding tigers, and in the evening you have to be alert to the disaster of snakes. Jackals, tigers and leopards grind their teeth and suck blood, which is really unsettling. Venomous snakes and ferocious beasts kill people like crazy, which makes you tremble with fear. Although Jinguan City is a happy place, it is so dangerous that it is better to return home as soon as possible. The road to Shu is so difficult to walk that it is almost impossible to reach the sky. Looking westward makes one sigh with emotion! [2] [5]
Creative Background
Since the Tang Dynasty, people have been speculating on the creative background of "The Road to Shu". There are four main theories: A. This poem is worried about Fang Guan and Du Fu, hoping that they will leave Sichuan as soon as possible to avoid the murderous hands of Yan Wu, the governor of Jiannan; B. This poem was written for Li Longji, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, who fled to Shu to escape the Anshi Rebellion, and persuaded them to It is a metaphor for his return to Chang'an to avoid being hijacked by the local warlords in Sichuan; C. This poem is intended to satirize Zhangchou Jianqiong, the governor of the Shu region at that time, who wanted to separatist power based on danger and did not listen to the court's control; D. This poem purely sings about the scenery of the mountains and rivers and has no moral meaning .
This poem was first recorded in the "Collection of Heroes in Heyue" compiled by Yin Fan of the Tang Dynasty. The book was compiled in the twelfth year of Emperor Xuanzong's Tianbao reign (753). From this, we can know that Li Bai's poem The writing date should be before the compilation of "The Collection of Heyue Heroes" at the latest. At that time, the Anshi Rebellion had not yet occurred, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty settled in Chang'an, and Fang (Guan) and Du Fu had not yet entered Sichuan. Therefore, theories A and B are obviously wrong. As for the satire of Zhangchou Jianqiong, judging from relevant records in some historical books, there is no basis. When Zhangchou Jianqiong was in Shu, he always dreamed of going to Chang'an to become an official. Relatively speaking, the last statement is more objective and close to the actual work.
This may be a poem for a friend. Some scholars believe that this poem may have been written by Li Bai when he was in Chang'an from the first to the third year of Tianbao (742-744) to send his friend Wang Yan to Shu. The purpose was to persuade Wang Yan not to detain Shu and return to Chang'an as soon as possible to avoid At the hands of a jealous villain, some scholars believe that this poem was written by Li Bai as a message to his friends when he first entered Chang'an and returned without success during the Kaiyuan period.