The characteristics of Wei's poetry cannot be summarized in a few simple words. The so-called "elegant, leisurely, and unique style." (Bai Juyi's words) is just a general statement. Wei There are many subtleties in the poem, which are difficult to express in words, such as the following poem "To the Taoist Priest in Quanjiao Mountain":
It is cold in the county now, and I suddenly miss the guests in the mountains. Bundle firewood at the bottom of the stream, and boil white stones when you return.
I want to hold a ladle of wine to soothe the wind and rain. The fallen leaves are all over the empty mountain, where can I find traces of my whereabouts?
The following sentence, "The fallen leaves are all over the empty mountain, where can I find traces of whereabouts?" is the most full of charm, and all the unspeakable feelings seep out without words. At first glance, I was reminded of Jia Dao's line, "Autumn winds stir up the Wei River, and fallen leaves cover Chang'an." Of course, these two lines of poetry are very different, but they are just a little closer in literal terms. Moreover, one is an ancient poem and the other is a rhymed poem. Many places cannot be distinguished. In simple comparison, I can only say that I prefer the ethereal and graceful tone of the previous sentence. Su Dongpo admired this poem very much. He once wrote a poem based on the rhyme:
A cup of Luofu Chun is a traveler from afar. Let's drink alone in the distance, and lie down on a stone under the pine tree while drunk.
The secluded person is invisible, the clear whistle is heard and the moon is setting. There is no trace of the people in the nunnery who fly into the sky.
This harmonious poem is obviously a bit artificial, and many later generations will not recognize it. For example, "Xu Yanzhou's Poetry Talk" says: "'The fallen leaves are all over the empty mountain, where can I find traces of whereabouts.' Dongpo used its rhyme to say "The people in Liaoxi'an have no trace of Fei Kong." This is not because of lack of talent, but because it is inappropriate to sing in harmony. It's similar. Dongpo exerts his strength, but Wei Gong doesn't exert his strength. Dongpo respects his intention, but Wei Gong does not. This is the subtle purpose. "It is true that the swan song should not be reconciled, but no one can explain why it should not be reconciled. This is subtle." .
Speaking of this, another issue of imitation is involved. Since the May Fourth Movement, most articles have advocated individuality, and imitation seems to be a derogatory thing, but one thing is undeniable - almost all articles cannot completely erase the traces of their predecessors. The seven sons of the Ming Dynasty advocated that "literature must be compared to the Qin and Han Dynasties, and poetry must be compared to the prosperous Tang Dynasty." This is certainly wrong, but blindly pursuing individuality and deliberately getting rid of the imprint left by the predecessors also makes people feel artificial. In "Literature of Personality" Here, Zhou Zuoren put forward four conclusions, of which the second and third points are respectively "the expression of personality is natural" and "personality is the only possession of the individual, and it has fundamental similarities with human beings." "Only when it comes out naturally and has some similarities with predecessors can it be considered good literature.
What I mean is "creation based on summary", or "creating on the basis of summary". In fact, most of the way to do knowledge is to summarize and then create carefully based on experience. People who don’t know how to summarize may not be able to create anything good. In a certain sense, imitation is also a kind of summary. People's personalities often have similarities and similarities. As long as you can imitate the spirit without being constrained by the shape, it is worthy of praise, or you can go a step further on the path of your predecessors. That is even more extraordinary art. In terms of ancient poetry, there are precedents. I remember that Li Shangyin had a seven-line poem "Du Gongbu left the banquet in Shuzhong", which was imitated in Du Fu's style. It is melancholy and vigorous, capturing its essence. There is also a wonderful section in it that is different from Du Fu's. At:
Where in life can you not stray from the crowd? The road to war is divided temporarily.
The foreign envoys from Xueling have not returned to heaven, but the troops in Songzhou are still stationed in front of the palace.
The drunken guests in the seats are gradually waking up, and the clear clouds on the river are mixed with rain clouds.
Fine wine in Chengdu is worthy of old age, but I am still Zhuo Wenjun.
The dialogues in the whole poem are steady and the connection is natural. There is not a word that is not good. It is exactly the style of Lao Du. However, if you taste it carefully, there is indeed an indescribable subtle difference. The reason is It's a question of their character. In addition, Gu Yanwu's "Four Poems on the Sea" by Gu Yanwu, which is very similar to Du Fu's "Eight Poems on the Rise of Autumn", is also a highly praised masterpiece, but due to space considerations, I will not quote it again.
Wei Yingwu also likes to imitate when he writes poems, mainly imitating Tao Yuanming. Maybe the two people have very similar temperaments, such as the following poem "Drinking Wildly with Friends to Effect the Tao Body":
Bringing hops under the forest, there is a thousand-year-old grave in front of you. If you don't drink it at that time, you will be able to drink from this spring.
Since I started playing with fragrant things, I should always think about spring. Chatting about the distant past, sitting and looking at the clouds returning to the mountains.
As soon as you laugh, you will know the lowliness and poverty.
Another example is "Xiao Tao Pengze":
The frost and dew have withered the grass, but the chrysanthemums alone are blooming. The physical properties are like this, and there is nothing to do about the cold and heat.
When I was young, I went to Huitian's house. If you are drunk under thatched eaves, your life will not be long.
As can be seen from the titles, these two poems can be learned from Tao. Both their language and thoughts are similar to Tao Yuanming. In this regard, Xing Fang commented: "The physique is close to that of Tao, but not similar to that of Tao Yuanming." "Xiao Er" (see "Tang Fengding"), Zhou Zizhi said: "There are many poets in ancient and modern times who like to imitate Tao Yuan's Ming style. There are not many poems like Tao's, but Yuan Ming's poems are not as majestic and beautiful as Wei Suzhou's poems..." The words are similar, but the meaning is also similar. When the meaning comes, the language will follow." (See "Zhupo Poetry Talk") Lu Shiyong saw the inherent difference between Tao Wei. In "Mirror of Tang Poetry", he put forward: "Tao Wei. "It is dull and deep, Wei is dull and shallow." This sentence is very good, but the depth of a poem does not mean its quality. Tao's poems are profound in philosophy and have far-reaching meanings, which are extraordinary, just like Wei's poems, which are also clear, shallow and lovely. Its charm cannot be taken lightly.
In addition, there are also poems by Wei that "don't say imitate Tao, but actually come from the true meaning" (Liu Chenweng said), such as the following poem "Zhizhi of Suburban Residence":
Going to the Xuanheng Gate, looking at the clouds and returning to the distant mountains. But if you respect the most important things, the rest will not matter.
There is no responsibility for right or wrong, and you have to be stubborn. I approach the clear stream day and night, enjoying my time and thinking.
When you go out, you will find an empty room with a window in front of you. How different is the bird that lives in the forest, it falls in love here and comes back again.
The world is prosperous and alone, and there is no way to achieve ambition. Only when the years are ripe and mature, there will be joy in the house.
Having finished talking about the issue of imitation, let’s go back to the “triviality” mentioned at the beginning of the article. I think there are two kinds of “triviality”, one is emotional, and the other is “trivial”. It's about life. In terms of emotions, they are some subtle feelings and feelings that are typical of life. These emotions must be plain and interesting and can be chewed over and over again. The great sadness and joy like Li Bai's are inevitably artificial and unreal. Wang Wei is particularly good at this. For example, "Remembering Shandong Brothers on September 9th" and "Weizhou Song" are both models and difficult to match. The same is true for Du Fu's "Three Poems on Qiang Village" and "To the Eight Imperial Guards" . Wei Yingwu also had excellent works in this area, but after all, he was slightly inferior to Wang Du. His better poems include "The Rebellion in the Capital to the Brothers":
The weak crown suffered a disaster, and the second century was still not peaceful. He was away from the official county, and Xijing was full of tigers and leopards.
On top there is love for dogs and horses, but below there is love between flesh and blood. When will I go back? I will shed tears suddenly.
You come up to the north tower, and there are military camps on the left and right. There are no pedestrians in Han Valley, and spring grass grows in Huainan.
Birds are singing in the fields, and I think about my trip to my hometown. How can the world be peaceful and willing to cultivate with the people of Qi?
"I am happy to visit my brother in Guangling and send him back to Chizhou":
The green trees are connected with each other, and Ran Ran has been separated for a long time. Visitors to Guangling will arrive as scheduled.
I lean down and tell the story of my death, my heart is filled with sadness. Accepting love and being happy, I don’t know how to be hungry after a long day.
Having been forced by many forces, I should return it to the pool. Chang'an is three thousand miles away, what can Yan do alone?
Going out of Dengchang Gate in the south, you will be blown away by the wind blowing from left to right. The difference is not far away, it will make the heart unhappy.
"Going Back":
In the past, I returned home happily, but now I am still sad. Entering the room to cover up the darkness, holding a mournful title in the empty position.
The desolate curtain moves, the silence is frightening and the cold blows. How could a young girl know that she comes to play in the court?
I am getting older with each passing day, and there is nothing wrong with me. My family persuaded me to have a meal, but I cried at the table.
Emotions often become more real because they are dull. Wei Yingwu understands this truth, so no matter how bumpy the experience is and how heavy the blow is, he tells it with a calm attitude. This spirit is a bit like Mozart. In fact, not only are the emotions plain, but Wei's poems are known for their simplicity and simplicity, both in terms of words and layout. After Wei Yingwu, Han Yujian took a different approach and liked to use some strange words, which makes it feel strange. Although Bai Juyi's poems are simple, they are not so simple in layout. They tend to pay too much attention to twists and turns, but lack simplicity and kindness, and are a little too familiar. Therefore, I think Wei Yingwu is the best poet in the mid-Tang Dynasty. In fact, what I especially like is the customary sigh of confusion at the end of Wei's poems. This is probably also a kind of emotional "triviality", such as:
Old friends are thousands of miles away, and we are separated from each other. Shen. There are no plants or trees in life. The cold and heat move this heart. (From Part 6 of "Ancient Poems")
We are now apart, how can we meet again. The waves of the world are on the boat, and you can stay safely along the boat. (From "The First Letter of Yangtze to the Yuan Dynasty")
Those who survive are hard to see, and those who have gone are already unknown. Who is afraid of being frightened when walking in the wind? (From "Visiting the Four Zen Jingshe and Feeling Sad about the Past, Sent to the Chaozong and Juchuan Brothers")
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There is also a song "Meeting Old Friends from Liangchuan on the Huai River", which is Among my favorite reads, there is a passage that is indescribably wonderful, probably because of its vastness and distance:
I was a guest in Jianghan, and I returned drunk every time I met. After the floating clouds parted, the water flowed for ten years.
The laughter and affection are as old as before, and the hair on the temples has become stained. Why return to the north, facing Qiu Shan on the Huai River.
I once said that talking about plants, trees, insects and fish is more useful than talking about profound philosophy. I still adhere to this concept. Therefore, if a literati can pay attention to the trivial matters and common sense in life, I will You will find it very valuable. Confucius once said: "I am a young man, so I can do despicable things." This "despicable thing" is really interesting. Fortunately, China's literary world is not limited to "Yuan Dao" and "Zhu Xi Yu Lei", there are also good books such as "Tao'an Dream Memories", "Scenery of the Imperial Capital", Zhou Zuoren's "Children's Miscellaneous Poems", Although it seems to many people that it lacks literary talent and ideological connotation, I still found it very interesting after reading it. I will quote two paragraphs:
In the Shangyuan Dynasty, the wax offering was highly heated, and the hall was bright for the morning.
The chicken lanterns I bought were useless, so I went to the kitchen to watch how to cook Yuanxiao.
——"Zhitang Miscellaneous Poems·Children's Miscellaneous Poems·A No. 4, Shangyuan"
In the Ghost Festival of the Zhongyuan Dynasty, the elves are represented, and the lotus leaves and lotus flowers are used as lanterns.
Although I will forget about today’s food tomorrow, I will still see the clear blue sky from all over the street.
——Zhou Zuoren: "Zhitang Miscellaneous Poems·Children's Miscellaneous Poems·A No. 23, Zhongyuan"
Wei Yingwu's "Miscellaneous Poems" are certainly richer than Zhou Zuoren's Although he is talented in literature, he is still far more simple than his contemporaries, such as this song "Growing Melons":
He is reckless in nature, and he is especially sparse in science and philosophy. I am learning to grow melons this year, and many of my gardens are deserted.
All the grasses are like rain and dew, but the new seedlings are alone. I have been in a state of distress in spring, and I cannot hoe after it is too late.
The Tian family laughs in vain, and the day turns to emptiness. Belief is not a matter for me, but reading the books of the ancients.
This poem has a self-deprecating sense of humor. Tan Yuanchun thought that it was reasonable to say "nothing to hide". In addition, there are "Wing Chun Snow", "Hemerocallis", "Seeing Bauhinia Flowers", "Playing with Fireflies", "Growing Medicine", "Growing Willows in the West Stream", "Tea Growing in the Happy Garden", "Growing Pomegranates" , "Ti Tong Ye", "First Hearing of Summer Cicada"... about fifty poems. The fundamental difference between Wei Yingwu's "trivial things" and Zhou Zuoren's "Children's Poems" is that Wei's poems focus on borrowing objects to convey meaning, while Zhou's poems only discuss matters, so reading Wei's poems can often feel something beyond the words. The brilliance of Zhou's poetry lies in its calmness, lack of emotion, and rejection of literary talent. Apart from its own content, there is no way to understand it. The so-called "big sounds are loud, but elephants are invisible." This is true, but it is just the beauty of it. , cannot be understood by ordinary people. Since Wei Yingwu was a scholar, he had even more limitations.