"Xiao fights with the golden drum and holds the jade saddle at night" (meaning: fight to the death with the enemy in the golden drum during the day and sleep with the saddle at night), and these two sentences are written on "Xiao" and "Night" and do not describe the life of the whole day, which is very general. Only these two sentences are opposite in the whole article, and the combination of solemn form and serious content enhances the expression effect.
Original poem:
Li Bai in Tang Dynasty: Six Xia Sai Songs (I)
The mountains in May are still full of snow, only cold, and the grass can't see the grass. Spring can only be imagined in the flute "Folding Willow", but it has never been seen in reality.
The soldiers fought the enemy in the golden drum during the day and slept in the saddle at night. I hope that the sword hanging around my waist can quickly pacify the border and serve my country.
Explanation:
In May, there was still heavy snow on the mountain, only the cold wind, and there were no blooming flowers at all. I heard someone playing "Song of Breaking Willow" on a flute, thinking that spring scenery is everywhere in my hometown, but I haven't seen it here yet. Fight the enemy to the death in the golden drum during the day and sleep with a saddle at night. I hope I can give full play to my strengths, pacify the frontier at an early date and make contributions to the country.
Extended data:
Creative background:
This group of poems named "The Song of the Sai Shang" was written in 743 A.D. (Tianbao year of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty). Li Bai entered Chang 'an at the beginning of last year, and now he is devoted to Hanlin and has political ambitions to make contributions. This poem is the first in a series.
Appreciate:
Starting with Snow in Tianshan Mountains, point out "under the plug" and write about the cold in the frontier. May is a hot summer in the mainland, but there is still snow in Tianshan Mountain. But the snow here is not flying snow, but snow. Although there are no snowflakes flying all over the sky ("no flowers"), I just feel chilly. There are no flowers in midsummer and May, and the cold in the other three seasons (especially in winter) can be imagined.
So these two sentences are light and heavy, and the words are vague and ambiguous. At the same time, the word "no flower" puns on the meaning of flowers, which is closely related to the third sentence "I heard someone playing" Folding Willow Song "with a flute.
"Zheliu" is the provincial name of Zheliu in Song Dynasty. On the surface, this sentence is written everywhere, but there is a sound outside the actual sentence, which means that there is no willow to fold in front of you, and the matter of "folding willow" can only be heard in the flute. Flowers are bright and dark, which is a symbol of spring scenery. "No flowers and no willows", that is, "spring scenery has never been seen" (interpretation: I thought my hometown was full of spring scenery, but here, I have never seen spring scenery).
These four sentences have a penetrating meaning, straight breath, natural words and informal rhythm, such as the opening of an ancient poem, which has never been done before.
Five or six sentences closely follow the previous meaning, which not only describes the tension of military life. In ancient times, the March sounded like a golden drum, and the advance and retreat were controlled in a neat pace. Writing "golden drums" will set off tension and make military discipline serious. Just saying "Sean Xiao" means marching and fighting all day. I can only take a nap with my saddle in my arms at night, especially the tension of military life.
Baidu Encyclopedia-Six Poems by Xia Sai (Poems by Li Bai in Tang Dynasty)