Theme is also called the theme idea. The central idea is a main line that runs through the poem. It is a main axis around which all the notes jump up and down. All images must revolve around this thread. Only the invisible main line can be transformed into the so-called artistic conception, which can then move readers and make people cry.
Poetry is an art of visualization, and imagery is the most basic element that makes up poetry. The image itself is objective, but when different people extract it, they will always have different perspectives, thus forming different emotional colors. Therefore, poetry is also a visual and emotional art.
The opposite of image is concept. Image is jumping, while concept is solid. Image is elusive, while concept is immutable. Therefore, image is the living soul of poetry, and concepts are the source of rigidity in poetry. To make poetry come alive, there must be more images and less concepts. How to make the images we can extract come alive and form a certain theme? This is the first step we have to take today:
2. People with different intentions and styles will have different views on the same thing, and then form different styles, and the level of style directly affects the quality of the work. Success or failure, the generation of so-called positive energy and negative energy, is a matter of intention. Take bees for example, they are the favorite and the theme of singing by all kinds of artists. Different people's stance will form different styles, and the themes expressed will be very different. For example:
There is no distinction between flat land and mountain tops, the infinite scenery is occupied.
After collecting the honey from hundreds of flowers, I don’t know why the hard work is sweet. "Bees" written by Luo Yin, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, lamented that bees took all the glory, but later lamented "for whom they worked hard", revealing the poet's compassion.
The bee is busy with fat in its mouth, stealing powder and laughing, just to gather food for its tiny body.
Thinking about honey becoming selfless, just like the remaining fragrance at the bottom of the flower. This is a song called "Bee" that I read in my early years. I don't know the source, but the style is not as good as the previous one. It is full of sarcasm and ridicule of bees, which is a bit like a wise old man laughing at a foolish old man.
There is a libretto in the movie "Sister Jiang":
Bee'er brews nectar from hundreds of flowers, just to fill the world with sweetness. Just to fill the world with sweetness, the style is completely different, reflecting the revolutionaries' lofty ideal of serving the people. It is true that poets are not politicians, but whether they laugh at workers, sympathize with workers, or praise workers, it is obvious that a person's inner essence can be seen, and his moral character can be judged.
3. Realm and Realm Creation Wang Guowei, a beginner in the late Qing Dynasty, wrote "Human Words", which may be the most important work on poetry aesthetics in history. He believed that realm is the most important thing in poetry, and "if there is realm, it will come naturally." The ideal and the realistic are divided into two schools, but it is difficult to distinguish them because the environment created by the great poet must be in line with nature, and the environment he writes about must be in line with nature. Neighbors must be neighbors and ideals.” He also said that there are two realms, one is the "realm of self" and the other is the "realm of no self". The so-called state of self refers to the obvious personal self-color in the scenery described and the artistic conception created by the author. For example, "Tearful eyes ask the flowers without saying a word, and the red flowers fly across the swing." A smiling face looks at the flowers and laughs to itself, but tearful eyes ask the flowers and they will cry! The other is the "selfless state", which means that among the things and scenery described, you can't tell which is the scenery and which is the author, which means that you completely integrate yourself into the state. For example, "picking chrysanthemums under the eastern fence, leisurely seeing the Nanshan Mountain", "cold waves rising, white birds leisurely descending", it is difficult to tell whether the author is describing the scene or expressing emotion? Because the author completely integrates all emotions into nature, which is the most superb way of creating a landscape. Of course, we are just amateurs, and we are still far away from reaching this step, but if we want to go further, we must first learn to appreciate it, and draw nutrition from the poems of our predecessors for my own use. At the same time, Wang Guowei's "Human Words" should be a required course. I got one of the Five Rhythms today, and I think it's pretty good. I would like to ask my friends to give me some valuable advice:
"Five Rhythms: Early Winter in the Suburbs"
Pheasants crow along the paths, and there are deserted villages in the wilderness.
In the monastery with cypress trees, tourists come out of the Pimen Gate.
The clouds are floating over the steep mountains, and the water is romantic on the bridge piers.
Wandering in the desolate place, chanting oh admiring the traces of the moon.