The poem "Far up the Hanshan Mountain, the stone path is slanted, and there are homes in the white clouds." It means: along the winding path up the mountain, deep in the white clouds, there are still homes.
Source
Du Mu - "Mountain Travel"
Original text
Far up the Hanshan Mountain, the stone path is slanted, and there are people living in the white clouds. (Part 1 of Deep Depths: The Place of Life)
I parked my car and sat in the maple forest at night, the frost leaves were as red as the February flowers.
Translation
Going up the mountain along the winding path, deep in the white clouds, there are actually other people.
I stopped the car because I loved the evening view of the maple forest in late autumn. The maple leaves have been stained by autumn frost and are more beautiful than the spring flowers in February.
Keyword Notes
Mountain walking: walking in the mountains.
Far up: to ascend far away.
Hanshan: a mountain in late autumn.
Stone path: a path of gravel.
Slant: This character is pronounced xiá, which means slanted.
Shen: There is another version called "生". ("Deep" can be understood as being in the depths shrouded in clouds and mist; "生" can be understood as being in the place where white clouds are formed)
Car: Sedan.
Sitting: Because.
Frost leaves: The leaves of maple trees turn red after the late autumn frost.
Maple Forest Evening: Maple forest in the evening.
Red in: redder than..., this article refers to frost leaves red in February flowers.
Creative background
This poem describes a trip to the mountains, and its specific creation time is difficult to confirm. The author climbed a cold mountain in autumn and made a poetic discovery, so he wrote this poem to remember it.
Appreciation of Works
This is a seven-character quatrain that describes and praises the scenery of mountains and forests in late autumn.
The first sentence: "The stone path on the cold mountain in the distance is slanted." From bottom to top, write a stone path that winds and stretches toward the mountains full of autumn. The word "cold" points out the deep autumn season; the word "yuan" expresses the length of the mountain road; the word "slant" echoes the word "yuan" at the beginning of the sentence, describing the high and gentle mountains. Since the slope is not steep, you can travel around the mountain by car.
The second sentence: "There are people living in the white clouds", describing the distant scenery the poet saw when he was walking in the mountains. The three words "someone's home" will make people think of the smoke curling from the kitchen, the crowing of chickens and the barking of dogs, thus making people feel that the mountains are full of life, without any fear of death. The word "someone's home" also refers to the "stone path" in the previous sentence, because this "stone path" is the passage for residents in the mountains.
The third sentence: "Stop and sit in the evening to love Fenglin", the word "si" is interpreted as "because". Because the evening view of the maple forest at sunset was so charming, the poet stopped to watch it. The word "night" in this sentence is used extremely delicately, and it contains multiple meanings: (1) It points out that the first two sentences are what you see during the day, and the last two sentences are about the scenery in the evening. (2) Because there is sunset only in the evening, the gorgeous sunset glow and the red maple leaves complement each other, making the maple forest particularly beautiful. (3) The poet lingered so much that in the evening, he was reluctant to board the car and leave, which shows that he loves the red leaves very much. (4) Only after parking for a long time and observing the details can we realize this.
The fourth sentence: "Frost leaves are as red as February flowers" is the central sentence of the whole poem. The descriptions in the first three sentences are all foreshadowing and setting off this sentence. Why does the poet use "hongyu" instead of "hongru"? Because "red as" is just like spring flowers, it only decorates the natural beauty; while "red as" is incomparable to spring flowers. It is not only more colorful, but also more cold-resistant and can withstand the test of wind and frost.
This little poem is not only an impromptu chant of scenery, but also a chant of objects and aspirations. It is the expression of the poet's inner spiritual world and the sustenance of his aspirations and interests, so it can enlighten and encourage readers.
Is the controversy
"deep" or "raw"?
In the second sentence of the original text, whether the word "deep" or "生" is used is still controversial in academic circles. Chen Menglei, the author of "Dust of Ancient and Modern Books" edited by Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, wrote "There is a Family Deep in the White Clouds". Zhao Huanguang in Wanli of Ming Dynasty published the version, and Song Hongmai compiled "Ten Thousand Tang Dynasty Quatrains" as "There is a Family Deep in the White Clouds". There are two versions included in the "Sikuquanshu" compiled by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty. For example, "A Collection of Tang Poems" and "Yuding Complete Poems of the Tang Dynasty" compiled by Ming Gaoyu include "There is a Family Deep in the White Clouds", while Song Hongmai compiled "Ten Thousand Quatrains of the Tang Dynasty" As "Baiyun was born in a family".
About the author
Du Mu (803-853) was an outstanding poet in the late Tang Dynasty. His courtesy name was Muzhi, a native of Jingzhao Wannian (now Xi'an, Shaanxi Province), and the grandson of Prime Minister Du You. In 828 AD (the second year of Yamato), he passed the Jinshi title and was awarded the title of Secretary of Hongwenkan. He served as a staff member in other places for many years, and later served as supervisory censor, editor of the History Museum, Shanbubu, Bibu, Si Xunyuanwailang, Huangzhou, Chizhou, Muzhou governor, etc., and finally became a Zhongshu Sheren. The poem is famous for its seven-character quatrains, and other writers in the late Tang Dynasty left Qu alone. People call him Xiao Du, and together with Li Shangyin, they are called "Xiao Li Du". He was good at poetry, and his "Afang Palace Fu" was passed down to future generations.
Paying attention to military affairs, he wrote many military papers and also annotated "Sun Tzu"