The Song of Lime
[Ming Dynasty] Yu Qian
Thousands of hammers carved out the mountains,
The fire burned them as if they were idle.
Don’t be afraid of having your bones broken into pieces,
Translation:
Stones are mined from the mountains after tens of thousands of hits and knocks,
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It regards burning as an ordinary thing.
Don’t be afraid even if your body is shattered.
Determined to keep your noble integrity in the world.
The whole poem expresses the poet's thoughts and feelings of not joining in with others, resolutely fighting against evil forces to the end, and his noble sentiments of being pure and innocent on the road of life by praising the tenacity and unyielding quality of Li Shi. To remain innocent in this world. Notes:
Lime Chant: Lime Hymn.
Yin: a name for an ancient poetry genre. (A form of ancient poetry)
Strike: impact, carve.
Thousands and ten thousand: refers to a large number of impacts, not actually one thousand and ten thousand, it is an exaggeration.
If it's easy: It's like normal things. If: as if; leisurely: ordinary, relaxed
Innocence: refers to noble sentiments. Thousands of hammer blows: Countless hammer blows to excavate.
Human world: the human world.
Hammer: to strike.
[Edit this paragraph] Brief analysis:
This is a poem that expresses ambition. The author uses lime as a metaphor to express his strong and unyielding character and his thoughts and feelings of fighting against evil forces to the end.
After thousands of hammerings, the lime plucked from the mountains has been burned by the raging fire. See it as normal. No need to be afraid even if your body is broken into pieces, just to leave a piece of innocence in the world forever.
[Edit this paragraph] Modern translation of ancient poems:
As a poem about things, if it is just a mechanical record of things without embodying the deep meaning of the author, it will not be of much value. The value of this poem lies in the use of lime to describe itself everywhere. To chant lime is to praise one's own upright mind and noble personality. This is a poem that expresses ambition. The author uses lime as a metaphor to express his loyalty to the country, his willingness to not be afraid of sacrifice, and his determination to uphold his noble sentiments.
[Modern translation of ancient poems] After thousands of hammerings into the mountains, it is still regarded as nothing if it is burned by raging fire. No need to be afraid even if your body is broken into pieces, just to keep a piece of green and white (as clear as the color of stone, now often used as "innocent") in the world.
As a poem about things, if it is just a mechanical record of things without conveying the deep meaning of the author, it will not be of much value. The value of this poem lies in the use of lime to describe itself everywhere. To chant lime is to praise one's own upright mind and noble personality.
The first sentence "It takes thousands of hammers to carve out the deep mountains" describes the difficulty of mining limestone. The second sentence is "The fire burns as if it were nothing". "Burning with fire", of course, refers to the smelting of limestone. The addition of the three words "ruo taking it easy" makes people feel that it is not only writing about smelting limestone, it also seems to symbolize that people with lofty ideals and benevolence take it easy and take it easy no matter what severe tests they face. The third sentence is "I am not afraid of my bones being broken into pieces." "Shattered bones and broken bodies" vividly describes burning limestone into lime powder, and the words "hunbuwei" remind us that there may be a spirit of not being afraid of sacrifice. As for the last sentence, "I want to stay green and white in the world", it is the author's direct expression of his feelings and his determination to be a pure and innocent person. The "qingbai" in this sentence is compared to the color of the stone, which is the current meaning of "innocent".
Yu Qian was an honest and upright official. He once redressed injustices and provided relief for disasters and famines, and was deeply loved by the people. During the reign of Emperor Yingzong of the Ming Dynasty, Wala invaded and Yingzong was captured. Yu Qian proposed to establish Emperor Jing, and personally led his troops to defend Beijing and repel the Oara to save the people from another barbaric rule by the Mongolian nobles. However, after the restoration of Yingzong, this national hero was falsely accused of "treason". This song "Lime Song" can be said to be a true portrayal of Yu Qian's life and personality.
[Edit this paragraph] About the author:
Yu Qian (May 13, 1398 ~ February 16, 1457): Han nationality. Named Tingyi, a native of Qiantang, Zhejiang Province, a famous minister of the Ming Dynasty and a national hero. When he was seven years old, a monk was surprised by his appearance and said, "This is the prime minister who will save the world in the future." In the 19th year of Yongle's reign, Yu Qian passed the Jinshi examination.
In the early years of Xuande's reign, Yu Qian was appointed as the censor. When he played correctly, his voice was loud and his language was fluent, which made the emperor listen attentively. Gu Zuo served as the imperial envoy and was very strict with his subordinates. He was only polite to Qian, thinking that his talents were better than his own. When the emperor was stationed in Le'an, Gao Xu came out to surrender. The emperor asked Yu Qian to verbally explain his crimes. He is righteous and stern in his words, and his voice and appearance are stern. Gao Xu fell to the ground to protect him, claiming that his crime deserved death. The emperor was very happy. The master returned to Beijing and gave Yu Qian the same reward as the ministers.
Yu Qian went out to patrol Jiangxi and exonerated hundreds of prisoners who had been wrongly accused. He wrote a memorial to report that official schools in various places in Shaanxi were harassing the people, and ordered the censors to arrest them. The emperor knew that Yu Qian could take on important responsibilities. At that time, he was about to add the right minister of each ministry as the governor who was directly stationed in the province, so he wrote Yu Qian's name in his own hand and handed it to the Ministry of Personnel. He was promoted to the right minister of the Ministry of War and patrolled Henan and Shanxi.
After Yu Qian took office, he traveled lightly on horseback throughout the area under his jurisdiction, visited his elders, inspected various things that should be established or reformed at that time, and immediately submitted a letter to propose them. We submit letters several times a year. If there are any floods or droughts, we report them immediately.
During the Zhengtong period, the eunuch Wang Zhen was monopolizing power, dominating, and unscrupulously wielding power and accepting bribes. Officials and ministers rushed to offer money and seek favors. During every court meeting, anyone who comes to see Wang Zhen must offer a hundred taels of silver; if he can offer a thousand taels of silver, he can entertain him with wine and food, and return drunk. Every time Yu Qian went to Beijing to perform business, he never brought any gifts. Someone advised him: "You are unwilling to send gold and silver treasures, why can't you bring some local products?" Yu Qian smiled smartly, shook his sleeves and said, "There is only a breeze." He also specially wrote a poem "Entering Beijing" to Mingzhi:
Handkerchief mushrooms and incense sticks are used by civilians but are a disaster.
The breeze blows with both sleeves toward the sky, so as not to make short talk.
This is the story of "Breeze on Two Sleeves".