The solitary smoke in the desert is straight, and the sun is setting over the long river.
From "The Envoy to the Fortress" by Wang Wei, a poet of the Tang Dynasty
The bicycle wants to ask about the side, but the country is over Juyan.
Zheng Peng left Hansai, returned to Yan and entered Hutian.
The solitary smoke in the desert is straight, and the sun is setting over the long river.
Whenever Xiao Guan is waiting to ride, he will always protect Yan Ran.
Appreciation
In 737 (the twenty-fifth year of Kaiyuan), Wang Wei was ordered to go to Xihe Jiedushi Mansion to express condolences to the soldiers. This poem was written by the poet on his way to Xihe. This is a chronicle poem. The poet went to the frontier fortress on a royal mission. The poem describes what he saw and felt during this mission.
The first two sentences explain the purpose of the trip and the destination, why the poem was written, the place where it was written, and the vastness of the frontier. "Want to ask about the side" is the purpose of the mission. "Bicycle" means that there are few followers and the standards of etiquette are not high. The poem reveals a hint of frustration in the chronicle and scenery, and this emotion is triggered by the word "bicycle". The last sentence says that he has experienced the special area of ??"Juyan", which becomes the basis for the scenery described in the poem.
The third and fourth sentences contain multiple meanings. From the word "Guiyan", we know that the time of this mission to the frontier is in spring. When Pengcao matures, its branches and leaves dry up, its roots are separated from the earth, and it blows in the wind, so it is called "Zhengpeng". This sentence is the poet's use of fluffy grass to express his feelings of wandering. When ancient poems mention fluffy grass, most of them lament their own life experience. For example, in Cao Zhi's "Miscellaneous Poems" (Part 2), it is said that "turning away from the roots, fluttering with the long wind" is a famous example. The word "out of the Han Dynasty" in this poem exactly reflects the poet's trip; moreover, these three words have a strong flavor of a foreign country, which deepens the feeling of wandering. Leaving a country and leaving one's hometown always has complicated emotions, whether it's because it's difficult to leave home or to join the country, or because of a mission as written in this poem. Probably the poet was already in a bad mood during this mission, and it was different from the majesty and style of Sima Xiangru of the Han Dynasty who first gained the favor of Emperor Wu when he went on a mission to the southwestern barbarians. The poet's frustration may be related to the political struggle in the court. Prime Minister Zhang Jiuling, who always valued poets, was demoted to Jingzhou Governor in April this year.
The poem adopts the writing method of pairwise comparison. "Zhengpeng" is a metaphor for the poet, which is a direct ratio. The metaphor of "Guiyan" as a metaphor for the poet is a contrast. In the spring scenery, the geese returning to their old nests to raise their young are in their right place; the poet is facing the desert wind and sand like fluffy grass drifting to the outside of the Great Wall, and the scene is completely different.
The fifth and sixth sentences depict the magnificent and majestic scenes in the border desert, with a vast realm and majestic atmosphere. This couplet consists of two pictures. The first picture is the solitary smoke in the desert. Being in the desert, what unfolded before the poet's eyes was this scene: boundless yellow sand. Looking up at the sky, there is no cloud shadow in the sky. No vegetation is seen, and travel is cut off. Looking far into the distance, he saw a wisp of smoke rising at the end of the sky. The poet's spirit was lifted, and he seemed to feel that the desert was a little alive. That is the beacon smoke, which tells the poet that the trip is about to reach its destination. The beacon smoke is a typical scenery of the frontier fortress. The "straight smoke" highlights the atmosphere of the frontier fortress. From the perspective of picture composition. Adding a column of white smoke between the blue sky and yellow sand becomes the center of the entire picture, which is the finishing touch. "Kunya": "In ancient fireworks, wolf smoke was used to keep it straight and gather it, even if the wind blows it, it will not tilt." Zhao Diancheng of the Qing Dynasty said: "Those who see the scenery in person will know the beauty of the word 'straight'." Again, from the wording point of view.
Another scene is the sunset over the long river. This is a close-up. The poet is probably standing on a hilltop, overlooking the winding river. It was evening, the setting sun hung low on the river, and the river water shone with sparkling waves. What a wonderful moment this is! The poet only uses the word "circle" to accurately describe the characteristics of the sunset on the river. Due to such a perspective, it suddenly appears that the red sun appears in and out of the long river, which adds to the majestic momentum of the river swallowing up the sun and the moon, making the whole picture even more majestic and magnificent.
The poet focused his writing on what he was best at winning - describing scenes. The author's mission happened to be in spring. On the way, he saw several lines of returning geese flying north. The poet created a metaphor based on the scene and used the returning geese to compare himself. He not only narrated the story but also described the scenery. It was two strokes in one stroke, which was appropriate and natural. In particular, the couplet "The solitary smoke is straight in the desert, and the sun sets over the long river" describes the strange and magnificent scenery outside the frontier fortress seen after entering the frontier fortress. The border desert is vast and boundless, so the word "big" in "desert" is used. The frontier fortress is desolate and there are no wonders. The thick smoke from the beacon tower is particularly eye-catching, so it is called "lonely smoke". The character "solitary" expresses the monotony of the scenery, while the character "straight" immediately following it expresses the beauty of its strength and perseverance. There are no mountains and trees in the desert, and the Yellow River that runs through it cannot express the poet's feelings without using the word "long". The sunset can easily give people a sentimental impression, but the word "round" is used here, but it gives people a warm, warm and boundless feeling. The word "round" and the word "straight" not only accurately depict the scene of the desert, but also express the author's deep feelings. The poet skillfully dissolves his loneliness into the description of the vast natural scene. Xiang Lingxue's poem in the 41st chapter of "A Dream of Red Mansions" says: "'The solitary smoke in the desert is straight, and the sun setting in the long river is round'. How can the smoke be straight? The sun is naturally round. The word 'straight' seems unreasonable, and the word 'round' It seems too vulgar. If I want to find two more words to replace these two, I can't find two more words. "This is the advantage of poetry. It has meaning that cannot be expressed in words, but it is realistic when you think about it." It seems unreasonable, but it is reasonable and sentimental to want to go.
"This passage can be regarded as expressing the superb artistic realm of these two poems.
"Shi to the Fortress" is Wang Wei's representative work of frontier fortress poems. In the spring of the twenty-fifth year of Kaiyuan (737), Hexi Festival Cui Xiyi, the deputy envoy of Du, defeated Tubo. Wang Wei went to Liangzhou to express his condolences on the order of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty. This poem was written on the way out of the envoy in Hexi Province. It extolls the Tang Empire's vast territory, strong national power and prestigious frontier achievements, as well as the magnificent scenery and wonders of the desert outside the Great Wall. However, the author lacks a correct understanding of the nature of this war.