Analyzing a poet's poem can't be understood simply from the literal meaning, which is very one-sided. Literally, this poem is used to write about love, which is sincere and delicate, and fully reflects the poet's nostalgia for his dead wife. But if you understand the usual tactics of poets in the Tang Dynasty, you will understand that this euphemistic expression reflects a political appeal. "Once the sea was difficult for water, forever amber" comes from Yuan Zhen, a great poet in the Tang Dynasty. The full text is as follows:
Li Si Tang Yuan Zhen
Once the sea was difficult for water, forever amber.
Take a lazy look back at the flowers, and you are half-qualified to cultivate and half-qualified.
It is reported that "Li Si" was written in the spring of 89 AD (note: Yuan He was four years old), and Yuan Zhen was ordered to go to Jiannan Dongchuan. At that time, Yuan Zhen devoted himself to the people, boldly impeached powerful people and rehabilitated many unjust, false and wrong cases. However, Yuan Zhen, who was shrewd and capable, was unanimously opposed by the old bureaucratic class and the buffer region group in the DPRK. After a fierce power struggle, Yuan Zhen was demoted to the Yushitai of Dongdu, that is, to divide the affairs of Dongtai.
to put it bluntly, this placement is to crowd out Yuan Zhen. Just this year, Yuan Zhen's first wife, Wei Cong, died young in her prime. Wei Cong accompanied Yuan Zhen through the hard years, and was knowledgeable and considerate of Yuan Zhen everywhere. In the feudal marriage dominated by paternalism, it is not easy for husband and wife to have such good feelings.
the emotional loss of his beloved wife, the feud between the powerful and powerful in the imperial court, and the double blow made Yuan Zhen very painful. Therefore, during this period, Yuan Zhen wrote many poems to mourn his dead wife, and "Leaving Thoughts" was one of them. Therefore, "once the sea was difficult for water, forever amber" was ostensibly to mourn his dead wife, but the real meaning was to express his political demands: pretending to be selfish, and being extremely careless.
why? Once, the sea was difficult for water, and it was said in the article "Mencius Dedicated" that "it is difficult for those who look at the sea to find water, and it is difficult for those who swim at the gate of saints to say it", which means that when they are used to seeing the big waves, other waters will be disdained. The meaning here is obvious. Yuan Zhen expressed his loyalty to the king by mourning his dead wife. Except that Wushan is not a cloud, it is even more obvious. The preface to Gao Tang Fu comes out, and its cloud is transformed by the goddess, which belongs to the sky on the top and enters Yu Yuan on the bottom. It is as luxuriant as a pine and as beautiful as a beautiful girl. Yuan Zhen's meaning is very simple. My wife and I have a good relationship, and no matter how good it is, I can't stop my love for my wife.
It is very common to express loyalty to the king by expressing affection for children, and the most classic is Bai Juyi's Song of Eternal Sorrow, which criticizes the shortcomings of the times through the stories of children in Han and Tang Dynasties. Yuan Zhen did not mean to criticize the disadvantages of the times, but extended his love for the king through his love for his wife. After all, Yuan Zhen is a politician, and his first consideration is political influence, followed by being immersed in love with children.
Therefore, it would be too simple to take "forever amber was once a sea of water" as a love oath, which reflects Yuan Zhen's feelings of home and country. Therefore, the real meaning of this sentence is to be loyal to the king, cultivate one's morality and rule the country.