The poem "What You See" describes the dynamic: a shepherd boy rides an ox, and his singing shakes the forest. Intent on catching chirping cicadas. The poem describing static is: suddenly shut up and stand.
"What You See" is a five-character quatrain written by Yuan Mei, a poet in the Qing Dynasty. This poem depicts an innocent and happy picture of a shepherd boy in the forest, expressing the author's love for the pastoral scenery. The original text of the poem is as follows:
The shepherd boy rides the ox, and his singing shakes the forest.
I wanted to catch the chirping cicada, but suddenly I stood up with my mouth shut.
The vernacular meaning is: A cowherd child rides on the back of an ox, and his loud singing echoes in the forest. The cicada suddenly wanted to catch the singing in the tree, so he immediately stopped singing and stood silently next to the tree.
Creative background: The poet saw a shepherd boy riding a cow and singing a song on the way. Suddenly he heard the cry of cicadas, so he stopped singing and jumped off the cow's back, preparing to catch the cicadas. A small thing that the author saw by chance triggered the poet's interest in poetry, so he wrote this poem "what he saw".
The first line of this poem is plain and has no trace. The tone of the second sentence suddenly rises, and the melody suddenly speeds up, forming a climax. One or two sentences describe the innocent, lively, carefree and cute appearance of the little shepherd boy as well as his happy mood. The word "ride" directly describes the posture of the shepherd boy, while the word "zhen" indirectly points out his mood.
Through the two verbs "ride" and "vibrate", the leisurely and carefree mood of the shepherd boy is fully revealed. He was almost completely intoxicated by the beauty of nature, and he didn't even know that there was a word "sorrow" in the world. It is precisely because of the joy in my heart that I can't help but sing loudly, even to the point of stopping the clouds and "vibrating the forest."
Three or four sentences still continue to describe the expression. The third sentence is transition and gesture. Describing the psychological activities of the shepherd boy explains the reason why he "keeps his mouth shut" and is also the turning point of the whole poem. In the fourth sentence, it takes a sharp turn, like a thousand-foot waterfall falling into a deep pool, and then stops abruptly. The word "suddenly" vividly expresses the surprise and alertness of the shepherd boy when he discovered the cicada singing on the tree.
"Suddenly" changes occurred: from sound to silence, from walking to stopping, the moment when the little shepherd boy closed his mouth and stared at the singing cicada was full of charm. The two verbs "close" and "li" vividly depict the innocent expression and childlike wit of this shepherd boy. The whole poem uses line drawing techniques to capture the momentary performance of the little shepherd boy and vividly describe the clever characteristics of the little shepherd boy, making people feel the innocence and cuteness of the little shepherd boy.
This is a poem that reflects the life of children. In the poem, the poet praises the childlike life of the little shepherd boy. The poet first writes about the little shepherd boy's movements, how he sits high on the back of a cow and sings loudly, how loose and unrestrained he is; then he writes about the little shepherd boy's movements, his expression of holding his breath and looking at the singing cicadas, which looks particularly focused.
"Silence is better than sound at this time." This change from movement to stillness is written both suddenly and naturally, vividly portraying the innocent, fun-loving and eventful image of the little shepherd boy. It is in this ups and downs that this poem achieves great artistic effect. The language of the poem is as clear as words, simple and unpretentious, and very authentic. As for what happened next, how the little shepherd boy caught cicadas and whether he caught them, the poet did not write about it, leaving it to the readers to experience, daydream, and think.
This poem directly expresses the feelings of life through the description of the natural environment and social life. It seems to be leisurely and leisurely, but in fact it expresses emotions. At the same time, this poem ignores rhythm, is lively and free, has simple and clear language, and natural and vivid images. Looking at the whole poem, the peace, tranquility and picturesque pastoral scenery it depicts, and the image of a lively, comfortable and innocent shepherd boy, express the poet's "true temperament".