The translation of "Reflections on Reading (Part 2)" is as follows:
Last night there was a spring tide on the river, and the huge ship was as light as a feather.
Driving has always required a lot of pushing and pulling effort, but today I can float smoothly in the middle of the river.
Original poem:
Last night the spring water grew by the riverside, and the huge stern ship was as light as a dime.
I have always wasted my efforts to move forward, but today I am in the middle of the flow.
Author: Zhu Xi of the Southern Song Dynasty
Poetry Appreciation
"Spring water grew by the river last night, and the huge stern ship was as light as a dime." From the poem, the poet expressed his feelings towards the spring rain. There is not a single word, but it can be seen from the lines that a night of spring rain caused the tributaries to merge into the river, causing the spring water of the river to surge.
On the surface, the poet did not directly describe the magnitude of the water, but the huge ship was as light as hair, which reflected the width of the river and the mighty water. These two sentences describe the poet's perceptual understanding and also pave the way for the next two poems.
"It has always been a waste of effort to push, but today I can move freely in the middle of the current." Thinking of the dry season, the water is shallow and the boat is big, so a lot of effort is wasted and it can't be pushed. Now, the boat can move freely in the middle of the river without any effort at all. This is the rational sublimation of this poem.
This poem vividly illustrates the importance of external conditions. If a giant ship is in water, it will easily run aground if the water is shallow, making navigation difficult. The water is deep and the buoyancy is great, so it is easy to sail in big water. "Spring water grows by the river" and "Walking freely in the middle of the river" are cause and effect of each other, and the images are vivid and vivid.
The poet uses boating as a metaphor to emphasize that studying and learning requires hard work and great effort. Only with mastery of kung fu can one be able to control it freely and skillfully. This is also a new level of self-cultivation that comes naturally.