The Yangtze River flows from west to east, Meng Haoran flows downstream, and because the Yellow Crane Tower is in Wuchang, it is located in the west of Yangzhou. "Western languages" are of course from west to east.
From the poetic point of view, Meng Haoran bought a boat in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, went to Yangzhou in the east, and said goodbye to Li Bai in the Yellow Crane Tower in the west.
A normal answer. Is that really the case?
Actually, it's much more than that. After all, generally speaking, the author Li Bai should write farewell poems from the perspective of the farewell, such as "advising the monarch to drink more, and going out for no reason." In this way, Li Bai is the guest and Meng Haoran is in the east. Why give priority to those who are sent?
West Ci, with Meng Haoran as the protagonist, shows the feeling of farewell between friends.
Because Li Bai is a romantic and sentimental person, "master, I cheer you from the heart, and your reputation has risen to the sky." His affection for Meng Haoran is evident. When they met, Meng Haoran, who was more than ten years older than him, was already famous all over the world.
High mountains and flowing water are regarded as bosom friends. When a close friend sails, there is no sadness or emotion. I am willing to entrust my affection to the rolling river and send my friends to Yangzhou, a destination full of spring.
However, the whole poem does not have the words "don't give up" and "deep affection", and it is all beautiful scenery. Li Bai is calm and calm, but Meng Dage is reluctant to part with him. Looking back, it is refreshing to wave goodbye to his western friends. Therefore, some scholars call this sentence a timeless quatrain, which depicts a beautiful and bright picture of the bustling world.
In the Qing Dynasty, Shen Deqian commented on Li Bai's Seven Wonders in 300 Tang Poems, saying that words are close to feelings, but it is more important to hide your words. Eyes only stare at the foreground, and words with overtones keep people away. Read this song "Farewell to Meng Haoran on the Way to Yangzhou", especially to savor what Shen Deqian said.
Of course, some people think that Li Bai's "Western Poetry" is entirely due to the Yellow Crane Tower complex.
Cui Hao's Climbing the Yellow Crane Tower is a masterpiece of the Forbidden City.
Li Bai, who loves poetry, lamented that Cui Hao was the first:
"The Yellow Crane Tower was smashed with one punch, and Nautilus Island was kicked over. There is a scene in front, and Cui Hao's topic is on it. "
Therefore, in this farewell poem, in order to highlight the Yellow Crane Tower, point out the specific location, and make up for the regret of "there is a view in front of you" by the way, let Master Meng "talk about the Yellow Crane Tower in the west". In addition, "the solitary sail crosses the sky to the end, only the Yangtze River flows in the sky", and it has also passed the Yellow Crane Tower, which has indeed become a masterpiece on a par with Cui Shi.
In fact, this literary "east-west" direction is actually a literati aesthetic.
Someone once asked, "Why do peacocks fly southeast?" Answer: "There are tall buildings in the northwest!" But the emergency theory.
For another example, Li Bai said in "The Moon Song of Emei Mountain Send Yan Monk to Beijing": When I was in the Three Gorges of Badong, I looked at the western bright moon and remembered Emei. Emei rises in the moon and shines on the sea, just like Wan Li. It can also be seen that the poet looks west.
Not only Li Bai, but also Li Yu's chant of "going to the west wing alone without saying anything", and Li Shangyin's chant of "when * * * cuts the candle at the west window, but talks about the evening rain" and so on, so that we rarely see poems chanting "East".
This is because in traditional culture, "East" is the subject and "West" is the object, which leads to the image of facing the DPRK and being in opposition. In the works of literati, the non-mainstream "West" is more aesthetic.
If you don't believe me, it seems vulgar to change Li Bai's poem to "an old friend stays in the East Yellow Crane Tower".