Swallows are often used in ancient poems, but their images vary.
1. Express the beauty of spring and convey the feeling of cherishing spring
According to legend, swallows come north on the sun in spring and return to the south on the sun in autumn, so many poets regard them as a symbol of spring. beautify and praise it.
(1) Such as "The flowers are blooming, and the swallows are blooming with new milk" (Wei Yingwu's "Chang'an Yu Feng"),
(2) "When the swallows come, the new society , the pear blossoms lag behind the Qingming Festival" (Yanshu's "Po Zhenzi"),
(3) "The orioles and swallows are spring and spring, the flowers and willows are real, everything is rich and charming" (Qiao Ji's "Tian Jing" "Sha? Ji Shi"),
(4) "Birds are singing in the fragrant trees, and swallows are carrying yellow willow flowers" (Zhang Kejiu's "Man on the Railing? Late Spring Ji Shi"),
(5) Shi Dazu, a poet of the Southern Song Dynasty, even used the word "swallow" in his poem "Shuangshuangyan? Ode to Swallow": "I still look at the caisson with carved beams, and I can't decide in soft words. The flowers are floating quickly, and the green tail separates the red shadow."< /p>
(6) Extremely refined, similar in form and spirit. Spring is bright and brilliant, and the swallows are petite and cute. In addition, the literati are sentimental. When spring passes, the poet will be infinitely sad. Therefore, Ouyang Xiu said, "After all the tourists have gone, they can feel the spring sky. The curtains are lowered, and the swallows return in the drizzle." ("Cai") "Sangzi") lamented,
(7) Qiao Ji said, "Whose house does the swallow go to in spring? The old orioles are shy and look for companions, the wind is cold and lazy to report to the Yamen (gathering honey), the hungry crows cry evil" (" "Water Fairy") is desolate.
2. Express the beauty of love and convey the deepest longing for your lover
Swallows have always been a symbol of love because the male and female compete with each other when flying.
(1) "Thinking of two flying swallows, holding the king's house in the mud nest", "The newly married swallows are like brothers" ("The Book of Songs? Gu Feng"),
(2)" When swallows fly, their feathers are lost, and their sons return and are sent far away into the wild" ("The Book of Songs? Yan Yan"),
(3) It is precisely because of the pairing of swallows that they It arouses lovers' longing for Yan and their desire to fly together.
(4) Only then can we have the loneliness of the empty boudoir of "the cobwebs hanging in the dark window, and the swallow mud falling on the empty beam" (Xue Daoheng, "Xixi Salt"),
(5) There is In addition to the melancholy and jealousy of "The falling flower is independent, the swallows fly together" (Yan Jidao, "Linjiang Immortal"),
(6) There is "The curtain is light and cold, and the swallows fly together" (Yan Shu, "Yan Shu", "Linjiang Immortal") The loneliness and desolation of "Breaking Time"),
(7) With the frustration and desolation of "the moon first rises above the yellow willow, the swallow first returns to the jade tower" (Zhou Deqing? "Happy Spring is Coming"),
(8) With the nostalgic expectation of "flowers bloom and travel far away, jade alleviates spring events, and swallows fly in the east wind thatched cottage" (Zhang Kejiu, "Qingjiang Yin"). All these are not enough.
3. Express the changes in current events, express the prosperity and decline of the past, the metabolism of personnel, the emotion and grief of the country and the family.
The swallows go back in autumn and return in spring, never forgetting the old nest, the poet grasps With this feature, you can vent your indignation to your heart's content.
(1) The most famous one is Liu Yuxi's "Woyi Alley": "Weeds and flowers beside the Suzaku Bridge, the setting sun is setting at the entrance of Wuyi Alley. In front of Wang Xietang in the old days Swallows fly into the homes of ordinary people."
(2) There is also Yan Shu's "The flowers fell helplessly, and the familiar swallows returned, and the fragrant path in the small garden wandered alone" ("Huanxi Sand"),
(3) Li Haogu's "Swallows come back and carry the embroidered curtain, but the old nest is nowhere to be found" ("Visiting Kinmen? Nostalgic Former Residence"),
(4) Jiang Kui's "Swallow Geese" Unintentionally, on the west bank of Taihu Lake, I follow the clouds. The peaks are clear and bitter, and it rains at dusk." ("Dian Crimson Lips"),
(5) Zhang Yan's "The swallows knew where they were, but the moss was deep. "Wei Qu, grass darkens the sloping river" ("High Balcony"),
(6) Wen Tianxiang's "The scenery of mountains and rivers remains the same, but half of the people in the city are gone. The reed flowers on the ground accompany me as I grow old, and the swallows in my old home are by my side." Who is flying?" ("Jinlingyi").
The swallow has no intention, but it has witnessed the changes in current events and endured the suffering of the country and family. It expresses the poet's sadness of "millet separation", and the load can be said to be heavy.
4. Passing letters from generation to generation, secretly expressing the pain of separation
In the Tang Dynasty, Guo Shaolan wrote a poem in Yanzu and passed it on to her husband Ren Zong. Ren Zong left home and traveled to Jiahu and did not return for several years. Shao Lan wrote poems and tied them to Yan Zu.
(1) At that time, Renzong was in Jingzhou, and Yan suddenly parked on his shoulder. When he saw the book, he saw it and read it. It was sent by his wife, and he returned home in tears. His poem "Sending a Husband" says: "My son-in-law went to Chonghu, cried in blood at the window, and sent his diligence to the unlucky husband with the wings of a swallow."
(2) Who said that "the swallows in Liang Dynasty are too ruthless" (Cao Xueqin? "A Dream of Red Mansions") It is precisely because of Yanzi's affection that the husband changed his mind and the couple met.
(3) Guo Shaolan is lucky. Some unfortunate women used Yan to send letters, but they disappeared and there was no news at all, such as "Sad Yan left a red line on his feet, annoying Luan shadow leisurely fan" (Zhang Kejiu? "Sai Hongqiu: Spring Love"), "With tears in my eyes, I lean against the building and talk alone. When the two swallows come, will they meet on the street?" (Feng Yansi, "Butterfly Loves Flowers"), the pain of tragedy and the deepness of longing make people fall in love with it. His face was moved, and then he burst into tears.
5. Express the sadness of traveling and describe the pain of wandering
(1) "Holistic, intuitive, and analogy are the dominant ways of thinking of the Han nation" (Zhang Dainian? "Trends of Chinese Thinking"), flowers, birds, insects and fish are all described by literati, and birds and animals all show the talent of poets.
(2) The crow of wild geese mourns the autumn, the song of apes touches the clothes, the fish passes on the ruler, the cicada sends its message high and far away, and the uncertain habitat of the swallow leaves the poet with rich imagination space,
( 3) Or wandering, "like a new swallow every year, drifting across the vast sea, coming to send rafters for repair" (Zhou Bangyan, "Man Ting Fang"); The future is bright and dim, and the journey is difficult with the conquering swallows traveling south and north." (Zhang Kejiu, "Happiness in Front of the Palace");
(5) Sometimes they meet and then part ways, "It's like the meeting of a swallow in a society and a Feihong. "We still send each other off before we are stable" (Su Shi's "Send Off to Chen Mu Zhitanzhou";
(6) Or they are separated from time to time, "Magnet flies up, mica comes to water, earth dragons bring rain, swallows and wild geese fly on their behalf" ( Liu An? "Huainanzi").
The swallow is no longer just a swallow, it has become a symbol of the traditional culture of the Chinese nation and has been integrated into the blood of every descendant of the Yan and Huang Dynasties.