(Tang) Yu Shinan
Rui drinks clear dew,
The stream gurgled through the sparse tung trees.
From a distance,
It was not blown by the autumn wind
Sagging ear: the drooping part of the cap tassel tied under the chin of the ancients, which is somewhat similar to the shape of the tentacles extended from the cicada head.
because
Translation:
Cicada hangs down its tentacles like a hat tassel and sucks the clear and sweet dew.
The sound came from the tall and straight branches of the buttonwood tree.
Cicadas spread far away because they live in tall trees.
Not by the autumn wind.
The implication is that a man of noble character can become famous without outside help.
This is a poem about cicada, which praises the noble character of cicada. But it is also an expression of ambition.
Appreciate:
This little poem with symbolic meaning is the earliest poem chanting cicadas in Tang Dynasty, which is highly praised by later generations.
The first sentence is "hang down and drink clear dew", and "hang down" is the part of the hat belt tied under the chin of the ancients. Cicada's head has prominent tentacles, which look like a drooping crown tassel, so it is called "drooping". The ancients thought that cicadas were noble and drank dew, so they said "drink clear dew". This sentence is ostensibly about the shape and feeding habits of cicadas, but in fact it contains metaphors everywhere. "Hang" means official position (in ancient times, "crown tassel" was often used to refer to your official position). In the eyes of ordinary people, the status of such dignitaries is contradictory or even incompatible with "Qing", but in the author's pen, they are unified in the image of "hanging their heads and drinking clear dew". This unity of "Gui" and "Qing" is precisely because the "Qing" in three or four sentences does not need to be contrasted with "Gui", and the brushwork is quite ingenious.
The second sentence, "cicadas sing far and wide." Platanus acerifolia is a tall tree with sparse characters and clear branches. Corresponding to the last sentence "autumn wind", the flowing cicada has a pleasant long sound, and the word "Chu" is used to visualize the meaning conveyed by cicada singing, which seems to make people feel the loudness and strength of cicada singing. Although this sentence is only written by voice, readers can imagine the high level and elegant rhyme of the anthropomorphic cicada in Tsinghua. With this vivid description of the spread of cicadas in the distance, the drama of three or four sentences has taken root.
"A high voice is not affected by the autumn wind" is the crowning touch of the whole article. It is a discussion of poetry on the basis of the last two sentences. Cicadas spread in all directions. Most people often think that it is the autumn wind, but poets have different understandings, emphasizing that this is because of "high". This unique feeling contains a truth: people with high moral character can spread their reputation far and wide without some external support (such as the help of powerful people), just as Cao Pi said in Dian Lun Wen, "They don't forge good historical words, nor rely on flying momentum. Their reputation is autobiographical." What is emphasized here is the beauty and strength of personality. The word "self" and the word "non" in the two sentences echo each other, expressing warm praise and high self-confidence for people's inner character and showing a graceful demeanor. Emperor Taizong praised Yu Shinan's "Five Musts" for many times (virtue, loyalty, erudition, writing style and writing style). The poet's personalized "cicada" may have its own meaning. Shen Deqian said: "Every time a cicada sounds, it respects its sex alone." (Tang Poetry) This is indeed a point. It means that a gentleman should be as high and far as a cicada, not dependent on or subject to other things. It expresses the poet's enthusiastic praise and high self-confidence for people's inner character, and shows a graceful demeanor.