"Accidental" is written to a lover who fell in love by chance and then fell apart. Now I will introduce to you the original text and appreciation of Xu Zhimo's "Accidental". I hope it can help you!
Original text:
By chance
Xu Zhimo
I am a cloud in the sky,
Occasionally projected In the heart of your wave——
You don’t need to be surprised,
There is no need to be happy——
It disappeared in an instant.
You and I meet on the sea of ????dark night,
You have yours, I have mine, direction;
Whether you remember it,
It’s best that you forget,
The light that shines on each other during this encounter!
Appreciation 1:
Xu Zhimo’s "Accidental" is very It may just be a love poem, written to a lover who fell in love by chance and then fell apart. However, the poem's imagery transcends itself. We can completely regard this poem as an exclamation song of life. On the road of life, there are so many accidental encounters, and how many beautiful things are just accidental encounters that will never be repeated. Whether it is lingering family affection or touching friendship, whether it is great maternal love or innocent childlike innocence, whether it is a knowing smile on the street or a few loving words during the journey, they are often short-lived and disappear without a trace. How many of those lost beauties and lost loves can come back again? The devil of time takes away everything. For the cloud shadows in the sky occasionally flashing in the center of the wave, there is really no need to be surprised, let alone joy. What's more, in the boundless sea of ??life, the distance between hearts sometimes cannot be reached even if they travel for endless days. the other side. Everyone has his or her own direction. We meet by chance and part ways in a hurry, with no hope of seeing each other again. Those "lights" that shined on each other when they met, those affections that were poured into each other when they met, "remember it, it's best that you forget it".
In such a short poem, Xu Zhimo used such a simple artistic conception, such a rigorous format, and such a concise melody to create a hazy and crystal clear, small and boundless world. When we walk in this world, we feel so much emotion about life, so much remembrance of the past, so much reminiscence of the past... but it is not as weeping as weeping, let alone shouting at the heavens and the earth. We just walked slowly and a little heavily, occasionally looking up and seeing a shooting star flying past through the grape trellis or dark blue clouds, and a faint feeling of sadness arose in our hearts. But I still strolled, and the slow and a bit heavy footsteps, like an "eternity", stayed in the night sky.
No matter how light or elegant it is, it cannot hide the sadness of reality, and there is a hint of loss hidden deep in the emotions. The poet does not regard beauty and life as dispensable, but has a deep attachment and persistent pursuit. Just "beauty" or other aspects of life are like the shadow of clouds in the sky and the sea at night. The light disappeared in an instant. He had longing, but at the same time he couldn't shake off a touch of sadness. "Whether you remember it or you'd better forget it" seems optimistic and detached. But in terms of aesthetic psychology, this is not the case. "It is best that you forget" is actually the last thing you can forget. There is nothing detached, nothing dispensable. Some are realistic sorrows, songs sung by a real person who is obsessed with life and ideals when he suffers repeated setbacks. Longing and despair, sadness and unrestrainedness are wonderfully intertwined. It is the sorrow of a pure poet. His chicness and elegance are mostly due to his pursuit of elegant beauty and the control of his emotions.
Xu Zhimo was in the darkest era of a poor country. He was full of the hope of "beauty" and struggled to pursue the light of ideals in the cracks of the times, but they were all like flowers on the beach. Each flower withered in an instant. His singing voice, forced by the "shadow of life", eventually became hoarse and dry. Even some early poems, such as "I don't know which direction the wind is blowing", are so gentle and elegant, but if you appreciate them carefully, they are all sentimental. "Accidental", written in 1926, is the same. There is a touch of sadness in the deep message of the poem. The poet has no intention of participating in the fiery struggles of the times, nor does he intend to express the so-called "essence of the times." However, the suffering of the times is also reflected in the heart of a pure poet in twists and turns.
Some researchers believe that "Accidental" treats "the relationships between people as erratic and traceless" and "treats everything very lightly, as insignificant and insignificant". There is no need to do anything but turn the fiery passion and vigorous life into light smoke." Such a conclusion cannot be said to be completely wrong, but it cannot be said to be completely right, because this conclusion is based on the researcher's understanding of the surface information of the poem "Accidental". However, the eternal charm of a poem comes from its deep message. The deep message of "Accidental" conveys a sense of loss in life - it is elegant and light.
——It is the heartbeat of the poet's soul full of aura in an instant. The simple notes echo for a long time, the elegant beauty is undulating with turmoil, and the elegant mood contains profound...
Appreciation 2 :
Note: Written in May 1926, it was first published in the 9th issue of "Morning Post Supplement·Poetry" on May 27 of the same year, signed by Zhimo. This is the lyrics of the old blind man in the fifth act of the script "Bian Kungang" co-written by Xu Zhimo and Lu Xiaoman.
Being able to visualize an extremely abstract time adverb like "accidental" and put it into a symbolic structure, full of interesting philosophy, not only catchy and catchy, but also full of meaning. It's beyond words - Xu Zhimo's little poem "Accidental", for me, it's not an exaggeration to use the word "soft spot".
In the history of poetry, a eloquent poem with a thousand lines can be buried in the ruthless sedimentation of history as time goes by, but some exquisite short poems can shine through the ages. . This short poem of two paragraphs and ten lines should be regarded as a unique work in the gallery of modern poetry.
This little poem "Accidental" also has some unique "turning" significance in the process of Xu Zhimo's pursuit of poetic beauty. According to Xu Zhimo's student, the famous poet Kazhilin: "This poem is the most perfect in form among the author's poems." (Page 94 of "The Collected Poems of Xu Zhimo" edited by Kazhilin) ??New Moon Poets Chen Mengjia also believes: "A few poems such as "Accidental" and "Ding Dang-Freshness" opened the gap between his two periods. He erased his previous anger and used neat, soft and refreshing verses to write the subtle The secret of the soul." ("In Memory of Xu Zhimo"). Indeed, Xu Zhimo's skill and ingenuity can be seen in the rhythm of this poem. The whole poem has two stanzas, the upper and lower stanzas are symmetrical. The first, second and fifth sentences of each stanza are composed of three musical steps. For example: "Occasionally projected in the center of your wave," "The shells of light that shine on each other during this intersection," the third and fourth sentences of each stanza are composed of two steps, such as: "You don't have to be surprised," "It's good that you remember/it's better that you forget." The arrangement and processing of the steps are obviously rigorous but also free and easy. Longer steps alternate with shorter steps, making it read slowly, calmly, tactfully and catchyly. .
What I need to highlight here is that this poem is full of various "tension" structures that are difficult to detect. This "tension" structure is between "muscle" and "muscle". There are various aspects between "frame", between "image" and "image", and between "intention" and "intention". The unique "tension" structure should be said to be one of the secrets of this poem's artistic charm.
The so-called "tension" is a critical term advocated and practiced by British and American New Criticism. In layman's terms, it can be seen that the whole organism of poetry contains existing contradictory and contradictory dialectical relationships. A poem must be organic and holistic on the whole, but its interior is allowed and should be full of various contradictions and tensions. Poems full of "tension" can be profound, chewy, and endlessly memorable. Because only this kind of poetry is not static, but "contains movement in stillness". For example, although a fully opened bow is stationary, it is full of energy and strength that can explode at any time.
Regarding this poem, first of all, there is a certain tension between the title of the poem and the text. "Accidental" is a completely abstract adverb of time. What you write under this title should be said to be free and arbitrary. However, under this abstract title, the author writes about two relatively real things. One is about the sky. The clouds occasionally project on the center of the waves in the water, and the second is that "you" and "I" (both symbolic images) meet on the sea. If we use "Me and You", "Encounter" and the like as the title, although it is not bad, the poetic taste will be far different. If we use "You and I" and "Encounter" as the title, which are quite practical words that anyone can summarize from the poem, the tension between abstraction and concreteness will naturally disappear.
Thirdly, there are more tension structures within the poetic text. "You/I" are a pair of "binary oppositions", or "occasionally projected in the center of the wave," or "meeting on the sea," are all passers-by passing by in the journey of life; "You don't have to be surprised. / No need to rejoice” and “Whether you remember it / it’s best that you forget it,” all present sufficient “tension” with a “dual opposition” emotional attitude and a semantic “oxymoron”. Especially the poem "You have yours, I have mine, direction", I think it is not an exaggeration to recommend it as a classic poem praised by "New Criticism" as the most suitable for "tension" analysis. "You" and "I" meet by chance in the vast sea of ????people because they each have their own directions, and they shine together, but they pass each other and go their own directions. Two completely different and contradictory intentions - "you have yours" and "I have mine" are precisely unified and contained in the same sentence, and are summed up in the same word - "direction".
As Xu Zhimo, who gives readers a strong impression of a "romantic poet", the symbolism of this poem - both overall symbolism and local image symbolism - may be particularly noteworthy. The overall symbolism of this poem is consistent with the tension structure between the "poem title" and the "text" we analyzed earlier.
Under the title of "accidental", which can be transformed into many concrete images, images such as "cloud-water", "you-me", "night sea", "mutual light" and the relationship between images are included. The composition of relationships can be understood or structured differently due to the differences in readers' personal emotional experiences and the intensity of their experiences. This is exactly the wonderful use of "symbol" that "the names are small and the categories are large" ("Yixi Ci"), using less to metaphor more, using small to metaphor big, and using individual metaphors to metaphor generally. Or you may encounter setbacks in life, or your emotions may go wrong, or you may have regrets and pain, or you may smile helplessly and feel lost... In life, there are bound to be such "accidental" "encounters" and "intersections". And this "mutual light when they meet" will surely become an unforgettable memory that will last forever.
Creation background
This poem was written in May 1926 when the poet Xu Zhimo met Lin Huiyin by chance in London. At that time, Xu Zhimo met Lin Huiyin by chance and ignited his love. Fire, the inspiration for poetry, creates this masterpiece with just one wave. It was first published in the 9th issue of "Morning Post Supplement Poetry" on May 27 of the same year, signed by Zhimo. This is also the lyrics of the old blind man in the fifth act of the script "Bian Kungang" co-written by Xu Zhimo and Lu Xiaoman.
He wiped away the previous anger and wrote about the subtle secrets of the soul with neat, soft and refreshing poems."
Modern literary critic, translator, and poet Bian Zhilin's "Collected Poems of Xu Zhimo". : "This poem is the most perfect in form among the author's poems."
Modern writer Xia Mo's "Love Silk: Beauty and Sorrow in Modern Poetry": "Xu Zhimo's "Accidental" "Small poem, for me, it is not an exaggeration to use the word 'sentiment'"
Contemporary free poet Yan Wenke's "There is only one earth for mankind": "The author is in a world. Such a clever little poem was written under the title of the completely blurred adverb of time. This poem has a deep understanding of life and emotions. The poet expresses his lament for the disappearance of love and beauty, and his love for these beauties is also revealed between the lines. "The love of love."
Author introduction
Xu Zhimo (January 15, 1897 - November 19, 1931), a modern poet and essayist. His original name was Zhang Qu and his courtesy name was Qian Sen. He changed his name to Zhimo when he was studying in England. The Crescent School represents the poet. He studied at Shanghai Hujiang University, Tianjin Beiyang University and Peking University. In 1918, he went to the United States to study economics. In 1921, he went to the United Kingdom to study and became a special student at Cambridge University, studying political economics. During his two years in Cambridge, he was deeply influenced by Western education and influenced by European and American Romanticism and Aesthetic poets. Crescent Society was established in 1923. In 1924, he was appointed professor of Peking University. In 1926, he served as professor at Guanghua University, Daxia University and Nanjing Central University (renamed Nanjing University in 1949). In 1930, he resigned from his posts in Shanghai and Nanjing. At the invitation of Hu Shi, he once again became a professor at Peking University and a professor at Beijing Women's Normal University. Died in a plane crash on November 19, 1931. Representative works include "Farewell Cambridge" and "A Night in the Emerald Green", etc.