The two sentences of "Lou Chuan" describe the Song soldiers' fight against the Jin soldiers' invasion in the southeast and northwest, and also summarize the poet's past travels - the author was 37 years old in Zhenjiang Prefecture as a general judge and a road official. In eight years, at the age of 48, he served as Wang Yan's staff in Nanzheng.
When Lu You was in the army, he once rode a horse across the Wei River at night. Later, recalling the incident, he wrote: "Remembering the past when I was a boy, how heroic it was to join the army! Riding a Taohe horse alone, crossing the Wei River at night with a title" ( "Wind and Rain at the End of the Year"). He visited the front line of Dashanguan several times in person. Later, he also wrote: "I once cleared the Wei River from the Rong army, and faced thieves at the foot of Sangguan. I mounted my horse in iron clothes and rode on the ice, and sometimes I didn't eat fire for three days." ("Jiangbeizhuang from Fetching Rice to Cooking") The poem "The Fragrance Is So Sensable") traces this period of fighting life.
At that time, looking north to the Central Plains, it was also as majestic as a mountain. But in September of that year, Wang Yan was transferred back to Lin'an, and his staff in the Xuanfu Envoy were also dispersed, and the Northern Expedition once again came to nothing. The glorious past summarized in these two sentences is in sharp contrast to the present situation of "people who are willing to kill thieves are unable to recover". "In good times, I'm afraid I'll regret it in another year, but at the critical moment, there will be another autumn." Thinking that there is no chance of restoring the Central Plains today, the poet's heart is like weeping blood. From a poetic perspective, these two poems also fully demonstrate Lu You's great poetic talent.
The images of "building ship" and "night snow", "iron horse" and "autumn wind" are combined, and there are two open and magnificent battlefield pictures. The selection of imagery is very clean and typical.
Five Poems of Indignation, Part 1 (Excerpt)
Song Dynasty: Lu You
In his early years, he knew that the world was difficult, and the Central Plains looked to the north like a mountain.
The building boat crosses Guazhou in the snowy night, and the iron horse disperses in the strong autumn wind.
Translation
When I was young, I determined to make the Northern Expedition to the Central Plains, but I never imagined that it would be so difficult. I often look north to the land of the Central Plains, and my blood boils with passion and my resentment is like a mountain.
I remember beating up the Jin soldiers at Guazhou Crossing, and flying warships on a snowy night. In the autumn wind, the horses galloped freely, and the good news of regaining Dashan Pass came frequently.
Extended information:
Creative background
It was written when Chunlu visited his hometown of Shanyin in the thirteenth year of Chunxi (1186), Emperor Xiaozong of the Song Dynasty. Lu You was sixty-one years old at that time, which was an age when time was no longer waiting for me. However, the poet was deposed and had been dismissed from office for six years. He was living in seclusion in his hometown with an empty title. Thinking of the broken mountains and rivers, the Central Plains not being taken over and "there is no battlefield to serve the country," and feeling that the world is so difficult, the villain harms the country and "the scholar has no place to serve alone", so the poet burst out with anger.
The whole poem is closely linked to the word "angry" and can be divided into two parts. The first four sentences summarize his lofty ideals and fighting life scenes in his youth. Among them, the jaw couplet captures two pictures that best reflect the "Qi like a mountain". It does not use a verb, but it shows the whole realm and is full of strong edges. The local atmosphere and high fighting mood.