Wang Fanzhi
Big trees are wrapped in big skins, and small trees are wrapped in small skins. You don’t need to have too many children, just one is enough. The province is divided into fields and houses, and no one is frowning. But if you practice equanimity, God also misses loneliness.
Wang Fanzhi was an eccentric poet in the early Tang Dynasty. He devoted all his efforts to writing poems in a popular style, "all using five words, with twists and turns, deep meanings and simple metaphors, which are surprising. His folk flavor is strong , The rich charm behind the words makes readers can’t help but cry, laugh and cry along with him, and they can’t control themselves.” (Ren Bandang, "Preface to the Compilation of Wang Fanzhi’s Poems") His poems are both humorous and spicy. In its simplicity, it is strange yet plain, strange yet interesting.
The theme of this poem is very clear: It is better to have an only son than to have many sons. As long as the only son is filial and capable, he can avoid the disadvantages of fighting for family property and bullying his parents, so that his parents can be blessed.
Contrary to this meaning, Wang Fanzhi also has a poem describing the suffering of parents caused by having many children. You can read it in comparison:
A couple gave birth to five boys. , and has a pair of girls. A son must marry a wife, a daughter must marry a virgin. The household servant sent Ke Ke to come and take care of me and my wife. The wife has no brown skirt, and the husband has no trousers. Both parents are eighty, and the son is fifty-five. Worry about your wife and children instead of caring for your parents. The wife's family lacks food and is usually hungry. Men and women sitting together look like hungry wolves and tigers. Coarse food is cooked in the kitchen, and delicacies are sent to the rooms (please put the delicacies into each room for your own enjoyment, not with your parents). They look at their relatives with angry eyes and only look for milk and food (only feed their own children, regardless of their parents). The young man enjoys the night, and the old man suffers from himself.
The cold treatment of couples with many children is vividly described in the poem. The stronger the breath of life, the more sympathy it can arouse people. Wang Fanzhi wrote the poem "Big Tree Wrapped in Big Skin" based on his reflection on the above-mentioned social phenomena.
The first thing worth noting about this poem is the first two descriptive sentences, which are hazy and disconnected from the following. Annotation on Volume 6 of "Wang Fanzhi's Poetry Compilation" says: "Public Edition·Shiyu" quoted from "Pudeng Lu", "Yaoshan Zen Master Yi Suyun said: 'Big trees are wrapped in big bark, small trees are wrapped in small bark.' Today's change is called "There are no trees with wide skins all the way to the end of the world." "Volume 3 of "Lao Xue'an Notes": "Seng Xingzhi, a man of high character and fond of humor, once went to Yuyao and had a very poor Dharma nature. : 'The big tree is wrapped in big bark, the small tree is wrapped in small bark. The redbud tree in front of the garden can celebrate the New Year without its bark. '" According to the former, it seems to be said that there are only parents who care about their children, but there are no children who are filial to their parents; according to the latter. The author seems to be saying that parents with many children are more troubled, while parents with fewer children are less troubled, and parents without children can also live a good life. We might as well understand the two meanings coherently, and the poetic meaning can be richer.
The second thing worth noting about this poem is that it has a strong ideal color. The content written in the last six sentences is what the poet hopes to be, not the reality. This can be seen more clearly from the last two sentences: "But if you practice equality, God also misses loneliness." It can be seen from this that we place our hope in God. In fact, in real life, there are many only sons who are rebellious. Wang Fanzhi exposed this phenomenon in another poem:
When parents are enemies, a rebellious son is born. Raise him up and grow into a man, Yuan Lai can't use him. Unable to predict the situation, he ran away from home. Aye served as a substitute, and Aniang died of illness. He who harbors evil in his belly will bring about his own murder. This is the evil in the previous life, so it is worth it in the future.
These poems by Wang Fanzhi, with their popular and simple language and humorous and pungent style, profoundly reveal the essence of feudal human relations and serve to alert the world.