Zhong Nanshan Weng? Tang dynasty
When the frost crane crows, the evening wind is urgent, and the crows gather in the cold forest.
This gentleman mourns, independent lotus peak.
translate
The first frost and cold wind accompany cranes, and crows gather in the forest.
Those who sigh deeply can only face the Lotus Peak alone.
Working background
Zhong Nanshan Weng: The character in Bai Juyi's Selling Charcoal Weng is called Zhong Nanshan Weng, because he lives in Zhong Nanshan and makes a living by chopping wood and selling charcoal.
Allusion story
Once upon a time, there was an old man selling charcoal. He lives by chopping wood and burning charcoal in Zhong Nanshan. He aged prematurely because of chopping wood and burning charcoal day after day and year after year. His hair is white, his fingers are black, and his head is covered with black and gray soot. For several days, the burnt carbon was not sold. The stove is cold, the heatable adobe sleeping platform is cold, and my stomach is growling. The old man hobbled to the stove, uncovered the lid and looked at the pot with glassy eyes. There is nothing in it. The old man curled up in the corner with only a thin coat covered with patches, shivering with cold, but still reluctant to burn some charcoal to keep warm. The old man looked up at the night sky and prayed to God that it would be colder! A little colder! So I can sell the charcoal as soon as possible and get a good price! Poor old man, there is really no winter clothes and no food for the night at home.
Explain meaning and allusions
At the beginning of this poem, the reader is taken to Zhong Nanshan Mountain near Chang 'an, the capital at that time, to show the reader that an old man who burns charcoal lives a very poor life. Sell charcoal Weng, Nanshan chop wood and burn charcoal. The old man who burns charcoal doesn't even have an inch of land. All he lives on is an axe, an ox cart and ten fingers blackened by fireworks. He has no wife and children, and he is alone. He cuts his salary and burns charcoal on Nanshan Mountain, making his face "dusty, smoky, with gray temples and black fingers". The hardships of labor can be imagined. Old people who burn charcoal don't have high demands on life. "What can the money from selling charcoal do?" ? He just wants to have enough food and clothing to maintain the minimum living. Arguably, it is not difficult for a person to support himself, but even such a wish is difficult for him to realize. Charcoal is what people use to keep warm. The old man worked hard to cut wood and burn charcoal, which brought warmth to others, but his clothes were pitifully thin. Thin clothes should have expected the weather to get warmer. On the contrary, the elderly forced by life "worry about charcoal and wish it was cold", and would rather endure double cold in order to sell more charcoal. This ambivalence profoundly shows the tragic situation of charcoal sellers.
Brief introduction of the author
Chen, who lives in Jiangnan, has been away from home for ten years. He went to take the Jinshi exam and decided not to go home if he failed. Because I didn't pass the exam, I stayed in Beijing and made a living by selling words.