Fa Langzhong
Du Fu (Tang Dynasty)
There are poisonous snakes in front and fierce tigers in the back, and there are no villages or docks in the entire stream.
The river breeze rustles and the clouds blow on the ground, the mountains and trees are miserable and the sky is about to rain.
A sick woman and her wife are anxious to return home quickly. Who can count the autumn flowers, brocades and stones?
Other families get books on March 1st, how can they avoid suffering in this place?
Notes:
End of day: all day. Xiao Xiao: Wind. Refuge: Relocation to avoid disaster. Miserable: Extended to a gloomy and desolate appearance.
Translation:
There are poisonous snakes in front and tigers behind. The road is deserted, and even after a whole day's boat ride, there is not a single village in sight.
The cold wind is blowing on the river, the dark clouds are low, the trees in the mountains are gloomy and desolate, and the sky is full of haze, and it is going to rain.
My daughter is sick and my wife is worried. She just wants to get home quickly. How can I have the time to appreciate the autumn flowers and beautiful stones on the stream?
I am living in a foreign country because of a refugee. I only received a letter from home after three months away from home. When will I be free from sorrow?
Appreciation:
This poem was written in the winter of the first year of Guangde, when the poet returned to Zizhou (now Santai, Sichuan) from Langzhong.
The first couplet: "There are poisonous snakes in front of you and tigers behind them. There are no villages or docks as far as the stream goes." There are poisonous snakes in front of you and tigers behind you. Every step is difficult. On the one hand, it is realistic and highlights the desolation everywhere. On the other hand, The Anshi Rebellion had just subsided, and the Tang Dynasty had turned from prosperity to decline. However, various factions were fighting, wars continued, and the people were in dire straits. The poisonous snakes and tigers symbolized the officers and soldiers who oppressed the people. The word "end" highlights the length of time, which extends to the breadth of space. There are no villages wherever he goes, and poisonous snakes and tigers can be seen everywhere. The poet's heart has become more sorrowful.
The chin couplet: "The river breeze is blowing and the clouds are blowing on the ground, and the mountains and trees are miserable and the sky is about to rain." This couplet still writes about the scenery seen on the way, the river wind is blowing and the clouds are blowing against the ground, and the mountains and trees are gloomy and the heavy rain is coming. . The poet uses personification as a rhetorical technique. The words "whistle" and "desire" vividly connect clouds, earth, sky, and rain, and the clouds and sky suddenly become aura. The river breeze rustled, the mountains and trees were miserable, and the emotions moved to the scenery, adding to the sorrow in the poet's heart.
? Neck couplet: "When a woman is sick and her wife is worried, she wants to return home quickly. Who can count the autumn flowers and brocade stones?" When a woman is sick and her wife is worried, her heart returns like an arrow. Naturally, I have no intention of admiring the autumn flowers and stones. The first sentence is the cause and the second sentence is the effect. At this point, the sorrow in the poet's heart has tripled.
The last couplet: "Other families get a book on March 1st. When can I avoid sorrow?" The first half of the sentence expresses the story, and the neck couplet expresses the worries of the sick wife. In order to ask the question from the despair of his heart, it is really timeless. It has been nearly five years since the poet fled from Huazhou to Qinzhou in 759 AD and came to this time. Sadness is the eye of poetry. The worries about the country and the refugees, coupled with the worries about ourselves, these heavy sorrows are inevitable.
Reference bibliography: Qiu Zhaoao's "Detailed Notes on Du's Poems"
Reference website: Ancient Poetry Network