The poem about the duck prophet of warm water in the spring river comes from "Huichong Spring River Xiaojing" by Su Shi, a writer of the Northern Song Dynasty.
The full poem of "Huichong Spring River Dawn Scene" is as follows: There are three or two peach blossoms outside the bamboo, a duck prophet of the warmth of the spring river. The ground is covered with wormwood and reed buds are short, which is when the puffer fish is about to come.
The literal meaning of the poem: Two or three peach blossoms are blooming outside the bamboo forest. Ducks are playing in the water. They are the first to notice the warming of the river in early spring. The river beach is already full of mugwort, and the reeds are beginning to sprout, and the pufferfish are about to swim upstream from the sea to the river.
Appreciation of the whole poem:
The first line of the poem is "Three or two peach blossoms outside the bamboo". Looking across the sparse green bamboo, a few peach blossoms are swaying. Peach and bamboo contrast with each other, and red and green set off the scenery. The spring atmosphere is particularly lovely. Although this is just a simple sentence, it reveals a lot of information. First of all, it shows the sparseness of the bamboo forest. If it were dense, the peach blossoms would not be visible. Secondly, it indicates the season and highlights the word "early". The spring cold has just passed, and it is not the time for the peach blossoms to bloom yet, but the infinite vitality and potential of spring have already been revealed.
The second sentence of the poem, "The duck prophet sees the water warm in the spring river", looks from far to near, that is, from the river bank to the surface of the river. The spring water on the river is rippling, and the active ducks are playing in the river. The "Duck Prophet" side shows that the spring river water is still slightly chilly, so other animals are not yet sensitive to the coming of spring. This echoes the "three or two branches" of peach blossoms in the first sentence, indicating the early spring season. "The duck knows the water is warm" is something that appeals to feelings and imagination. It is difficult to convey it in pictures, but the poet expresses it in his poems through his experience of putting himself in his shoes. The ducks playing freely in the river are the first to feel the rising temperature of the spring water, and use the tactile impression of "warmth" to supplement the visual impression of the spring water in the painting. The reason why ducks can "predict the warmth of the spring river" is because they live in the water all year round. As long as the river is not frozen, they will always jump into the water to play. Therefore, the first people to know about the changes in the water temperature of the Spring River are naturally these ducks, which are closely related to the water. This means that everything must be experienced personally to have a true feeling. This poem not only reflects the poet's meticulous observation of nature, but also embodies the poet's philosophical thinking about life.