Original text:
Two nostalgic poems by Bian River
Don Pi Rixiu
Thousands of Cai Chuanjun were driven in the middle of Cui and on both sides of the canal, but the motorcade did not return to Yangzhou.
It should be God who taught people to open the Bianhe River. There is not a mountain on the ground for a thousand miles.
It is said that the Sui Dynasty perished because of this river, but now it is still flowing, and the north and south ships are unimpeded.
If there is no water temple dragon boat, there are not many theories about * * *.
To annotate ...
G: Big ship.
Never give it back to Yangzhou: Emperor Yangdi Yang Di Yang Guang was killed by Yu Wenhuaji when he visited Yangzhou.
Bianshui: Bianhe, namely Tongji Canal.
Shuidian Dragon Boat: Emperor Yang Di went to Yangzhou to enjoy dragon boat sports.
* * * On Yu Gongde: The author hereby affirms the positive significance of the Grand Canal in Sui Dynasty, which can be compared with Dayu's achievements in water control.
translate
Thousands of floating boats sailed among the green willows on both sides of the canal, but the fleet was transported to Yangzhou and never came back.
God should have taught people to open the Bianhe River. There is not a mountain on the ground for more than 1000 miles.
It is said that the Sui Dynasty perished because of this river, but it is still flowing, so the north and south ships are unimpeded.
If it weren't for the dragon boat patrol in Jiangdu, Yang Di's achievements would be equally divided with Dayu's.
Appreciate:
"Wanlonglong" in the first poem refers to the fleet of Emperor Yang Di. The whole poem describes the geographical environment of Yang Di's luxury fleet and the Grand Canal, implying the historical fact that Yang Di was killed by Yu Wenhuaji. It is said in the poem that the grand occasion of that year has ceased to exist, and the essence is that the Tang Empire at that time can no longer be compared with Yang Di. This is a warning to those in power and is of great significance.
The first sentence of the second song begins with the statement that Sui died in the Grand Canal, but it is refuted by the antonym of the second sentence. The poem says: Many people who study the reasons for the demise of the Sui Dynasty blame the canal and regard it as a great curse. However, the excavation of the Grand Canal has significantly improved the north-south traffic, which is of great benefit to economic ties and political unity and has a far-reaching historical role. Use the word "so far" to express how long it has benefited future generations; Say "a thousand miles" and look at the vast areas that benefit from it; The word "lai" shows that the national economy and people's livelihood are indispensable and even more admirable. This sentence emphasizes the century-old benefits of the Grand Canal, which is refreshing. This is the "reverse order method" commonly used by Tang people to praise history and cherish ancient poems. The law of cassation can make the argument novel, but it is not easy to make the argument reasonable. The Grand Canal is beneficial to future generations, but the atrocities of Emperor Yang Di are still atrocities. Pi Rixiu looked at it from two different angles. When the canal was completed, Yang Di led 200,000 people to travel, riding a four-story "dragon boat", and nine three-story "water temples", called floating scenery, in addition to many miscellaneous boats. The captain is more than 300 miles, and there are nearly 10,000 people holding big ships, all dressed in colorful clothes, and the land and water are bright. The so-called "the spring breeze cuts the palace brocade all over the country, which is half an obstacle and half a sail" (Li Shangyin's Sui Palace), and its extravagance and waste are really unheard of in history. The third sentence "Water Temple Dragon Boat" refers to this.
The author's criticism of Emperor Yang Di is very obvious. However, he didn't say it directly. The fourth sentence suddenly quotes Dayu's achievements in water control, and even emphasizes with rhetorical questions: "* * * Yu's contribution is not much?" Meaning: In terms of merits and demerits, isn't Yang-ti talking more about water than Dayu talking about water control? This is simply absurd, but because the poet's comments, as far as water conservancy projects benefit future generations, are based on the premise of "Dragon Boat Temple without water", it is indeed comparable. But the assumption that "if there is no so-called cloud" does not exist in fact. After all, Emperor Yang-ti, who exhausted the luxury of "Dragon Boat in the Water Temple", is not as good as Dayu, who devoted himself to water control and "failed to enter every house", and will be immortal. Therefore, although the author used the method of reversing the case, he actually cleared the false "charges" for the Grand Canal, but the charges of Emperor Yang were more practical. This juxtaposition of the tyrannical and heartless bad king in history and the legendary venerable saint is a way to seize the past. Saying that Emperor Yang-ti "* * * Yu didn't make much contribution" seems to be the biggest compliment, but the restriction of "there is a dragon boat without water" is a complete deprivation. "* * * * Yu Lun Gong" was raised, and "Shao Duo" was raised again, and it was held high, and the weight was heavily put back on the "Water Temple Dragon Boat Incident", which made the criticism of Yang-ti more severe and the condemnation more intense. The use of this technique is better than the general positive expression.
This poem is mainly about discussion, which is slightly inferior to Li Shangyin's Sui Palace in terms of image thinking and rhyme. However, it is unique in its novel conception, incisive exposition and clever use of "reversing the verdict", and it is still a masterpiece in the late Tang Dynasty.
About the author:
Pi Rixiu was born from 834 to 839 and died in 902. I used to live in Lumen Mountain, calling myself Lumenzi, Mr. Qi Buyi, drunk. A litterateur and essayist in the late Tang Dynasty, as well as Lu Guimeng, is known as "Pilu" in the world. Today, Tianmen people in Hubei ("North Dream") are Han people. Xian Tong was a scholar in the eighth year (867), and served as a military judge in Suzhou in the Tang Dynasty (History of Wu Yue). He has written works such as Zuo Lang, Dr. Tai Chang, and Deputy Ambassador of Piling. Later, he took part in the Huang Chao Uprising, or "caught the nest thief" (Tang Caichuan), and became an academician. He disappeared after the failure of the uprising. Poetry and prose are both exotic and unpretentious, and most of them are works that sympathize with the sufferings of the people. The Book of the New Tang Dynasty contains Pi Rixiu Collection, Pi Zi and Pi Shi Lu Men Jia Chao.