"Yuan Ri" by Wang Anshi
This is a famous poem "Yuan Ri" by Wang Anshi. "Yuan Ri" is the first day of the first lunar month. This is a poem about welcoming the New Year in ancient times. It was probably written by Wang Anshi shortly after he became prime minister in the early years of Shenzong.
"The sound of firecrackers marks the end of the year, and the spring breeze brings warmth to Tusu." Setting off firecrackers during festivals has been an ancient custom that continues to this day. Tusu refers to the wine brewed with Tusu grass or several other herbs that was drunk during the Spring Festival in ancient times. It is an ancient custom that on the first day of the first lunar month every year, the whole family drinks Tusu wine, then wraps the dregs in red cloth and hangs it on the door frame to "ward off evil spirits" and avoid the plague. These two sentences mean: In the sound of firecrackers, the old year has passed. People drink the festive Tusu wine and feel warmly that spring has arrived.
The third sentence, "Thousands of households on the same day", inherits the previous poetic meaning, saying that every household is bathed in the light of the morning sun in early spring. "曈戈日" refers to the rising sun that turns from darkness to light. The last sentence describes the forwarded discussion. Taofu: refers to the peach board with the two gods Shen Tu and Yu Lei painted on it or the names of the two gods written on it. It is hung on the door in the early morning of the first lunar month to "avoid evil". This is also an ancient folk custom. "Always exchange new peaches for old talismans" is a compressed and omitted sentence pattern. "New peaches" omit the word "talisman", and "old talismans" omit the word "peach". They are used interchangeably. This is because the number of words in each sentence of Qijue is limited. for the sake of. Meaning: The old ones are replaced with new ones. The replacement of peach symbols reveals the theme of "removing the old and bringing in the new".
The poem "Yuan Ri" is based on folk customs. He sensitively captures the typical materials of ordinary people celebrating the Spring Festival and captures the representative details of life: lighting firecrackers, drinking Tusu wine, and replacing peach charms with new ones. , fully showing the joyful atmosphere of the New Year. Full of strong flavor of life. Today it also has ancient folklore value.
In fact, the artistic conception and reality expressed in this poem also have its own metaphorical and symbolic meaning. It uses the metaphor of getting rid of the old and welcoming the new to metaphor and praise the successful implementation of the new law. As we all know, Wang Anshi was a famous reformer in the Northern Song Dynasty. During his tenure, he vigorously promoted the New Deal. This poem praises the birth of new things as full of vitality as the "spring breeze brings warmth"; "Thousands of households", this is not an ordinary sun, but the beginning of a new life. The reform brought light to the people.
The last sentence, "Always replace old charms with new ones," expresses the poet's joy and joy at the victory of the reform and the improvement of people's lives. It contains profound philosophy, pointing out the law that new things always replace things that are declining.