Appreciation of "Wen Guanjun Takes Henan and Hebei"
Original Text
Wen Guanjun Takes Henan and Hebei
Jianwai suddenly reports that Jibei is taken ,
When I first heard it, my clothes were filled with tears.
But see where my wife is worried.
The poems and books are full of joy.
You must indulge in drinking while singing during the day,
Youth is a good companion for returning home.
That is, cross Wu Gorge from Ba Gorge,
then go down to Xiangyang towards Luoyang.
Today's translation
Outside Jianmen Pass, I suddenly heard that the army had recaptured Jibei.
I heard uncontrollable tears filling my clothes.
Looking back at the sad faces of my wife and children, I don’t know where they have gone.
I couldn’t help but feel ecstatic while packing up my poems and books.
In the daytime, I sing loudly and drink to my heart's content.
The spring scenery just happens to accompany me back to my long-lost hometown.
Immediately set off through the Ba Gorge and then the Wu Gorge,
Then passed Xiangyang and then turned to the old capital Luoyang.
About the author
Du Fu (712-770), a poet of the Tang Dynasty. The courtesy name is Zimei, a native of Gong County, Henan Province (now Gongyi City, Henan Province). Du Fu was born during the prosperous age of Kaiyuan and the Anshi Rebellion. He lived a life of wandering and hardship. His poems extensively recorded the real life of this period and are called "the history of poetry". Du Fu was good at various poetry styles, and his poetry style was melancholy and frustrating, which had a great influence on later generations.
Notes
Official and Army: The army of the Tang Dynasty.
Recover: Recover.
Henan and Hebei: generally refers to the area south and north of the Yellow River, equivalent to today's Henan, Hebei, and Shandong areas.
Jianwai: Outside Jianmen Pass, which is now the area in Jiannan, Sichuan.
Jibei: Northern Hebei Province today. At that time, it was the base area of ??An and Shi rebels.
First hearing: First hearing.
Tears: tears.
Look back; look back.
Manjuan: rolled up randomly.
Indulge in alcohol: Indulge in drinking.
Youth: Spring.
Baxia: on the Jialing River in the east of today's Chongqing City.
Wuxia Gorge: in the east of Wushan County in present-day Sichuan Province.
Xiangyang: in present-day Xiangfan City, Hubei Province.
Appreciation
This poem was written by Du Fu when he was living in Zizhou. Du Fu was 52 years old this year, and it was his fifth year since he had drifted away from Jianmen due to the Anshi Rebellion. Du Fu always looked forward to quelling the rebellion and returning to his roots. Suddenly he heard that the army had recaptured Jibei, and he cried with joy and could not restrain himself. The author uses four consecutive actions of "suddenly passing", "first hearing", "unexpectedly seeing", and "managing" to express the surprise incisively and vividly. In the four dynamic and rhythmic descriptions of "from", "through", "down to" and "toward", the author imagines that he has passed through Ba Gorge and Wu Gorge, passed by Xiangyang and Luoyang, and returned to The hometown of dreams. Later generations said: "This poem has a joyful meaning, a flow of energy, full of twists and turns, absolutely no embellishment, the more simple and true it is." This poem is Lao Du's "first fast poem in his life", and so on. It's a very accurate comment.