Since it is an empty poem, the theme of To the Oak is also empty, which can be interpreted as both a declaration of love and a declaration of personality. However, kapok's deep love for oak trees makes people feel personally. The word "love" contains strong feelings, and people say what they want to say but can't. More and more people prefer to regard this poem as a declaration of love.
1. Implicit image world and sincere inner monologue
One of the great charms of this poem lies in the perfect combination of implication and frankness. Too subtle, it is high and low, and it is difficult to have a bosom friend; If it is too straightforward, it will be full of meaning and lack of association. Shu Ting skillfully chose eight unique images to form a hazy and diverse world, supplemented by inner monologues such as "If I love you" and "No, these are not enough", which relaxed and promoted layer by layer, making the poem melodious and wonderful.
In the poem, "you" is an oak tree and "I" is kapok. Obviously, the poet mainly uses these two images to express his favorite view of love, so what are their respective meanings? Let's take a look at the poems describing them first.
Look at the oak tree first. "It's not just like a dangerous peak/increasing your height and setting off your dignity", which shows that the oak tree is tall, powerful and elegant. "You have your copper branches and iron stems/like a knife, like a sword/like a halberd", these two sentences are the most concentrated in writing the image of an oak tree. Branches are made of "copper" and trunks are made of "iron". It seems that you can see the luster of metal and touch the hard texture, "like a knife, like a sword/like a halberd", as if you can hear the clank of a drawn sword, invincible and bravely kill the enemy. The poet used five metaphors to vividly describe the sense of strength and masculinity of the oak tree. The "you" in the poet's dialogue-the oak tree symbolizes such a strong, brave and safe male image.
In contrast, "I"-"kapok" is a female image. I have my red flowers/like a heavy sigh/like a heroic torch. Bright and warm colors and blooming flowers are in sharp contrast with the coldness and rigidity of steel, highlighting the unique beauty of women. However, this is by no means a charming and delicate traditional female image, but a new era woman with a "red" personality and "huge" buds, full of rich and vigorous life breath, who can not only endure the difficult "heavy sigh", but also hold high the "hero torch" to fight side by side and lead all the way.
Kapok, also known as Hero Tree, is 10-25m high, majestic and masculine.
In real life, because of different living habits, kapok and oak will not stand together at all. However, the poet Shu Ting deliberately chose "kapok" to represent the women who matched the "oak tree".
Kapok is different. She stood beside the oak tree, standing with him as an image of a tree, not relying on or attaching, but standing together. They are equal and independent individuals who support each other. "Roots, touching the ground/leaves, touching in the clouds", they are closely related and appreciate each other. "Every time a gust of wind blows/we greet each other/but no one understands us", the spiritual tacit understanding becomes their greatest happiness. We share cold waves, wind and thunder, thunderbolt/we * * * enjoy fog, flowing haze and rainbow. They share weal and woe, never give up, bravely defend their love and be firm. "It seems to be separated forever/but dependent on each other for life", and "kapok" expresses the love in her heart: independence and equality, till death do us part.
"This is the great love/loyalty here/love-/not only love your stalwart body/but also love the position you insist on, the land under your feet", and "Kapok" bluntly issued a declaration of love. A word "love" takes root. She loves it completely and purely. She likes oak trees. She loves not only the "stalwart body" that everyone loves, but also his ideal and persistence. They fulfill each other, understand each other and carry their love to the end.
Yes, this is the love that the poet longs for. At the beginning of the poem, the author also lists six kinds of images, and his attitude firmly shows several types of love he denies.
1. "If I love you-/I will never show off myself like climbing Campbell/with your high branches", this climbing love is the most disdainful of the author. Show off that you are only a mirage with the help of glory that does not belong to you, and the soft spirit can't support a love to the end.
2. "If I love you-/I will never learn from spoony birds/repeat monotonous songs for the shade", this spoony love is humble and has no pursuit of its own, just chasing the lover's love direction, but ignoring its own value.
3. "Not just like a fountain/cool and comfortable all year round/not just like a dangerous peak/increasing your height/setting off your dignity". Although this kind of self-dedication is touching, it is not equal to love. If you lose yourself because of dedication and don't feel the support and feedback from the other side, you will feel tired one day.
4. "Uniform sunshine/uniform spring rain", sunshine gives people a warm bath, and spring rain brings sweet moisture. Without these nutrients of life, oak trees can't survive. This kind of love can be understood as dedication, and it can also be understood as a "strong woman" holding sovereignty-although she has strong ability and high status, love is not these abilities and status.
No matter which of the above, in the eyes of poets, it is not true love. True love should be that two trees stand together on an equal footing, standing very close but still independent individuals, with their own selves but mutual affinity, sharing joys and sorrows.
In a series of images, the author skillfully uses the first and second personal narrative, which instantly narrows the distance with the reader, and strong emotions gush out, which makes people shuttle through implicit and frank emotional experiences and get the shock of beauty.
Second, function words with unique flavor.
Appreciation of poetry is inseparable from refined words. There are many function words in To the Oak, which seems to be an understatement. In fact, one word is very important.
"Never like climbing flowers" and "never like spoony birds": The word "absolutely" shows a firm attitude and disdain for climbing and spoony.
"Not just like a fountain" or "not just like a dangerous peak". Although it is still negative, it is a little softer than the previous "absolute" attitude. "More than" is a partial affirmation and a partial negation, because the dedication of Spring and Dangerous Peak is desirable, and love needs to be paid, but it should be mutually supportive, not one-way.
"I must be a kapok beside you": "must" is an unquestionable tone, the result of careful decision, and the eternal decision and commitment in my heart. Once the "must" here is replaced by "willing", the influence of poetry will drop to a higher level in an instant.
It's as if we are separated forever/but dependent on each other for a lifetime: "As if" represents an uncertainty, just like a dream, and "separation" is just a representation, creating momentum for "another time". Even if we stand separately as independent individuals, our "roots/grip on the ground/leaves/touch in the clouds" are closely connected.
Third, complementary emotions and rhythms
Semantically, the first half of the poem is actually six hypotheses, all of which can be replaced by "If I love you-I will never like xx, …", but the poet has made exquisite settings, which makes it present a changeable posture. At first, it was introduced in long sentences, and later it was changed to "not only that", a little shorter, "even sunshine" and "even spring rain" The sentences are getting shorter and shorter, and the tone is getting more and more urgent, until the word "no" is slammed out, clean and powerful, and it hits the floor. "These are not enough." All the emotions accumulated before broke out, the language reached its peak, and the emotions were surging.
Then I began to use the long sentence "I must be a kapok near you/stand with you as the image of a tree", and the atmosphere gradually eased into a soft description part, from "roots are close to the ground" to "but no one understands our words", creating a quiet and peaceful atmosphere and quiet feelings.
Until "you have your copper branches and iron stems", the voice gradually rises, and the appearance of short sentences enhances the sense of strength and gives people a firm feeling. "We share the cold wave, the wind and thunder, the thunderbolt/we * * * enjoy the mist, the flowing haze and the rainbow" and "As if we were separated forever/but dependent on each other for life" are long and short, with changeable rhythm and swaying posture. "This is the great love/faithfulness here", like the bell in a mountain temple, after a sincere cry, the sound is endless.
"Love-",a dash, prolonged the tone and gradually ended. "I love not only your stalwart body/but also the position you insist on and the land under your feet", ending with a long sentence, gentle and firm.
The combination of long and short sentences in the whole poem naturally adjusts with the natural flow of emotion, and the change of rhythm also drives the emotion to pour more fully and fully. The two complement each other and jointly create a rich poetic realm.
I still remember Zhou Dongyu's heartbreaking recitation "Not as good as you" when watching "Ten Miles of Spring Breeze". From the beginning of casual whispering, to repeated and growling again and again, I feel my heart is about to crack. This kind of repeated singing is easy to bring out emotions and gradually sublimate.