The autumn wind blows quietly, the white dew turns into frost, but the chrysanthemums are dazzling, proud of the frost and fragrant in the evening. In literature before the Tang Dynasty, chrysanthemums were occasionally compared to people's steadfast character, but they mainly praised its ability to help people live longer. After the Tang Dynasty, chrysanthemums were often mentioned in poems, which were personified as a symbol of literati with integrity.
Li Mengyang, one of the "Seven First Scholars" in the literary world of the Ming Dynasty, appreciated Ju's independent personality and said, "If you don't follow the crowd, you can bloom like a hundred flowers." Huang Chao, the hero of the peasant uprising in the late Tang Dynasty, had a special liking for chrysanthemum's optimism and tenacity, so chrysanthemum looked so chic and bold in his eyes: "When autumn comes on September 8th, I will bloom and kill hundreds of flowers. The fragrance will rise to the sky." The array penetrates Chang'an, and the city is full of golden armor"; from Wang Anshi's "Can't bear to wake up alone, Gu Er went away, diligently broke into one", it can be seen that Ju is also a "lonely awake" person; and in Wang Jian's "Wild Chrysanthemum" "Recalling Xiangshan "See in the middle, accompanied by cicadas in the stone wall", the chrysanthemum is full of vitality, its small figure silently decorates the autumn earth, it appears extraordinary in the ordinary; the chrysanthemum withers but does not die is its inherent characteristic, but in Zhu Shuzhen's pen: "I would rather grow old with a fragrant branch than dance with the yellow leaves in the autumn wind" vividly integrates her misfortune, stubborn character and spirit of resistance; Lu You said that "chrysanthemums are like patriots, and they have lingering fragrance when they are out of date". Several late chrysanthemums in the autumn wind, Standing upright against the wind and frost, exuding the lingering fragrance of the east fence, this patriot in the flower is very similar to the anti-golden heroes in the Southern Song Dynasty who were repeatedly squeezed and attacked by the capitulationists, including the poet himself. Their experiences and characters are very similar; of course there are Tao Yuanming noted the indifferent and noble chrysanthemums in the fence.
Maybe you will feel that a small chrysanthemum under the cold autumn wind contains such rich charm. I think a chrysanthemum is still a chrysanthemum after all. What is different is the situation and the hearts of the poets.