Analysis of Moonlit Night on the Spring River

Zhang's Moonlit Night on the Spring River is a seven-character poem. Singing poetry has three most important characteristics. The first is to have a universal instrument. Different from later ci poems, the metrical rules of popular ballads since the Eastern Han Dynasty are not strict, and poets still have great freedom. In fact, Zhang's poetic form is far from the traditional style of "moonlight on the spring river". The second feature of singing poetry is that the topic is suggestive. This kind of poem often has a famous poem of predecessors as an example, and no matter what topic the poem of predecessors uses, future generations should also use this topic, which basically limits the scope of the content. The third feature is that the emotional appeal in the poems of later generations-joy or sadness-should be parallel to the previous model essays, both of which are sadness, so the works of later generations should not be too colorful. In view of these written and unwritten rules and habits, Zhang's poems have gained a very clear "framework" in content, form and artistic conception.

Let's look at the rhyme of this poem.

Lian Haiping is in the spring tide, and the bright moon on the sea is born in the tide;

I drift with the tide for thousands of miles, and there is no moon by the river.

(The above rhyme is flat, vocal and bright, and the rhyme is flat. )

The river flows around Fangdian, and the moonlight shines on the flower forest like graupel.

Frost flows in the air, you can't fly, but you can't see the white sand on the pavilion.

(The rhymes above are Canon, Yue and Jane, but the rhymes are different. )

There is no dust in the sky on the river, and there is a lonely moon in the sky.

Whoever sees the moon at the first sight by the river shines at the beginning of the month.

(The above rhymes with dust, wheel and man-made, and the rhyme is flat. )

Life is endless from generation to generation, and Jiang Yue is only similar year after year.

I don't know who Jiang Yue is waiting for, but I see the Yangtze River delivering water.

The rhymes above are "already", "like" and "water".

The white clouds have gone, and Qingfeng is at a loss.

Whose boat is flat tonight, where to miss the bright moon building.

(The above rhymes with leisure, worry and building. )

Poor people wander upstairs for the moon, so they should leave someone to fill the mirror.

The curtain of the jade pot could not be rolled up, but it was brushed back on the anvil.

(The above rhyme is lingering, Taiwan and coming, and the rhyme is flat. )

At this time, I don't know each other. I hope China will shine on you every month.

Hongyan flies in the sky, and fish Long Qian jumps in the water.

(The above rhymes with Wen, Jun and Wen, and the rhyme is flat. )

Yesterday, the dream of idle pool fell, and the poor spring did not return;

In spring, the river flows away, and the pond falls in the moon and the west.

(The above rhymes with flowers, home and inclination, and the rhyme is flat. )

The slanting moon hides the sea fog, and Jieshi Xiaoxiang Road is infinite.

I don't know how many people return home every month, and the moon is full of rivers and trees.

The above rhymes with fog, roads and trees. )

Through this simple analysis, we can clearly see that there are seven rhymes in the whole poem, and one rhyme is changed every two couplets. In addition, with a few exceptions, the rhyme of the whole poem is basically the alternate use of flat rhyme and oblique rhyme, that is, the flat rhyme of the rhyme foot changes every time.

Is the rhyme change of this poem entirely due to formal considerations? Don't! There is a rule for Zhang to use rhyme here: every emotion and thought uses a rhyme, and when the emotion or thought changes, the rhyme foot also changes. The first couplet and the second couplet looked up and saw Jiang Tiankuo and the bright moon hanging high. Then two couplets look down and observe the Woods by the river and the fog in the Woods. These are basically landscapes. Next, the author left the scenery in front of him and watched it again, making a preliminary summary, thinking and feeling about it. These two couplets are the first major turning point in the whole poem. Then, the poet deepened his thinking and emotion from the latitude of time and history. At this point, the poem has completed the first paragraph: that is, the scene is full of emotion, lamenting the ancient and modern times. The two most wonderful and creative sentences in the whole poem are in the first paragraph: "Who sees the moon by the river, the first day of the month." It can be said that this passage gives a historic sigh from the wide, high and distant moonlight scenery by the river, which is a real innovation of this poem.

Then, the author changed his style and returned to the traditional theme of "Moonlit Night on a Spring River": parting and always in my heart. He started with Cao Zhi's allusion that "the moon shines on a tall building, time is drifting, and there are women who worry about it, and there are more worries than worries", and he used a series of familiar allusions such as dressing tables, curtains, smashing clothes anvil, geese and dreams. Trying to describe the sad mood of women who are lonely and can't sleep at night. Although the poet's rhetoric is gorgeous and his language is ingenious (it can't be wrapped in the curtain of the jade household, but it can't be brushed back on the anvil), it is a cliche, a formal trick, and has no true feelings, which is a typical style of poetry in the Southern Dynasties. The two images at the end are unrelated, old and primitive, very weak, and people feel obviously anticlimactic.

To sum up, the eight couplets at the beginning of the poem "Moonlit Night on a Spring River" are extremely wonderful, with magnificent scenery, profound and painful lyricism, obvious sense of history, full of creativity and excellent language. It can be seen that the author is really generous, a bit of a prosperous Tang dynasty. But the next part until the end, although occasionally some wonderful language, but in general, the image is old, no real feelings, can not impress people. The scribbled ending is an obvious failure. Generally speaking, this poem uses the form of seven-character rhythm poem, regularly changes rhyme, gives people a euphemistic and beautiful feeling, and has an indisputable position in the poetry of the early Tang Dynasty.