Taohua Stream
Zhang Xu
The flying bridge is faintly separated by wild smoke, and fishing boats are on the west bank of Shiji.
The peach blossoms follow the flowing water all day long. Where is the hole beside the clear stream?
Poem interpretation
Notes:
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1. Flying bridge: high bridge.
2. Shiji: A pile of rocks exposed in the river.
3. Cave: refers to the entrance of the cave found by the Wuling fishermen in "Peach Blossom Spring".
Rhyme translation:
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I vaguely saw a long bridge, cut off by wild smoke;
At Shiyu On the west bank of the river, I asked about the fishing boat.
The peach blossoms drift endlessly with the flowing water all day long;
Which section of the clear stream is the entrance to the Peach Blossom Spring on?
Poetry Appreciation
This is a landscape poem written based on the artistic conception of Tao Qian's "Peach Blossom Spring". The poem was written from far away, describing the deep and seclusion of the valley, the confusion
being in a trance, hazy through the smoke, and the environment was like a fairy. Then the camera moves closer, depicting peach blossoms and flowing water, fishing boats floating lightly, questioning fishermen, and looking for peach lands.
The conception of the poem is graceful, the artistic conception is like a painting, the scenery is sentimental, and the interest is profound. Hengtang retired scholar commented: "Four sentences
are worth an article of "Peach Blossom Spring"." This is not unreasonable.
The flying bridge is faintly separated by wild smoke, and fishing boats are on the west bank of Shiji.
The "flying bridge" flickers in and out, appearing and disappearing; the "wild smoke" curls up and lingers. The still bridge flies like a rainbow in the elegant smoke; the floating smoke hangs in the air like a curtain on the silent bridge. In the wild mountains and valleys, dynamic objects and static scenery are intertwined and complement each other. The hazyness of the distant mountains and the clarity of the nearby water suddenly make the poet feel like he has entered an illusory world. Therefore, the poet felt that he was standing next to the ancient Shiji of the Jin Dynasty. The fisherman gently rocking the fishing boat in the stream seemed to be the Wuling fisherman who "walked by the stream". Then, the word "ask" came out of his mouth.
The peach blossoms follow the flowing water all day long. Where is the hole beside the clear stream?
Eyes full of pink, flowing brightly in the quiet stream, the poet naturally associates it with the "water source at the end of the forest", like a bright "hole", which leads all the way to That paradise of paradise, but where this cave is, the fisherman can't know, and the poet can't know either. However, this question reveals the poet's despair that his ideal realm is elusive.
Introduction:
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Peach Blossom Creek: The name of the water is Taoyuan Cave in the southwest of today's Taoyuan County, Hunan Province, and Taohua Creek in the north of the cave.
Taohua Creek is at the foot of Taoyuan Mountain in Taoyuan County, Hunan. There are many peach groves on the banks of the stream. In late spring, the fallen flowers are colorful and the stream is flowing with clouds. It is said that Tao Yuanming's "Peach Blossom Spring" in the Eastern Jin Dynasty was set here. Although the Peach Blossom Creek described by Zhang Xu does not necessarily refer to this place, it implicitly uses its artistic conception. This poem has a graceful conception, profound sentiment, and rich painting meaning.
"The flying bridge is faintly separated by the wild smoke", which is fascinating from the beginning: deep in the mountains and wild valleys, clouds and smoke are lingering; looking through the clouds and smoke, the long bridge across the mountain stream appears and disappears, as if there is something there. It seems like nothing, as if flying in the void. This realm is so deep, mysterious, and hazy, like entering a fairyland. Here, the static bridge and the floating wild smoke complement each other: the wild smoke makes the bridge turn static into movement, making it ethereal and fly in the sky; the bridge turns wild smoke into movement into stillness, just like hanging a light gauze curtain. Looking at the bridge through this curtain makes people feel a hazy beauty. The word "spar" makes the two scenery complement each other and merge into an artistic whole; the word "spar" also implies that the poet is looking from a distance. If he were standing by the bridge, he would not have the feeling of "separation".
The following is a close-up view. Nearby, rugged rocks are exposed in the water, like islands (Shiji); on the stream with fallen flowers drifting, there are fishing boats gently rocking, and the scenery is quiet and bright. "Asking about fishing boats on the west bank of Shiji", with the word "ask", the poet has also entered the painting. From this landscape painting, we can see both the beauty of the landscape and the mood of the characters. The poet stood beside the ancient stone rock, looking at the endless peach petals floating on the stream and the fishing boats. In a trance, he seemed to regard the fisherman in front of him as the Wuling fisherman who had entered the Peach Blossom Spring. The three words "asking about the fishing boat" vividly express this fascinating mood. He asked innocently and interestingly: "The peach blossoms follow the flowing water all day long. Where is the hole in the clear stream?" He seems to really think that the peach blossom petals that "grow with the flow" flow out from the peach blossom source, so they are associated with the peach blossoms. Peach Garden Cave. Where exactly is this cave located in Peach Blossom Creek? This sentence of questioning the fisherman deeply expresses the poet's eagerness to yearn for paradise. However, the Peach Blossom Spring is fictitious, and the poet certainly knows that the fisherman has no answer. He asks the question knowingly, which also vaguely reveals the poet's desperation that the ideal realm is elusive and elusive. The poem ends abruptly here, but the questions raised in the last sentence arouse people's wonderful imagination. The poet's brush is exquisite and clear, from far to near, from real to virtual, constantly changing angles to show the scene; but he does not make complicated descriptions, just a few strokes, slightly revealing the outline, the emotion is in the scene, and the interest is outside the ink. Just like a freehand painting, Qingyuan is subtle and intriguing.
Author:
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Zhang Xu (year of birth and death unknown), courtesy name Bogao, was born in Suzhou and once served as the county captain of Changshu. A great calligrapher of the Tang Dynasty. Known for cursive writing.
Emperor Wenzong of the Tang Dynasty once issued a rare edict to the whole country: Li Bai's poetry, Zhang Xu's cursive script, and Fei Min's sword dance can become the "three wonders" in the world.
As soon as the edict arrived in Luoyang City, it immediately caused a sensation among the learned people. They all congratulated Zhang Xu and congratulated him on winning the highest award for his outstanding efforts. Zhang Xu bowed his head and thanked them all, and hosted a banquet in honor of Luoyang celebrities. At the banquet, someone suggested that Zhang Xu talk about the secret of perfect cursive writing. Zhang Xu refused and said modestly: "Everyone is laughing at me. I know that I am humble. The emperor's reward is well deserved. When it comes to the secret, it is nothing more than this. The word "heart"
Zhang Xu pondered for a moment, and he suddenly remembered the poem "Watching Gongsun's disciples dance with swords" written by Du Shaoling, and then said: "Shaoling once said to Gongsun's disciples. Sword Dancer wrote a poem, one of which contains four lines: "It's as fierce as Yi shooting down the sky, and it's as powerful as the dragons flying; it comes like thunder and collects its wrath, and it ends like the clear light of the river and the sea." I think everyone in Ye County knows this. , I was lucky enough to see Mrs. Gongsun’s dance, and every time I saw it, it aroused my association: she waved her left hand over, and I immediately touched what word this gesture resembled; when he jumped and spun, I thought of the words in cursive script The galloping strokes of "Zhuan" should be like this! His whole dancing posture and sound inspired me with a comprehensive cursive script structure."
"Zhang Xu takes off his hat and tops his head in front of the prince. "The brushstrokes fall off the paper like clouds of smoke" - Zhang Xu in Du Fu's works is vividly displayed before our eyes, and his brilliance has always been fascinated by the world.
Zhang Xu, also known as Bogao and Jiming, was born in Wujun (Suzhou, Jiangsu). His first official position was Changshu Wei, and later he became a long official in Jinwu, and was known as "Zhang Changshi". His mother, Lu, was the niece of Lu Jianzhi, a calligrapher in the early Tang Dynasty, and the granddaughter of Yu Shinan. The Lu family passed down their business through books from generation to generation, which is well-known in history. Zhang Xu is free and uninhibited, open-minded, outstanding, talented and knowledgeable. Being friendly with Li Bai and He Zhizhang, Du Fu listed the three of them among the "Eight Immortals in Drinking". He is a very unique cursive calligrapher. Because he often gets drunk, he screams and runs away, and then writes a book. He even writes with his hair dipped in ink, so he is also known as "Zhang Dian". Hou Huaisu inherited and developed his writing style, which was also named after cursive script, and was also called "Dian Zhang Zuisu". Emperor Wenzong of the Tang Dynasty once issued an edict to regard Li Bai's poetry, Pei Min's sword dance, and Zhang Xu's cursive calligraphy as the "three wonders". He also worked in poetry, and together with He Zhizhang, Zhang Ruoxu and Bao Rong, he was known as the "Four Scholars in Wuzhong".
Zhang Xu’s calligraphy was first developed by Zhang Zhi and Er Wang, with his highest achievement in cursive script. He himself is proud to inherit the tradition of the "Two Kings", and his every word is legal. On the other hand, he imitates Zhang Zhi's cursive calligraphy skills and creates wild cursive calligraphy that is free and upright, unpredictable and shocking to the world. According to legend, he saw the princess fighting with the bearer and learned the meaning of calligraphy from the advocacy. When he was in Ye County, Henan, he loved to watch Lady Gongsun dancing with the Xihe sword, and he became the god of cursive calligraphy. Yan Zhenqing resigned from office twice to ask him for advice on penmanship. Zhang Xu is a pure artist. He pours his full emotions into the dot paintings, as if there is no one else around, as drunk as crazy, as crazy as crazy. Han Yu of the Tang Dynasty praised it in his "Preface to Master Gao Xian": "Happiness, anger, embarrassment, sadness, joy, resentment, longing, drunkenness, boredom, injustice, whatever moves the heart, must be expressed in cursive writing. Looking at things, one can see mountains, rivers, cliffs and valleys, birds, beasts, insects and fish, vegetation and flowers, sun, moon and stars, wind, rain, fire, thunder and thunder, songs, dances and battles, changes in things in the world, joy and astonishment, all of which are contained in books, so the book of the rising sun , Changes are like ghosts and gods, unpredictable, and will be famous for the rest of his life. "This is a true portrayal of a true artist's persistence in art. No wonder later generations have praised and criticized Ou, Yu, Chu, Yan, Liu, Su, etc. when discussing Tang calligraphy, but they all praise Zhang Xu. This is unique in the history of art.
The handwritings handed down from ancient times include "Tie of Belly Pain", "Four Notes of Ancient Poems", etc.