Speaker: Zhang Chunyi
Eight, "readability" of poetry
People often use the word "readability" to comment on poetry.
How is the readability of poetry? Is a kind of charm, catchy to read, can arouse the reader's heart, and be appreciated or loved by readers.
What is the charm? It is the poet's personal emotion and spirituality expressed by poetic language art, the content is the carrier of thoughts and emotions, emotion is the soul of poetry, and language art is the expression of poet's emotion and spirituality, which together constitute the "charm" of poetry.
Charm is the life and charm of poetry. Some poems have themes and no lasting appeal, just like chewing wax, and are not appreciated by readers. This is "no readability". Readability is also the standard of a poem, whether it is a good poem or not.
So, what kind of poem is a good poem? ?
First of all, if a poem wants to be a good poem, it means discovering new things among all the old things, that is, discovering the other side of what has been revealed. Everything has two sides, the so-called cross-mountain, the distance is different. There are two main points here. First, have you uniquely discovered and discovered feelings that others have not discovered, that is, the uniqueness and originality of poetry? Philosophers say that people can't step into the same river twice, and so can poets. As a thinker, it is difficult for a poet to change this established world. However, this does not prevent the poet from changing his perspective on the world. If he looked at the world from another angle, it would take on a different look. To write eye-catching works, poets need to write something "different from the way we usually accept", which is creativity. When Cui Hao wrote the Yellow Crane Tower, Li Bai did not dare to write, leaving only a sigh that "there is a scene in front of him, and Cui Hao wrote a poem on it". Because Li Bai didn't find anything new in this old thing, the Yellow Crane Tower, or what he could find, Cui Hao found it first. Therefore, Li Bai had to sigh that "the scene in front of him, Cui Haoshi is on it".
Second, you found a new angle and something new. Then, what kind of language is used to say this thing, which is the basic element of a poem and an important criterion for the quality of a poem.
In other words, a good poem has at least two indicators: it provides a unique aesthetic experience; Provides a unique expression. The two are inseparable.
Thirdly, a good poem must have a strong pursuit of life, social care and emotional sustenance.
"Feelings of home and country" is a person's deep love for his country and people, and an ideal pursuit of the country's prosperity and people's happiness. It is the embodiment of a high sense of identity, belonging, responsibility and mission to one's own country, and it is a deep-rooted cultural and psychological code. For today's poets, through the cultural connotation conveyed by their works, especially through their works, we can see the poet's infinite devotion to the feelings of home and country, which undoubtedly increases the sense of heaviness and history of the poem itself. Such a work is undoubtedly a good work.
A Qing poet He Zhi said in On Poetry with Wang Jushi: You must read your own poems aloud. I have no reason not to read, no anger, no emotion, no words, no intention, no confusion.
This passage of He contains the criteria for evaluating the quality of poetry.
First, "I can't read without reason." This is to emphasize the importance of poetic conception. Whether perceptual or rational, what a poem wants to express, the author must first be clear, for the purpose. The level of ambition determines the tone of the poem. Although poetry emphasizes lyricism, it also needs sensibility. Emotionally, the philosophy expressed in the poem is like a hand that only plucks the strings, plucking the reader's heartstrings and making people feel excited after reading it. There is an interaction between the poet and the reader, which is the rational fit of the soul.
Second, "if you are not angry, you can't read." Qi is consistent with poetry, whether it is bold or graceful, whether it is high or low, whether it is Hua Yue's dry cloud or the Nine Songs of the Yellow River. Therefore, prosperous people are not only high-profile, but also persistent. Sustained prosperity, called qi, is also related to rhythm. The leveling rhythm summarized by the ancients for thousands of years has its own beauty, and the use of various techniques can also make the rhythm sonorous and catchy. Ignore the rhythm, or impressive poems, it is difficult to recite. The reason is that qi is intermittent and difficult to achieve overnight. We often feel awkward when reading a poem, which is the reason for the poor charm.
Third, "it's not true. I don't understand." Love is the life of poetry. The ancients often said: those who touch people's hearts don't worry about their feelings first. An excellent poem must contain touching truth. Only when every word is full of truth, readers will have a * * * sound with the author when reading, either sad or happy, or filled with emotion, or angry. On the contrary, an emotionless article is like a dead tree without vitality and vitality, and naturally there is no attractive scenery.
The true feelings of poetry, though not shocking, can ignite the author and infect the readers. Love is either true or moaning. Reciting all concepts tastes like chewing wax. It's just reasoning. It's not poetry. Persuade people with reason, convince people with reason, and move people with emotion, all of which are good poems.
Fourth, "I can't understand the words." The language of poetry is more demanding than novels and essays. Space is limited, and the text must be concise. Not only conciseness, but also the pursuit of beauty. This is the word elegance. Oiling is not poetry. You can put the vernacular in the poem, and the vernacular in the poem must be properly tailored and harmonious. Paintings are freehand brushwork and meticulous brushwork, and poems are also varied. Styles can be different, but the language should be particular. Words and sentences, refined words, superb, uncanny workmanship, language is not surprising and endless.
Fifth, "I can't see it unintentionally." It is especially important from the beginning to the end. When composing music, press the first key and the melody will be determined. With the first sound of Feng Ming, this lunch was extraordinary. Once a sentence is made, it will win the hearts of readers. Whether it is plain or magnificent, it must be unexpectedly interesting. * * * Ming, from this moment on. To achieve this effect, don't "start unintentionally". The "meaning" here does not mean the conception of poetry, but the conception. Ideas must be ingenious, new and strange.
Sixth, "the article is not mixed, I can't read it." "Mixed" is implicit. Not only do words seem like mountains don't like peace, but poetry also pays special attention to endless words and meanings. If intercession is the life of poetry, then implication is the symbol of poetry. The moral is especially reflected in the end. The ending is often the sublimation of a poem, which can be sung with three sighs or come to an abrupt end. But it will be like "Peacock flies southeast, drifting for five miles", and the sound will linger for three days. Just as some people say what humor is, what makes people laugh at once is funny, and what makes people laugh after thinking is humor. The same is true of poetry. A good ending is enough to make people memorable. When a poem ends, readers continue to reminisce and imagine, and participate in re-creation. This is the way to get into a good situation.
On the basis of these, I would like to add that unless the tone is pleasant, I can't understand it. As we know, the form of metrical poetry is format, which includes balance and adhesion, and the laws of metrical poetry are rhythm and rhythm. Together, they are called rice. Poetry has a poetic tone, which means that it should not only conform to the format, but also conform to the rhythm and rhythm. Any article is a complete whole. If you leave the whole, it will not be perfect, just like singing. If you sing with me, you will be out of tune, out of tune, and the song is not good. The same is true of writing poetry, which is inseparable from the style of metrical poetry itself. We all have a good grasp of the format of metrical poems, but it is difficult to grasp the rhythm of metrical poems. Let me give two examples about metrical poetry:
Stone Pavilion in Chu Guangxi
From the deep mountains, there is a real space, and the flowers are all in the west.
The palace looks small from below, and the porch looks deep from above.
Flowers fall in the pool, Wen Song.
The gentleman knows me again, and he changes his mind during the incense burning period.
The poem ends with: Yu, Xiao, Shui, Me. According to Putonghua, all pronunciations are accents, which makes every sentence "picky" and gives people a sense of annoyance.
Liu Changqing's "Looking for Flood and Respecting Teachers"
There is no land in the ancient wood, and the Hakkas are looking for feathers.
Taoist books pile up jade boxes, and immortals pile up Lv Yun.
Who knows when cranes are old? Han Mei didn't make flowers.
If we don't meet in the mountains, where will cinnabar melt?
The words at the end of the sentence in this poem: location, case, age, and line of sight are all voiceless, forming the feeling that every sentence will sink, which is very uncomfortable to read. This term is called "white-footed homology".
The disharmony of rhyme affects the cadence and natural and smooth aesthetic feeling of poetry. So pay attention when creating.
In addition to "white-footed homophony", tonal problems also include awkward mouth, that is, awkward speech. In the third and fifth chapters of A Dream of Red Mansions, Yinger said, "My name was originally two words, called oriole, but the girl was embarrassed to say it, so I called it Yinger, but now it's gone." Why does the oriole cry awkwardly? Because these two words are similar in pronunciation. Although they belong to the front nasal sound and the back nasal sound respectively, we still feel awkward to read. Qin Mu said in "Picking up Shells from the Sea, Mastering Language Art and Doing a Good Job in Literary Creation": "A sentence is all vague, or a series of sentences, and the ending words are all flat or vague, which is not very good-looking." In other words, homonyms are used in one sentence. Reading destroys the beautiful effect of metrical poetry. We should also pay attention to this.
Let me give another example about the readability of poetry.
Recently, there was a "Bashan Cup" national new rural poetry contest. After the first prize was awarded, it caused an uproar in the online poetry circle, and they all said that they could not accept such a jade building. Let's take a look at the winning works first.
The first prize was announced for the winning works of Bashan Cup Poetry Competition;
Yulouchun, the words of an old farmer
Since the land contract, it seems difficult to spare enough energy. Because of the reassurance, Tian Chang's golden man gained weight.
Every villa is lined up, and the high yield is not worried about online sales. Well-off is an old emperor, so we still have to refuel and roll up our sleeves.
We won't comment on the merits of this poem for the time being. No comparison, no harm. Let's compare the ancient works of Yulouchun.
Yu Tingchun; Spring In Jade Pavilion；Song of Youth
Song songqi
Dongcheng gradually felt that the scenery was good, and it was wrinkled and welcoming people. Poplar smoke is lighter than Han Xiao, and the branches of red apricots are full of spring.
Floating growth hates less pleasure, but is willing to love a daughter and smile. Drink for you to persuade the sunset, and leave a photo among the flowers all night.
When reading Song Qi's ci, you can read the aesthetic feeling without explanation, and Song Qi is also known as the "History of Red Apricot" because of this poem "Spring in the Jade Building". This time, the first prize of Bashan Cup will have a rustic taste. Feeling is just a bunch of slogans, which are powerful, but as poetry, they have no artistic value. We must remember that poetry is a Chun Xue, an elite culture, and the crystallization of the painstaking efforts and wisdom of intellectuals in past dynasties. Noble humanistic spirit and elegant aesthetic taste are the remarkable characteristics of poetry. It is a pearl on the cultural pyramid of China. The argument that "poetry should be grounded, popular and popular" has led the majority of poetry lovers into a misunderstanding and lost the direction of poetry development. In that case, it is necessary to lower the standard of high-level literature and art to accommodate and adapt to the low level. This is not right.
Nine, revised into an article
After writing a work, revision becomes an essential process in poetry writing. Creating a craft is the same as making it. The first draft is finished. Just like a piece of manual work that has just taken off the blank, it is inevitable to have a rough feeling. If you want to become a good handicraft, there is still a polishing process, which is reflected in poetry, and that is modification. Famous poets in ancient times paid great attention to the revision of their works, and this process was sometimes repeated.
For modification, the ancients said this:
"Change new poems and chant" (Du Fu)
"Never tire of reading new poems" (Su Shi)
"Sleeping in Nanshan to change old poems" (Wei Zhuang)
"Poetry never tires of change, and it is more expensive than essence." (Xie Zhen)
Why did Du Fu "change new poems into long poems"? The artistic effect he pursues is that "the language will not stop until it is amazing", that is to say, he will not stop until he can write amazing sentences and remember them after reading them. The amazing sentences here are not novel and difficult to understand. This is a conscious act of creation.
Modifications here include, first of all, flat, paste, dual, rhyme and so on. The second is to refine words and sentences. Judging from a large number of predecessors' works, good artistic works are often the result of repeated tempering of words. Usually it is the tempering of words and sentences that will enhance the artistic conception of the whole work. Regarding the refinement of words and sentences, let's first look at two famous examples.
The title is Li Ning's Seclusion (Jia Dao).
Living leisurely here, few neighbors come, and the overgrown path leads to the wilderness.
Birds are freely perched in the trees by the pool, and monks are knocking at the door.
Walking across this bridge, you can see the charming scenery of Ye Yuan, and the feet of clouds seem to be moving on the floating rocks.
I will leave here for a while, but I will come back and retire with my friends on the appointed date.
This is a poem by Jia Dao, a poet in the Tang Dynasty. The word "knock" in couplets has a long history. At that time, Jia Dao was not sure whether to use "knock" or "push", so he kept thinking about knocking or pushing. He was so fascinated that he bumped into Jing and Han Yu's honor guard. After Han Yu understood the situation, he said "knock".
So, what are the benefits of "knocking"? On the surface, there seems to be no big difference between "pushing" and "knocking", but if you think about it carefully, you will find that if you open someone's door at night, what if the owner has bolted it? I can't push it away. Knocking on the door is different. On the one hand, it is courtesy to the host. What is important is that the sound of knocking at the door is static and dynamic in the silent night, which plays a vital role in improving the realm of poetry.
Zaomei (Miracle)
Ten thousand mu can't stand the cold, and plum trees absorb the vitality of underground heating.
Snow covered the village. Last night, flowers were in full bloom in the snow.
The breeze is blowing towards Mei, so it has no emotional appeal. Avon's clean posture makes the birds jumpy.
If the plum blossom can blossom on time next year, I hope it can bloom on the spring terrace of people's love.
This is the poem "Early Plum" by Miracle, a poet of the Five Dynasties. In the poem, the "one branch opens" in the couplet is actually "several branches open". Zheng Gu, a poet friend in Miracle, saw it and said it was not early plum, but early plum. "A few branches are not' early', it is better to' one'." Deeply admired by Miracle, he changed "several branches" to "one branch". This is the origin of the word teacher.
When we write poetry, we should have the spirit of our predecessors. Every work has to be scrutinized and even revised many times. If we don't make mistakes, the published works won't be modified by others. That's a good poem.
X. conclusion
The rules and skills of poetry writing are not mysterious at all, and it is not difficult to master, but the premise is that you are willing to dive and learn from the past. You can only go out if you can enter. Seek elegance first, then you can enjoy elegance and vulgarity; Only by seeking the past and entering the past can the past serve the present. All the experience accumulated by China people in the field of literature and art for thousands of years can be summarized in eight words: "Imitate excellent works and achieve change." Copy the works of the ancients like calligraphy, first get the charm of the ancients, and then pursue individuality. Lu You said that time is beyond poetry. Learning is not only about reading poems and words, but also about China's poetic history, literary concepts of past dynasties, and even various knowledge of a subset of classics and history. These extra-poetic efforts are the basis of writing a good poem.
Classical poetry has an obvious feature, that is, its writing has a threshold, which should conform to the rules, be even and be antithetical. Still emphasize the connection and integration of a poem. Under such strict phonetic norms, it is really difficult to create imaginative and radiant words.
For today's China poetry and poets, we are in a very good era, and we have reason to believe that there will always be good poems and good poets.
Recommended books
1, New Poetry Pair
2. Du Fu's Collection
3. China's poetics (Huang)
4. Selected Comments on Regular Poems in Past Dynasties (Wang)
5. The essence of quatrains in the Tang Dynasty (Liu Yongji)
6, the champion of the past dynasties.
7. College Poetry Writing Course (Xu Jinru)