"Shangda Xisheren" is one of the poems written by Meng Jiao, a poet of the Tang Dynasty.
Original text
The sun and moon are few in the North Mountain, and the grass and trees are bitter from the wind and frost.
The poor man is in a difficult position and his intestines will be sore after eating plums.
All customs are round, but the whole body is still learning the square.
I am often afraid of being destroyed by crowds, and my spring leaves turn yellow in autumn.
The great sage upholds high standards and shines the light of public candles selflessly.
Dawn has not yet arrived in the darkroom, and I walk in the dark with tears in my eyes.
Translation
It is rare to see the sun and moon in Beimang Mountain in Luoyang, and the harsh wind and frost can damage the vegetation there.
The life of a poor man is very difficult, and he suffers from gastrointestinal reflux when eating plums.
Everyone in the world is being tactful, but I am still upright and do not follow the trends.
I often worry that the army will destroy me, and the green leaves in spring will turn into yellow leaves in autumn.
The great virtuous person is upright and bright like a mirror hanging high, and the public candle shines on the earth without any selfishness.
In the darkroom, even the dawn light cannot shine, and a person walks alone in the dark with tears streaming down his face.
Appreciation and Analysis
"Shangda Xisheren" is a dry greeting poem written in ancient five-character style by Meng Jiao, a poet of the Tang Dynasty. Daxi is a compound surname; Shiren is an official position. Ganye poems are a type of poetry written by ancient literati to promote themselves, similar to today's self-recommendation letters. Meng Jiao had a bad fate and a bumpy career in his life, so he hoped to show his talent and ambition by presenting poems to the people of Daxishe in order to ask for their recommendation.
"There are few suns and moons in the North Mountain, and the grass and trees are bitter and windy", the first two sentences highlight the natural environment of the Beimang Mountain in Luoyang where the poet is located, and highlight the loneliness and sorrow in the poet's heart. "A poor person is in a difficult position, and eating plums will make your intestines sore." A ridge means danger. The Kan hexagram in the Book of Changes indicates that two hurdles are overlapping each other. The "heavy hurdle" means danger is getting more dangerous, and there are many dangers. These two sentences describe the social environment in which the poet lives. "Everything is round, but one should learn to be square." To be round means to be smooth. Everyone in the world is being tactful, but I am still upright and do not follow the trends. "I am always afraid of being ruined by the public, and the spring leaves will turn into autumn yellow." The poet persists in his belief. However, if he leaves the secular world, he will inevitably fall into the dilemma of being frustrated in his official career, being slandered and being abandoned. "The great sage upholds high standards and serves as a public candle with selfless light." The great sage refers to the people of Daxi. The great sage is upright and bright, like a mirror hanging high, and the public candle shines on the earth without any selfishness. The last two sentences, "The darkroom has not yet reached dawn, and I walk in the dark with tears in my eyes" echo the previous article, once again writing about my embarrassing situation.
Author Introduction
Meng Jiao, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, Han nationality. There are more than 500 existing poems, among which short five-character ancient poems are the most numerous. The representative work is "Wandering Zi Yin". It is known as the "poem prisoner", and is as famous as Jia Dao, and is also known as "the thin island in the cold suburbs". In the ninth year of Yuanhe, he died of illness in Nexiang (now Lingbao, Henan). Zhang Ji's private posthumous title is Mr. Zhenyao. Meng Jiao's ancestral home is Pingchang (now northeast of Linyi, Shandong). He lived in Luoyang (now part of Henan) for generations. His father, Tingjun, was born in the suburbs when he was a lieutenant in Kunshan County. Meng Jiao lived in poverty in his early years. He traveled around Hubei, Hunan, Guangxi and other places, but met nowhere and failed despite repeated attempts. When Zhang Jianfeng was guarding Xuzhou in Zhenyuan Dynasty, he went to visit him in the suburbs. At the age of 46 (some say 45 years old), he first became a Jinshi. There is a poem "After Admission": "The dirty past is not enough to praise, but now the dissolute thoughts are boundless; the spring breeze is proud of the horse's hoof, and I can see all the flowers in Chang'an in one day.". Then he returned east and visited Bianzhou (now Kaifeng, Henan) and Yuezhou (now Shaoxing, Zhejiang). In the seventeenth year of Zhenyuan (801), he was appointed as the Lieutenant of Liyang, Jiangnan. His representative poem "Wandering Son Yin" was written when he was in Liyang. When he was in office, he often enjoyed composing poems. If he could not compose poems, he would not go out. Therefore, he was known as the "poetry prisoner". If he did not do Cao Cao affairs, he would be fined half his salary. At the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty, Henan Yin Zheng Yuqingzou was engaged in water and land transportation in Henan, tried Xielu Lang, and settled in Luoyang. When he was 60 years old, his mother died. Zheng Yuqing guarded Xingyuan, and served as a staff officer and tried Dali to judge affairs. Meng Jiao was invited to go to Nuxiang (today's Lingbao, Henan) and died of a sudden illness in the ninth year of Yuanhe. Meng Jiao's friends Han Yu and others collected 100 guan for his burial. Zheng Yuqing sent someone to send 300 guan to "for the widow." Eternal dependence".