Midnight Wu Ge·Autumn Song
Li Bai
There is a moon in Chang'an, and the sound of thousands of households pounding their clothes②.
The autumn wind never blows away, but there is always the love of Jade Guan ③.
Whenever the barbarians are defeated, a good man will stop his expedition④.
Midnight Wu Ge·Dong Ge
Li Bai
In the Ming Dynasty, the post envoys sent out their clothes and collected robes all night long.
My bare hands are worth a pair of scissors.
How many days will it take for the tailor to arrive in Lintao?
The first title is "Songs at Four O'clock in the Midnight", consisting of four poems, describing the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter. Six Dynasties Yuefu "Qing Shang Opera". "Wu Sheng Songs" is the "Songs of the Four O'clock in the Midnight", which was inherited by the author. Because it belongs to Wu Sheng, it is also called "Midnight Wu Songs". This style is composed of four sentences, and the content is mostly about the sadness of a woman missing her lover. The six sentences are the creation of the poet, and the emotion used to write about missing her husband is more innovative in the times.
"Winter Song" is entirely written in a different way. Instead of describing scenes, he writes about people and narratives, and expresses the feeling of missing her husband through the love story of a woman who "went to bed all night long". The incident is arranged at a meaningful moment - the eve before the emissary to deliver the clothes is about to depart, which greatly enhances the plot and drama of the poem. The word "rush" is not written explicitly, but from the news of "Ming Dynasty post messenger", readers can see this word everywhere in the poem, as if they can see the scene of the woman working eagerly and nervously. Regarding the specific processes of how to "wax", how to "cut", how to "sew", etc., the author made some choices and only wrote about the feeling of picking up the needle and cutting, highlighting the word "cold". It feels very cold to pull out the needle with my bare hands, and I still have to hold the cold scissors. "Cold" is suitable for "Winter Song", and more importantly, it contributes to the vividness of the plot. The severe cold weather has made the woman who "dare to praise her skill with a needle" less able to do it. But time is not waiting for us, but the messenger is about to set off, and the anxious mood of the characters is like a painting. "Ming Dynasty's messenger sent" clearly meant some complaining. However, "the husband is guarding the border, and the concubine is in Wu, and the west wind blows and the concubine is worried about her husband" (Chen Yulan's "Sending Her Husband"), she must have thought of "Lintao" (in the southwest of Lintan County, Gansu today, this generally refers to the border area) from her own coldness. ) It's colder over there. Therefore, I hope that the post messenger will leave early and quickly. This ambivalence is also expressed in no words. Readers seem to see her clapping her hands while rushing to cut, wadding, and sewing. "One night to collect robes" was a simple but meaningful statement. It seemed that it was done, and she should be relieved. However, "it's just a frown, but it's in my heart", and I'm anxious again, the road is so long, "it's so cold that I have no clothes around me"? This time, I was afraid that the post envoy would be late, so I hoped that the post train would speed up. "How many days will it take for the tailor to arrive in Lintao after his long journey?" This impatient question contains so much affection. "Autumn Song" can be attributed to the memory of a loved one from the front, while "Winter Song" is purely written from the side. Through the combination of image portrayal and psychological description, it creates a living image of missing a wife and successfully expresses the theme of the poem. Structurally, there are waves of ups and downs, sudden rises, far-reaching endings, and vivid and touching plots.
If "Autumn Song" indirectly shapes the group portrait of Chang'an women, "Winter Song" expresses the general society through individual images, and both songs are highly typical. The bright and natural language, the vivid concentration of images, the clearer and brighter tones, and the euphemistic and profound emotions are all based on folk songs. They are no different from each other. It is true that "the meaning becomes shallower and deeper, the words are closer and farther away, and the poem cannot be written in a sentence." Excerpts, sentences cannot be written by word" (Volume 2 of "Shisou. Internal Edition")
Notes
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①Midnight Wu Ge : There is "Midnight Song" in the Yuefu of the Six Dynasties. Because it is mainly popular in the Wu region, it is also called "Midnight Wu Song". It mostly describes the love between men and women.
②Pound the clothes: Place the washed clothes on a stone anvil and beat them to remove the alkali.
③Yuguan: Yumenguan.
④寣: A contemptuous name for the enemy. Beloved man: The name used by ancient women for their husbands.
Appreciation
[Appreciation]
This is a poem about missing a wife. It is written about the yearning of the missing woman for the soldiers who went to war. The whole poem strives to outline a deeply affectionate picture of a woman wearing clothes and traveling far away. The sound of pounding clothes in thousands of households conveys the sadness and longing of women; the rustling autumn wind cannot forget the deep affection of Yuguan. These are all the sorrows that war has brought to the people. The theme of the poem is consistent with "Guan Shan Yue".
Appreciation
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"Autumn Song"
Generally speaking, its technique is to first describe the scene and then describe it. Love words, and situations always blend. "A piece of moon in Chang'an" is a seasonal feature of describing the scenery and closely following the title of "The Autumn Moon Shines Brightly". Seeing the moon and cherishing people is a traditional expression method in classical poetry. In addition, autumn is the season of rushing to make and collect clothes, so writing about the moon also has interesting meaning. In addition, the moon is as bright as day, and it is just the right time to smash clothes, and the moonlight that "can't be rolled up in the jade curtain, but comes back after being brushed on the anvil of clothes" is such a provocation to the missing woman! The cloth used for making clothes must first be placed on an anvil and pounded flat and soft with a pestle. This is called "clothing pounding". On this bright moonlit night, the city of Chang'an was immersed in the sound of anvils and pestles, and what a provocation this special "autumn sound" was to the missing woman! "One piece" and "ten thousand households" are written in light and sound, which seems to be right but not right, and the words are natural and have the flavor of chanting. The autumn wind can also make people feel melancholy. "The autumn wind blows into the window and the tents flutter." This is the third provocation to the missing woman. The moon is bright and the wind is clear, and the wind blows the anvil, and the sound is the deep feeling of remembering the people in Yuguan. With the word "always", the feelings and thoughts become more profound.
Here, the autumn moon, autumn sounds and autumn wind weave into a seamless realm. There are no people in sight, but the characters are there, and the "Jade Pass Love" is strong. No wonder Wang Euzhi said: "The first four sentences are good sentences born in the sky and earth, and were picked up by Taibai." ("Selection of Tang Poems") This feeling is so strong that it cannot be stopped, so the last two sentences directly express the thoughts of the missing wife: "When will the Hulu be pacified? "A good man will go on an expedition?" Readers who prefer "implicitness" blame it: "Yu Tie said that deleting the last two sentences to make a quatrain makes it more ambiguous." (Tian Tongzhi's "Xipu Poems") This is not necessarily the case. "I don't know how wonderful the songs are, but how powerful they are." ("Dazi Night Song"), they are generous and natural, which is the true nature of folk songs. There is no need to pretend to be garbled. From the content point of view, as Shen Deqian pointed out: "The love words of my girlfriend suddenly wish to stop the war" ("Shuo Shi Yu Yu"), which greatly deepens the ideological content of the poem and makes it more socially significant, showing the ancient working people's desire for a better life. Good wishes for a peaceful life. The technique of the whole poem is like a movie, with pictures and "voice-over". The moon shines on thousands of households in Chang'an. The wind blows the anvil. Transformed into the desolate and cold moonscape outside Yumen Pass. Interlude: "When the Huru are defeated, the good man will stop his expedition."... This is such a meaningful poetic scene! It should be noted that this "interlude" that looks like a chorus of female voices is by no means superfluous. It is an integral part of the painting, both outside and inside the painting. It is soul-stirring and exciting. Therefore, it can be said that "Autumn Song" writes about longing and endless feelings from the front.
"Winter Song"
"Winter Song" is entirely written in a different way. Instead of describing scenes, he writes about people and narratives, and expresses the feeling of missing her husband through the love story of a woman who "went to bed all night long". The incident is arranged at a meaningful moment - the eve before the emissary to deliver the clothes is about to depart, which greatly enhances the plot and drama of the poem. The word "rush" is not written explicitly, but from the news of "Ming Dynasty post messenger", readers can see this word everywhere in the poem, as if they can see the scene of the woman working eagerly and nervously. Regarding the specific processes of how to "wax", how to "cut", how to "sew", etc., the author made some choices and only wrote about the feeling of picking up the needle and cutting, highlighting the word "cold". It feels very cold to pull out the needle with my bare hands, and I still have to hold the cold scissors. "Cold" is suitable for "Winter Song", and more importantly, it contributes to the vividness of the plot. The severe cold weather has made the woman who "dare to praise her skill with a needle" less able to do it. But time is not waiting for us, but the messenger is about to set off, and the anxious mood of the characters is like a painting. "Ming Dynasty's post sent" clearly meant some complaining. However, "The husband is guarding the border, and the concubine is in Wu, and the west wind blows and the concubine is worried about her husband" (Chen Yulan's "Sending Her Husband"). She must have thought of "Lintao" (in the southwest of Lintan County, Gansu Province today) from her coldness, which generally refers to the border area. ) It's colder over there. Therefore, I hope that the post messenger will leave early and quickly. This ambivalence is also expressed in no words. Readers seem to see her clapping her hands as she cuts, wadding, and sews. "One night to collect robes" was a simple but meaningful statement. It seemed that it was done, and she should be relieved. However, "it's just a frown, but it's in my heart", and I'm anxious again, the road is so long, "it's so cold that I have no clothes around me"? This time, I was afraid that the post envoy would be late, and I hoped that the post train would speed up. "How many days will it take for the tailor to arrive in Lintao after his long journey?" This impatient question contains so much affection. "Autumn Song" can be attributed to the memory of a loved one from the front, while "Winter Song" is purely written from the side. Through the combination of image portrayal and psychological description, it creates a living image of missing a woman and successfully expresses the theme of the poem. Structurally, there are waves of ups and downs, sudden rises, far-reaching endings, and vivid and touching plots.
If "Autumn Song" indirectly shapes the group portrait of Chang'an women, "Winter Song" expresses the general society through individual images, and both songs are highly typical. The bright and natural language, the vivid concentration of images, the clearer and brighter tones, and the euphemistic and profound emotions are all based on folk songs. They are no different from each other. It is true that "the meaning becomes shallower and deeper, the words are closer and farther away, and the poem cannot be a sentence." Excerpts, sentences cannot be written by word" (Volume 2 of "Shi Sou. Internal Edition")
Explanation of poetry
[Edit this paragraph]
Note:
Midnight Wu Songs: Wu-sheng songs from Yuefu in the Six Dynasties. "Book of Tang·Yue Zhi": ""Midnight Wu Song" is also a song of Jin Dynasty. There was a woman named Ziye in Jin Dynasty who created this sound, which sounded more sorrowful and bitter." "Yuefu Jieti": "Later generations even more sang music in the four seasons. The poem is called "Song of the Four O'clock at Midnight". "Li Bai's "Song of Wu at Midnight" also sings about the four seasons, and this is the third song about autumn. And it was expanded from the original five characters and four sentences to five characters and six sentences.
A piece of moon: a piece of bright moonlight.
Wanhu: Thousands of households.
Pounding clothes: When washing clothes, place the clothes on the anvil stone and beat them with a stick.
Blow out: cannot be blown away.
Yuguan: Yumenguan. These two sentences say that the rustling autumn wind cannot dispel the sadness in my heart, but it only makes me miss the soldiers far away.
Ping Hulu: Put down the enemies invading the border.
Beloved man: refers to the husband stationed at the border. Stop: end.
Appreciation:
The outstanding romantic poet Li Bai, in his creative practice, paid great attention to learning from the folk songs of the Han, Wei and Six Dynasties, obtaining rich nourishment from them, enriching and developing himself This song "Midnight Wu Song" is an example of the poet learning from folk songs and creating something new.
"Midnight Wu Song" is a famous love song in the South during the Six Dynasties. It mostly describes the thoughts and feelings of a girl who warmly and deeply remembers her lover. It is very sincere and touching. Li Bai has mastered this characteristic of expressing emotions. , in this poem, it successfully describes the hard-to-dispel sorrow of missing a woman in her boudoir. The two sentences "Chang'an" describe the scenery and create an environment for lyricism.
The bright moonlight shone on Chang'an City, revealing a silver-white world. At this time, along with the rustling autumn wind, there was the sound of pounding clothes one after another. The banging of clothes contains the sincere affection of the missing woman towards the concubine. The two sentences "Autumn Wind" follow the above and are positive and lyrical. The gusts of autumn wind not only failed to blow away the deep and endless thoughts of the missing woman, but instead evoked her memories of her distant husband and increased her sorrow. "Endless" is not only the bursts of autumn wind, but also the long and continuous love. This constant love always flies into the distance, so persistent and passionate. The last two sentences of the missing woman directly express her wishes, hoping that her husband will settle down in the frontier as soon as possible, return home to reunite with his relatives, and live a peaceful and stable life, which expresses the poet's sympathy for working women. This Yuefu poem with a strong folk song flavor is simple, natural, fluent, and truly touching.
The city of Chang'an was covered with moonlight, and the sound of pounding clothes could be heard from thousands of households. The autumn wind cannot stop me, I always miss Yumenguan. When can the Hulu be wiped out and relatives stop the expedition?