Tang Dynasty: Du Fu
a wanderer hears drums portending battle, a wild goose sounds in autumn.
he knows that the dews tonight will be frost, how much brighter the moonlight is at home!.
o my brothers, lost and scattered, what is life to me without you?.
yet if missives in time of peace go wrong, what can I hope for during war?.
Translation
The drums on the garrison building cut off people's communication. In autumn, a lonely goose is singing.
From tonight, we have entered the Millennium solar term, and the moon is still the brightest in our hometown.
all my brothers are scattered, so I can't ask about life and death without a home.
letters from home to Luoyang are often not delivered, not to mention the frequent wars.
note
my younger brother: call yourself my younger brother humbly.
Garrison drums: the drums on the garrisons are more drums. Garrison, garrison.
people are cut off: it means that after the drums sound, a curfew is started.
Border Autumn: A work called "Autumn Border", the edge of autumn, and the autumn with a border jam
he knows that the dews tonight will be frost: It refers to a night of "White Dew" on Qi Festival.
o my brothers, lost and scattered, what is life to me without you?: Brothers are scattered, their homes are gone, and neither of them knows the news of life and death.
long: always, always.
da: yes.
the situation is: let alone.
the troops are not stopped: the war is not over yet.
Creation background
This poem was written by Du Fu in Qin Zhou in the autumn of 759 (the second year of Ganyuan). In September of this year, during the Anshi Rebellion, An Lushan and Shi Siming led troops south from Fanyang, captured Bianzhou, and entered Luoyang in the west. Shandong and Henan were in war. At that time, Du Fu's younger brothers were scattered in this area, and because of the war, there was no communication, which caused him strong anxiety and thoughts.
Appreciation
Appreciation of artistic conception
In classical poetry, homesickness for friends is a common theme. This kind of works should avoid mediocrity and unconventional. It is not enough to rely solely on the author's life experience, but also to be ingenious in expression. It is in dealing with this kind of common theme that Du Fu shows his true colors.
poems are abrupt and uneven together. The title is "Moonlit Night", but the author doesn't start from the moonlit night, but first describes a picture of autumn in frontier fortress: "a wanderer hears drums portending battle, geese are singing in autumn." Write what you see when the road breaks; Watch the drums and geese, and write what you hear. The sight and ears are bleak. The heavy and monotonous drums and the sound of lonely geese on the horizon not only did not bring a trace of vitality, but made the already desolate frontier fortress even more desolate and silent. "Broken pedestrian" points out the social environment, indicating that the war is still frequent and fierce, and the road is blocked. The two poems render a strong and sad atmosphere, which is the background of "Moonlit Night".
antithetical couplet points. "he knows that the dews tonight will be frost" not only describes the scenery, but also points out the seasons. It was on the night of the White Dew Festival. It was clear and full of dew, which made people feel chilly. "how much brighter the moonlight is at home!" is also a landscape painting, but it is slightly different from the previous sentence. What the author wrote was not completely objective, but integrated with his own subjective feelings. It is obviously a bright moon in the whole world, which makes no difference. It is determined to say that the moon in my hometown is the brightest; Obviously, it is the author's own psychological illusion, so we must be so sure that there is no doubt about it. However, this technique of taking fantasy as reality does not make people feel unreasonable, because it profoundly shows the author's subtle psychology and highlights his feelings for his hometown. These two sentences are also very skillful in refining sentences. What they want to say is just "tonight is white" and "the moon is bright in my hometown". Just by changing the word order, the tone is particularly vigorous and powerful. Therefore, Wang Dechen said: "Zi Mei is good at using things and common language, and if she is more isolated or inverted, her language will be healthy and firm, and her meaning will be deep and stable." Readers can also see Du Fu's ability to turn ordinary into magic from here.
the above four sentences are written casually, which seems to have nothing to do with remembering my brother, but they are not. Not only does * homesickness write "memory", but it also makes the author feel sad and miss. Therefore, I remember my brother every word, and every sentence is affectionate.
The transition from * to lyricism is very natural. Moonlight often makes people daydream, and it is easier to evoke homesickness. The poet has a special taste in his heart when he is away from chaos today and on this cold moonlit night. Where will you go's anxiety mingled with his melancholy, and his tone was particularly painful. "o my brothers, lost and scattered, what is life to me without you?", the last sentence said that brothers are separated and live far apart; The next sentence says that home is gone, life and death are difficult to predict, and it is heartbreaking and touching. These two poems also summarize the common experience of the people in the Anshi Rebellion.
"yet if missives in time of peace go wrong, what can I hope for during war?", closely following the five or six sentences, further expresses the inner worries. Relatives are scattered everywhere, but books are often not delivered at ordinary times, not to mention frequent wars, and it is even more difficult to predict life and death. Implicit implication, a knot of infinite affection. After reading this poem, we can easily understand why Du Fu was able to write such a poem as "after the war-fires of three months, one message from home is worth a ton of gold" ("Spring Hope"). A profound life experience is the deepest source of artistic creation.
structural analysis
the whole poem is well-organized, coordinated from beginning to end, well-rounded and well-structured. If you don't stop fighting, you'll stop walking, * will remember your younger brother, * will be homeless, and you won't be able to deliver your books. If you are scattered, you'll be unclear about life and death.
thoughts and feelings
In the Anshi Rebellion, Du Fu was wandering from place to place, prepared for hardships, worried about both his family and the national disaster, which was really full of emotion. At the slightest touch, many things will flow out from the bottom of the pen together, so the common theme of homesickness is written with such sadness and frustration.