Wang Wei's Letter to Zi Zhou's Ambassador Li Shu was selected as one of the 300 Tang poems. This poem is a complimentary poem written by Wang Wei, a great poet in the Tang Dynasty, who sent Li Zhijun to work in Sichuan. The poet imagined the magnificent scenery, customs and customs of Zizhou mountain forest where friends were officials, and encouraged friends to make contributions in Zizhou and surpass the sages. Poets can choose the scenery that can best express the characteristics of Sichuan and describe it with exaggerated methods to make the weather spectacular and open. There is no sentimental atmosphere in the whole poem, and the mood is positive and cheerful, the style is lofty, refreshing and lively, and the first half sentence is particularly good. It is one of the famous farewell poems in Tang poetry. For more appreciation of Tang poetry, please pay attention to the 300 columns of Tang poetry in Station.
original text
To ambassador Li of Zizhou.
Author: Wang Wei
Towering mountains, towering trees, cuckoo singing in the depths of Qian Shan.
The spring rain in the mountains has not stopped all night, and the trees on the treetops are spring.
Han women work hard to weave taxes, while Ba people rarely compete for fields.
I hope you will carry forward Wen Weng's achievements, make persistent efforts and forge ahead.
To annotate ...
1 cuckoo: cuckoo.
② One-night rain: one is "half rain".
③ mi?o: the treetops.
(4) Tung cloth: cloth woven from flowers of Tung wood, which is a specialty of Zizhou.
⑤ Ba: The name of an ancient country, so they are all in Chongqing, Sichuan. Taro field: Taro was produced in central Sichuan and was one of the staple foods at that time. This sentence means that Pakistanis often go to court for farmland.
⑥ Wen Weng: During the Han Dynasty, he was a county magistrate and was politically generous. Seeing that Shu was a poor place, they built the Xuegong to attract talents and make Bashu more civilized. Turn it over: turn it over and change it, and pass the "reverse".
Sage: A talented person has passed away. This refers to Han Jing's defense in Shu County. In the last two sentences, Ji Yun said "it can't be solved". Zhao Diancheng said: "Dare not, dare not is wrong." . Gao Miao said to the cloud, "The last two sentences say that Wen Weng's enlightenment has declined so far, but it has to be renovated and revived. Is it only for the ancients?" The achievement is also calm and inaction. This is what mutual encouragement means. Old people think that two sentences can't solve it. What is evil? "Zhao and Gao Er said that Zhao said it was acceptable.
Rhyme translation
In the front mountain of Zizhou area, trees are towering, mountains are connected with mountains, and moaning cuckoos can be heard everywhere.
Last night, there was a continuous spring rain in Shan Ye, and the treetops dripped like a hundred clear springs.
Women in Shu and Han paid taxes on cloth made of flowers, and farmers in Ba county often filed lawsuits for farmland.
I hope you can revive Wen Weng's spiritual education by running a school, and you can't rely on the quietness and leisure of sages.
comment
As a farewell poem, To Zizhou Ambassador Li has a novel conception. There is nothing in the poem about the time, place, feelings and events of farewell. The whole poem describes the landscape, customs and civil affairs of Bashu.
However, if you read it carefully, you will find that this poem is developed step by step around Zizhou, where Li is about to take office, and goes deeper and deeper. The whole poem is full of the poet's admiration, expectation and encouragement for Li, and its structure is rigorous and seamless. The first two couplets describe the beautiful scenery of Bashu mountains and rivers, which are born out of emotion, revealing the poet's warm yearning for the scenery of Zizhou and his infinite admiration for Li's upcoming appointment. Triple has a strong generalization, which not only shows the products and folk customs of Shu, but also shows that Shu's economy is remote and backward, its people are poor and lack of education, implicitly reminding Li that it is not easy to govern Shu, and there is a long way to go. This couplet also paved the way for the end couplet, making the poet's exhortation to Li more practical and not empty. Tailian took advantage of the situation and encouraged Li to follow the example of Wen Weng, the prefect of Shu County in Han Dynasty, to re-educate students in Zizhou, and to innovate official management, which made great achievements. The poet compared Wen Weng to Li Shi, and used appropriate allusion to people, things and places, so as to convey his sincere and ardent expectations.
Poetry writes farewell, does not write farewell, does not write hatred, does not make vague and polite words, but deeply cares about national affairs, people's livelihood and friends' future.
Among the farewell poems in the Tang Dynasty, it is a masterpiece with unique conception, lofty ideological realm and exciting reading. For more appreciation of Tang poetry, please pay attention to the 300 columns of Tang poetry in Station.
Comment and analysis
Whenever there is a farewell work, it is often written from the immediate scene to express feelings and express farewell. Wang Wei's intention in this poem is not farewell, but encouragement. Therefore, from the very beginning, he wrote the natural scenery of Zizhou, where Li Zhijun worked, vividly and attractively.
The first two sentences have their own merits, which sounds very imposing: Qianshan is full of towering trees and azaleas. There are both visual images and auditory feelings. Reading makes people feel as if they are in it and they are at a loss. These two sentences are broad and magnificent, and they are cited by later poetry critics as the model of the beginning of regular poetry.
The first couplet was written from the big place, with extraordinary momentum; Couplets are written from the details, which is particularly good to undertake. It is worthy of everyone's handwriting. The poet showed a wonderful spectacle: after a night of rain and water immersion, hundreds of flying springs appeared in the mountain, which seemed to hang from the treetops from a distance, fully showing the preciseness of the mountain and the majestic beauty of the springs. "In the mountains" has the word "mountain" and "tree" has the word "tree", and the two sentences are poured repeatedly, which is naturally ingenious. These two couplets are naturally wonderful, with excellent pictures, artistic conception, momentum, structure and language. The predecessors' so-called "four high ink rhymes" ("Poems of the Tang and Song Dynasties" quoted Ji Yun) and "Xing Lai Shen Lai, naturally into the wonderful, can not be berthed together" ("Uncle Yu Ting Zalu" by Wang Shizhen) are not bragging.
After the author described the scenery of Sichuan in a praising style, the second half of the poem described the people's feelings and political affairs in Sichuan. Zizhou is a place where ethnic minorities live in compact communities. The women there pay the government the kapok on time. Sichuan produces taro, and people there often file lawsuits for taro fields. "Chinese women", "Ba people", "Bobu" and "Tian Yu" are closely related to the characteristics of Sichuan, and tax collection and handling of lawsuits are the responsibilities of Li Zhijun after he took office as Zizhou secretariat, which is very appropriate in his poems. In the last two sentences, use allusions about governing Shu. "Wen Weng" was the prefect of Shu County when he was in power. He once set up schools and trained talents, which made Shu County "turn from right to evil" (Han Shu. Official biography) Wang Wei encouraged Li to follow Wen Weng's example and innovate education instead of relying on the original achievements of Wen Weng and other sages. In view of the above, since the environment in Sichuan is so beautiful and the people's feelings are so pure, it is more natural for you to do your duty and make a difference when you work as a secretariat. Encourage people with allusions, have high hopes for farewell, and be tactful and decent. For more appreciation of Tang poetry, please pay attention to the 300 columns of Tang poetry in Station.
This farewell poem is very distinctive. In the first half of the song, I want to win in Linzhou Mountain, which is a cut; It is pertinent to describe the folk customs in central Sichuan with necklaces. The end-to-end code, the officials and colleagues who are both Li with Wen Weng, all want to kill people. When writing like this, I am exhausted and accurate. The emotions expressed in the poem are positive and cheerful, and the style is lofty, which is a good farewell article in the Tang Dynasty.
Brief introduction of the author
Wang Wei (70 1-76 1), also known as Mo Jie, was a famous poet in the prosperous Tang Dynasty. His official position is Shangshu Youcheng, originally from Qi (now Qixian County, Shanxi Province), and later moved to Yongji, Shanxi Province. He believed in Buddhism and lived in Lanchuan Mountain Villa in Lantian in his later years. He has made great achievements in poetry and painting. Su Dongpo praised him for "poetry has charm and painting has pictures;" Look at the picture. There are poems in it. "In particular, his achievements in landscape poetry are collectively called' Wang Meng' with Meng Haoran. In his later years, he was careless about his official career and devoted himself to being a Buddha. Later, he was called "Shi Fo". He is the author of Wang Youcheng's poetry anthology, with 400 poems. He is good at drawing figures, bamboos and landscapes. There are two kinds of landscapes recorded by the Tang people: one is similar to Li's father and son, the other is painted by breaking ink, and the latter is his masterpiece. Unfortunately, no original works have been handed down from generation to generation. The Snow Stream Map and Jinan Mansion handed down to him are not original works. Obviously, Wang Wei has made higher achievements in the field of Tang poetry. He is a representative of the pastoral school in Tang Dynasty. Kaiyuan is the first scholar (that is, the champion). He has served as an official such as Da Lecheng and Yousgler. When An Lushan rebelled, he was forced to assume a false post. Later, it was taken back by the two capitals and demoted to Prince Zhongyun. After being tired, he moved his heart of dedication and finally became a minister.
Wang Wei was very literary when he was a teenager. In the ninth year of Kaiyuan (72 1), he was the first scholar, and he was very happy. I joined the army in Jeju for some reason. After returning to Chang 'an. In the 22nd year of Kaiyuan, Zhang Jiuling was appointed as the secretariat. Wang Wei was demoted to the right. At that time, he wrote a poem "Dedicating the Beginning to Prosper the People", praising Zhang Jiuling's political views against planting party member for personal gain and abusing his title, which reflected his mood of demanding at that time. Twenty-four years (736), Zhang Jiuling went on strike. The following year, Jingzhou was relegated to a long history. Li's appointment as the secretariat was a turning point in Xuanzong period, and politics changed from relatively clear to increasingly dark. Wang Wei was depressed about Zhang Jiuling's demotion, but he didn't quit the officialdom. In the 25th year of Kaiyuan, he was ordered to visit Cui, our envoy from Hexi. Later, he learned from the temple history that Wang Wei's official position was gradually promoted. Before the Anshi Rebellion, on the one hand, officials were tired and worried about the officialdom at that time, on the other hand, they were attached to the stack and could not leave decisively. So when in Rome, do as the Romans do, and live a semi-official and semi-secluded life for a long time.
He used to believe in Buddhism. At this time, with the increasing negative thoughts, his Buddhist beliefs are also developing day by day. When he was young, he used to live in a mountain forest. After middle age, he lived in Zhong Nanshan, and later he got Wangchuan Villa and Song Wenzhi in Lantian. So he travels among them with his good friend Pei Di and likes to write poems. In the fifteenth year of Tianbao (756), the Anshi rebels captured Chang 'an, Xuanzong entered Shu, and Wang Wei was captured by the rebels. Pretending to be ill after taking medicine, he was sent to Luoyang as a fake official. After the recovery of the two capitals, those who suffered from false jobs were convicted at different levels. He was praised by Su Zong for a poem "Ningbichi" that missed the Tang Dynasty, and his brother Wang Jin had a high official position, so he was only demoted to Prince Zhongyun, and later he moved something and finally became a senior official. For more appreciation of Tang poetry, please pay attention to the 300 columns of Tang poetry in Station.
Wang Wei is a representative of poets in the prosperous Tang Dynasty. Wang Wei has been an official in the capital for many years and has had many contacts with the prince and your Lord. His literary reputation is very high, and he was regarded as a literate sect in Kaiyuan and Tianbao periods. He is good at five-character poems, and because he is proficient in music, his five-character poems are easy to combine, spread widely and have a high reputation. Wang Wei's modern poems are rigorous in temperament and bold in conception, and most of his landscape poems win for both scenery and scenery. Commenting on his own poems, Yin Yun said: "Uygur poems are elegant and exquisite, with fresh ideas and just right ideas. It's a pearl in spring and a picture on the wall. Every word is different. " Wang Wei has made great achievements in poetry writing skills. However, due to his negative recluse thoughts, many of his poems contain negative escapist factors. Therefore, in the history of literature, he and Meng Haoran are both representatives of "hermit poetry school". Tang Daizong spoke highly of Wang Wei's poems. He said in "Answering Wang Jin's Collection of Watch Hands": "The people of the Qing Dynasty experienced the first dynasty and were called the generation of Gao Xi. When discussing beauty, they recited it by population." By the end of the Tang Dynasty, the disciples of Liyuan were still singing Wang Wei's quatrains, which showed its far-reaching influence.
Most of Wang Wei's poems are idyllic, depicting natural beauty, and at the same time revealing leisure interest in his leisurely life. Wang Wei's landscape poems, usually in the form of five laws and five sentences, are short in length, delicate in language and soothing in syllables, which are especially suitable for expressing the tranquility of landscapes and the poet's leisurely mood. After middle age, Wang Wei became increasingly depressed and sought sustenance in Buddhism and landscapes. He claimed that "silence is joy, and there is much leisure in this life" ("Fanbu Busan Monk"). This state of mind has been fully reflected in his poetry creation. In the past, many people admired Wang Wei's poems, on the one hand, because of his high artistic skills, on the other hand, because of his leisure and negative thoughts. In the Ming Dynasty, Hu Yinglin called Wang Wei's five-line poem "Zen", and said that two poems, Bird-singing Creek and Wu Xinyi, "I forgot my life experience after reading them, and my thoughts were all silent" (poems), which is proof. Legend of Snow Scene is a work about Wang Wei's parting and travel, and there are often some beautiful sentences describing the scenery, such as "Far trees lead, the sunset is red in the distant city" ("Sending money home") and "Half a mountain and half a rain, thousands of valleys come to the Silk Waterfall" ("To Li Shi in Zizhou"). The tides rise and fall on the earth (Farewell to Guizhou) and Lonely Smoke in the Desert.
Join the Army, Travel in Longxi, Yan Fenke, Hunting Observation, Frontier Conquest and Frontier Conquest are all magnificent works. "The Song of the Dragon's Head" and "The Journey of the Old General" express the sadness that the generals are not rewarded for their meritorious service, and reflect one aspect of the internal contradictions of the feudal ruling class. "Hunting" vividly describes the hunting scene. Yimen sang the chivalrous spirit of historical figures. The four poems in A Boy's Journey show chivalry, boldness, vivid images and smooth brushwork. These works are generally believed to have been written by Wang Wei in his early years. There are also some poems, such as Fu on Four Sages, Fu on Allegory, Fu on Unfortunate Encounter, etc., which were written when eunuchs relegated to Jeju. The fifth of Six Chances, Zhao Nv Yan Ya, expressed indignation at the unreasonable phenomenon that the rich nobles dominated the official career and the talented people were frustrated, and reflected some dark sides of feudal politics in Kaiyuan and Tianbao periods. Luoyang Galand and Xi Shi Yong express their feelings and satire for the strong through comparison. Women's sufferings are described in Mrs Xi and Ban Jieyu. They are sad and have certain social significance. Lyric poems such as Farewell to the Old Friend, I watched you go down the mountain, Send Li to Lingaotai to receive the legacy, Send Two Envoys to Anxi, Send Shen Zifu to Jiangdong, Miss My Shandong Brothers in the Mountain, Acacia, Miscellaneous Poems, and You from My Old Country have been told for thousands of years. "Send Yuan 20 An Xi" and "Acacia" were broadcast as music at that time and were widely sung. These poems are all five-character quatrains or seven-character quatrains, with sincere feelings, beautiful and natural language, simple and profound beauty, which can be compared with those of Li Bai and Wang Changling, and represent the highest achievement of quatrains in the prosperous Tang Dynasty.
Chinese-English translation
Letter to Li, Special Commissioner of Zizhou
Wang Wei
Towering mountains, towering trees, cuckoo singing in the depths of Qian Shan.
The spring rain in the mountains has not stopped all night, and the trees on the treetops are spring.
Han women work hard to weave taxes, while Ba people rarely compete for fields.
I hope you will carry forward Wen Weng's achievements, make persistent efforts and forge ahead.
Letter to Li, Special Commissioner of Zizhou
Wang Wei
Thousands of trees reach the sky;
On a thousand peaks, cuckoos are singing;
After a night in Shan Yu,
There are hundreds of silky waterfalls from each peak.
... if girls are asked about the fibers they weave as a tribute,
Or farmers argue over taro fields,
Preside wisely like Wen Weng. ....
Does fame belong only to the ancients?