Chao Huang
Stay in Qiu Lai on September 8th,
When I blossomed, all the flowers withered.
The incense array pervades Chang' an,
The city is full of golden flowers.
Until September 8th, Qiu Lai [1], I will kill all the flowers after they bloom [2]. The incense array [3] penetrates Chang 'an, and the city is full of golden flowers [4].
[Remarks]:
[1] September 8th: In ancient times, September 9th was the Double Ninth Festival, and there was a custom of climbing mountains and enjoying chrysanthemums. Say "September 8" rhymes. [2] Kill: wither. [3] Fragrant array: Fragrant fragrance. [4] golden armor: golden armor refers to the color of chrysanthemum.
[explanation]:
Besides being proficient in martial arts, Huang Chao loves reading and can write poems and essays. He went to the capital Chang 'an to take the imperial examination, but failed. However, the failure of the examination hall gave him another gain: he saw the darkness of the examination room and the corruption of official management, which made him have a further understanding of the nature of Li Tang. After I failed the exam, I was full of pride. I sang chrysanthemums to express my arms.
"Until September 8th in Qiu Lai", it is pointed out that chrysanthemum is in full bloom in autumn. Especially on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, this is the traditional Double Ninth Festival in ancient China, a day for friends and relatives to get together, climb mountains and drink and enjoy chrysanthemums, and a day for chrysanthemums to show their charm and make people admire. This custom was particularly popular in the Tang Dynasty. Didn't Meng Haoran, who was 140 years earlier than Huang Chao, make an appointment with his friend "I'll come back when I have a holiday in the mountains"? Huang Chao particularly emphasized "September 8th" here. The word "stay" is used to express the firm confidence that September 8 will definitely come. People are also looking forward to the Double Ninth Festival, and the word "Liu" has also played a role in urging people to welcome the arrival of this festival, showing people a bright future.
The second sentence of the poem is about the power of chrysanthemum: "I opened it, and the flowers killed me." There is no necessary connection between the withering of flowers and the blooming of chrysanthemums, but the poem says that chrysanthemums wither as soon as they open, which has become a causal relationship, just emphasizing the power of chrysanthemums. In the Tang Dynasty, peony was advocated and regarded as the national flower. According to Li Zhao's Supplement to the National History of the Tang Dynasty: "For more than 30 years, Jun traveled to the capital. Every spring, if the horses and chariots are crazy, they are ashamed not to play. " Contrary to traditional ideas, Huang Chao admired chrysanthemums. You see, the sharp contrast between "I blossom" and "flower killing" shows that chrysanthemums are full of energy and great power. The Double Ninth Festival is the Chrysanthemum Festival.
Three or four sentences in the poem describe the double ninth festival.
The third sentence says, "Tianxiang pervades Chang 'an". This fragrance is not light or fragrant, but it is "Tianxiang permeates Chang 'an". In feudal society, the sky is sacred and inviolable. It is the supreme authority and the master of all things in the world. Even the feudal emperor, as the supreme ruler of the world, can only be called the "son of heaven". His father, heaven and earth, is commanded by heaven to govern all people. But the fragrance of chrysanthemum can "soar"; Not only "soaring", but also filling the capital Chang' an. A "hurry" and a "transparent" show chrysanthemums, and also reflect the majestic spirit of the poet's contempt for heaven and earth.
The fourth sentence is written in color. If the third sentence is about the "god" of chrysanthemum, then the fourth sentence is about the "shape" of chrysanthemum. "The city is full of golden flowers" and "the city is full of chrysanthemums, all over Kyoto; "Bring the capital" means that all chrysanthemums in Chang 'an are full of golden flowers without exception. Wearing golden armor, standing in the rustling west wind, resisting frost and half cold, proudly blooming, how heroic! How handsome! Moreover, a "full" city is "full", like a cloud, reflecting the sky; Like a fire, it burned all over Chang 'an! What is sung and shaped here is not a chrysanthemum, but a "gathering of heroes" of chrysanthemums.
This poem takes chrysanthemum as the theme to express one's ambition and express one's feelings through things. By depicting the image of chrysanthemum and praising its mighty spirit, it shows the heroic spirit of the author waiting for an opportunity to change the world. When the "Double Ninth Festival" of the peasant uprising came, didn't the feudal ruling class completely lose its reputation and wither like those "flowers blossom"? When the mighty insurgents marched into Chang 'an, the soldiers in military uniforms were not as dazzling and majestic as the chrysanthemums in the city. This chrysanthemum poem is a tribute to the hero of peasant uprising in feudal society.
Although the poem is only four short sentences, it not only writes the spirit of chrysanthemum, but also writes the shape of chrysanthemum, which has both form and spirit; Not only did he write that the chrysanthemum was fragrant, but he also wrote that the chrysanthemum was full of color and taste, and the image was very distinct. The language is simple, magnificent and full of inspiring power.
Paul Sula
The following explanation of poetry is taken from the Appreciation Dictionary of Tang Poetry.
China has had the custom of enjoying chrysanthemums on the Double Ninth Festival (September 9) since ancient times, which is far apart, and this day has virtually become the Chrysanthemum Festival. This chrysanthemum poem, in fact, is not a general ode to chrysanthemums, but a celebration of the Chrysanthemum Festival. Why not say "September 8th" instead of "September 9th"? It is for Ye Yun to add the words "kill" and "a" at the back. The word "equal" is an eager expectation and a warm yearning. What will it be like to "stay" until that day? The author answered the above sentence with a strange sentence-"I will kill a hundred flowers when I open them." Chrysanthemum blooming is a natural law and a natural phenomenon that people are used to. Here, the "blooming" of chrysanthemums and the "killing" (withering) of flowers are juxtaposed to form a sharp contrast to show the inevitable connection between them. The author affectionately calls chrysanthemum "my flower", which is obviously a symbol of the oppressed people. Then, the opposite "letting a hundred flowers blossom" naturally refers to the reactionary and decadent feudal ruling group. "Tian Xiang penetrates Chang 'an, and the city is full of golden flowers. "The whole changan is shining golden chrysanthemum. They send out waves of rich fragrance, soaring into the sky and soaking the whole city. The strangeness of imagination, the novelty of metaphor, the grandeur of rhetoric and the magnificence of artistic conception are unprecedented. The chrysanthemums written by feudal literati are regarded as the embodiment of Jin Jie at most, praising his Ao Shuang character; But here, it is endowed with the fighting style and character of the peasant rebel soldiers, and the yellow petals are conceived as the armor of the soldiers, making it the latest and most beautiful flower of the peasant revolutionary soldiers from the gentleman's flower. Because of this, the chrysanthemum in the author's works has changed the static beauty of quiet and elegant in the past, showing a kind of dynamic beauty that is rough and bold and full of fighting atmosphere. It is neither an "isolated symbol" nor just a bunch of "chrysanthemums", but the flowers in the city are in full bloom, occupying the whole of Qiu Guang and emitting a strong fighting fragrance, so it is described as "fragrant array". The words "Chong" and "Tou" respectively describe the prosperity and depth of its momentum, and vividly show the prospect of victory for the peasant uprising army to seize Chang 'an and dominate the world.
This shows that "full of golden flowers" means that in the autumn when chrysanthemums are in full bloom, the peasant rebels in golden flowers will one day spread all over Chang 'an. It shows that the author has turned the world upside down and reversed the ambition of Gan Kun, which is worthy of being a hero through the ages.