"Snow on the River" expresses the poet's thoughts and feelings that although he was lonely after the failure of political reform, he was still tenacious, fearless, and arrogant.
Jiang Xue
Liu Zongyuan of the Tang Dynasty
Thousands of birds have disappeared, and thousands of people have disappeared.
A man in a lone boat with a coir raincoat fishing fishing alone in the snow in the cold river.
Word Notes
Jue: None, no.
Ten thousand paths: a virtual finger, referring to thousands of roads.
Human traces: human footprints.
Gu: Solitary.
Coir raincoat: a coir raincoat and a bamboo hat. Li: a hat made of bamboo strips. ("Coi" means clothes used to prevent rain in ancient times; "笠" means hats used to prevent rain in ancient times.)
Du: alone.
Creative background
In the first year of Yongzhen reign of Emperor Shunzong of Tang Dynasty, Liu Zongyuan participated in the political reform movement led by Wang Shuwen. Due to the joint counterattack of conservative forces and eunuchs, the reform failed. Therefore, Liu Zongyuan was demoted to Yongzhou, which is known as the "Southern Wasteland". His official name was Sima, but he was actually a "criminal" who had no real power and was monitored by local officials. There was no room for him in the government office, so he had to settle in the west wing of Longxing Temple, a monk's temple.
Since Liu Zongyuan was demoted to Yongzhou, he was greatly stimulated and depressed mentally. He used to describe the landscape and sing about the fishermen living in seclusion among the mountains and rivers to express his noble and aloof emotions. Express his depression and anguish of being politically frustrated. So, with deep anger, he wrote this famous poem that is widely praised.
Appreciation
The deep meaning of "Jiang Xue" entrusts a kind of proud, independent, pure and noble personality ideal. The poet once participated in political reform, but after the reform failed, he was ostracized and demoted to Yongzhou Sima. Political frustration and inner loneliness are reflected through the description of the environment. The political environment at that time was just like what the poem said about thousands of miles of ice and thousands of miles of snow falling. The environment was very harsh. But the poet did not succumb to pressure and remained true to himself, insisting on his independent personality. The lonely and lonely fisherman in the cold river, who resists the cold and snow and resolutely fishes, is a tortuous portrayal of the author's lonely and unyielding mental outlook after the failure of political reform.