Ruan Ji
Eighty-two poems about love (Part 1)
I couldn't sleep at night, so I sat up and played the harp. The thin curtain reflects the bright moon, and the breeze blows on my lap.
In the outfield of Guhong, birds are singing in the northern forest. Wandering, where will I see? Worrying makes me sad.
This poem describes the poet playing the piano late at night and his loneliness and uneasiness.
The first two lines of this poem are "I couldn't sleep at night, so I sat up and played the harp." It comes from Wang Can's "Three Poems of Seven Sorrows" (Part 2): "I couldn't sleep at night, so I took off my clothes and stood up to play the harp." "Wang Can couldn't sleep at night, so he got up to play the piano to express his worries. Ruan Ji couldn't sleep at night, so he got up to play the piano, also to express his worries, and his worries were much deeper than Wang Can's. Wang Can's worries were simply caused by homesickness, while Ruan Ji's were caused by a dangerous political environment, so he wanted to use the sound of the piano to relieve his pain and depression. The words "cannot sleep", "sitting up" and "playing the harp" here are intended to describe the poet's worries and anguish in the dark reality. These two sentences first describe the image of oneself with the details of life, such as sitting up and playing the harp, unable to sleep, and the hidden worries are implicit in the words, taking into account the overall situation. "The thin curtain reflects the bright moon, and the cool breeze blows at my lap." Two sentences describe the indoor environment from the visual perspective, setting off the inner depression. The bright moon and clear breeze cannot relieve the blockage in my heart, but instead increase the infinite loneliness. "The Guhong is out in the field, and birds are singing in the northern forest." The two sentences describe the atmosphere of the outdoor environment from the auditory sense, which deeply contains the poet's lonely, angry and sad feelings. He originally wanted to turn his attention to the wilderness, where his soul could be comforted in the silence, but the solitary sound of the lonely Hong Xiang only aggravated the poet's inner uneasiness, and the heavy suspense in his mind made him even more anxious. The above four sentences describe the environment and scenery on the surface, but actually describe the poet's inner psychological activities. On the one hand, he is looking for comfort for his restless soul, and on the other hand, he is looking for answers to get rid of the difficulties in life. The closing sentence "Where will I see when I wander" wraps up the first six sentences. It uses self-questioning and self-answering to express the impossibility of finding answers within sight, implying the depth of the fruitless pursuit of answers in life. Deeply distressed. "Sorrowful and sad alone" echoes the opening chapter, highlighting the theme of feeling sad and lonely.
The use of symbolic techniques throughout the text to deepen the euphemism and obscurity of the main theme is a major feature of this poem. For example, "in the night" is used by the poet to symbolize the darkness of political reality and the difficulty of life's situation. "The solitary Hong is out in the field, and the birds are singing in the northern forest" are two contrasting overall intentions, symbolizing the poet's loneliness and sadness as he is unable to find a way out in the current political situation, and his sense of hesitation that he is unable to escape from the predicament in his spiritual thoughts. Feel the fear and anxiety of life being threatened in life.
The contrast between movement and stillness, and the blending of scenes also add a certain artistic effect to this poem. "Sit up and play the harp" is movement, as is the breeze blowing, the moonlight wandering, and the trumpeting birds chirping. Some people have scenery, but they all indicate the poet's inner anxiety. However, the action here is against the backdrop of the dark night. The movement brings out the dead silence and the depth of the night. Especially the "Gu Hong" howled loudly at night, giving people a sense of panic. Everything shrouded in the vast night symbolizes the dangerous political situation and the heavy pressure on the poet's soul.
This "Poetry of Praise of Love" overall expresses the poet's loneliness, disappointment, sorrow and pain, which sets the tone for Ruan Ji's "Eighty-Two Poems of Praise of Love".