"The lotus has no rain-catching cover, but the chrysanthemums still have proud frost branches." means: the lotus has withered and even the lotus leaves that hold the rain have withered, and only the flower branches of the chrysanthemums have failed. Still proud of the cold and frost.
Source: "A Gift to Liu Jingwen" by Su Shi of the Song Dynasty
Original text:
There is no rain cover when the lotuses are gone, and there are still frost-bearing branches of the chrysanthemums.
You must remember that the best times of the year are orange and green.
Translation:
The lotus has withered, and even the lotus leaves that hold up the rain have withered. Only the branches of the chrysanthemums that have failed are still proud of the cold and frost.
You must remember the best time of the year, which is the time of late autumn and early winter when oranges are golden and green.
Notes:
Liu Jingwen: Liu Jisun, courtesy name Jingwen, Gong Shi, was the Supervisor of the Military and Horse Command of Zhejiang and Zhejiang at that time and was stationed in Hangzhou. Su Shi regarded him as a national scholar, recommended him to the public, and rewarded his contacts with poems.
The lotus is exhausted: the lotus has withered, withered and withered.
Qing: Lift, lift up.
Rain cover: formerly known as umbrella, the poem is a metaphor for the way a lotus leaf stretches.
Chrysanthemum residue: chrysanthemums withered.
Yu: Still.
Aoshuang: Not afraid of frost and cold, strong and unyielding.
Jun: Originally refers to ancient kings, and later generally refers to the respectful title for men, you.
Remember: Must remember.
The most is: a work of "exactly".
Orange-yellow-orange-green time: refers to the time when oranges turn yellow and turn yellow to green, which refers to the end of autumn and the beginning of winter in the lunar calendar.
Creative background:?
This poem was written in the early winter of 1090 (the fifth year of Yuanyou). At that time, Su Shi was working in Hangzhou, and Liu Jisun, who was the military supervisor of Zhejiang and Zhejiang, was also there. The two were very close and had a deep friendship. On the one hand, the poet regarded Liu Jingwen as a national scholar and recommended him with the "Liu Jisun Zhuang for Begging for Promotion"; on the other hand, he gave this poem to encourage him.
?
Appreciation:
This poem was written by the poet as a gift to his friend Liu Jingwen. The first two sentences of the poem describe the scenery, capturing the "end of lotus" and "remnant of chrysanthemums" to depict the bleak scene of late autumn and early winter. "No more" and "still there" form a strong contrast, highlighting the image of the chrysanthemum standing proud of the frost and fighting the cold. The last two sentences discuss the scenery and reveal the purpose of the poem. It shows that although the autumn scenery is bleak and desolate, it also has the side of fruitful, mature and abundant harvests, and this is precisely what other seasons cannot compare with. The poet writes this to describe a person reaching his prime. Although youth has passed, it is also the golden stage of maturity and great achievements in life. He encourages friends to cherish this good time, be optimistic and work tirelessly, and never be depressed or belittle oneself.
Su Shi's "Gift to Liu Jingwen" was written in the fifth year of Yuanyou (1090) when Su Shi was appointed magistrate of Hangzhou. "Tiaoxi Yuyincong Hua" says that this poem praises the scenery of early winter, "the song is as wonderful as it is". Although the poem was written as a gift to Liu Jingwen, it is about late autumn scenery, and there is not a word of moral articles about Liu himself. This does not seem to be the intended meaning of the title, but in fact, the author's brilliance lies in his praise of Liu's character and integrity. It is seamlessly blended into the description of early winter scenery. Because in the author's opinion, the most beautiful scenery of the year is the orange-yellow-orange-green scenery in early winter. Orange trees, like pines and cypresses, are the most representative of people's noble character and steadfast integrity.
When the ancients wrote about autumn scenery, most of them had a bad weather and a sad autumn mood. However, here, contrary to normal, the rich scenes of late autumn are written, revealing vitality and giving people a sense of high spirits. Therefore, Hu Zai of the Song Dynasty compared it with the two sentences in Han Yu's poem "Early Spring Presents the Water Ministry Zhang Shiba Yuanwai" "It is the benefit of spring, and it is the most beautiful smoke and willows all over the emperor's capital", saying that "the two poems have the same meaning but different words. All the songs are wonderful" ("Tiaoxi Yuyincong Hua").
Lotus and chrysanthemum are the objects of chanting by poets in the past dynasties, and they often leave a good impression on people. But why does this poem describe the image of lotus and chrysanthemum in a highly general way at the beginning, showing a picture Late autumn scene? It’s all about emphasizing and highlighting the best part of the year: the time of orange and green. Although orange and tangerine are mentioned in the same breath, in fact people in the world prefer orange because "orange" symbolizes many virtues. Therefore, Qu Yuan wrote "Ode to Orange" to praise it, mainly praising its "independence and perseverance" and "fine color and inner whiteness". , "Being virtuous and selfless", "Being better than Boyi". The conclusion of this poem has exactly this meaning. It combines describing scenery, chanting objects, and praising people in one expression, implicitly praising Liu Jingwen's character and temperament.
About the author:
Su Shi, (January 8, 1037 - August 24, 1101), courtesy name Zizhan, Hezhong, Taoist Tieguan, Dongpo layman, Su Dongpo, also known as Su Xian, is a Han nationality from Meishan, Meizhou (Meishan City, Sichuan Province). His ancestral home is Luancheng, Hebei Province. He is a famous writer, calligrapher and painter in the Northern Song Dynasty, and a famous figure in water control in history. Su Shi was a literary leader in the mid-Northern Song Dynasty and made great achievements in poetry, lyrics, prose, calligraphy, and painting. His writing is bold and unbridled; his poems are broad in subject matter, fresh and vigorous, good at using exaggerated metaphors, and have a unique style. Together with Huang Tingjian, he is called "Su Huang"; His prose writings are grand and bold. Together with Ouyang Xiu, he is called "Ou Su" and is one of the "Eight Great Masters of Tang and Song Dynasties". Su Shi was good at calligraphy and one of the "Four Masters of the Song Dynasty"; he was good at literati painting, especially ink bamboo, strange rocks, dead wood, etc. Together with Han Yu, Liu Zongyuan and Ouyang Xiu, they are known as the "Four Great Masters of Eternal Writing".
His works include "Dongpo Seven Collections", "Dongpo Yi Zhuan", "Dongpo Yuefu", "Xiaoxiang Bamboo and Stone Picture Scroll", "Old Wood and Strange Stone Picture Scroll", etc.