This is the first of the three poems "Traveling is Difficult" written by Li Bai. Judging from the content of this group of poems, it should have been written in the third year of Tianbao (774 AD) when Li Bai was squeezed out by the powerful and left Chang'an.
The first four lines of the poem describe a friend who, out of his deep friendship for Li Bai and his regret that such a genius had been abandoned, spared no expense and set up a banquet in his honor. But when faced with fine wine in gold bottles and delicacies on jade plates, they could only "stop their cups and throw chopsticks" and "draw their swords and look around", feeling at a loss.
"If you want to cross the Yellow River and the river is blocked by ice, you will climb to Taihang and the sky will be covered with snow." It symbolizes the difficulties and obstacles on the road of life. Li Bai, a man of talent and knowledge, was once appreciated by Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty in the court, but because of a villain's greed, he was "granted money and released". From then on, he was separated by dangerous mountains and rivers.
In the future life, fishing in leisure time will be like Jiang Shang (Jiang Taigong) who was hired by King Wen of Zhou to go fishing in the past and helped King Wen conquer the country. There is another allusion in history: Yi Yin. Before being hired by Tang Zhi, he dreamed that he was riding around the sun and the moon in a boat. Thinking of the experiences of these two historical figures, the poet gained new confidence in the future.
"The journey is difficult! The journey is difficult! There are many divergent roads, where are you now?" The road ahead is difficult. Although there will be opportunities in the future, all kinds of difficulties, obstacles and contradictions flash in the poet's mind. Finally, out of the poet's own desire, perseverance and determination to actively participate in the world, he chanted this famous line through the ages: "There will be times when the wind and waves break, and the clouds and sails will be hung directly to help the sea."
This poem* **Fourteen sentences and eighty-two characters, it is a short story among the seven-character songs. However, the ups and downs of emotions, leaping thinking, and high momentum in the poem have made it an eternal masterpiece praised by future generations.
Appreciation 3:
1. Theme
"It's difficult to travel" is an ancient Yuefu title, which often praises the hardships of the world and the situation of poverty and loneliness. Li Bai's group of poems "Traveling is Difficult" mainly expresses the feelings of unrecognized talents. The first poem selected here expresses the poet's confusion and depression on the road of life and the spirit of pursuing ideals in life. There is no lack of heroic spirit in the sorrow and indignation. There is still hope in the midst of disappointment. The poem uses "difficulties in traveling" as a metaphor for the dangers of the world, and expresses the poet's uncontrollable anger when he encounters difficulties on the political road; but he does not give up his lofty political ideals because of this, and still hopes that one day he will be able to display his ambitions. His ambition reflects his optimistic and heroic spirit about the future of life, and is full of positive and romantic sentiment.
2. Structure
The poem begins with narrative and gradually transitions to lyricism. It begins with an extremely exaggerated writing style, writing "wine in a gold bottle" and "treasures on a jade plate", as if to create a joyful banquet atmosphere, and it seems to be a "toast song". But in the third or fourth sentence, the poem suddenly goes downhill, and suddenly it says, "I can't eat when I stop my cup and throw chopsticks. I draw my sword and look around at a loss." Such a strong contrast brings out the poet's inner misery. When the spirit is depressed, delicious wine is also difficult to swallow. The sixth poem of "It's Difficult to Travel" by Bao Zhao, a poet of the Southern Song Dynasty, begins with: "I can't eat at the table, I draw my sword and hit the pillar and sigh." Li Bai obviously used this poem, but added "contrast" and wrote it with a happy scene. Sadness intensifies the degree of sadness. So, what is the reason for the poet's sadness? The answer is vague, hazy, and full of "poetry". "If you want to cross the Yellow River and the river is blocked by ice, you will have to climb the Taihang Mountains covered with snow." This is a kind of unfounded melancholy and a kind of confusion that doesn't know what to do. The poet uses figurative language to describe the difficulties of the world, containing infinite sadness. Although the road to reality is bumpy and dangerous, the dream is still there and the ideal is still there. How the poet hopes to be like Jiang Taigong, who met King Wen of Zhou at the age of eighty and showed off his talents; like Yi Yin, who dreamed of taking a boat to the "sunside" and making a difference in the world. But there is a distance between ideals and reality. Ideals cannot conquer reality, and reality refuses to agree with ideals. Such pain intertwined in the poet's heart, and he finally sighed, "It's difficult to travel! It's difficult to travel! There are many divergent roads, where are you now?" The end of the poem stirs up the depression, strengthens the confidence of "going through the wind and breaking the waves", and regains the courage to sail across the sea. On the whole, this poem has ups and downs and winding paths. The first four sentences describe the depressed mood of "stopping the glass and throwing chopsticks and unable to eat" in the face of fine wine and delicious food. The five or six sentences reveal that although he tried his best to find a way out, there were many obstacles, as if he was isolated by ice and snow everywhere. The seven or eight sentences quote allusions to show that they still hope to be used as important by the king as Lu Shang and Yi Yin. The next four short sentences express my confusion and eagerness in seeking the path of life. The last two sentences express the author's determination to overcome all difficulties and obstacles and realize his lofty ambitions. The whole poem has ups and downs of emotions and is deeply touching.