This is a poem that expresses the nostalgia of the border soldiers. It depicts the strong homesickness and sadness of the border soldiers (including the flute player) from multiple angles.
The first two sentences of the poem describe a unique scenery of a moonlit night in a frontier fortress. Looking into the distance, tall beacon towers stand on the hills that wind for dozens of miles, and under the beacon towers is an endless desert. , like a snowy wasteland under the moonlight. Looking closer, the moonlight outside Gaocheng is as bright as the frost in late autumn.
The desert is not a snowfield, but the poet says it is "like snow". The moonlight is not autumn frost, but the poet says it is "like frost". The poet uses his pen in this way to use this cold scenery to exaggerate the sadness and desolation of his mood. It is this snow-like desert and frost-like moonlight that make the night in Shoujiang City seem particularly empty and bleak. It also made the poet particularly strongly feel the loneliness of being in such an isolated place, and developed a feeling of homesickness.
About the author
Li Yi (748-829), a poet of the Tang Dynasty. The courtesy name Junyu was born in Guzang, Longxi (now Wuwei, Gansu). In the fourth year of Dali (769), he became a Jinshi. In the fourth year of Jianzhong (783), he published a book to judge Diocesike. Because he was frustrated in his official career, he traveled to Yanzhao. In the 13th year of Zhenyuan (797), Liu Ji was appointed as the governor of Youzhou.
In the 16th year of Zhenyuan (800), he traveled south to Yangzhou and other places and wrote some beautiful poems describing the scenery of Jiangnan. After Yuanhe entered the dynasty, he served successively as Secretary Shaojian, Jixian Bachelor, Yousanqi Changshi, Prince Guest, Zuosanqi Changshi. In the first year of Taihe (827), he became official as Minister of Rites. He compiled 50 poems about joining the army, which are now preserved in 2 volumes of Li Yiji.