"Song of Everlasting Regret" was written by Bai Juyi when he was 35 years old and served as the county captain of Zhouzhi County. One day, he was traveling with his friends Chen Hong and Wang Zhifu and talked about Li Yang's story. Wang Zhifu said: "For those who love more than poetry and have more love, how about trying it as a song?" So Bai Juyi wrote a poem and Chen Hong wrote a biography. It is also a tragedy, "The eternity of heaven and earth will eventually come to an end, and this hatred will last forever", so it is called "Eternal Regret".
1. The paradoxical debate between "beauty" and "hate"
Although "Song of Everlasting Sorrow" has lasted for thousands of years, it is still popular. Bai Juyi boasted in "Jiu Shu" of the Yuan Dynasty: "When I came to Chang'an again, I heard that Gao Xia, the military envoy, wanted to hire a prostitute. You are a prostitute, and the price increases from this." "A piece of "Eternal Sorrow" is charming, and ten "Qin Yin" are almost authentic." This is not only the author's self-affirmation, but also expresses the readers' aspirations. However, what exactly is the "eternal regret" in "Song of Everlasting Sorrow"?
The theme of "Song of Everlasting Sorrow" has always been the focus of academic debate. The views can be roughly divided into the following groups:
(1) Love theme theory
It is undeniable that the reason why "Song of Everlasting Sorrow" was loved by the public in the Tang Dynasty is inseparable from its touching and pathos description of Li Yang's love that shocked the world and wept ghosts and gods. Their love is "like a life-and-death love song" and "the description of love is as tearful as it is described". It can be said that the tailoring of Li Yang's deeds in this work blurs the relationship between Emperor Ming and Yang Guifei, and depicts them as lovers who accompany each other in life and death in heaven and earth. This kind of love not only conforms to the romantic aesthetic mentality of the Tang people, is the classic love longed for by the people at that time, promotes true love, but is also full of sympathy for Li Yang, revealing the inevitability of the tragic ending of his love. Bai Juyi classified "Song of Everlasting Sorrow" as a sentimental poem rather than an allegorical poem, which also shows his purpose and positioning of this long poem. He is "using the rise and fall of things to talk about the feelings of children."
(2) Allegory theme theory
Poets of the Tang Dynasty liked to use the stories of Li and Yang as the objects of allegory. For example, Du Fu's "Five Hundred Words from Beijing to Fengxian" describes the frivolous life of Li and Yang and the dire straits of the people at that time: "The east gate smells of wine and meat, and there are frozen bones on the road", which profoundly exposes the ruling group's intentions. Foolishness, decadence, and the extreme sharpness of class contradictions foreshadowed the inevitable occurrence of the Anshi Rebellion. Chen Yinke believes in the "Yuanbai Poetry Notes and Notes" that the purpose of creating "Song of Everlasting Sorrow" is to express historical experience and lessons in the form of moving poetry, and to arouse the cultural sentiment of people who have experienced the Anshi Rebellion in the Mid-Tang Dynasty and yearn for the prosperous Tang Dynasty. , to warn future generations, especially the supreme rulers, to take this as a warning to avoid repeating the same mistakes. Chen Hong also said in "The Song of Everlasting Regret" that "punishing beauties and suffocating the ranks will hang on those who will come in the future".
(3) Dual Theme Theory
The first half of the poem, every word of it, explicitly satirizes Emperor Ming of the Tang Dynasty for his debauchery and harming the country. The spring night is short and the sun rises, and the king will not go to court early from now on", "Sisters and brothers are all from the earth", "Non-rebirth of men and rebirth of women", the irony is very obvious, and it is regarded as the cause of eternal hatred; the second half is full of sympathy. It writes about Li Yang's separation between life and death and Tang Minghuang's deep lovesickness, thus changing the theme of the poem from criticism to the praise of their loyal and dedicated love. However, there is still an implicit irony in the praise and sympathy. "As time goes by, this hatred will last forever." This is exactly the irreparable lifelong hatred caused by Emperor Ming of the Tang Dynasty who valued sex over country. But the objective effect of the poem is that sympathy goes far beyond satire. Readers are often attracted by its "style" and forget the "cautions".
(4) Other viewpoints
Scholars represented by Yu Pingbo ("Song of Everlasting Sorrow" and "Biography of Everlasting Sorrow") believe that "Song of Everlasting Sorrow" records a "worldly event" The "hidden story" is that during the mutiny, Concubine Yang used a trick to change her clothes and abscond, and then became a nun. However, this theory is mostly based on imagination and conjecture and lacks documentary support. It is considered to be a distorted interpretation of "Song of Everlasting Sorrow" and has little influence. In addition, some people think that "Song of Everlasting Regret" is a story about Li Yang to express his sentimentality about his unfortunate love. They researched that when Bai Juyi was young, he had a childhood sweetheart, Xiang Ling, who went through many hardships and ended in tragedy. Therefore, it is believed that Li Yang in "Song of Everlasting Regret" is an image transformed by Bai Juyi based on his own experiences. It expresses his lingering hatred for Xiang Ling's longing for each other, and also expresses his helpless pain towards the reality of his last resort.
No matter which point of view is based on certain research and analysis, it is impossible to make a conclusion as to which one is better or worse. From an aesthetic point of view, these views all elaborate on the "beauty" of the work from different angles. "The view that poetic imagery is an aesthetic product of the interpenetration of mind and matter is generally recognized." In other words, in the final analysis, "Song of Everlasting Sorrow" is a long narrative and lyrical poem that revolves around the images of "hate" and "beauty", so it has its shocking appeal.
The first volume of Jiao Ran's "Poetry Style" says: "The poets are the essence of all wonderful things and the elites of the Six Classics. Although they are not holy, they are all as wonderful as the saints..." It shows that poetry is the poet's mind. product of activity. We can also understand that when a poet writes poetry, he first expresses his subjective emotions, whether it is allegorical or sentimental, they all come from the heart. In Bai Juyi's own words, "Things are influenced by the outside, but emotions are moved by the inside" ("Yu Yuan Jiu Shu").
2. "Beautiful" things are a metaphor for the growth of "hate"
I think the reason why "Song of Everlasting Sorrow" stands out outstandingly, spreads widely, and is famous in history is largely due to To a certain extent, it should be attributed to its deconstruction and careful reorganization of "beauty", which are exactly in line with the world-recognized definition of tragedy.
(1) The pursuit of "beauty" - the foreshadowing of "hate"
Life aesthetics believes that aesthetic activities are the highest and freest way of survival in life, and it is related to the existence of life How possible, unraveling the mystery of aesthetic activities will help explain the meaning and direction of life activities themselves.
At the beginning of the poem, there are the words "The emperor of Han Dynasty paid great attention to lust and wanted to overwhelm the country, and Yuyu could not get it for many years". Regardless of whether it refers to the metaphor of "lustful and detracting from the country", it exactly reflects the Tang Minghuang's love for "beauty". "The instinct of pursuit. If Emperor Tang Ming was not an emperor but a commoner, we could easily understand his "love of beauty". So why can't we understand Emperor Tang Ming's instinctive needs as an emperor? Does the emperor have to sit upright and stay away from the world to be considered a wise emperor? Throughout the text, Bai Juyi's character creation of Emperor Ming of the Tang Dynasty has rejected the demigod ideal aperture placed on the emperor by the feudal ruling class, and turned it into a more humane ideal, one that encompasses the wishes of urban residents. , a humane image of an emperor who has the same emotions and desires as ordinary people. Bai Juyi started from the people-oriented thinking and accepted the urban residents' idealization of Emperor Ming of Tang Dynasty, and then completed a more three-dimensional and perfect image of him. "Because what Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty represented was a prosperous and prosperous era that brought peace and stability to the common people of the Tang Dynasty for nearly half a century... The Tang people's deep sympathy for Xuanzong contained their own ideal of prosperity. A dream-like attachment to the momentary prosperity of the world." This image of Tang Minghuang's human nature is condensed and expressed in the first two lines of the poem that express his persistent pursuit of "beauty" - beauty is ideal and ultimate, it encourages us to pursue continuously, and the aesthetic ideal embodies the perfection and harmony of human beings. Complete.
There is no need to elaborate on this tacit pursuit by everyone, "beauty" appeared immediately: "There is a daughter in the Yang family who has just grown up, and she was raised in a boudoir and no one knows about it." About this sentence , historians believe it is not consistent with history. Volume 9 of Zhao Yushi's "Bin Tui Lu" says: "Bai Letian's "Song of Everlasting Regret" is written by Taizhen. The complete text is not detailed, so it is not a taboo for the emperor. However, Taizhen Benshou Princess, Baiyun's Yang family, had a daughter who had just grown up and raised her. What's wrong with being in a deep boudoir and not knowing it? It's okay to write down the secrets of banquets, but serious evil cannot be hidden." "The Biography of Concubine Yang in New Book of Tang Dynasty? 6.1" also records: "Mr. Yang, a young orphan. She was adopted by her uncle. She was originally Princess Shou..." The reason why Bai Juyi did not record the historical scandal that Concubine Yang was originally Princess Shou was probably because he wanted to eliminate the ugly elements in "beauty" and "not to destroy the beauty because of the evil." The appearance of "beauty" makes it appear otherworldly and can arouse readers' love for Concubine Yang. Therefore, it is not difficult for us to see from this sentence alone that "Song of Everlasting Sorrow" is by no means a simple allegorical poem. It can be understood that Bai Juyi included it as a "sentimental poem". Moreover, the description technique of Concubine Yang existing like a shadow before her appearance has unfathomable "purdah nature", and "the stronger this purdah nature, the greater the charm", which laid a solid foundation for the tragedy to occur.
These pursuits of "beauty" are not only the background of "hate", but also unintentionally sowing the seeds of "hate". Using "beauty" as fertilizer, "hate" gradually grows...< /p>
(2) The realization of "beauty" - the stacking up of "hate"
From "Looking back and smiling, Bai Juyi is full of beauty" to "Today's king cannot see enough", Bai Juyi used a lot of pen and ink It focuses on depicting Yang's beauty and Li Yang's inseparable love life. After Yang Guifei entered the palace, not only did she "newly inherit the favor" and "three thousand people love her", so that "from now on the king will not come to court early", but also "sisters and brothers are all from earth", which made the concept of "not reborn as a man and reborn as a woman" spread throughout the world Every corner of Chang'an is deeply rooted in people's hearts. "The Song of Everlasting Regret" also said: "Therefore, there was a saying in the song at that time: 'Don't be sad when you have a daughter, don't be happy when you have a son.' It also said: 'A man does not make his daughter a concubine, but looks at her as a lintel on his door.' This person's heart I'm so envious." These are all highlights of Yang Guifei's beauty from all angles. The author writes from the alluring beauty of Concubine Yang to the beautiful scenery of the good time that Li and Yang admired. The sentences are gorgeous and rich yet smooth and simple. He uses the phonological beauty of poetry to outline the beauty of the artistic conception of this human love, but also for The tragedy below laid the foundation for it. It probably fulfills the author's own poem: "Most good things are not strong, colorful clouds are easy to scatter, and glass is brittle." - Things that are too perfect often have the biggest omissions.
However, such "good things" did not really exist in history. In "The White-Haired Man in Shangyang", "Before the king could meet him, Concubine Yang was looking at her from afar. Jealous of Lingqian, she was matched with Yang Gong, and spent her whole life living in an empty house." It clearly depicts the image of a jealous Concubine Yang. , there are other stories about Concubine Yang and Concubine Mei in Cao Ye's "The Legend of Concubine Mei" and Du Fu's "The Journey of Beauty", in which Concubine Yang and Concubine Mei are competing for favor. These are inconsistent with the image of Concubine Yang in "Song of Everlasting Sorrow" as "the servant is unable to support her". In ancient China, there was a saying that jealousy was regarded as one of the ugly behaviors. Xin Qiji's "Moyu'er" "If you don't see it, the jade rings and flying swallows are all dust." "Book of Rites" records: "A woman has to go away seven times. If she doesn't obey her parents, she will have no children." Go away, go away sexual intercourse, go away jealousy, go away evil illnesses, go away talkative, go away stealing.” Not only in China, “jealousy” also exists as the opposite of “beauty” in other cultures.
"The Tale of Genji", the world's earliest full-length novel, places jealous women in the ugliest and lowest category. However, Concubine Yang in "Song of Everlasting Regret" has nothing to do with these ugly behaviors. She shows her stunning beauty with the elegant and moving dance "Neon Clothes and Feathered Clothes", which has an aesthetic appeal that combines Confucian classic poetry, music and dance.
Bai Juyi consciously screened, tailored and transformed historical facts, eliminated plots that were not conducive to the expression of Li Yang's love, selected plots that best expressed the sincere and touching love, downplayed the objectivity and made appropriate artistic treatments to make history Li Yang's love, which has been seriously controversial in history, has a rational and sympathetic and praising foundation. It can be seen that in this poem, reason comes first, "beauty" comes first, and everything is left unsaid.
The more perfect the image of Yang Guifei's "beautiful woman" is, the more favorable conditions are provided for the growth of "hate". Finally, "at the end of the song, the plucking was carefully drawn, and the four strings sounded like cracked silk", " "Hate" broke out in the extreme of "beauty", and "beauty" was also fragmented.
3. The beauty of destruction, eternal love and hatred
The Anshi Rebellion in history may be regarded as a struggle between justice and evil, but the moral theme of "Song of Everlasting Sorrow" is not reflected in in direct political criticism. Influenced by Confucianism, Bai Juyi explained people's ethical relationships and social behaviors in a more general sense, intertwining emotional themes with historical and moral themes. His descriptions of praising the "beauty" of women also reflected on the feudal man-centered morality. Norms and literary trajectories create shock.
(1) The destruction of "beauty" - the peak of "hate"
Bai Juyi did not exaggerate the excitement of the "six armies not launching", did not play off the war scenes of the Anshi Rebellion, nor did he He did not criticize Concubine Yang for her crime of "beautiful beauty and ruining the country", but gave deep sympathy to Concubine Yang for her fate as a political scapegoat. These can be seen from Bai Juyi's sideways description of the death of Concubine Yang: "The flowers and flowers left the land without anyone to take it away, and the green jade and golden birds scratched their heads." This maintains the beauty and dignity of Concubine Yang. The death of Concubine Yang became like a flower falling away, naturally and simply losing its past grace, leaving behind a beautiful aftertaste that will last forever. We have reason to believe that such "destruction" brings the artistic conception to the extreme of "beauty".
For the death of Concubine Yang, Emperor Tang Ming was helpless. It is regrettable that the creator of the tragedy finally becomes the protagonist of the tragedy. As an emperor, he could only endure the pain and "pacify the three armies". This poem is not so much a satirical admonition to the emperor not to be lustful and harm the country, as it is to expose the shortcomings of feudal rule - all the burdens are shouldered by the emperor alone, which obliterates the king. of human ethics. A lifelong hero cannot save his beloved woman. He sits on the throne and controls the wind and rain, but cannot restore the happiness and beauty that has passed away from him. He must endure the "hate of separation". How many ordinary people can bear this kind of grief? It is indeed called "hate" of the peak.
However, the story does not end here, but enters the stage of blending emotions with the scenery. On the way into Sichuan, the remaining scenes such as Huangai, Yunzhan, Emei, flags, and sunset highlight the bitter mood of Emperor Ming of the Tang Dynasty; the green of the Shu River and the green of the Shu Mountain reflect the emotions of the Emperor of the Tang Ming Dynasty; "Seeing the moon in the palace is sad, and it rains at night. "Hearing the sound of heartbroken bells" further aggravated Tang Minghuang's heartbroken heartache. "The narrative is realistic but not rigid, and contains emotion in the smooth description." Indeed, after the scene describing the love life of the two people in the first chapter, it is followed by the loneliness of Emperor Ming of Tang Dynasty. The scenery is the same, but the mood is completely different, which makes people lament the rapid changes of "things are different and people are different".
"Beauty" has been burned in the changes in reality, leaving behind endless memories and pain, which is the same as Schopenhauer's definition of tragedy. "People always point to transcendence and ideals in order to be satisfied with reality, and always transcend the finite and pursue the infinite without any regrets. This forms the moving charm of tragic aesthetics."
(2) "Beauty" Missing - the continuation of "hate"
However, only "destruction" is only superficial pain, "painful lessons", the continuation of "hate" will make "beauty" and "hate" perfect in the long river of history of unity.
"Song of Everlasting Sorrow" conveys the cultural atmosphere of the times and is full of noble aesthetic taste through the process of the alchemist's search for Concubine Yang and the two people's vows to love each other. "Before Bai Gechen's biography, the stories were mostly limited to the human world, not the spiritual world. They described the relationship between life, death, body, soul, and separation. It seems to have been originated from the Song of Everlasting Regret and the biography. This story is not limited to the real world, so it More extended beauty". The description of the plot in which Concubine Yang handed over the mother-of-pearl hairpin to Emperor Ming of the Tang Dynasty is not only mythological, allowing the story to reach the artistic conception of the connection between the human and spiritual worlds, but also expresses deep affection through this token, pleading that "heaven and earth will meet each other" to fulfill it. The original oath. It can be seen from this that "hate" does not mean "hate" that the promise cannot be fulfilled, but "hate" cannot be fully expressed in life, and "beauty" disappears too quickly. "On July 7th, in the Palace of Eternal Life, when no one is whispering in the middle of the night" is the best portrayal of the "hate" that continues while remembering "beauty". The more lonely and sad you are at this time, the more you reflect your nostalgia. And "I would like to be a winged bird in the sky, and I would like to be a twig on the ground. The eternity of heaven and earth will eventually end, and this hatred will last forever." It indicates that the eternity of love transcends the struggle of reincarnation, which is consistent with the previously mentioned "from reality to ideal and "Beyond" refers to something similar. Indeed, this lingering hatred breaks through the limitations of space and time, and even transcends sadness and grief, becoming an "eternal" lovesickness. It is truly an unexpected ending that moves the world.
This ending is not only the endless continuation of "hate", but also the beginning of the praise of "beauty".
Since the image of Concubine Yang cannot be shaped into a folk beauty who overcomes insults with intelligence and wisdom like Qin Luofu in "Mo Shang Sang", then let her transform into a Penglai fairy and avoid having to deal with it. Any political or moral responsibility she should bear, secondly, enhances the aesthetic taste of the poem, making it break away from the outdated aesthetic concepts and be sublimated in the continuation of "hate".
For a long time, Chinese people’s praise of women has been bound by feudal ethics, suppressed by ascetic preaching, and blocked by the historical view of “beauties bring disaster.” In a female character who combines all these concepts, Bai Juyi achieves the most perfect display of female beauty to the extent that his writing ability can achieve: he uses changeable language to show her physical beauty from multiple angles, and uses The flowing rhyme describes her destructive beauty from the side, and uses folklore plots to praise her eternal beauty. These descriptions of beauty form an appropriate tension with the tragic and sublime themes. The author transforms Yang Guifei from the protagonist of the story into the first protagonist of the lyric. He zooms in on her step by step, and then gradually pulls away, successfully eliciting the cause of the long-lasting hatred and allowing the narrator to stand in the perspective or position of the character. , guiding readers to appreciate the parallel love and hate of the narrator and the emotional fluctuations of the lyricist, thereby achieving a strong resonance and creating a rich lyrical atmosphere, making it more touching.
Recalling "Song of Everlasting Sorrow", we seem to be witnessing the lively scene of "boys reciting the Song of Everlasting Sorrow, and Hu'er singing the pipa piece" on the streets of Chang'an.
In this duet of "beauty" and "hate" that complement each other and are not inferior to each other, the reader's heart also rises and falls with the harmonious music beauty and lingering artistic conception beauty in this long-lasting hatred...
If it’s 500 words, you can excerpt a little here. I hope my answer will be helpful to you (*^__^*)