The source of this poem is: Cold Chrysanthemum by Zheng Sixiao in Song Dynasty.
The original work is like this:?
Flowers can't bloom, and independent fences are not poor.
It is better to hold incense in the branches and wait for death than to blow it into the north wind.
Translated into vernacular Chinese, it is like this:
Chrysanthemums are in full bloom in autumn, never interacting with flowers, and are independent of hedges, which is not bad in taste.
I would rather wither and die on the branches than blow in the cold north wind!
Here are some important words, please explain them separately:
Not together: not together, not together. And, together
Hedge: A sparse fence.
Not poor: endless, endless.
Death by holding incense: Chrysanthemum will not fall off after withering, but it will still wither because of its branches, so it is said that it will die by holding incense.
He Zeng: No, never.
North wind: cold wind, pun intended here, also refers to the brutal forces of the Yuan Dynasty.
What is the background of the author's writing this poem?
Zheng Sixiao was a patriotic poet in the late Southern Song Dynasty. After the demise of the Southern Song Dynasty, the author has been living in seclusion in a monk temple in Suzhou, never being an official for life, and even sitting and lying facing south, which shows that he has not forgotten the Song Dynasty. This poem was written by the author after the demise of the Southern Song Dynasty.
Knowing the writing background, we can appreciate this poem better:
This object-chanting poem symbolizes the noble spirit of being loyal to the old country and never bowing to the new dynasty. Every sentence in the poem is written with the natural attributes of cold chrysanthemum, and beauty is related to these natural attributes everywhere, suggesting the poet's feelings. "Embracing incense" refers to a person's noble national sentiment, and "North Wind" is a pun, implying the Mongolian ruler from the north. This poem is heroic and enthusiastic, and it is a sensation.
"A hundred flowers can't bloom, and the fun of independent hedges is not bad." The main meaning of this sentence is that flowers bloom in the bright spring season, and the unique chrysanthemum stands in the fierce wind and frost and does not compete with flowers. Then, the poet wrote that the flowers had withered, and only chrysanthemums stood by the hedge, which was full of interest. The "interest" here not only refers to the natural interest of chrysanthemum in resisting frost and blooming alone, but also includes the painter's subjective interest in chrysanthemum image, that is, lofty, faithful, sincere and complacent. Tao Yuanming's interest in "picking chrysanthemums under the hedge" and "making sense" is integrated into the poem. Fan Chengda mentioned the saying that "Chrysanthemum is not as good as a gentleman" in Preface to Chrysanthemum in Fan Village. As the saying goes, when people get old, flowers and trees will decline, which is the only thing that makes your hair look beautiful and proud. This is a gentleman's practice. Fan Chengda's preface is consistent with the theme of Zheng Sixiao's poems, and the model essay can help us understand the profound connotation of Zheng Sixiao's poetic images.
The last two sentences are very poetic. After the chrysanthemum blooms, it gradually fades on the branches, but the petals don't fade and fall to the ground, so the cloud says, "The branches hold incense and die." The north wind is a metaphor for the invasion of the aristocratic ruling group from the north in the Southern Song Dynasty. In the poem, the metaphor is that you would rather die than succumb to Meng Yuan's ruling clique, which shows the lofty integrity of "rather die than surrender" and sincerely interprets the poet's own lofty national integrity. These two poems have their own origins. In the Song Dynasty, Zhu's poem "Chrysanthemum" said that "I would rather stick to the fragrant branches and grow old than dance with the yellow leaves in the autumn wind", which deepened the meaning of the poem and had a strong flavor of the times.
The focus of this poem is to express one's will by supporting things, rather than giving play to the theory of painting, so it has the characteristics of chanting things. The whole poem describes the shape of chrysanthemum, gains the spirit of chrysanthemum, and goes beyond it. While fully expressing the natural attributes of chrysanthemum, it also describes Zheng Sixiao's patriotic feelings, which not only shows the natural beauty and painting beauty of chrysanthemum, but also shows the personality beauty of painters and poets, so that the naturalness and sociality of chrysanthemum images are harmonious and unified. This poem has lofty aesthetic experience and profound philosophical implication, from which readers can gain aesthetic pleasure and life enlightenment.