Poetry expresses thoughts on life and death and feelings about life. The period from the Eastern Han Dynasty to the Wei and Jin Dynasties was called "troubled times", and war and division became the social characteristics of this period. The war at the end of the Han Dynasty, the struggle of the Three Kingdoms and the rebellion of the Eight Kings all brought great shock to the hearts of literati, so literati should not only adapt to the change of dynasties, but also find the sustenance of life. We should also seek refuge in troubled times and avoid the threat of death. Therefore, most of the poems in this period lamented the shortness of life and attitude towards life and death, but mixed with thoughts on the value and significance of life and death.
For example, as an outstanding writer in the late Han Dynasty, Cao Cao's poems mostly reflect social reality, lamenting that time is fleeting and life is short, and expressing his ideals and ambitions. He wrote in "Short Song":
Singing to wine, life geometry! For example, morning dew is much more difficult to go to Japan. Be generous, and your troubles will be unforgettable. How to solve your worries? Only Du Kang.
In the first two sentences of this poem, Cao Cao "raises a glass to celebrate. How long is life? " I am afraid that I can't make achievements in my lifetime, and I am eager for the talents in the world to be used by me. I can't learn from the morning dew, it evaporates with the passage of time and ignores the value of this life.
As a hermit in ancient and modern times, Tao Yuanming chose a beautiful life of being poor and happy, but he also inevitably lamented his philosophical thinking about life and death. He wrote in "Quasi-Elegy":
Where there is life, there is death, and sooner or later there is no fate. Last night, we were the same person, but now we are in the ghost book ... Long live the Millennium, who knows the honor or disgrace? But I hate drinking enough when I'm alive.
Tao Yuanming saw through the mortal fate of life, but lamented that he had experienced all kinds of hardships in his life. I don't know who can understand the inner heaven after thousands of years. I just hope that he can drink and enjoy flowers when he is alive.
Scholars from the Eastern Han Dynasty to the Wei and Jin Dynasties were born in troubled times, and their hearts were very sensitive and fragile. They used poems to express their inner treasure of time, hoping to realize their life ideals and political ambitions in their lifetime, which showed the character of literati in this period.
Poetry is characterized by wandering immortals and expressing political sustenance. Influenced by the metaphysical trend of thought from the Eastern Han Dynasty to the Wei and Jin Dynasties, a new outlook on the world and life was formed. Later, with the development of Buddhism, metaphysics and Buddhism began to merge, which made scholars begin to explore the universe to some extent. They admire nature, hope to live forever, talk to immortals and realize their political ideals. Therefore, the literati imitated Qu Yuan's Lisao, hoping to roam in fairyland and express themselves.
Cao Zhi, who is famous for his "extremely high personality and superior diction to Hua Mao", has run into a wall everywhere in the real world and is stirred up by villains. The friendship between his younger brother and Cao Pi, the persecution and death of wise men are all squeezed in his heart. His heart was filled with grief and indignation, but there was nowhere to escape, so he could only pin his ideal on the poems about immortals. For example, in Travel, the poet wrote:
Travel far and wide, and get a close look at Hongbo pitching. If a big fish meanders, it will cross the waves. Lingao wears the abbot, and the moon is craggy. Fairy Xiang's corner, jade girl plays it. Joan Rui can satisfy hunger, wash her face and suck the morning glow.
Kunlun is my home, and Zhongzhou is not my home. I'm going to give it back to my father, super quicksand at once. When the drum wings dance, the wind blows and the whistle stirs the song. The stone is solid and easy to cheat, and the sun and the moon are the same as Guanghua. Heaven and earth are in the same year, which is more than enough.
In the first half of this poem, Cao Zhi traveled around the world and saw a big fish passing by him in the waves. Ao Shen carried the abbot to fairy mountain, and even more peaks rose into the sky. Fairy is flying freely, goddess is laughing and playing. The scene exudes a faint fairy spirit, and Cao Zhi's love for this scene is fully revealed in the poem. But in the second half, Cao Zhi felt that he belonged to himself. He said that Zhongzhou is not my home, but Kunlun Mountain is, so he wants to go to the celestial world to worship God, fly over the beach, spread his wings and sing songs, and live longer than Nanshan with the universe. Why miss the throne on earth? Gan wrote in "Yuefu Justice":
The so-called "Kyushu is not enough, and Zhongzhou is not my home" is all alarmist talk. To the cloud, "eat and enjoy the distant discipline, prolong life and protect national boundaries", and its worry about life is already frowning.
Zhu Gan's evaluation is intended to say that although Cao Zhi's Poem of Wandering Immortals is concerned about the universe, living with heaven and earth, and does not covet the throne of the world, it is actually worried about the political situation at that time and expresses his inner ambition.
From the Eastern Han Dynasty to the Wei and Jin Dynasties, many poets expressed their inner political ideals through poems characterized by wandering immortals and begging for longevity, which sang a literary trend. For example, Cao Cao's Jing Ke and Guo Pu's Poems about Immortals both express their yearning for the universe on the surface, but in fact they all express their political desire to make contributions.
Poetry is seclusion, which expresses the charm of literati who are attached to the countryside without an official. From the Eastern Han Dynasty to the Wei and Jin Dynasties, influenced by the wave of metaphysics, poems with seclusion characteristics formed a special literary landscape. The pastoral poems represented by Tao Yuanming and Xie Lingyun not only show the simplicity of nature and create a spiritual home, but also escape the darkness of officialdom and the ugliness and hypocrisy of literati, expressing profound philosophical thinking on life.
Tao Yuanming lived in Jin and Song Dynasties, when the political environment was very complicated. Although he was motivated to make contributions, he was very disappointed with the political situation at that time. After realizing the darkness of officialdom, he resigned as the county magistrate of pengze county and chose to return to the countryside. In his poems, it is natural to show that Buddhists don't like life, but highlight innocent interest in trivial matters of life, such as "Return to the Garden, Part I"
Few people do as the Romans do. Their nature is to love nature. I sneaked into the official career network and have been away from the game for more than ten years. Birds in cages are often attached to the forests of the past, and fish in ponds yearn for the abyss of the past. I want to open up wasteland in Minamino and keep my humility to the fields. The house is surrounded by about ten acres of land, thatched cottages. Willow trees cover the eaves, and peach trees cover Li Lieman in front of the hospital. The neighboring village of the neighboring village is faintly visible, and there is smoke in the village. Several dogs barked in the alley, and the mulberry tree was barked by a rooster. There is no dust and sundries in the yard, and the quiet room is comfortable and leisurely.
In this poem, Tao Yuanming uses "garden field" and "dust net" as metaphors to express his happiness after returning home. In the countryside, the poet saw Ye Nan, elm willow, peaches and plums, gardens, distant villages and nearby smoke, and heard the cries of chickens and dogs. The combination of audio-visual and dynamic is commensurate, drawing a very beautiful picture. Tao Yuanming was admired by later generations for writing reclusive poems. Zhong Rong, a literary critic in the Southern Dynasties, thought that "Tao Yuanming was a hermit in ancient and modern times", and Su Shi in the Song Dynasty also thought that Tao Yuanming's poems were "substantial and realistic", and his ci showed his affirmation of Tao Yuanming.
Besides, Lu Ji's Poem of Chanting to the Mind, Wang Kangju's Anti-Poem of Chanting to the Mind and Pan Yue's Poem of Chanting to the Mind from the Eastern Han Dynasty to the Wei and Jin Dynasties all show that the poet chose a unique way to escape the troubles of the world in a secluded way, seeking peace of mind and opening up a generation of secluded poetic style.
Conclusion The social development from the Eastern Han Dynasty to the Wei and Jin Dynasties reshaped the world outlook and outlook on life of the literati, so that they no longer advocated the Confucian poetic culture of "respecting human relations, changing customs and educating people", but tended to pursue the independent significance of literature itself, emphasizing the beauty of imagery, charm, style and melody of poetry, and opened the era of "literary consciousness". The literary characteristics of this era are reflected in thinking about the true meaning of life and death, and there are many literati. It is also manifested in fantasy wandering, expressing the desire for eternal life with the help of all things in the universe, and freeing and releasing grief and indignation in political life; More importantly, in the secluded poetic style, the love for landscape and countryside shows the beauty of the working people in China and expresses the life pursuit of the literati in troubled times.