"The Ballad of the Great Wall" was written by Taiwanese female poet Xi Murong in 1979. The author was wandering overseas at the time, so he wrote this poem to express his nostalgia.
This is a lyric poem, a cry deep in the soul, and a passionate volcanic eruption. The deep and profound gaze on the Great Wall is because the long history of the Chinese nation is deposited in this short line of poetry, and the excitement is because the years of isolation by the strait have made the poet yearn for his motherland like a fire. Only through careful understanding can we deeply understand the author's mood at that time.
First, let’s look at the language aspect. The words "ruthless" and "cold eyes" in the first stanza are used very cleverly. Why "ruthless"? Why the "cold stare"? For thousands of years, rulers such as princes and warlords have lit beacon fires under the Great Wall many times for their own interests, causing conflicts and bloodshed. The Great Wall, like a supreme venerable, like an omniscient wise man, looks at the changes of dynasties and vicissitudes of this world with cold eyes. The clear mountains remain the same, the Great Wall remains the same, but where are the once arrogant rulers? The ruthlessness of the Great Wall is nothing but contempt and hatred for those greedy people who provoke fights. This just reflects our deep sympathy for the people who live on this land.
In the second section, the Great Wall is no longer a "heartless building", but a symbol. The "thousand-year face" of the Great Wall, together with clouds, trees, wind...etc., together form a vast picture of mountains and rivers. It is the homeland where the poet's ancestors have thrived for generations, it is the hometown that the poet misses day and night, and it is the motherland that the poet is deeply attached to.
In the third section, the vast and vast scene reminds me of the moonlit night inside and outside the Great Wall, and the Yellow River flowing slowly beside the Great Wall. The poet's heart was restless and he couldn't sleep at night. But since I can't sleep, why do I have dreams? This cannot be understood as a dream in the ordinary sense. Because this is the poet's dream: the mountains and rivers of the motherland fill the poet's mind and soul. When people are sleepless and the Yellow River flows through their hearts, it is like a dream. When can I really see my Great Wall and my Yellow River? When can I really return to my hometown, my motherland?
Secondly, let’s look at this poem from the perspective of artistic features. This is a hazy poem. The author wrote to express his longing for the motherland, but the whole poem did not directly write about the motherland, but described the image of the Great Wall. The Great Wall is a symbol of the Chinese nation. It carries the history and culture of our nation and bears witness to our nation's shame and glory. For Taiwanese poets, the Great Wall is their hometown, the motherland, and the parents they miss day and night. The author uses the second person in the poem to write about the Great Wall, so that he can express his inner longing for his hometown, motherland, and relatives more directly. He can put the Great Wall in his heart in front of his eyes and express his passionate emotions face to face.
In terms of artistic conception, it emphasizes inner thinking and does not use the external connections of objective things as the framework to conceive works. Instead, it advances towards the human psychological world and does not pay attention to objectively depicting the world. It expresses the poet's heart and expresses the real world. The first stanza of the poem is about remembering the Great Wall, the second stanza is about praising the Great Wall, and the third stanza is about dreaming about the Great Wall. The poet's inner emotions are: deep-warm-affectionate.
"Ballad of the Great Wall" does not have elegant and elegant words, nor does it have original and novel images. The simple and ballad-like singing makes people remember it for a long time.
Attached is the original text:
The Ballad of the Great Wall
Xi Murong
Although a history was fought both above and below the city
Although Yanzhi was taken away and Yanzhi was returned
How many passes have there been so many joys and sorrows
You will always be a heartless building
Squatting in the wilderness The top of the wild mountain
Looking at the grudges of the world with a cold eye
Why can’t I sing when I sing about you
Can’t I write about you when I write about you
And as soon as I mention you, a fire will burst into flames
In the fire there is your body that is thousands of miles away
There is your face that is thousands of years old
There are your clouds, your trees, you The wind
Under the Yin Mountain of Chilechuan
Tonight the color should be like water
And the Yellow River will still flow by you tonight
Flow into my sleepless dream