The whole poem can basically be divided into two major sections.
The first paragraph goes from "Lianchang Palace is full of bamboos" to "Foxes come to the gatehouse every night". It writes about the old man beside the palace telling about the changes of Lianchang Palace in the past and present.
The first four sentences are an introduction. First, we start from the scene in front of Lianchang Palace where bamboos are growing thickly and fallen flowers are all over the ground. It is a deep and decaying scene, and introduces the old man beside the palace. The old man's cry to the author can be divided into two meanings.
The first floor describes the prosperity of Lianchang Palace in the past, from "Eating in Xiaonian because of entering" to "Yang's aunts fighting in cars".
On the Cold Food Festival, people banned smoking, but the palace was brightly lit. Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty and Concubine Yang Guifei spent the whole night having fun in Wangxian Tower. Pipa expert He Huaizhi gave the closing performance, and eunuch Gao Lishi was ordered to find the famous singer Niannu to sing in the palace. Prince Li Chengning (Twenty-five Lang) played the pipe and flute, and his music resounded through the sky. Li Mobang leaned against the palace wall, played his flute, and secretly learned the newly composed music in the palace. After describing a picture of the palace having fun, the poet also wrote about the grand scene of thousands of people singing and dancing when Xuanzong returned.
The second level is from "The Eastern Capital is Overthrown in October Next Year" to "The Fox Comes to the Gate House Every Night", which tells the story of An Lushan's rebels conquering Luoyang, the Eastern Capital, and Lianchang Palace being abandoned since then. After the An-Shi Rebellion, even Chang Palace was closed for a long time, and none of the five emperors after Xuanzong ever visited. It wasn't until the 12th year of Yuanhe (817) that an envoy came to Lianchang Palace to cut bamboo at the emperor's order. When the palace door opened, the old man followed him in and took a look. He saw overgrown thorns and hazel bushes, foxes and rabbits galloping freely, dancing on the pavement. The pavilions are toppled and crooked, and the place is in decay and desolation. After the Anshi Rebellion, Xuanzong still stayed in Lianchang Palace, and his later life was desolate. The palace became the nest of snakes and swallows, the incense table decayed, and mushrooms grew. The Duanzheng Building where Concubine Yang lived in those days has changed, and the beauty is no longer visible.
The second paragraph ranges from "My heart is filled with sadness when I hear these words" to "I will work hard to make peace with my troops." Through the questions and answers between the author and the old man, he explores "who causes chaos in peace" and the causes of political chaos in the DPRK.
The poem praises Yao Chong and Song Jing for being prime ministers who were fair in selecting talents and appointing capable people, and local governors who were honest and upright, thus leading to the prosperous Kaiyuan era. After the deaths of Yao and Song, the imperial court was gradually controlled by Concubine Yang. An Lushan was adopted as an adopted son by a noble concubine in the palace, and his wife, Guo Guo, had a large family. The treacherous prime ministers Yang Guozhong and Li Linfu took power and misled the country, and finally brought turmoil and disaster to the country. The poem then turned to praise Emperor Xianzong at that time for vigorously suppressing the rebellion in the feudal towns, and making peace possible. In the conclusion, the author meaningfully states the purpose: I wish the imperial court will work hard to plan the country's plans, stabilize the country, end the civil war, and no longer use troops.
This poem criticizes the current affairs of the Tang Dynasty, opposes the separatist rule of feudal vassals, criticizes traitors for wielding power and harming the country; and puts forward the political ideal of the so-called "sage king and wise minister". It implicitly reveals the arrogant and extravagant life of Xuanzong and his imperial relatives and the domineering and domineering nature of his relatives, which has certain historical significance. Poetry critics of the previous generation mostly praised this poem for its "satiric meaning of prison discipline" and "character". They called it together with Bai Juyi's "Song of Everlasting Sorrow", both of which are popular long narrative poems.
The artistic conception and creative method of this song "Lianchang Palace Ci" were influenced by the legendary novels of the time. The poet is not only rooted in real life and history, but is not limited to specific historical facts. He fictionalizes some plots and uses artistic exaggeration to concentrate historical figures and social life events in a typical environment to describe them. The writing is extremely vivid and vivid. This makes the theme typical. For example, regarding the life of Tang Xuanzong and Yang Guifei in Lianchang Palace, Yuan Zhen did not use the "historical writing" of historians to strictly record, but the novelist's creative "poetry" to describe it. According to Chen Yinke's research, Tang Xuanzong and Yang Guifei never visited Lianchang Palace together. Many places written in the poem are imaginary and fictitious based on rumors. For example, the so-called Wangxian Tower and Duanzheng Tower in Lianchang Palace are actually the names of the buildings of Huaqing Palace on Lishan Mountain. Li Mo's theft happened on the Tianjin Bridge in Luoyang, the eastern capital, on the eve of the Lantern Festival, not next to the Lianchang Palace wall on the night of the Cold Food Festival. Others, such as Niannu singing, Twenty-five Lang playing the flute, hundreds of officials fighting to avoid Qixue, Yang's aunts fighting against the wind, etc., did not appear in Lianchang Palace or in front of the palace in Shou'an County. Yuan Zhen gave full play to his artistic imagination and concentrated the events that happened at different times and places in Lianchang Palace to narrate them. He also made up some plots to exaggerate the so-called peaceful and prosperous scene before the Anshi Rebellion and highlight the theme. It can be clearly seen from the self-annotation of the poem that the author is not ignorant of the historical background of Nian Nu's singing and Li Mo's stealing of music. In dealing with it in this way, he is actually consciously learning the common techniques commonly used in Tang Dynasty legends. Typical method to create. In this way, although the entire "Lianchang Palace Ci" does not conform to specific historical facts in some details, it vividly reflects some essential aspects of the development of history and social life, and is artistically authentic. As for the historical events mentioned in the poem such as the pacification of Wu and Shu and the settlement of Huaixi, they have historical authenticity and a strong sense of reality.
The plot of this poem is written in such a way that it is true and false, there is truth in the false, and the true and false contrast with each other. As Chen Yinke pointed out: "Lianchanggong Ci was deeply influenced by Bai Letian, Chen Hong's Song of Everlasting Regret and Zhuan, and was formed by integrating the historical talents, poetry and discussion of Tang Dynasty novels." ("Yuanbai Poetry Notes Evidence") Chapter 3 of the Manuscript) In the history of the development of Chinese narrative poetry, "Lianchang Palace Ci" has its own unique style and characteristics. "Old Tang Book·Yuan Zhen Biography": At the beginning of Changqing Dynasty, (Cui) Tanjun returned to the court, and Zhen published more than 100 poems such as "Lianchang Palace Ci" to the emperor, which greatly pleased Mu Zong.
"Pan Zizhen's Poetry Talk": "Jinyang Gate Poems", "Song of Everlasting Sorrow", and "Lianchang Palace" all contain events between Kaiyuan and Tianbao.
Wei Zhi's words are not only rich and colorful, but also "the chief officer is Qingping, the governor is good, and all the selections are made by the husband". The appointment and responsibility are the prosperity of the government. "You are raising a child in the Lushan Palace, and it is like a bustling market in front of the gate of Guo State." You can pay private visits to everyone, and you can be safe without chaos? Zhen's narrative is far superior to that of Erzi.
"Suihantang Poetry Talk": "Song of Everlasting Sorrow" is the worst among Lotte's poems, and "Lianchang Palace Ci" is the most proud among Yuanwei's poems. Although the two poems are different in craftsmanship, they are both inferior. It is not as beautiful as Ruo Zimei ("Aijiangtou"). The poem is subtle and graceful.
"Rong Zhai Essays": Yuan Weizhi and Bai Letian were equally famous during the Yuanhe and Changqing periods of the Tang Dynasty. Their poems chanted about Tianbao's current affairs, and "Lianchang Palace Ci" and "Song of Everlasting Sorrow" were both popular, making them popular. The emotions of those who read it are as if they were born at that time and saw the events in person, and it is almost impossible to judge the quality of it. However, "Song of Everlasting Regret" only describes the beginning and end of the Ming emperor's pursuit of his noble concubine, and is not as inspiring as "Lianchang Palace Ci", which has a satirical meaning of prison rules and regulations. As the saying goes, "Yao Chong and Song Jing were the ministers...for fifty years they were sore and barren." The last chapter, as well as the words of the officers and soldiers "begging for temples" and "not using troops" to attack Huaixi, were written in the 11th and 12th years of Gai Yuanhe. They were specially designed to achieve Feng Ren's purpose, which is not the same as in "Eternal Sorrow".
"British Selections of Tang Poems": This is why we cry when we sing for a long time.
"Si You Zhai Cong Shuo": The songs of the early Tang Dynasty follow the styles of Liang and Chen, imitating the works of Xu Xiaomu and Jiang Zongchi. Although they are extremely beautiful, they are just imitations of flashy words. For example, Bai Taifu's "Song of Everlasting Sorrow", "Pipa Xing", and Yuan Xiang's "Lianchang Palace Ci" all directly describe current events, and are written in detail, just like drawings, so that people in this world can still imagine what they are reading. At that time, I thought it should be the first long song in ancient and modern times.
"Yiyuan Yanyan": "Lianchang Gongci" seems to be better than "Eternal Sorrow", which is not just a discussion, "Lianchang" has a strong character.
"Selected Poems of the Tang Dynasty": Chen Yi of the Tang Dynasty said: What kind of old man is jealous? How can he describe the cold scene! The beginning of the narrative is embellished; the two words "back and forth when we were young" are related and emotional; the two words "dust buried in pink walls" indicate that there was excitement before and must be left in the cold; the two sentences "I heard this saying" are here to start the next chapter. The reason for the chaos; the two words "Tiao Mo is upside down" can be cut off. "Don't send your descendants to farm", this is a good idea; "Work hard to build a temple without using troops", this sentence is a big idea. Tang Mengzhuang said: If the statement is true, there will be echoes. "The East Capital is destroyed" four sentences, where is the person who dazzles from the sun and turns into a brilliance? In the sentence "but looking for a home", the word "gongbian" is found. The preface to Taizhen is based on Lanqian, and the latter is divided into two parts: Shanghuang and Taizhen, which is where the composition takes root. To answer the question about "Taiping", I listed the people who caused chaos and discussed in detail how to control chaos in Kaiyuan. The wonderful thing is that it doesn't mix your own opinions, it all comes from the old man's mouth.
"Poetry Bian Di": Although "Lianchang Palace Ci" is in the style of the Tang Dynasty, it also has a lot of handwriting. The numbering method has been used since ancient times. "The Yang family's aunts are fighting against the wind", which is immediately followed by "the eastern capital will be defeated in October next year". After passing Lushan in a few words, I can see the talent directly. The layman will definitely place Yao, Song, Yang, and Li here, and the winding narrative will bring out the ups and downs, and then it will be straight. The sentence "Then it was passed down to the Six Emperors" is brief but powerful, followed by a concluding paragraph. Here the words "Duanzhenglou" appear again, covering the previous text, and the pen and ink are flying. Later, the functions of various Xiang handles were traced, and the music was elegantly played at the end, and it was also traced back to the stream. Yao, Song Xiang, Yang, and Li Lue. There is a method for opening and closing the whole article. If Changqing's long article is like this, it is definitely not a change of talent.
"Tang Shi Kuai": There are only four sentences in the beginning, two sentences "I heard" in the middle, and one sentence in the concluding sentence. The rest are all borrowed from the mouth of the old man and the wild father, and the composition is all inherited. It's wonderful, but as for the feeling of ups and downs and chaos, it's not enough to describe it. It is really strange that such a huge text is written in such a way (below the first two sentences). Take Faqi (below the sentence of "Old Man by the Palace"). Just like seeing (the second sentence of "The Emperor is here"). The connection method is also strange (below the sentence "The first time I passed the cold food"). It's very disappointing to hear this statement suddenly. However, if the first half is dry, the second half will definitely be disappointing. Is there anyone in the world who has a dry spleen to the end (bottom of the sentence "next year in October")? Only here is the corresponding sentence (below the sentence "Last year's envoy").
Another compilation of "Zaijiuyuan Poems": "Lianchang Palace Ci" is light and meaningful, "Shihen Song" is graceful and graceful, and "Jinyangmen Poems" are rich and rich. It should be clear at the beginning and solemn at the end. After considering the selections of predecessors, I only accepted the Yuan authors because they contained satirical implications.
"Kowting Collection of Poems of the Middle and Late Tang Dynasty": It has already written about the events of Tianbao's prosperity and Lushan Rebellion. This is the reason for the chaos (below the sentence "Yeye Fox"). It is agreed that Emperor Xianzong will put an end to the tyranny and hope that the people will be put to rest (below the sentence "The emperor is sacred now").
"Biecai of Tang Poetry": filthy and trivial (bottom of the sentence "Nian Nu Qian companion"). Smoking is still banned, so I read "special edict" (below the sentence "Xuyu found it"). The Lushan Rebellion is too understated ("The imperial road still exists"). This paragraph is a stroke of genius (below the fourth sentence of "Jing Zhen Zhi Bi"). The knot seems to be heavy, but there is no military intention in the whole article, and the sentence has no root (bottom of the last sentence). Since there is criticism in the poem, it seems optional. However, Wei Zhichao's friend Cui Tanjun entered this poem, and he was called "Yuan Caizi" in the palace because of this poem. In addition, the wood selections of various schools coexist with "Song of Everlasting Sorrow" and "Pipa Xing", which is the so-called "Yuan Bai style". Therefore, it has been placed but still exists.
"Yang Yizhai Poems": "The powerful man calls to find Niannu, and Niannu lurks with all the men." Obscene words are whispered to the ears. The poet does not contradict this, but what a poem! However, the quality of Yuan's poems is not overblown, and the ending intention of "Lianchang Gongtong" is actually better than "Song of Everlasting Sorrow". "Everlasting Sorrow" is more beautiful than "Lianchang", but it is only those who do not know the style of poetry.
"Xian Maid's Poems": Yuan Wei's "Lianchang Palace Ci" was also praised for a while, but it was particularly out of character. For example, "A strong man calls to find Niannu, and Niannu lurks to accompany him and invites Lang to stay." The scandals in the palace and the poems broadcast can be said to be unscrupulous for villains.
"Selected Poems of the Tang Dynasty Hand-Rated by Wang Kaiyun": It cannot be forbidden to write in the palace, but Shen Deqian thinks it is obscene, so why not (below the sentence "Nian Nu Qian companion").
"Yuanbai Poetry Notes and Notes": The first sentence and the two concluding sentences at the end of the chapter are the opening statement and the discussion that summarizes the whole poem. They are also consistent with the so-called "first sentence" in Bai Xiangshan's "New Yuefu Preface" "The sentence marks its purpose, and the final chapter shows its ambition" are closely related. Lotte's so-called "Every time the old man steals the rhythm", does he mean this kind of thing? As for reading this poem, it is necessary to compare it with Lotte's "Song of Everlasting Sorrow" in detail, but it is not necessary to discuss it immediately. All in all, "Lianchang Palace Ci" is based on the theme of Lotte's "Song of Everlasting Sorrow" and is based on the structural improvement of Xiangshan's "New Yuefu" to create a new work by Shang Cheng.