Bai Juyi was a famous realist poet in the Tang Dynasty. He advocated that poetry creation should be popular and realistic, and he occupied an important position in the history of Chinese poetry. The language of his poems is beautiful and popular, with harmonious tones and vivid images. He is known as the "Poetry Demon" and the "Poetry King". There are nearly 3,000 existing poems. Representative poems include "Farewell to the Ancient Grassland", "Song of Everlasting Sorrow", "Peach Blossoms of Dalin Temple", etc.
The poem I recommend to you today is a seven-character rhymed poem by Bai Juyi, "Returning from the West Lake at Night and Looking Back at Gushan Temple to Present to the Guests." This poem was written by Bai Juyi after he returned from listening to monks' sermons at Gushan Temple in West Lake when he was appointed governor of Hangzhou. It mainly vividly depicts the beautiful scenery around Gushan Temple, revealing the poet's love for the beautiful scenery of West Lake. The whole poem describes the scenery, as if you are immersed in the scene.
"Returning from West Lake in the evening and looking back at Gushan Temple as a gift to all the guests"
Liuhu Songdao Lotus Temple, returning to the temple in the evening.
The rain is heavy in the low mountains of Luju, and the palm leaves and water are cool.
Smoke waves shake the sky, and the buildings and halls are scattered against the setting sun.
When you reach the shore, please look back. Penglai Palace is in the middle of the sea.
In the first line of the poem "Liuhu Songdao Lotus Temple", Bai Juyi explained the specific place where he listened to the monk's sermon, which was Gushan Temple on Gushan Mountain in the West Lake. "Liuhu" means West Lake, which comes from the shadow of weeping willows beside the lake. "Songdao" means Gushan, which comes from the fact that the mountain stands in the lake. "Lotus Temple", also known as Gushan Temple, is used to describe its beauty because of the blooming lotus flowers in the lake. So reading this poem is like appreciating a panoramic view of the West Lake.
The second sentence "Return to the monastery late at night" means that after listening to the monks' sermons in the evening, they are preparing to return by boat. Judging from the first two sentences of this poem, Bai Juyi first described the panoramic view of the West Lake, including the rippling lake water, the weeping willows shaded by the shore, the blooming lotus flowers in the lake, and the mountains standing in the lake. Then two separate scenes are described at the same time, namely the scene of the boatman in the lake shaking the "return beam" to prepare to pick up the guests and returning home, and the scene of the poet walking out of the dojo and preparing to "return late". It can be seen that the layers are clear and the master and slave are orderly, making people feel like they are immersed in the scene after watching it.
Three or four sentences, "The orange trees are in the low mountains and the rain is heavy, the palm leaves are in the water and the wind is cool" describes what Bai Juyi saw on his way back. The orange is the fruit of the loquat, and the palm leaf is the palm leaf. After the mountain rain, the oranges became heavier and drooped due to the rain, while the palm leaves flapped with each other in the wind. The word "heavy" not only describes the fruitfulness of loquats, but also expresses Bai Juyi's love for this scenery. The word "cool" not only describes the refreshing water breeze, but also expresses Bai Juyi's comfortable mood.
Five or six sentences, "The waves of smoke shake the blue sky, and the staggered buildings and palaces lean against the setting sun." This is what Bai Juyi saw when he arrived on the ship. At this time, the water on the West Lake was misty and rippling, and the blue water was the same color as the sky. Looking back at the towers on the lonely mountain, they were unevenly reflected in the sunset. From these two poems, we can imagine what a magnificent scene this is, it is like being in a fairyland.
The last two sentences, "Please look back when you get to the shore, Penglai Palace is in the middle of the sea" are Bai Juyi's dialogue with "guests" when he arrived on the shore from the ship. Please look back and see if Gushan Temple is like the Penglai Palace in fairyland, located in the middle of the water. These two sentences clarify the theme of the title: "Looking back at the lonely mountain and giving gifts to all the guests." At the same time, there is Penglai Pavilion in Gushan Temple. The poet connected it with Penglai Palace, which gave the entire Gushan Temple a strong poetic and artistic atmosphere with endless charm.
Looking at this poem by Bai Juyi, it can be said that every sentence describes the scene and every sentence contains emotions. After reading it, it is like being immersed in the scene, and it is so beautiful that it makes people enchanted.