The creative background of "Summer Quatrains":
In the second year of Jingkang, the Jin soldiers invaded the Central Plains, smashed the Qionglou Jade Garden of the Song Dynasty, and kidnapped the two emperors of Hui and Qin, Zhao The Song Dynasty was forced to flee south. Later, Li Qingzhao's husband Zhao Mingcheng became the prefect of Jiankang.
One night, a rebellion broke out in the city. Zhao Mingcheng did not want to quell the rebellion, but ran away. Li Qingzhao felt shameful for his country and his husband. When passing by the Wujiang River, he felt the tragedy of Xiang Yu and wrote this poem. At the same time, it also meant to satirize the Southern Song Dynasty and his husband.
"Summer Quatrains"
Li Qingzhao of the Song Dynasty
Original text:
He was born as a hero, and died as a ghost.
I still miss Xiang Yu and refuse to cross Jiangdong.
Translation:
You should be a hero among men when you are alive, and you should be a hero among ghosts after death. To this day, people still miss Xiang Yu because he refused to live an ignoble existence and returned to Jiangdong.
Extended information:
Appreciation of "Summer Quatrains":
The beginning and end of this poem are upright and dignified, penetrating one's chest and pointing straight to one's spine. bone.
"If you live as a hero, you will die as a ghost." The first two sentences of the poem rise from the sky with great momentum, preemptively showing the readers the courage to be worthy of being a hero in life and death. In front of you, people are in awe. These two lines of poetry are a condensation of the essence, a carrier of courage, and a fearless attitude towards life. Because of their lofty realm and extraordinary momentum, they have become famous lines that have been passed down through the ages.
The last two lines of the poem "I still miss Xiang Yu and refuse to cross the Yangtze River" point out the reason. Xiang Yu's most heroic act was undoubtedly his suicide because he "had no face to see Jiangdong's elders" and gave up the spirit of temporarily avoiding Jiangdong to regain his strength.
In the opinion of the author Li Qingzhao, this unusual heroic spirit shown in failure was especially valuable when the Song Dynasty was crossing south. The poet praised the spirit of "reluctance to cross the Yangtze River" because he was lamenting current events and used historical facts to express his patriotic enthusiasm. The word "today" cleverly connects the past and the present, history and reality in terms of time and space, revealing the profound intention of using nostalgia for the past to satirize the present.
About the author of "Summer Quatrains":
Li Qingzhao, named Yi'an Jushi, Han nationality, from Jinan, Qizhou. A female poet in the Song Dynasty, a representative of the Wanyue Ci School, she is known as "the most talented woman of all time".
Li Qingzhao was born in a scholarly family and lived a wealthy life in her early years. Her father, Li Gefei, had a rich collection of books. She laid a literary foundation in a good family environment when she was a child. After getting married, he and his husband Zhao Mingcheng devoted themselves to collecting and organizing calligraphy, painting and inscriptions. When the Jin soldiers invaded the Central Plains, they lived in the south and were in a lonely situation. In the early stage of his poems, he wrote mostly about his leisurely life, while in the later stage, he mostly lamented his life experience and had a sentimental mood.
Formally, he makes good use of line drawing techniques, finds his own way, and uses clear and beautiful language. The argument emphasizes the law of association, advocates elegance, puts forward the saying "don't be the same family" in lyrics, and opposes writing lyrics in the same way as poetry. He is capable of poetry, but not much remains. Some of his chapters are timely and historical, and his sentimental words are generous, which is different from his style of writing.
There are "Collected Works of Yi An" and "Yi An's Ci", which have been lost. Later generations have a compilation of "Shu Yu Ci". Now there is "Li Qingzhao's Collection and Annotations".
Baidu Encyclopedia-Summer Quatrains