First, the original poem is as follows:
Liu Jingwen/Winter Scenery
Author: Su Shi (Song Dynasty)
The lotus flower withered, so did the lotus leaf holding the rain, and only the branches of chrysanthemum stood proudly against the cold frost.
You must remember the best scenery in a year, which is in the late autumn and early winter of orange and green.
Second, the translation is as follows:
Lotus withered, even a lotus leaf withered like an umbrella to cover the rain; Chrysanthemum has withered, but its tall and straight branches of Ao Shuang chrysanthemum are still full of vitality in the cold wind. Don't think that the good scenery of the year is coming to an end, you should remember that the most beautiful scenery is in the orange-green season in early winter!
Third, appreciate two key sentences:
The poem sings about the scenery in early winter. In order to highlight the best scenery of "orange, orange and green" in a year, the poet first painted a picture of the last autumn with highly summarized pen and ink: the Julian lotus pond with green leaves and red flowers reflecting the sun has long withered, and the withered stems and leaves can no longer support the green umbrella to shelter from the wind and rain; The residual chrysanthemum under the independent hedge, although the stem is fragrant, has no leaves, and only the tall and straight branches are still strong against the wind in Ao Shuang. There are many kinds of nature, and flowers bloom and fall in a year. It can be said that the seasons are different and the months are different. Here, the poet only chose the lotus and chrysanthemum, which dominated in summer and autumn respectively, and wrote about their withering to set off the cold heart of orange. The genius of the poet also lies in that he did not simply write about the decline of lotus and chrysanthemum, but extended the description to lotus leaves and chrysanthemum branches. Throughout the life of the lotus, the lotus leaf is indispensable to it. Su Shi used rain to say that the defeat of the Netherlands was really vivid! Similarly, Chrysanthemum is called an outstanding figure under the frost, not only because it is Leng Xiang, but also because it has tall and straight branches. In Ao Shuang, only when the flowers break, the branches can be independent, and its aloof character can be fully reflected. The poet's observation can be described as meticulous, and his ability to grasp the essence of things can be described as powerful! These two sentences are literally opposite, with the same content, and they are called "running water pair", "nothing" and "there is", which shows the difference between two flowers.
However, whether it is thanking first or thanking later, it is out of date after all, and we have to withdraw from the competition and give way to the vibrant early winter pride-oranges and oranges. At this point, the poet happily reminds people: please remember that the best scenery in a year is in the early winter when the article is rotten (Qu Yuan's Ode to an Orange)! When oranges are mentioned side by side here, they are actually biased towards oranges. From Qu Yuan's Ode to an Orange to Zhang Jiuling's experience (here, south of the Yangtze River, there is a red orange tree. ), oranges have always been praised by poets as "good trees", but oranges are actually "although they may serve your distinguished guests". Citrus's "leaves are green all winter" and "but it is used to cold because of its' nature'" are not only inferior to lotus and chrysanthemum, but also want to be comparable to pine and cypress. No wonder the poet pays special attention to it!
This poem is about the scenery in early winter. The author said that autumn has come and winter has come. Although the lotus has withered, it is still a beautiful time of orange and green. The metaphor of "Ao Shuang Branch" in the poem is intended to praise Liu Jingwen's nobility and noble character. "There is a Ao Shuang in the chrysanthemum", which was later used as a metaphor for indomitable people.