Hu Shizhi has a soft spot for quatrains, which may be because quatrains range from 20 words to 28 words. Ten in one word, less wins more. It is the shortest, smallest and most refined of all styles. He intends to choose one poem a day, and 365 quatrains a year. Five years later, he only chooses more than 100 poems.
As a generation of celebrities, Hu Shi has always had different opinions on the right and wrong behind him. The outstanding achievements of his life cannot be evaluated in a few words. During the May 4th Movement, he spared no effort to advocate "vernacular literature" and became a "movement", which was undoubtedly a brilliant contribution in his academic career.
Hu Shi put forward three "white" standards for "vernacular poetry" covered by "vernacular literature", namely, being explicit, innocent and understanding. The so-called "clear" means to be as direct and popular as usual. "Innocence" is refreshing and natural, and there is no need to carve and whitewash. "Understanding" cannot be profound.
His poem a day is an excellent work selected from the heritage of ancient poetry, which can provide a vivid example for "Three Whites".
Hu Shixuan's first poem is Brahma Turning Socks by Wang Fanzhi, a poet in the Tang Dynasty: "Everyone is wrong when Brahma turns socks. I can stab you in the eye at first, but don't hide my feet. "
Twenty words, like talking to yourself, vividly outline an image of a casual person who is slovenly and enjoys himself. I put on my socks inside out, and people said I was wrong. However, I would rather make you unhappy than wronged my feet.
Humor and sarcasm are all in it. After a little consideration, you will gradually understand that this is not about socks, but actually about a person's way of doing things, or expressed in cultural terms, but about a philosophy of life. Just like the old saying that is often heard: I will go my own way and let others talk. Or become an idiom: go your own way.
Hu Shi appreciates this Wang Fanzhi. He mentioned in the History of Vernacular Literature: "Among the vernacular poets in the early Tang Dynasty, Wang Fanzhi and Hanshan were picked up by parody, all from doggerel." Further evaluation said: "Anyone who starts with the jingle of the game, as long as there is content, as long as there is artistic conception and insight, will naturally make first-class philosophical poems."
Doggerel is easy to be superficial, but it can also be profound and lasting. In the opposition between "superficiality" and "profundity", there is rich philosophy.
Hu Shi chose two poems by Du Mu. One of the songs is: "Qiu Guang, a red candle, drew a cold screen and shook a small fan to pounce on fireflies. Day and night are as cool as water, sitting and watching morning glory and weaving stars. " (autumn night)
He said: "Looking back at the quatrains recited by Du Mu in his early years, this is the only choice." Perhaps it is because the lonely scene in the poem left an indelible mark on my heart, so I have infinite pity and concern for the ladies-in-waiting, and I can't let it go. It can be seen that the vitality of art will not be weakened by the passage of time, but will last forever.
The whole poem is easy to understand. The first sentence is about the background of the character's life, and the second sentence is about her actions. Then her feelings, and finally her expression. Through the in-depth description layer after layer, although only the moment of autumn night is intercepted, it can reveal the tragic fate of the characters' lives and make people sad.
Hu Shi once wrote such a diary: "I occasionally read Shenbao and saw a regular comment in Laopu, quoting Yang Yi's poem Puppet. This is an excellent vernacular poem. I didn't know this Quincy demon wrote this. I was rude! " "Puppet" is as follows: "Bao Lao laughs at Guo Lang at the banquet and laughs at his sleeve dancing. Teach Bao Lao to be a banquet dancer and turn Lang Lang into a dance sleeve. "
Bao Lao and Guo Lang are two puppet artists. "Langdang" describes improper clothes and poor skills. This poem is about the mutual ridicule between two artists. One says that one can't do it, and the other says that one can't do it. Pot calling the kettle black, it is of great value and significance to alert and reflect on readers and cultivate their own character.
There are 28 words in the whole poem, but there are 19 words that are repeated, which is a bit like a word game and fits the meaning of the poem. The author is the representative of Quincy style, which has been criticized. Some critics criticized: "Yang Yi is extremely poor and elegant, embellished with romance, gardening and extravagance." Therefore, Hu Shi called it Uber, but this did not affect the high evaluation of this poem as an "excellent vernacular poem". People are people, and poetry is poetry. Hu Shi's scientific attitude towards writers and works is worth learning and very desirable.
In this collection of poems, Wang Anshi is the most selected poet. Hu Shi said: "I chose thirteen poems by Gong Jing, and the capital is not among the thirty-two collected by Song Wenjian. Who made the right choice? "
Hu Shi is confident. His knowledge and cultivation endow him with a high appreciation ability, which makes him have a unique eye and can find masterpieces that others have neglected.
From Hejia to Jingde Temple: "Once upon a time, I occasionally saw a dream flower, and the red and purple flowers were shallow and deep. Today is like a dream, nothing to pursue. " Wang Anshi used "past tense" and "today" as a contrast to express the vagaries of "dream", which led to his understanding of life. When the world is not deep, what I see is "like a dream", colorful and lifelike. After tasting the fireworks all over the world, the "dream" suddenly burst and fell into "tranquility" from the noise. The delicious aroma that once existed has disappeared without a trace.
This poem, with simple words, is chewy and has a strong Zen aftertaste. It can guide readers from the world of mortals to a peaceful and quiet spiritual world, eliminate all distractions and return to silence.
Hu Shi took great pains to select good poems and try his best to broaden his horizons. He said: "Look at the fourth volume of the Diary of Yuemaotang, which quotes a poem by Gong Shitai, a poet of the Yuan Dynasty ... This is really a good vernacular poem!"
The quatrain he found was entitled Beyond the Golden Gate. The poem goes like this: "The willow outside the Golden Gate is like gold, but it will not be green for three days. I'm going to break a branch and go to the city to show people that it's spring. "
Nothing is difficult to understand, nothing is incomprehensible, and everything is clear. But in terms of fluency, the image of a "I" is so distinct. "Gold" turned into "green" with bright colors. "Three days" is just a moment. That's why we have to "go into the city" and tell others that "it's already spring".
In fact, "teaching people to know" is not only the change of seasons, but also a kind of scenery and artistic conception. It is also the optimism and openness that nature and the universe displayed in the blending of scenes should have towards life. The tone is cheerful and relaxed, enjoying itself, and highly unified and harmonious with the scenery and feelings, thoughts and behaviors.
Hu Shi's poetry selection mostly follows his three "white" standards. But some poems are obviously closely related to his mood at that moment. For example, in Lu You's Xiuzi, "Everything is empty when you die, and you are sad when you see Kyushu. Julian Waghann set the Central Plains Day in the north, and the family sacrifice did not forget to tell Nai Weng. " He wrote in the annotation: "This is a poem that kills Weng. Today's' May 4th' commemoration, copy this poem. "
For "the stars are bleak, the moon is uneven and everything is sad." People scattered all the lights at the gate of the temple, but they searched for it for a long time. (Wang Anshi's La Xiang) In the annotation written for this poem, Hu Shi said: "This poem is very sad. I was very unhappy when I read this poem tonight. "It turns out that this day is the third anniversary of September 18th.
Hu Shi chooses a poem every day from 1934 and finishes it at 1952. During this period, he went to the ocean, drifted abroad, and then went to Taiwan Province Province. As a wanderer, there is bound to be a pair of homesickness and homesickness that are difficult to solve, hitting his heart from time to time. He chose He's song, "When I was young, I left home, and the local accent remained unchanged." . When children meet strangers, they will smile and ask where the guests are from. "I'm afraid this is a true portrayal of his heart.
A poem a day is a good book worth reading, because it has a unique style and distinctive features among many selected poems. This book is accompanied by comments from Chai, Zhao and others. It is insightful and informative, which is helpful for reading.
(Hu Shi's Notes on Selected Poems One Day, published by Zhonghua Book Company in 2008. )