Farming thousands of acres and boxes, who is tired and injured.
But it makes all beings full and lie in the sun without hesitation.
This cow had cultivated many fields before it became ill, and people harvested thousands of tons of grain. When it was old and sick, it was left out in the cold, and no one came to sympathize with it. In the end, the sick cow can only have a good wish of "but making all living things full", which is a lofty image of being willing to sacrifice to the end after exhausting blood and sweat.
Kong: He Shu
The west wind, blowing across the plain, brings the fragrance of millet; In spring, splashing into the ditch, the threshing floor is a busy one.
The old cow owes a hard debt, and she lies in the sunset on the top of the grass.
Note: Boxes, compartments and granaries.
After a year's hard work, the "old cow" in this poem has gained the ease and satisfaction of "rough farming debt" from the bumper harvest of "millet fragrance" and "grain debut" and is enjoying the reward given by the director leisurely. It doesn't argue or complain, but is content. This is an image of contentment and carefree.
[URL = JavaScript:； ] ancient [/URL] [URL = JavaScript:; ] Praise for Cows in Poetry [/url]
When it comes to cattle, it is regarded as a symbol of hard work. It is industrious, obscure, gentle and docile, and is deeply loved by people. A generation of literary masters [URL = JavaScript:; Mr. Lu Xun [/url] once called himself an ox, and wrote the poem "Look at a thousand fingers coldly, bow down and be a willing ox" as his motto; , Dong, etc. Once described himself as a cow; Mr. Guo Moruo is willing to be the cow's tail, and Mr. Mao Dun is even willing to be the hair on the cow's tail; Qi Baishi, a great contemporary painter, claimed to be "plowing an inkstone cow", and Li Ke loved painting cows all his life. The banner of "Teacher's Cow Pavilion" hung in the studio all showed people's great love for cows.
This kind of mood, words and deeds of loving and respecting cows are more concentrated and profound description, reflection and sustenance in ancient poems about cows. People's love, sympathy and respect for cattle, as well as deep and sincere feelings, are extraordinary, making cattle more glorious than any animal. It can be said that cattle are the most popular "natural creatures". It can not only plow, transport, grind and even fight, but also has its shadow. Aside from the function, as far as it is concerned, what cattle provide is incomparable to other livestock. Cattle can provide beef and milk as food, cowhide as raw material and bovine bone bezoar as medicinal materials. Of course, cow dung is still a good fertilizer.
The use of cattle is so great, so much, and it is gentle, driven and hardworking, which makes it more popular, so it has long attracted the attention and praise of poets. So, what praises did ancient poets have for cows?
Here, mainly from the following five aspects to talk about the cow in the eyes of ancient poets.
First, write about mountains and rivers, or one thing mentioned in the poem.
Most of these poems are mainly about other things, and there are also sporadic singing cattle poems in the text. Such a poem comes from the earliest collection of poems [URL = JavaScript:; ] The Book of Songs [/url] can be found from the poems of the Qing Dynasty.
For example, in the Book of Songs, a gentleman named Feng Wang was in service and wrote a famous sentence about scenery, that is, "Day to night, cattle are raised ... day to night." . It allows us to see the countryside at night.
In "Tian Wen of Chu Ci", "You stand proudly, how can you meet each other?" What was the fate of the first strike? How can you get a husband and a cow when you have a constant army and accumulated virtue? "It explains [URL = JavaScript:; ] has a long history [/url], and a large number of cattle were raised from the Shang Dynasty.
In later poems, the shape of cattle is mostly scattered, such as "yellow hoof and white feet of yellow cattle" (Yang Wanli's "Watching Spring Cattle for Children's Play" in the Southern Song Dynasty). "My horn is bent, and my oxtail is bald" (Qi's The Cowherd's Ci). "In the shadow of Siyang, it is a black donkey, and your feet bend around the stream." (Qing Gu Shaomin's "Cowherd Words"). These can only be regarded as tangible poems.
For a more comprehensive description of the image and activities of cattle, you can read the Book of Songs. Xiaoya. There are no sheep.
"Who said that, no sheep, three hundred dimensional group.
Who says there are no cows? They are 90 years old.
......
Niu Er began to think, and his ears were wet.
Or fall in Afghanistan, or drink with the pool, or sleep or make mistakes.
......
This poem comprehensively describes the life, diet, residence, mating and other aspects of cattle, and it is also the earliest poem we can see today dedicated to cattle.
Second, the temperament of cattle is gentle and generous.
Anyone familiar with cows knows that cows are not as violent as mules and horses, nor as stubborn as donkeys. They are all domestic animals that can be herded and served by women and children in rural areas. This fully reflects the meekness of cattle. [URL = JavaScript:； ] In ancient poems [/url], I also wrote about the gentle temperament of cattle many times. For example, Jie Yuan in the Tang Dynasty wrote in Where Are the Cows Going: "There is a father in the field, and only the shepherd boy enjoys it." It is not pointed out here whether it is the owner or the cow. We might as well think of it as both. Being accompanied by "father Tian" and "shepherd boy" is naturally the most docile animal.
Cows don't bully the young or the old. From Yuan Mei's Riding an Ox, we can clearly see that the Ox is laughing endlessly. This is a safe place on earth. A 70-year-old man wants something. If you don't drag your breath, the cows will feel sorry for each other. " If the whip doesn't go forward, it will go slowly. This is the scene when a cow is carrying a 70-year-old plum. When people get on the cow, the cow "does not move" and walks slowly. Cows are quite human, and they are afraid of hurting the elderly. This is the meekness of cattle.
Cows can live in harmony with weak animals. In the Tang Dynasty, Lu Guimeng wrote in the poem "Cowherd": "The barren slope breaks the valley for no reason, and the lonely bird always stands on his back." In the Qing Dynasty, Wang Shu also wrote in "Pastoral Ci": "The cow's hoof wags and the beginning of spring bird is idle on its back." A huge animal like a cow, letting a bird rest on its back, fully shows the tenderness of the cow's temperament. What a gentle, tolerant and friendly natural creature this is!
The phenomena and scenes expressed in the poems quoted above are originally the nature and instinct of cattle. But the poet sublimated it into the promotion of human mind and feelings, which made the cow have a good character and an aesthetic object of a kind soul. The beauty observed, excavated and endowed by the poet in Niu is not the external beauty of form, but the internal beauty of character and soul that supports the poet's ideal interpersonal relationship.
Third, there are many uses and types of cattle.
Dear Premier Zhou advocated before his death that the people should work as hard as cows, unite as one and serve the people to death. We should follow the example of cattle and work hard. Cattle are mainly used for farming, driving and fighting. For these skills and achievements of cattle, ancient poets have vigorously described and highly praised them. For the use of cattle, I will summarize it in detail here and see how the poet describes it.
(1) agriculture
Niu Geng, with a long history, was the main draught animal in many rural areas of China which had been in feudal society for more than 2,000 years, but had not yet been mechanized. In many poems about cattle, the image of cattle is hard-working, hard-working and dedicated to the benefit of mankind. As mentioned earlier, "Where will the cows go?" Among the many poems praising, Song Mei's "Cattle Tillage" and Wang Anshi's "Poems on Agricultural Tools" are the best.
Look at Mei Yaochen's poem again:
If you don't stop farming, why don't you take care of your calves?
At night, I breathe out the bright moon and go out through the deep valley.
Although the strength is poor, the intestines are not full.
When the autumn harvest snows, they eat grass on the cold slope again.
The first four sentences of this poem describe the harsh environment for raising cattle: rugged valleys, unusually hot weather and hard work during farming. The last four sentences describe the living conditions of cattle. When you are farming, you don't have enough to eat. When you are cold, you eat hay. On the one hand, the poet praised the industrious spirit of cattle, on the other hand, he poured great sympathy into the plight of cattle. In his whole speech, he compared the lack of food and clothing with the hardships of farming cattle in four seasons, and pinned the poet's sympathy for the poor working people.
What do cows bring to farmers? Wang Anshi's poems give us a clear answer:
"Tillage dew, dusk till the moon comes out.
Since there is no gross profit, let's have thousands of boxes. "
This five-character quatrain not only describes the hard work of plowing cattle, but also praises the selfless dedication of oxen, although they have contributed a lot to all beings. Reading this poem naturally reminds me of Wang Anshi. Maybe he expressed his heart by praising the cow.
In ancient times, due to the special role of Touma, horses were expensive. Even though horses have many advantages in farming, farmers dare not expect them. Cattle with slightly lower prices have naturally become the first choice for farmers. Therefore, in ancient times, Niu Geng has always occupied a dominant position.
(2) Transportation
Besides plowing land, cows often pull carts. It was recorded in ancient China. There is a legend in Chu Ci that Wang Hai, the ancestor of Shang Dynasty, could serve a cow and drive a car. "He is arrogant and upright." Book of Songs. Xiaoya. There is also a poem in "Cart", which is "Wan Bi leads the cart without serving the box". 《URL = JavaScript:； Historical Records [/url] records that sitting bull, a minister in the early years of the Western Han Dynasty, pulled carts, but there are few poems devoted to ox-pulling carts, and most of them are scattered in poems. Such as the Tang Dynasty [URL = JavaScript:; ] Bai Juyi [/url] in "Selling Charcoal Urn", there is a description of pulling a cart by a cow: "Xiao drives a charcoal cart over the ice, and the hunger of the cow is getting higher and higher." "It is not ugly that the charcoal seller sells charcoal with a cart pulled by a cow.
Mei's poem "See Buffalo Pulling a Cart at the 19th Sunrise at Caomen" is a better work.
I saw five cows in the paddy field, and I saw the yellow calendar with a yoke.
Today, I was in the same group of big cars. I walked with mules and donkeys for a long time.
Hold your head high and travel-stained, unlike Emperor Yangdi Mo Mu.
Sleep with your head facing south all night. The more you do this, the more you will defend yourself.
This seventh tune describes the scene of a southern buffalo pulling a cart, in order to express the author's homesickness.
The transportation function of cattle undoubtedly increases the value of cattle and makes farmers like it more. The poems describing driving cattle enrich the image of cattle's diligence, hardship and pioneering.
(3) War
The cow not only plows the field to catch the car, but also goes to the battlefield many times, which is also its loveliness. From slave society to modern boxer movement, there are records or legends about the battle of cattle. Although there are not many poems that directly describe the process of bullfighting, poets recite the history of bullfighting [URL = JavaScript:; ] stories [/url] and legends, warmly praise the achievements of cattle on the battlefield. These stories and legends are well described in Li Qiao's Cow in the Tang Dynasty:
"Song Qi first entered the work stage, and Yan Xihui finished the work ahead of schedule.
If you want to go to the peach forest, you should first cross the catalpa tree.
In Wu, I have been breathing for the moon, and I have been surprised by my dreams.
You don't need five Li Ding, how can you get a 10% discount? "
In this poem, the second and third sentences are related to war, and the third sentence can be found in Shangshu. Among them, "Jiang Yan Zao Cheng" refers to a famous "Fire Bull War" in ancient China, and also refers to the successful beginning of the "Fire Bull War" in the history of China War. The battle of cattle written in ancient poems ended in the victory and success of cattle. The image of the cow in this poem is fearless. This is also one of the reasons why it is deeply loved by people.
(4) Sacrifice
In the slave society and the early feudal society, sacrificial activities played an important role in the country. It is recorded in the history books that "the great event of the country is sacrificed." The items needed for sacrifice are cattle, sheep and pigs, which are from the Book of Songs. Xiaoya. In "No Sheep", "three-dimensional things, while animals have." These two poems illustrate the sacrifice of cattle and sheep. There are also many records in the Book of Rites, such as "Sacrificing the heavenly son to sacrifice the cow" and "Middle-earth eats millet and cows".
Fourth, people's attitude towards cattle.
Cows are so docile and have so many uses. How can farmers not like it? How can a poet not praise?
(1) Farmers love cows as their sons.
Ancient poets used many poems to describe and reflect the feelings and deeds of all sentient beings, especially farmers who love cows. Let's talk about how farmers love cows and how poets praise them.
Farmers love cattle, first of all, in the breeding and protection of cattle. Farmers always try their best to raise cattle. This can be seen from the Song of Drinking Cows written by Xiang Ningqi of Qi Huangong in the Spring and Autumn Period when he was young. In his words, "short cloth and light clothes are suitable for dry, from faint rice to thin night." I wear this single coat to reach my calf, but I don't care about the cold. I fed the cows late into the night, which shows the hard work and diligence of feeding the cows.
Farmers have many measures to protect cattle. In winter, in order to protect cattle from the cold, grass and hemp are specially woven to cover cattle, which is called cattle coat. The ancients mentioned it many times in poetry. For example, there is a classic of Zhang Wang's Sick Cow Clothes in the Han Dynasty, and in the Song Dynasty [URL = JavaScript:; ] Su Shi [/url] The word "Huanxisha" has the sentence "Cow clothes and ancient willows sell cucumbers". The use of this kind of cow coat reflects the care and love for cattle.
Farmers love cows, but also oppose indiscriminate killing of cows, contempt for cattle eaters and so on. They think that cattle are an animal that has made great contributions to mankind. People should thank it and love it, instead of killing it and eating it. Even in times of famine, we can't bear to kill cattle to satisfy our hunger. In this regard, Jiang Shiquan's "Selling Cattle for Songs" in Qing Dynasty. For the two peaks, it is clearly written: "There is no place to use cow power in the field, and the family can't bear to kill cow food." "The emperor is born with a cow force, and the hungry ghost can't escape." Farmers are forced to sell cattle, and their inner sadness and attachment to cattle are hard to express. Yuan Chengfu's The Old Man Selling Cattle in the Qing Dynasty vividly depicts that people bid farewell to cows "thinking about cows for many years and can't bear to cry." "People who buy cows will whip themselves, and the old man will be wet with tears."
There are many poems about farmers loving cows. The praise of cows in ancient poems about cows describes farmers' love for cows. The most representative is the cow clothes of Mei in the Northern Song Dynasty:
"Cows are afraid of severe frost, and love is like a child.
The north wind blows the fence firmly, and the winter depends on alfalfa hemp.
Evil thin will be different, greed unchanged.
Don't forget the importance, the old farmer can't be despised. "
These five laws describe and praise the situation that old farmers cherish cows. In particular, the last two sentences, summed up above, praised the old farmer, and affirmed and praised the old farmer's spirit of "loving his son as much as he loves his son".
② Poets praise cows.
Poets who are close to people's lives and sympathize with people's sufferings can feel the role and importance of cattle, so poets praise it and praise it. I have mentioned a lot about the praise of labor, so I won't go into details here. Wu Cheng's picture of cattle in Yuan Dynasty praised cattle from another brand-new angle. This poem depicts the image of cattle crossing the river, that is, it depicts the mode of cattle, as well as the noble quality of cattle, the feelings of calves and the collectivism spirit of "helping each other in the same boat", all of which show the lofty spiritual realm of cattle. To this end, the author sincerely praised: "This cow is as kind as a human being." The author also thinks that people in society are separated from each other and care only about themselves, so he thinks: "People are not as rich as cows." People are inferior to livestock, which is a condemnation of people with poor quality in society and a high praise of cattle.
Everything has its opposite. Although many people love and praise cows, there are always a few shallow and ignorant people who abuse cows and even kill them to eat meat. For these people, people wake up in ruthless exposure and condemnation. He expressed deep sympathy and regret for some unfortunate cows. For example, Li Jiaming's poems about lying cows in the Tang Dynasty, Yang Guo's poems about old cows in the Yuan Dynasty and the old cows in the Song and Yuan Dynasties are all products that make people cry. Yang Guo wrote in his poem: "The suitcase is the key to a thousand pounds, and the burden is far from being pitied." "Now stealing chickens does not erode rice." His sympathy and regret for the cow behind him is contained in the description of the fate of the old cow. He ridiculed that people should fully understand the contribution of breeding cattle to people, so as to care for the cow, show sympathy for the cow, and care about the fatigue and hunger of the cow, instead of just serving the cow regardless of its hunger and cold.
Fifth, the spirit of the cow will last forever.
From the above description, it is not difficult for us to see that a tall image of diligence and meekness, regardless of personal gains and losses, only caring about the dedication of others appears in front of us, that is, the spirit of cattle. Farmers love cows, their usefulness and meekness. Poets praise cows, and praise their spirit and character.
In the long-term social production and social life, people gradually realize the greatness of cattle, so they combine ideas with cattle to make the image of cattle more brilliant. We can analyze it from the following two aspects:
(A portrayal of farmers' lives
Farmers who have been dealing with cows for a long time have long discovered how similar cows are to themselves, so they use poetry to show it:
"Thirsty YingChuan water, hunger Wu Menyue.
Gold can be planted, but I won't rest. "(Liu Tangcha's" Dai Niu Yan ")
This song was written by a cow's mouth, and it is actually the epitome of working people's life. Dare not expect to eat, drink turbid river water when thirsty, and breathe heavily on the moon when hungry. How hard life is. Although there is no food to eat, it has created endless wealth. No matter how much wealth you create, you can't rest. "If I can plant gold, I will never rest." How greedy the rulers are and how hardworking the cows are. The poet's words are euphemistic and humorous, with profound implications, which embodies the author's sympathy for the working people and his indignation and injustice towards that unreasonable society.
(B) the embodiment of the poet's ideal
The excellent qualities of cattle people, such as hard-working, hard-working, obscure, and single-minded work, are mostly sung and praised by people. The poet even used this metaphor to express his ideal of serving the country and the people wholeheartedly. Among these poems, the most famous is the poem Sick Cow by Li Gang in the Song Dynasty:
"Farming thousands of acres of real thousand boxes, who tired bitter.
However, all sentient beings are warm and sick. "
In this poem, the first sentence describes the outstanding achievements of cattle, and the second sentence describes the tragic experience of cattle, which makes people feel sad and angry in contrast. However, three or four sentences have written a realm that others can't reach. As long as the broad masses of the people can eat and wear warm clothes, I can lose weight and get sick in the sunset. This poem outlines the lofty and great image of cattle with touching pen and ink. Especially the last two sentences are [URL = JavaScript:; ] China [/url] The spiritual realm of cattle has been sublimated to the point where it can be juxtaposed with the sages in history, which is also the main reason and focus for the broad masses of people and poets to love and praise cattle.
While writing about cows, I naturally entrusted the author's ideals. Li Gang, who went on strike twice in the Northern Song Dynasty and the Southern Song Dynasty, felt uncomfortable in his heart, but he was thinking of the country and the people. As long as the country is safe and the people are happy, he is also very pleased that he is "sick in the sun." Isn't this a portrayal of the poet's ideal? The image of a sick cow is the brilliant idea of a poet who devoted himself to death [URL = JavaScript:; ] art [/url] embodiment. It has the same effect as Qu Yuan's poems, such as "Although I regret my death, I still have kindness in my heart", and Yu Qian's poems "I won't be afraid of being smashed to pieces, but I hope to remain innocent in the world", which shows the poet's noble sentiment.
To sum up, cattle are an animal that is beneficial to human beings. Ancient poems about cattle described and praised the beautiful image of cattle. This beautiful image lies not in appearance, but in character and soul. The poet described and praised the many contributions and great benefits of cattle to human beings, and expressed people's love and respect for cattle. Some bureaucratic literati also express their political feelings and views on social life by eulogizing cows. Wang Anshi once said: "It is the spirit that is difficult for Dan Qing to write", but ancient poets often personified the cow by chanting songs with a pen, so that people could communicate their thoughts and feelings with the cow through dialogue, expression and behavior. This is a superb expression of cattle in ancient poetry.
As people's ideal carrier, Niu Poetry symbolizes the spirit of hard work, bravery and selfless dedication. Here, the spirit of this cow is hard to express in just a few thousand words. It is a treasure in human civilization, which will be told by people for thousands of years and become people's spiritual food.