The relationship between Cao Cao’s poems and his person:
Cao Cao was not only an outstanding politician and military strategist in Chinese history, but also an outstanding litterateur. He, his sons Cao Pi and Cao Zhi are known as the "Three Caos" in the history of Chinese literature. He "established martial arts externally and promoted literature internally", and was also the pioneer of a new situation in Jian'an literature. On the one hand, he relied on his political leadership to recruit scribes extensively, resulting in a "prosperous" Jian'an literature situation. On the one hand, he also used his creative works to create a new trend in literature.
⒈A summary of Cao Cao’s Yuefu poems.
There are 22 poems by Cao Cao in existence, including 3 whose author is doubtful. All are Yuefu poems. Yuefu poetry has entered the stage of literati Yuefu poetry, of which Cao Cao is a typical representative, and some articles still exist.
⒉Main style: generous and sad, with majestic charm. < /p>
There are roughly three types of content in Cao Cao's poems: reflecting the reality of the turmoil in the late Han Dynasty, the ideal of unifying the world and the tenacious enterprising spirit, and expressing unforgettable negative emotions.
1 Cao Cao was a man who treated the people well (reflecting the reality of the turmoil at the end of the Han Dynasty)
During the chaos at the end of the Han Dynasty, Cao Cao conquered the south and the north, and he was the ruler of the feudal political group. The reader has come into contact with a wide range of society, experienced the wars of the era, felt the pain of war, and witnessed the desolation of land and the displacement of people caused by the war. This feeling is also reflected in his poems, such as "Bitter Cold Journey" and "Songli Journey", both of which describe the pain of war. For example, "Hao Li Xing" describes the tragic scenes of war in the late Han Dynasty. Not only the misery of the people but also the poet's sympathy for the chaos when he was injured. The poem "There are righteous men in Guandong who raised troops to fight against the evil. In the early days of meeting with the Alliance Jin, my heart was in Xianyang." The army is weak, hesitating and flying. Snobbishness makes people fight, and the descendants fight against each other. The title of Huainan brother is engraved in the north. The bones of all people are exposed in the wild, and there is no cockroach. "The memory of a hundred people is heartbreaking." It truthfully describes the situation of the rebels from gathering to dispersing, exposes and criticizes the selfish motives of Yuan Shao and others, and also discusses the disaster and pain caused by the long-term war to the society and the people. , with deep concern and sympathy. Among them, "The armor is infested with famine lice, and all the people die. White nectar is in the wild, and there are no roosters for thousands of miles. The people live in hundreds of pieces, and the thoughts are heartbreaking." It truly reflects the suffering caused by the war, and is known as "Han The final record is the true history of poetry" (Volume 7 of Zhong Xing's "Gu Shi Gui"). In addition, "In the world, people are precious. ("Duguan Mountain")" also shows his love for the people and his people-oriented concept.
Example: As a politician, Cao Cao understood and cared about the sufferings of the people. Years of wars have severely damaged production. Coupled with natural disasters, "the people are in ruins and food supplies are running out." There is even nowhere to raise military rations to supply the needs of the war. Cao Cao adopted the suggestions of Zao Zhi, Han Hao and others and implemented farming. Loans were given to farmers to farm cattle and fields, and the harvest from the official cattle was divided into four parts according to the government and the people, and the harvest from the private cattle was divided into half. The purpose of farming is mainly to meet the needs of military food, but also to improve the livelihood of some farmers who have no cattle or fields. The taxes on farmland were paid directly to the officials, which also avoided exploitation by landlords, and military rations were not all borne by farmers. Guaranteed food for the army is not only conducive to combat, but also reduces the army's ability to plunder people at will. In any case, it is beneficial to the people. At the same time, Cao Cao could still take care of the sufferings of the common people. After defeating Yuan Shao, he once issued an order: "If the Yuan family in Hebei suffers a disaster, there will be no tax for this year!" Due to the war, the people were exempted from tax for one year. Cao Cao also specifically stipulated: "Since Xiang, the number of armies has been mobilized. Or when there is an epidemic, the officials die and the people are displaced, and the benevolent people have no choice but to live in peace. "Xun, in order to express my will." For the families of the officers and soldiers killed in the war who have no property and cannot survive, the government will provide them with food, and the officials should visit them frequently. As for the treatment of the people, Cao Cao also ordered, "Women who are over seventy years old and have no husband or son, who are under twelve years old, have no parents or brothers, and those who are blind, have lost their labor force, and have no wives, children, fathers, brothers, or property, shall be supported by the state." They are lifelong." Cao Cao's policies on developing production, taking care of the people's living conditions, and developing education were very enlightened and progressive among the feudal ruling class, and they were also supported and welcomed by the people.
2 Cao Cao is a man with a broad mind
"Guan Cang Sea" describes the scene of the sea, "The autumn wind is bleak, the waves are rising, the sun and the moon are like walking out of it; the stars are brilliant, "If you come out of it", it is majestic and majestic in style, reflecting the poet's broad mind that embraces the universe and swallows the sun and the moon. The poem describes the lushness of all things between the mountains and the sea and the torrential waves of the sea in the bleak autumn wind. The water is connected that day, and the magnificent sea is like "the journey of the sun and the moon, as if it were out of it. The stars are brilliant, as if they are out of it.", swallowing the sun and moon. , the great momentum that breeds stars; the vast and boundless great scene is truly spectacular. The sun, moon and stars are all held in the poet's arms. Such a grand and magnificent artistic conception is really amazing. "Guan Cang Sea" expresses the poet's broad-mindedness in his later years through the author's personal experience of watching the tide in the East China Sea and the vast and majestic scenery of the sea. It can be said to be a relatively complete landscape poem in the history of Chinese poetry.
3 Cao Cao was a man with lofty political ambitions (the ideal of unifying the world and a tenacious enterprising spirit)
Poems expressing political ambitions account for a large proportion of Cao Cao's poems.
For example, "It is not my ambition to live idle, but I am willing to go to worry about the country." - "Six Miscellaneous Poems" This poem highlights Cao Cao's lofty burden and ideals for the country. He is an ambitious politician and military strategist, so his poems are "like a veteran general with deep and majestic charm".
Another example is "Duguan Mountain" and "During Wine", which express the poet's political ideals. The peaceful and prosperous age he envisioned was a politics of virtuous kings and good ministers that combined Confucianism and Legalism and used both grace and authority. This is undoubtedly of progressive significance in the context of the great social destruction in the late Han Dynasty. Among them, "Duguan Mountain" shows his advocacy of governing the country by law, and at the same time advocating sparing punishment and paying less taxes, and advocating frugality.
"The Turtle is Longevity" uses a series of vivid metaphors to express the poet's views on life and career: "The old man is in trouble, but he aims for a thousand miles, and the martyr is still ambitious in his old age." This is also a true expression of the poet's lifelong positive and enterprising spirit, that is, his ambition to unify the world and his tenacious enterprising spirit. This poem is tragic and has a stronger lyrical atmosphere. His enterprising spirit is particularly prominent, as he said, "I am an old man who has never given up on his ambitions, but his ambitions are thousands of miles away." "The Turtle Lives Longevity" directly expresses the poet's mind, with a rapid rhythm and clear pauses and frustrations. The poem eulogizes the irresistible objective laws of nature from both positive and negative aspects, and expresses the sentiment that "an old man is in trouble, but his ambition is a thousand miles, and a martyr is still ambitious in his old age."
The last eight explanations of "Dan Ge Xing", the first two explanations: "Singing over wine, what is life like? It's like morning dew, there are many hardships in the past. Generosity should be used with generosity, worries are unforgettable, how to relieve worries, Only Du Kang" expresses the poet's deep emotion about the passage of time and his unfulfilled achievements. The whole article uses metaphorical techniques to repeatedly express the poet's anxiety that time has not waited for him, his thirst for talents and his determination to make achievements. It is full of twists and turns and is deeply touching.
4 Cao Cao is a man who loves talents very much.
"Dan Ge Xing" expresses his love and thirst for talents through the description of missing talents and banquet guests. At the end, it is written: "The mountains never get too high, the waters never get too deep, the Duke of Zhou vomits food, and the world returns to its heart." This shows his grand ambition to recruit talents to complete the cause of unification. The whole poem stirs up an impassioned emotion in the midst of deep melancholy, making people feel the difficulty of establishing achievements in the chaotic reality and the poet's firm confidence. After several low-spirited turns, this poem vividly expresses the poet's ups and downs of mood and complex emotions, and its artistic achievement is also very high. Among them, three or four interpretations adopt sentences from "The Book of Songs" in half or the whole chapter. The sound is sonorous and the rhymes can be changed freely, but it is not easy for people to notice, which is also its artistic characteristic. "Dan Ge Xing" describes the complex emotions and deep emotions of Cao Cao, a political figure in the Jian'an era. Its writing style is low and melancholy, which embodies the characteristics of Jian'an literature of "profound ambition, long writing, and rich outlines".
Example: In the spring of the 15th year of Jian'an (after the defeat of Chibi), Cao Cao issued the "Order to Seek Talents", which contained: "Today's world has not yet been decided, and this is a time when the need for talents is urgent... The second and third sons... "Zuor is humble and humble, and I will use them based on their talents." Cao Cao put forward the policy of employing people based on their talents regardless of their moral character, which reflected his eagerness to recruit talents.
5 Cao Cao is a man who is unwilling to have unfulfilled ambitions (expressing unforgettable negative emotions of worry)
A generation of heroes, even though they are glorious for a lifetime, will also fall and perish. . Cao Cao also felt helpless about this, and could only write poems and lament, but he had no choice. For example, the sentimentality of "Like the morning dew, the passing days will be more bitter" in "Dan Ge Xing", the low mood in "Autumn Hu Xing", and his negative mood can be seen in Youxian's works such as "Mo Shang Mulang".
Note: Cao Cao's poems about traveling immortals, "Qiu Hu Xing", "Jing Lie", and "Qi Chu Sing". There are many differences in their understanding among academic circles. One point of view is that expressing the depression of life is not negative. Some opinions say that it embodies the poet's yearning and pursuit of spiritual freedom. But perhaps there is not much hope, it is just a true expression of his desire to seek immortality.
Although Cao Cao's articles are not as famous as his poems, they are still brilliant. Features:
1. Abnormal noises in the process of elegance and parallelization of articles. Lu Xun said that he was "the ancestor of reforming articles." Prose in the Han Dynasty was mostly influenced by Ci and Fu, and tended to be parallel and couplet-like, and articles on various themes also formed a certain format. Cao Cao's articles are unconventional and unfettered. They only focus on expressing his own thoughts. The language is concise and simple, and have their own distinctive personality. For example, "Rangxian Ziming Benzhi Ling", "Jiu Taiwei Qiao Xuanwen" and so on. He uses simple writing to express what he wants to say, without any pretense, but with the majestic momentum and fighting edge of a politician. Among them, the "Order of Rangxian Self-Ming Dynasty": "Assuming that there is no one in the country, I wonder how many people will be called emperors and how many people will be called kings?" The self-reported ambitions of his life are completely unpretentious. Although it is true, it is not what others dare to say.
2. The style is clear and elegant.
Three famous people from later generations commented on Cao Cao:
Mao Zedong wrote a poem praising: Thousands of years have passed since then, Wei Wu wielded his whip, and there is a posthumous chapter on Jieshi in the east.
Lu Xun said: Cao Cao is at least a hero.
Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty often compared himself to "Aha".
Taizong of the Tang Dynasty said that Cao Cao was: making changes in times of crisis, anticipating the enemy and setting up surprises. One general has more than enough wisdom, but ten thousand times have insufficient talent.