The translation of "Jiangtou Four Odes on Lilacs" is as follows:
Lilacs are very weak, have many knots, and their leaves and flowers are beautiful, but they are beautiful in plain colors, not coquettish. Lilacs are planted behind the house for thoughtful people to appreciate. What about Lilac herself? It smells like a blue musk deer in the morning and evening, but there is no need to think of grinding it into powder.
The meaning of the whole poem is that a weak and beautiful creature should know its own characteristics and complete itself. Although the final completion of the self may be shattered into pieces, there is no need to think too much about it!
Original text of Jiangtou Four Ode to Lilac:
Lilac is weak and has tangled branches. The leaves are thin with floating hairs, and the flowers are sparse and plain. After being deeply planted in Xiaozhai, the common people are close to the secluded people. If you fall into the orchids and musk deer at night, don’t think about your pink body.
About the author:
Du Fu (712-770) had a beautiful character. In his poems, he called himself Shaoling Ye Lao, and he was known as Du Shaoling in the world. His ancestors moved from their native place of Xiangyang (now part of Hubei) to Gongxian (now Gongyi, Henan). Grandson of Du Shenyi. In the late Kaiyuan period (the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, 713-741), he was not ranked as a Jinshi. Roam around. In 744 AD (the third year of Tianbao's reign), he met Li Bai in Luoyang.
After living in Chang'an for nearly ten years, he failed to perform his duties and lived in poverty. He gradually got closer to the people and gained a deeper understanding of the living conditions at that time. When An Lushan's army came to Chang'an, he was trapped in the city for half a year, and then fled to Fengxiang. He met Su Zong all the time, and the official Zuo picked up the remains. After Chang'an was recovered, he returned to Beijing with Suzong, and soon joined the army as the Huazhou Sigong. He abandoned his official position and lived in Qinzhou. Not long after, he moved to Chengdu and built a thatched cottage on Huanhua River, which is known as Huanhua Cottage in the world.
For a time, Yan Wumuzhong, the envoy of Jiannan Jiedushi, served as a staff officer. Wu Biao was a member of the Ministry of Inspection and Engineering, Wailang, and was called the Ministry of Industry and Education in his later life. In his later years, he moved his family out of Shu and died of illness on the way to Xiangjiang River. His poems boldly exposed the social contradictions of the time, expressed deep sympathy for the poor people, and were profound in content. Many excellent works show the historical process of the Tang Dynasty from prosperity to decline, so they are called "history of poetry".
In art, he is good at using various poetry forms, especially rhythmic poetry. He has various styles, but mainly melancholy. His language is refined and he has a high degree of expressive ability. Inheriting the fine literary tradition of focusing on reflecting social reality since the Book of Songs, it has become another peak of ancient poetry art and has a huge influence on later generations. Du Fu was the greatest realist poet in the Tang Dynasty. After the Song Dynasty, he was revered as the "Sage of Poetry" and was called Li Du together with Li Bai.