There are seven poems in "Looking for Flowers Alone by the River", which were written by Du Fu, a great poet of the Tang Dynasty.
The whole poem is as follows:
The first poem: I am annoyed by the flowers on the river, and I have nowhere to tell but I am crazy. Walking around looking for a drinking companion from my neighbor in the south, I spend ten days drinking alone in an empty bed.
The second poem: The dense flowers and stamens are afraid of the riverside, and walking in danger is really afraid of spring. Poetry and wine are still worthy of driving, and there is no need to take care of the white-headed man.
The third song: The river is deep and the bamboos are quiet for two or three houses, and the troubled red flowers reflect the white flowers. To repay the spring sunshine, you should send good wine to your life.
Song 4: Looking eastward, Shaocheng is full of flowers, and the tall buildings with hundreds of flowers are even more pitiful. Who can bring wine, open a golden cup, and summon beauties to dance and embroider a banquet.
The fifth poem: In front of Huangshi Pagoda, east of the river, the spring scenery is lazy and leaning on the breeze. A cluster of peach blossoms blooms without an owner, how lovely is the deep red and the light red?
Sixth song: Huang Si’s natal family is full of flowers, with thousands of flowers hanging low on the branches. The butterflies dance all the time, and the orioles sing at ease.
Seventh song: If you don’t love flowers, you are willing to die, just because you are afraid that the flowers will run out and you will get old. The numerous branches fall off easily, and the tender stamens open slowly.
The literal meaning of the poem:
First: I was troubled by the spring flowers on the riverside, and I had nowhere to express my feelings, so I had to walk around. I came to the south neighborhood looking for a partner who loves drinking. Unexpectedly, his bed was empty and he went out drinking ten days ago.
Second: The numerous flowers and stamens wrap around the riverside like a brocade. When I walk crookedly, I feel really afraid of spring. But for now, poetry and wine can still be at my disposal, so there is no need for me, a white-headed man, to bear any psychological burden.
Third: There are two or three families living in the quiet bamboo forest on the bank of the deep river, with the provocative red flowers set off against the white flowers. I have a place to repay the kindness of spring, and the oars in the hotel can send my years away.
Fourth: Looking east to Shaocheng, the flowers are like smoke, and the tall white flower restaurant is even more eye-catching. Who can bring me wine and invite me to drink freely, and call me beautiful women to sing and dance at a grand banquet?
Fifth: Coming to the east bank of the river in front of Huangshi Pagoda, I felt sleepy and lazy and bathed in the warm spring breeze. An ownerless peach blossom is in full bloom. Should I love the deep red or the light red?
Sixth: Huang Si’s natal family’s flowers are so lush that they cover the path. Thousands of flowers bend their branches low to the ground. The colorful butterflies are always flying among the fragrant flowers, and the soft and free oriole is singing happily.
Seventh: It’s not that you love flowers to the point of death, it’s just that you’re afraid that when you run out of flowers, you’ll be forced into old age. When the flowers are in full bloom, they tend to fall one after another. Please consider opening the tender pistil slowly.
Brief analysis: The first poem describes the reason for finding flowers alone, starting from being annoyed by flowers; the second poem writes about walking to the riverside and seeing many flowers; the third poem writes about certain people’s flowers, red and white. Dazzling and overwhelming; the fourth poem is about looking at the flowers in Shaocheng from a distance, imagining the blooming of flowers and the happiness of people; the fifth poem is about the peach blossoms in front of Huang Shi's pagoda; the sixth poem is about Huang Si's mother's house being full of flowers; the seventh poem is about Huang Si's mother's house being full of flowers; In summary, appreciate flowers, love flowers, and cherish flowers. The first four poems in the group of poems describe respectively being annoyed with flowers, fearing spring, reporting spring, and pity for flowers, showing sad feelings; the last three poems show the joy of admiring flowers, and contain the meaning that spring is hard to stay. The whole poem has a clear context and well-organized layers. It is a unique picture of looking for flowers, which expresses Du Fu's cherishment of flowers, his lingering in a beautiful life, and his hope that beautiful things will always last.