Speaking of the ancestors of misty poetry, Li Shangyin's Untitled is probably the most famous. Untitled has always been explained by many people, and there are still different opinions. I even read the long interpretation of Wang Meng, a great contemporary writer, but I still have no clue. However, Untitled has been passed down from generation to generation, including almost all anthologies of Tang poetry, and now it has even been written as a popular song. In this way, whether a poem can be read is not the standard of good or bad. Reading the newspaper two days ago, the poet Shao Yanxiang mentioned a poem by Bai Juyi: "Flowers are not flowers, and fog is not fog. It comes at midnight and goes at dawn. Come like a spring dream and go like an autumn cloud. " Shao said Bai Juyi's poems were "hazy". However, Bai Juyi is recognized as a great poet, and his poems can be read by old people. He can actually make misty poems, which shows that it is not shameful to be hazy. Admittedly obscure, Li Shangyin also wrote works as clear as words. From this point of view, whether a poem is good or not can not be recited, not because it is hazy or not, nor because it can have a definite explanation.
There used to be a saying, "Poetry fails to convey meaning". During the "Cultural Revolution", some people criticized the chaotic interpretation of poetry, saying that when Mao wrote poetry, it was not certain whether there was such an idea. That's true. There is also a saying in the west that words and authors are independent. Once the text is made public, its interpretation and fate have nothing to do with the original author. Therefore, the meaning expressed by "neng" in the poem has nothing to do with the meaning expressed by the author "Xiang". From this perspective, what is important is what you read in this poem. If you can't understand anything, don't read it. It's like listening to a western symphony. I don't understand. I just think it's noise or roar, and I never get the so-called artistic enjoyment from it. That's not nice. There's no need to be arty. However, symphony has a popular foundation in the west, so it has the necessity and space to survive. What about misty poetry? Is misty poetry popular in China? Is the living space of misty poetry too narrow?
I read the comments about Lu Xun recently. It is said that the literary level of Hu Shi's Trial Collection is very low, but the second edition is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people and has been mentioned in all modern literary history. It is said that Lu Xun's literary level is the highest. What about screaming and hesitating? But what about Weeds and New Stories? How many people can understand? From a profound point of view, Mr. Lu Xun's profundity is obvious, but from the perspective of influence, Hu Shi is slightly better after all. Of course, you can't say which is higher, Hu or Lu. This is incomparable. Similarly, obscure poems may be profound, and popular lyrics may be dull. But they cannot be compared. You can't attack obscure poems because you don't understand them, and you can't look down on popular lyrics because you think you are lofty. Let's get what we need.