"I feel sorry for the flowers and shed tears, but I hate the birds that are frightened." It means feeling sorry for the defeated situation, crying when seeing the flowers blooming, feeling melancholy and resentful in the heart, and frightened when hearing the singing of birds.
1. Source
"Spring Hope" by Du Fu in the Tang Dynasty
2. Original poem
Spring Hope (Tang Dynasty: Du Fu )
The country is broken by mountains and rivers, and the city has deep spring vegetation. The flowers shed tears when I feel grateful, and the birds are frightened by the hatred.
The war rages on for three months, and a letter from home is worth ten thousand gold. The white-headed scratches are shorter, and the hairpin is full of lust.
(国: the capital of the country, refers to Chang'an. Po: fell. Mountains and rivers are: the mountains and rivers of the old days still exist.
City: Chang'an City. Deep vegetation: refers to sparsely populated areas.
To feel sad about the current situation of the country. To shed tears: to shed tears. This refers to the war of the Anshi Rebellion. March: January, February, and March.
Baitou: This refers to white hair: scratch lightly with fingers.
Hun: want, want, want.
Handpin: a kind of jewelry for long hair. , tie your hair on the top of your head when you grow up, and tie it with a hairpin to prevent it from falling apart)
3. Translation of the original poem
Chang'an fell, the country was broken, only the mountains and rivers remained; spring came. The sparsely populated city of Chang'an is densely populated with lush vegetation.
Feeling the defeated situation, I burst into tears when I saw the flowers blooming, feeling melancholy and resentful in my heart, and I was frightened when I heard the singing of birds.
The continuous war has lasted for more than half a year. Letters from home are rare, and one letter is worth tens of thousands of taels of gold.
Wrapped in melancholy, I scratched my head and thought. The more I scratched my head, the shorter my white hair became. It was almost impossible to insert a hairpin.
Extended information
The creative background of "Spring Hope"
In November of the 14th year of Tianbao, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty (AD 755), An Lushan rebelled Tang. In June of the following year, the rebels captured Tongguan, and Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty fled to Sichuan in a hurry. In July, Prince Li Heng succeeded to the throne in Lingwu (now part of Ningxia) and became Suzong of the Tang Dynasty, changing the Yuan Dynasty to Zhide.
After hearing the news, Du Fu settled his family in Duzhou and defected to Suzong's court alone. Unfortunately, he was captured by the rebels on the way and sent to Chang'an. He was not imprisoned because of his humble official position.
In the second year of Tang Suzong's reign (757 AD), unexpectedly, Du Fu quickly angered Suzong by rescuing Fang Guan, and was demoted to Huazhou (today's Hua County), where he was responsible for sacrifices, rituals, music, schools, Elections, medical treatment, exams, etc. After arriving in Huazhou, Du Fu felt very depressed and troubled. He often visited the pavilion of Zheng County on the bank of the Xixi River (near Laoguan Terrace in today's Xinglin Town) to relieve his worries and boredom.
Du Fu, who was in the occupied area at the same time, witnessed the desolate scene of Chang'an City and had mixed feelings, so he wrote this masterpiece that has been passed down through the ages.