As a literary style that best expresses complex human emotions, classical poetry not only has beautiful rhythm, concise language, and vivid images, but is also all-encompassing and rich in meaning, describing all aspects of life. Whether it is real life or the imaginary world, they can become subjects for literati to express their emotions and aspirations. Among them, there is a type of poetry with a unique and amazing style, that is, "ghost poetry".
When it comes to "ghost poetry", the first thing that comes to everyone's mind should be Li He, a famous poet in the Tang Dynasty, known as the "Poetry Ghost". He created a large number of poems about the underworld and the ghost realm with his melancholy pen and ink, in order to express his accusations against fate, his thoughts on the essence of life, and his extreme disappointment in the current world. His poems are full of images such as barren graves and tombs, dead branches and leaves, cold moonlight flowers, bones and lonely souls, etc. They are gloomy, dark, poignant and touching.
As a theme in poetry creation, in addition to Li He, there are also many other poets who use "ghosts and gods" in their poetry creations. For example, the song "Red Lips" that I want to share with you today is the most classic "ghost poem" in the Qing Dynasty. It is desolate and beautiful, and the ending is numbing and very picturesque. It is a representative work by Huang Jingren, a famous poet in the Qing Dynasty, with a unique style. The full text is as follows:
As a descendant of the Northern Song Dynasty poet Huang Tingjian, Huang Jingren, like his ancestors, was talented but had a rough fate. He was roughly active during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty. He was born into a poor family and lost his father and grandfather when he was very young. Later, his brother also passed away unfortunately, and he had to rely on his mother, Tu Shi, to survive a difficult life. What is gratifying is that the young Huang Jingren is smart and studious, his poetry is famous far and wide, and he is highly praised by the villagers.
However, God is unfair! As an adult, Huang Jingren had no talent and failed despite repeated attempts. In order to make a living, he traveled around, but he was always in poverty. Later, he finally passed the Jinshi examination and got the official position of county magistrate. But before taking office, he died in a foreign country due to poverty and illness. When he passed away, he was only 35 years old, which is sad. It is precisely because of this that Huang Jingren's poems often express the feelings of poverty, loneliness and desolation, with many sad and bitter words.
In the literary world of the Qing Dynasty, Huang Jingren was famous for his seven-character poems, but there were also many classic lyrics that were passed down to later generations. This song "Red Lips" is representative. The lyrics are desolate, beautiful, and full of ghosts. It is really a "ghost poem" that makes one's scalp numb. It may be the author's poem to commemorate his old lover, which makes people cry. In the poem, the deceased girl is lonely and lonely, and the poet is also lonely and sad. In a trace of "ghost spirit", it is soaked with the pain of life.
From the very beginning of the poem, a few words bring the reader into a desolate, lonely, desolate and empty atmosphere. In the desolate forest, the dead grass swayed in the wind in the cold rain. There is a loneliness and lifelessness between heaven and earth, which is really pitiful. "Thin" and "empty" contrast with each other, making it even more desolate and cold. And "cold rain turns the wind" will make people shiver even more.
Then, in the desolate and cold atmosphere, a "thin and lonely soul" slowly appeared. She was extremely lonely, wandering alone in the forest. What is she looking for? She called her sweetheart one after another, quietly telling about the cold loneliness under the underworld. When the lyrics are written to this point, it really makes people feel a little bit scared, but also makes people feel a little pity for the miserable "lonely soul".
The last part of the poem, "Hazy sight, a gleam of ghost lights, revealing the peach blossom face" is very picturesque and makes people feel numb when reading it. And this is also a commonly used bridge break in many horror movies and TV dramas: the surroundings are dim, filled with dust and smoke, and in the haze, a faint firelight appears near and far away. Suddenly, a beautiful face as bright as a peach blossom appeared behind the lights. The poem stops abruptly at this point, which not only scares the reader into a cold sweat, but also leaves the reader with unlimited space for imagination, which is impressive.