Original text
Two Lotus Picking Songs (Tang Dynasty·Wang Changling)
Wu Ji, the more beautiful Princess Chu, fights over the water in the lotus boat to wet her clothes.
When you come, you will be welcomed by Pukou flowers, and you will be sent home after picking them in the first month of the Yangtze River.
The lotus leaf skirt is cut in one color, with hibiscus slit to both sides of the face.
He entered the pool without being able to see him, but when he heard the song, he felt that someone was coming.
Translation
The lotus-picking girls are all beautiful, like the beauty of Wu and Yue, and like the concubines of the Princess of Chu. They compete to row the lotus-picking boats, and the lake water wets their clothes.
Lotus flowers welcomed them into the river mouth when they came, and after picking them, the bright moon sent them back to the riverside.
The green skirt of the lotus-picking girl blends into the fields of lotus leaves, as if one color, and the face of the lotus-picking girl contrasts with the blooming lotus.
He disappeared into the lotus pond and only realized that someone was coming when he heard singing.
Notes
Lotus Picking Song: the name of an ancient song. The content mostly describes the scenery of the water country in the south of the Yangtze River and the working and life style of the lotus picking women.
"Wu Ji" sentence: In ancient times, the three kingdoms of Wu, Yue and Chu (now the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and northern Zhejiang) were popular in the drama of picking lotus. Therefore, this sentence says that the women picking lotus are all beautiful, just like the beauty of Wu and Yue. Like the concubines of the King of Chu.
Pu (pǔ)kou: the meeting place of rivers and lakes. Pu, waterside.
Luo skirt: a skirt made of soft and porous silk fabric. One-color tailoring: It seems to be cut from the same color of clothing.
Hibiscus: refers to lotus.
Invisible: refers to the inability to distinguish between the green leaves and red flowers of hibiscus and the beauty of the girl’s green dress.
Appreciation
The first poem describes the lotus-picking activities of girls from the water town.
The words Wu Ji, Yue Yan, and Princess Chu are used together to create a scene of lotus girls vying for beauty and beauty. The second sentence is about the activity of picking lotus. Judging from the "fighting about the lotus boat", it seems to be a competition game for picking lotus. Ruxun of the Tang Dynasty said: "The drama of picking lotus flourished in the Three Kingdoms, so it was promoted together." ("Explanation of Tang Poetry") Because he had to row a boat to pick it, he didn't care about the water getting his clothes wet. The competitive, lively and cheerful mood of the lotus picking girl is expressed through the detail of "wet clothes".
They rowed a lotus boat and came to a world of flowers, and the last two sentences pointed out that they did not go back until the moon was over the river. The poet is not in a hurry to write about the return journey, but narrates the situation of the lotus-picking girls. When they came, they were greeted by flowers. It can be seen that the flowers were happy to be visited by them, and there was a hidden layer of writing about their feelings about the activity of picking lotus. I love it very much, almost enjoying it. When they went back, the moon was actually a flower, so they reluctantly sent it to them. "Flowers welcome people" and "moon sends home" use personification techniques to bring the entire lotus-picking activity to life, which is very poetic. The lotus greets the lotus-picking girl and the moon bids farewell to the lotus-picking girl. In fact, it is for expression. The cuteness of the lotus-picking girl.
This poem vividly expresses the lively and cheerful character of a lotus-picking girl through several verbs, and uses flowers, moons, boats, and water to set off the woman's appearance. It can be said that this is A small movie that depicts characters very vividly and has a unique charm.
The second poem can be said to be a "Picture of Lotus Picking", and the center of the picture is naturally the girls picking lotus. However, the author did not let them appear clearly in this moving picture from beginning to end. Instead, they were mixed in the fields of lotus leaves and bright lotus bushes, looming or absent, making the lotus-picking girl and the beautiful lotus The integration of nature gives the whole poem a unique and beautiful artistic conception that attracts people's imagination. This kind of artistic conception is unique.
"The lotus leaf skirt is cut in the same color, and the hibiscus is spread to both sides of the face." At the beginning of the poem, a beautiful picture of harmony and unity between people and the environment is shown. The skirt of the lotus picking girl is as green as the color of the lotus leaves. Although the metaphor is not new, its use here has an unexpected effect. It not only depicts the lotus leaves in the fields, but also writes about the beautiful clothes of the lotus picking girl. The two set off each other and seem to be one. Especially the word "cut" is used very cleverly. The skirt is cut out, but here it is also used on the lotus leaf, which seems to be from He Zhizhang's "Ode to the Willow" poem "I wonder who cuts out the thin leaves? The spring breeze in February is like scissors." "I got inspiration from the sentence, which makes people feel that the lotus leaf and the skirt are not only the same color, but also seem to be made of the same material by the same pair of skillful hands. From this, people can't help but think of Qu Yuan's "Li Sao" "making lotus flowers to make clothes, gathering hibiscus to make clothes", and feel the lotus-like souls of these women. The delicate hibiscus flowers seem to be blooming towards the beautiful face of the lotus-picking girl. The lotus is clearly written, but in fact it is to bring out the beauty of people. The beauty of the lotus-picking girl is not the stunning beauty of a woman who is shy of the moon, but is as healthy and warm as the sun. It seems to be able to encourage the lotus flowers in the pond to bloom. These two lines of poetry are originally from the "Jasper Poems" written by Emperor Yuan of Liang Dynasty, "Lotus flowers are in confusion on the face, and lotus leaves are mixed with fragrance in clothes." Wang Changling's poem is better and more meaningful.
"You can't see anyone entering the pool, but you can only feel someone coming when you hear the song." The third sentence of the poem, "Invisible in the pool," is a supplement and in-depth explanation of the first two sentences. It has two meanings: one is to highlight the density of the lotus field, making it more real and credible for people to distinguish the lotus; the other is to highlight the feelings and psychological activities of the onlookers. The word "chaos" is used very subtly. The last sentence "I heard someone coming when I heard the song" not only shows that the girl is covered and melted by the lotus field, making it difficult for onlookers to see, but also writes a kind of beauty of sound, which adds to the lively interest of the poem."
The word "chaos" refers to the scene where lotus-picking girls enter the pond one after another to laugh and have fun. It can also refer to the feeling that people and flowers are equally delicate and difficult to distinguish. The "invisible" feeling in front of the eyes echoes the above, and also makes the lotus leaf skirt and hibiscus more visible. The human face is imagined, and at the same time, it also describes the scene of the lotus pond with lush flowers and leaves, with people looming in it, and leads to the following sentence: "I heard someone coming when I heard the song. "The description of this sentence is delicate and nuanced, as if the reader can experience the poet's true feelings at that time. "Beijing" echoes the "invisible" in the previous sentence, and together they create a kind of "lotus flower passing over the head". The artistic conception. "Wen Ge" also echoes the word "Luan". The melodious singing expresses their lively and cheerful nature, and also adds a touching touch to the whole lotus picking scene.
The poems are closely connected with each other and have far-reaching meanings. The exquisite craftsmanship gives people a sense of elegance and nature. It can be seen that Wang Changling's superb skills in refining words and meanings had an important influence on the poetry of the middle and late Tang Dynasty.