Xiaoya's "White Pony" from the pre-Qin period is a poem in the Book of Songs, the first poetry collection in ancient China. The author of The Book of Songs is anonymous, and most of them can't be verified. It was collected by Yin Jifu and edited by Confucius.
Original text:
Bright white horse, eat the tender sweet beans in my garden. Control the reins and stay in my house for the time being. Good people, please be free here.
Bright white horse, eat tender bean leaves in my garden. Control the reins and stay at my house tonight. The moral man said that it suits the taste of this guest.
Bright white horse, almost to my house. Because of the duke, he is noble and easy to enjoy. Be at ease, don't overdo it, and don't avoid masquerade.
Bright white horse, empty valley still. A pile of grass is making forage, and the man's character is like Joan. Don't forget to take this letter after you leave. Don't forget friendship.
Translation:
The pony is as white as snow, eating tender bean sprouts in my garden. Grab the clues and fasten the reins. Have fun today. Zhu Shengxian has finally arrived, and I am very happy to be a guest here.
The pony is as white as snow and eats the tender bean leaves in my garden. Grab the clues and tie the reins. Have fun tonight. I hope the sage can come at last. I'm glad to be a guest here.
The pony's fur is as white as snow and flies like lightning. You should be a public servant of the court, why there is no end to happiness. It's a pity to be cautious in traveling and living, but it's a pity to avoid the world.
The pony's fur is as white as snow, leaving a figure in the empty valley. Feed the horse a bunch of green grass. That man looks like Joan Ying. Don't like your news too much and don't forget your friendship.
Extended data
Poetry appreciation
The whole poem consists of four chapters, divided into two levels.
The first three chapters are the first floor, which says that the guests didn't go to the host to stay. There were various ways of staying in ancient times. For example, in Han's Biography of Chen Hanzun, it is recorded that Chen Zun is generous, talented and hospitable. Officials all over the world admire his name and often visit him. Chen Zunda gave a banquet to accompany the guests to drink. In order to keep the guest, he ordered the servant to take down the guest's carriage and throw it into the well, so the guest had to stay and drink with him.
The owner described in this poem tries his best to tie the horse that the guest rides. The horse is kept to keep people, and he hopes that the guest can stay in his house for a long time to prolong the happy time. Between the lines, the host's hospitality and sincerity are revealed. The host not only tried his best to keep the guests, but also advised him to consider traveling carefully and give up the idea of hiding in the mountains and enjoying it alone.
In the third chapter, the poet describes the image of the guest in an indirect way. Guests' talents can serve the public, but born in troubled times, they can neither help the court nor disobey it, so they have to live in seclusion in the mountains.
The last chapter is on the second floor, which says that all the guests have left and remember each other. The host kept the guests again and again, but he couldn't get the promise, which left a deep regret for the host. So he hopes that the guests will come back again, keep in touch with him, and don't alienate friends because of seclusion. Saying goodbye and missing as soon as possible is beyond words.
As can be seen from the above, this poem is vivid and vivid, leaving a deep impression on readers; The methods of depicting characters are flexible and changeable, and direct description and indirect description are used together, which is worth pondering.