Sheng Chazi①
Ouyang Xiu of the Song Dynasty
On the night of Yuan Dynasty last year, ② the lights in the flower market were like day. In the moonlit willow branches, people meet at dusk.
On the Lantern Festival this year, the moon and lights are still the same. I don't see the person from last year, and my spring shirt sleeves are wet with tears.
Notes
① This tune was originally a Tang Jiaofang song, also known as "Chu Yunshen", "Moshanglang", "Green Luoqun", etc. Double tone, forty words, oblique rhyme. ②Yuan Night: The fifteenth night of the first lunar month, that is, the Lantern Festival, also known as the Shangyuan Festival.
Criticism
This poem can also be found in Zhu Shuzhen's collection. Zeng Zhen of the Southern Song Dynasty wrote "Yuefu Yaci" for Ouyang Xiu. Zeng once deleted many doubtful words in Ou's poems, but he did not doubt that the copyright of this poem belongs to Ouyang Xiu. The poem uses a unique artistic conception to interweave the present and the past, sadness and joy, and reflect each other, thus cleverly expressing the feeling that things are different and people cannot look back. The first film recalls last year's party on New Year's Eve. "The lights in the flower market are like day" perfectly describe the brilliant lights of the Lantern Festival. Since the Tang Dynasty, there has been the custom of lighting up lanterns and watching lanterns on the Yuan Dynasty. In the Song Dynasty, the custom became more and more popular. Meng Yuanlao's "Tokyo Menghua Lu" Volume 6 records the scene of the lantern market: "The lanterns on the mountain are colorful, the gold and green shine on each other, and the brocades shine together." It can be seen that "the lights in the flower market are as bright as day" is the actual situation and is not an exaggeration. However, the description of the lantern market is just to show the time and space background of the party, so it is briefly mentioned without much emphasis. The two sentences of "Moon on the Willow Shaotou" contain "guest" and "host", recreating the intoxicating scene. "After Dusk" tells the time when the protagonist and his lover meet. "The willow branches above the moon" is not only an image representation of the time concept of "after dusk", but also a supplementary description of the environment where the hero and heroine meet - the bright moon and the weeping willows are so poetic! "Personal appointment" points out that the hero and heroine did not meet in the lantern market by chance, but had a secret appointment. This shows that if they are not engaged in a lifelong relationship, they are at least attracted to each other. What is commendable is that the author did not directly touch upon their fascination before meeting, their laughter after meeting, or their confusion and infatuation after they broke up. Instead, he only used the sentence "A date after dusk" as a reminder, which won him the samadhi of art. The second film expresses the sadness of returning to the old place on the Lantern Festival this year and not seeing the beloved. "The moon and the lanterns remain the same" means that the scenery is the same as last year, with the moonlight shining and the lanterns shining together. But the scenery is the same, and the people and things are completely different. The mood of the two sentences "I don't see the people from last year" has plummeted: last year, the orioles and the swallows were in love with each other, and they expressed their heartfelt feelings to each other. This year, they are alone and can only remember their former alliance. How can the protagonist not care about the present and think about the past, and shed tears like a stream of tears. Why is "missing", not a single word, or the words are difficult to explain, perhaps deliberately leaving suspense. The artistic conception of the whole poem is similar to the poem "Travel to the South of the City" by Cui Hu of the Tang Dynasty (in this door last year), but it has more intricate beauty of language and more folk song flavor than Cui Hu's poem.
This nostalgic poem "Sheng Cha Zi·Yuan Xi" was actually written by Zhu Shuzhen. It has long been thought to be written by Ouyang Xiu. In fact, it was because he was afraid of spoiling the fashion among women that the author was changed to Ouyang Xiu. of.
Original text
On Lantern Festival last year, the lights in the flower market were like daylight.
On the top of the willow tree in the moonlight, people meet after dusk.
On the Lantern Festival this year, the moon and lights are still the same.
I can’t see the person from last year, and the sleeves of my spring shirt are wet with tears.
Translation
During the Lantern Festival last year, the lights in the flower market were as bright as daytime. The moon slowly rises above the willow trees, and we meet to talk to each other after dusk. This year’s Lantern Festival, the moonlight and lights are still the same as last year. However, I could no longer see my old friend from last year, and my clothes were soaked with tears.
Appreciation
This poem describes the sweetness of meeting my lover last year and the pain of not seeing my lover today. The poem is concise and concise, and the pain of lovesickness is vivid on the page. At the top of the poem, it is written about "last Lantern Festival". The lights in the flower market are as bright as daytime. It is not only a good time to watch the lights and admire the moon, but also a good opportunity for young men and women in love to meet secretly in dimly lit places.
"The moon reaches the top of the willow trees, and people make appointments after dusk." These two sentences are full of words but endless in meaning. The tenderness and affection are beyond words. The next column writes the scene of "this year's Lantern Festival". "The moon and the lanterns are still the same", although only the moon and lanterns are mentioned, it should actually include two or three sentences of flowers and willows. It means that the busy festive night is the same as last year, and the scenery remains the same.
The next sentence "I don't see the person from last year" and "the sleeves of my spring shirt are wet with tears", the expression is very obvious, and the word "wet" vividly expresses the sadness that things have changed and people have changed, and old love cannot continue.
This poem is consistent with the Tang Dynasty poet Cui Hu's famous work "Inscribed on Nanzhuang of the Capital City" ("On this day last year, in this gate, the human faces and peach blossoms reflected each other's red. Where have the human faces gone now? The peach blossoms still laugh at the spring breeze") There are different approaches but the same effect. They all describe a lingering, pathos and unforgettable love in the past, and express the sense of loss and loneliness after the old love relationship collapsed.