"Chang'e should regret stealing the elixir, and the blue sea and blue sky are in my heart every night" comes from the first and second sentences of the ancient poem "Chang'e" by the Tang Dynasty poet Li Shangyin. The full poem is as follows:
The shadows of the candles on the mica screen are deep, and the stars are gradually sinking over the long river.
Chang'e should regret stealing the elixir, and her heart will be filled with blue sea and blue sky every night.
Notes
⑴Chang'e: The original name is "Hang'e", and today's name is "Chang'e". The mythical moon goddess is said to be the wife of Hou Yi, the leader of Dongyi in Xia Dynasty.
⑵Mica screen: A screen made of mica stone. Mica is a mineral with plate-like crystals and transparent and shiny crystals. It was often used to decorate windows, screens and other objects in ancient times. Deep: dim.
⑶Long River: Milky Way. Dawn Star: Morning Star. Or it refers to the morning star, which appears in the east in the early morning.
⑷Elixir: refers to the elixir of immortality. "Huainanzi·Lan Mingxun" records that Hou Yi asked for the elixir of immortality from the Queen Mother of the West, and Chang'e secretly took it and ran into the moon palace.
⑸Blue sea and blue sky: refers to Chang'e's boring life, where she could only see the blue sea and the dark blue sky. Bihai, describes the blue sky as green as the sea. Ye Ye Xin: refers to Chang'e feeling lonely every night.
Translation
The mica screen reveals the deep light and shadow of the remaining candles, and the Milky Way gradually slants down and the morning stars disappear and sink. Chang'e must have regretted taking the elixir secretly, but now she feels chilled every night in the face of the blue sea and sky.
Appreciation
In terms of content, this is a poem praising Chang'e. However, everyone has different opinions. Some people think that it is a song about the elopement of a loved one, some people think that it is a direct song about the loneliness of the protagonist, some people think that it is based on Chang'e to have other sustenance, some people think that it is about a woman learning Taoism and seeking immortality, and some people think that it should be viewed as "untitled". Now I think of it as a woman who sings in a secluded place and stays awake all night. From this point of view, it is really written very affectionately and rationally. The language is suggestive and the mood is sentimental.
The first two sentences describe the protagonist's environment and sleepless nights. Indoors, the candlelight is getting dimmer and dim, and a deep shadow is cast on the mica screen, which further highlights the emptiness and coldness of the room, revealing the protagonist's dejected state of mind as he sits alone for a long night. Outdoors, the Milky Way gradually moves westward to the ground. The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl look across the river. It might have brought some reverie to the sleepless people who are alone in the room, but this group of Milky Way is about to disappear. The few morning stars dotting the empty sky seem to be silently accompanying the lonely moon and those who never sleep at night. At this time, even this last companion is about to disappear. The word "Shen" vividly depicts the low-hanging morning star and the desire to sink, and the protagonist's heart seems to be gradually sinking. "The candle shadow is deep", "The long river falls" and "Xiao Xing sinks" indicate that time has reached the end of dawn, and the word "gradual" implies the passage of time. The protagonist in loneliness spent another sleepless night facing the cold screen, the candle and the lonely moon in the blue sky. Although there is no direct description of the protagonist's psychology here, with the help of the rendering of the environment, the protagonist's lonely and cold feelings and the unbearable loneliness can almost be touched.
In the long lonely night, the most eye-catching and daydreaming thing in the sky is naturally the bright moon. When you see the bright moon, you will naturally think of Chang'e, the fairy in the moon palace in mythology and legend. It is said that she was originally Hou Yi's wife. Because she stole the elixir given to Hou Yi by the Queen Mother of the West, she flew to the Moon Palace and became a fairy. "Who is Chang'e living alone next to?" In the eyes of the lonely protagonist, isn't the situation and mood of Chang'e, who lives alone in a vast palace with no companions, similar to her own? Therefore, I couldn't help but have this thought from the bottom of my heart: Chang'e must have regretted secretly taking the elixir, so that on New Year's Eve, she lived in the moon palace, facing the blue sea and sky, and it was difficult to relieve her loneliness and coldness. "Should regret" is a word of speculation, and this speculation expresses a feeling of sympathy and sympathy. Due to the description and rendering of the first two sentences, the word "should" seems to be natural and reasonable. Therefore, the last two sentences are not so much an affectionate and considerate response to Chang'e's situation and mood as they are the lonely inner monologue of the protagonist.
As for who this protagonist, who lives in solitude and never sleeps at night, is not clearly explained in the poem. In the poem "Sending the Palace Man to the Tao", the poet once compared the female crown to "the widow of Yue'e alone". In the poem "Sending Song Huayang Sisters Again on a Moonlit Night", the poet also used "stealing medicine" to refer to women studying Taoism and seeking immortality. Therefore, it may not be nonsense to say that this poem expresses the desolation and loneliness on behalf of the female crown trapped in the palace. Taoism was prevalent in the Tang Dynasty, and it became a common practice for women to join Taoism. After joining Taoism, they experienced the constraints of religious rules on normal love life and suffered from mental anguish. The three and four sentences are a true portrayal of their situation and mood.
However, the loneliness expressed in the poem and the "regret for stealing the elixir"-like emotion caused by it are integrated into the poet's unique real-life feelings, and contain richer and deeper connotations. Surrounded by the dark and filthy reality, the poet strives spiritually to get rid of the mundane world and pursue a noble realm, but the result of his pursuit often makes him fall into a more lonely situation. The twins of aloofness and loneliness, as well as the resulting self-admiration and self-injury, the subtle and complex psychology of being neither willing to change one's heart and follow the secular world, but also unbearable the torment of loneliness, are here expressed by the poet in subtle and connotative language. Successfully performed. This is a kind of beauty with strong sadness, which easily arouses widespread excitement among the noble scribes of the old era. This is also the typical meaning of poetry.
Chang'e lives alone without a companion, the female crown in the Taoist temple, the noble and lonely poet. Although the immortals are separated from the mortal world, and those who are in the world are in different situations, they are noble and lonely. But the secret communication is clear. The poet grasped this point and created the artistic image of the Trinity. This skill of artistic generalization is Li Shangyin's specialty.