Li Shangyin's "Cicada" is a poem about things. When we modern people see cicadas, they may think that animals that squeak on trees in summer are too late to bother them. It's easy to chant, but in ancient times, people had a wrong understanding of the life habits of cicadas. They thought that cicadas lived by drinking dew. They thought that cicadas had noble qualities, so they chanted cicadas to praise themselves.
"Cicada"·Li Shangyin originally thought that it was difficult to get enough food, and he hated to waste his efforts in vain. At five o'clock in the morning, I want to break up, and the green trees are ruthless. The official stems are still thin, and the hometown has been flattened. Fanjun is the most alarming, and I will clean up my whole family.
This poem has many allusions and is not easy to understand when reading it. Let’s break it down and analyze it sentence by sentence. It is said that it is difficult to fill up because it is high, but it is in vain to complain: This sentence is actually Li Shangyin's complaint, saying that the cicada lives high up and cannot drink dew, but there is no one to help it, and its lamentation is just in vain. When Ji Yun of the Qing Dynasty commented on this poem, he said: "The two lines are very powerful, and the so-called intention comes first." Why do you say this? Because as soon as these two lines of poetry came out, they directly expressed the cicada drinking dew to purify itself. Satisfying quality. The allusion about the cicada drinking dew and being unable to fill itself comes from "Wu Yue Chun Qiu·Fu Chai Nei Zhuan": "Fu Qiu cicada climbs the tall tree, drinks the clear dew, and sings and screams in the wind."
These two sentences are said to be written The cicada is actually a metaphor for itself. The cicada sucks the wind and drinks the dew, which is a noble character. He himself is a noble person, so he is now living in poverty. Isn't it also a noble character? Because they express their feelings to others, hoping to get some help to get out of the predicament, but such petitions are as futile as the cicada's whine. It is difficult to be filled with hatred, because the poet expresses his love for the cicada implicitly. This implicit beauty is the characteristic of Chinese poetry, and it is also Li Shangyin's best style. At the fifth watch of the night, sparseness is about to break, and a green tree is ruthless: the transition from "hating the sound of waste" to "sparseness and desire to break" pushes the whole poem to the peak of self-metaphorical lyricism, which is also the essence of "unreasonable and wonderful" in poems about things. You say The cicada cries on the tree so sparsely that it wants to break. What's the matter with the tree? But the poet wants to blame it on the ruthlessness of "the tree is green". Isn't this unreasonable, but when you think about it, it makes sense? The cicada is so pathetic. If you, a tree like you, have some emotions, you wouldn't be so embarrassed if you help it, right? In fact, this is Li Shangyin's self-expression. If someone lends a helping hand and gives him a hand, the situation can be changed. When critics of Tang poetry in the past dynasties commented on this poem, they regarded "a green tree without mercy" as the essence of the whole poem. They said that this line of poetry is magical and has the potential to chase the soul and gain energy. Some people even said that this line is better than Meng Haoran's "empty green trees falling in the courtyard". "Yin" is more subtle, so what's so wonderful about this sentence? Let’s put it in someone else’s shoes and we’ll know. When you are very sad, you will definitely talk to someone. The purpose of talking is to get a response from the other person. It’s like if you complain to the teacher that your classmates bully you, the teacher will ignore you. As you wait, does your mood suddenly change from sadness to desolation? In the same way, for the cicada, the direct object of its confession is the tree, but the tree is indifferent and ruthless. This indifference is a very strong emotional impact, which vividly highlights the sadness in the poet's heart. In addition, there is a classic saying that trees are ruthless, which comes from Jiang Yan's "Mountain Ode on the River": "The grass is natural and has thousands of flowers, and the trees are ruthless and colorful." The story of Bo Huan is still broad, and the ruins of the hometown have been leveled: the first four sentences use the cicada's perspective to metaphor oneself, but starting from these two sentences, it changes, cutting into one's own perspective, telling one's misfortune directly, thinking about how I spent half my life in office. , but wandering without stability, which is really emotional. "Geng Youpan" means wandering in life. This sentence is used allusion: The ancients cut peach stems to make people. When it rains and there is water, the peach stems go with the water and float on the rivers and lakes. From "Warring States Policy·Qi Ce III". The next sentence writes that the weeds in my hometown's countryside have become one, but I can't go back yet. This is an expression of the author's homesickness. You see, cicadas are chirping in vain on the trees, but I have been seeking official positions for half my life but have achieved nothing. Isn't it also in vain? The reason why I wanted to go into seclusion was because I was a junior official, it was difficult to live a full life, it was a waste of money, and there were ruthless people. These two sentences may seem to have nothing to do with Cicada, but they are actually related. I am the most alarming to you, and I am raising my whole family: Who are you? Of course it’s the cicada. This sentence personifies the cicada. It’s double-written cicada and me. The word cicada is used as a warning. The word “Yi” is used to closely connect the two parties. My “family is clean” and yours is “difficult to be full”. Echoing each other from afar, you are noble and I am noble.
Summary
In this poem "Cicada", the first four sentences are about cicada, which is explicit and self-explanatory, which is implicit; the two sentences of the neck couplet are reversed, and they are mainly about me, which is explicit. , using me as a metaphor for a cicada is hidden; in the end, the cicada and I are one, without distinction between you and me.
The whole poem starts with a cicada and ends with a cicada. It sings about the cicada but is not limited to the cicada. It sings about things and expresses feelings, but the thing and I are one, leaving no trace. It is truly a masterpiece!