"Watching Lanterns on the Fifteenth Night"
Tang Dynasty: Lu Zhaolin
In the early years of Jinli, there was a fragrant banquet, and the orchids were beautiful.
The colors are far away, and the light is far away in the sky.
The stars are falling in the Han Dynasty, and the moon is hanging by the building.
Don’t have the smile of a thousand gold, come and reflect in front of the nine branches.
Lu Zhaolin, courtesy name Shengzhi, was a native of Fanyang, Youzhou (which governs present-day Zhuozhou City, Hebei Province). One of the four heroes of the early Tang Dynasty, he was born into a wealthy family. He was able to write poems at the age of 7. He became famous as a poet when he was young. Without support, he threw himself into Yingshui and died. Lu Zhaolingong's poems were written in parallel prose, with the best singing style, and many good lines were passed down to later generations, such as "How can I die when I have achieved success? I am willing to be a mandarin duck and not envy the immortals", etc., which are praised as classics by later generations.
Before appreciating this article, let me first introduce one of his early famous works "Lotus in Quchi": The floating fragrance surrounds the curved bank, and the round shadow covers the Huachi. I'm often afraid that the autumn wind will come early and I don't know how it will drift. It is said that this piece was written when he was seven years old, which shows his talent. This poem seems to foreshadow his tragic life. It can be said that a poem becomes a prophecy, which makes people feel emotional.
? Now let’s start to appreciate his masterpiece "Watching Lanterns on the Fifteenth Night":
First couplet: A banquet in Jinli and a beautiful orchid in the early years. At the beginning of the poem, a grand and festive festival scene is painted for readers. "Jinli" should be the place where the poet lived before he became an official. Since he was born into a wealthy family, the residence was naturally very luxurious and luxurious. It was also given by the emperor during festivals. The Lantern Festival was a grand festival in the Tang Dynasty. Qi must put up lanterns and colorful decorations and entertain and celebrate. Everyone is wearing bright clothes. In the large hall, the banquet has been arranged early and the colorful lights decorate the wealthy family's house. This couplet serves as the general outline and guides the entire poem.
Chin couplet: The colorful tapestry spreads far across the earth, and the brilliant light reaches far into the sky. Further adding to the lively and festive scene of the Lantern Festival night: the lights of the Lantern Festival are continuously connected with the Haohao sky. This couplet describes the vision of the Lantern Festival.
Neck couplet: The star of Han Dynasty is falling, leaning against the building like a moon hanging. After the banquet, people came to the courtyard square and set off fireworks. The sparks scattered all over the sky and then fell slowly, like stars in the Milky Way falling from the sky; the lanterns hanging on the eaves of tall buildings were like the bright moon in the sky. This couplet describes a close-up view.
End couplet: Don’t have a thousand-gold smile, come and reflect in front of nine branches. Of course, the grand festival is also indispensable for the laughter of beautiful girls. Adults and children watch the lanterns, admire the moon, and enjoy singing, dancing and playing games on the Lantern Festival night. This couplet is a close-up.
The impression given by the whole poem is: the scene is grand and open, the pen and ink are arranged wantonly, the music is harmonious and beautiful, and the conclusion makes people daydream. He is the most outstanding poet of the Lantern Festival since the Tang and Song Dynasties. From the sentence "Lan Gongyan's early years", we can see that this poem was written when the author resigned from office due to illness and lived in Haoshan Mountain. It was precisely because of the strong contrast between the past and the present that the author wrote the poem that is handed down from generation to generation. I feel even more sad.
Written by Zhang Chunhua on 2019.2.13.