Yu Qian
A thousand hammers cut deep mountains,
When the fire started, it was idle.
I'm not afraid of fractures,
Leave your innocence in the world.
Translation:
Stones that have been mined from the deep mountains after thousands of hammers and chisels are common to the burning of fire. As long as you can leave your innocence in the world, you are not afraid of death. The whole poem shows the poet's noble sentiment of being an incorruptible person, not afraid of hardships and dangers on the road of life, being brave in sacrifice.
[Edit this paragraph] Note:
Lime hymn: ode to lime.
Yin: the name of ancient poetry genre. (a form of ancient poetry)
Chisel: impact.
Thousand, ten thousand: refers to the number of impacts, but actually does not refer to 1 1 ten thousand.
If you are idle: the old rule. If: as if; Idle: ordinary, casual
Innocence: refers to noble moral integrity. Thousands of hammers and chisels: countless hammers and chisels.
Humans: Humans.
[Edit this paragraph] Brief analysis:
This is a poem that holds things in the air to express one's ambition. The author uses lime as a metaphor to express his strong and unyielding quality and his thoughts and feelings of fighting evil forces to the end.
Lime that has been hammered thousands of times from the deep mountains seems to burn normally. Even if it's smashed to pieces, why be afraid? Just to keep a piece of blue and white in the world (as clear as the color of a stone, now often used as "innocence").
[Edit this paragraph] Modern translation of ancient poetry:
As an object-chanting poem, it is of no value if it is only a mechanical record of things without the deep meaning of the author. The value of this poem lies in the metaphor that lime is everywhere, and reciting lime is to praise a person's open mind and lofty personality.
The first sentence, "It's not easy to dig limestone". The second sentence is "If the fire burns, it will be idle." "Burning", of course, refers to burning limestone. Adding the word "if you are idle" makes people feel that you are not only burning limestone, but also seems to symbolize that people with lofty ideals will take their time and regard it as idle no matter how severe the test is. The third sentence is "I'm not afraid of broken bones." "Broken Bone" vividly writes that limestone is burned into lime powder. The word "not afraid at all" reminds us that there may be a spirit of not being afraid of sacrifice. As for the last sentence "keep the world innocent", it is the author's sincere feelings and determination to be a pure and innocent person. The blue and white in this sentence are compared with the color of the stone, indicating "innocence" now.
Yu Qian was deeply loved by the people for being an official and upright, rehabilitating unjust imprisonment and relieving famine. In Ming Yingzong, Walla invaded and Yingzong was captured. Yu Qian proposed the establishment of Jingdi, personally led the troops to stick to Beijing, repelled Vala, and rescued the people from the brutal rule of Mongolian nobles again. However, after the British Restoration, the national hero was falsely killed for "treason". This poem of lime can be said to be a true portrayal of Yu Qian's life and personality.