Autumn Eve
Du Mu of Tang Dynasty
The cold autumn light of silver candles paints the screen,
The small light fan flutters at the flowing fireflies.
The night sky is as cool as water,
Sit and watch Altair and Vega.
Du Mu (AD 803-about 853), also known as Muzhi, also known as "Fanchuan layman" and Du Ziwei. Born in Jingzhao Wannian (now Xi'an, Shaanxi Province), he was a poet in the late Tang Dynasty. (Source: Zhongshu Province is also known as Ziwei Province, so people call it "Du Ziwei") Late Tang Dynasty. Tang Dynasty litterateur, later generations called Du Fu "Old Du" and Du Mu "Little Du". "A (ē) Fang Gong Fu" is also quite famous.
An outstanding poet and essayist, he is the grandson of Prime Minister Du You and the son of Du Congyu. He was a Jinshi scholar at the age of 26 in the second year of Emperor Wenzong of Tang Dynasty and was awarded the title of Secretary of Hongwen Hall. Later, he went to Jiangxi to observe the envoys, then transferred to Huainan Jiedu, and then went to observe the envoys. He was compiled by the History Museum (xiū zhuàn), served as a member of Shanbu, Bibu, and Si Xunyu, and served as governor of Huangzhou, Chizhou, and Muzhou, and finally became a member of Zhongshushe. An outstanding poet in the late Tang Dynasty, he is especially famous for his seven-character quatrains, which mainly focus on chanting history and expressing feelings. Du Fu and Li Bai are collectively called "Li Du". In order to distinguish them from Du Fu and Li Bai, the poets Li Shangyin and Du Mu are called "Little Li Du"
Notes
⑴ Qiuxi: Autumn night.
⑵Silver candle: Silver and exquisite candle.
⑶ Qingluo small fan: a lightweight silk round fan.
⑷ Heavenly steps: The steps of the palace in heaven. Another version of "Tianjie" is "Tianjie".
⑸ Sitting and watching: Sitting and looking toward the sky. Another version of "sitting and watching" is "lying and watching".
The ground flutters at the flying fireflies. The night on the stairs is as cool as water; I sit on the couch and look up at the stars, and I see Altair looking at Vega from a distance.
This poem was first written by Wang Jianshi. This poem describes the lonely life and desolate state of mind of a frustrated palace maid.
The first two sentences have already painted a picture of life in the deep palace. On an autumn night, the white candles gave off a faint light, adding a dark and cold tone to the pictures on the screen. At this time, a lonely palace maid was beating the flying fireflies with a small fan. "The small fan blows at the firefly", this sentence is very implicit, and it contains three meanings: First, the ancients said that rotting grass turns into fireflies. Although it is unscientific, fireflies always grow in those desolate places among the grass and graves. Nowadays, there are fireflies flying in the courtyard where the palace ladies live. One can imagine the desolation of the palace ladies' life. Second, from the action of the palace maid fluttering at fireflies, we can imagine her loneliness and boredom. She had nothing to do but spend her lonely years flapping fireflies. She slapped Liu Ying with a small fan, one by one, as if she wanted to drive away the loneliness and loneliness that surrounded her, but what was the use? Thirdly, the small Qingluo fan held by the palace maid has symbolic meaning. The fan was originally used to blow the wind to keep cool in the summer, but is useless in the autumn. Therefore, the autumn fan is often used as a metaphor for an abandoned wife in ancient poems. According to legend, Ban Jieyu, the imperial concubine of the Han Dynasty, was scorned by Zhao Feiyan. After she fell out of favor, she lived in Changxin Palace and wrote a poem "Song of Resentment": "The newly cracked Qi Wan Su is as bright as frost and snow. It is cut into an acacia fan, and the clusters are like the bright moon." When entering and exiting your arms, the breeze blows. I am often afraid that when the autumn festival comes, the coolness will overwhelm the heat. I will leave the basket behind and the kindness will be lost." This theory may not be credible, but later on, the round fan and autumn fan often appear in poems. Associated with a woman who has fallen out of favor. For example, Wang Changling's "Chang Xin Qiu Ci": "The golden palace is opened in the Ming Dynasty, and the round fan is wandering around", and Wang Jian's "Palace Funny": "The round fan, the round fan, the beautiful woman comes to cover her face with illness", this is the case. The "light fan" in Du Mu's poem also symbolizes the fate of the palace maid holding the fan being abandoned.
The third sentence, "The sky is as cold as water at night." "Heaven Steps" refers to the stone steps in the palace. "The night is as cold as water" implies that the night is deep and chilly, and it's time to go inside and sleep. But the palace maid was still sitting on the stone steps, looking up at Altair and Vega on both sides of the Milky Way. According to folklore, the Weaver Girl was the granddaughter of the Emperor of Heaven, who married a morning cow. She crossed the river to meet him once every year on Chinese Valentine's Day, with a magpie as a bridge. The "Far Altair" in "Nineteen Ancient Poems" of the Han Dynasty is about their story. The palace maid looked at the Morning Glory and the Weaver Girl for a long time, and she still didn't want to sleep late at night. This was because the story of the Morning Glory and the Weaver Girl touched her heart, reminded her of her unfortunate life experience, and also made her yearn for true love. It can be said that all my thoughts are in looking up at him.
Mei Shengyu said: "You must be able to describe the scene that is difficult to describe as it is now, with endless opinions behind the words, and then it will be complete." (See "Sixty-one Poetry Talks") These two sentences These words can just illustrate the artistic characteristics of this poem. One or three sentences describe the scenery, presenting the scenery of the deep palace on an autumn night very realistically before the readers' eyes. The word "cold" is used as an adjective as a verb, and it is very atmospheric. The metaphor of "cool as water" not only has a sense of color, but also a sense of temperature. The second and fourth sentences describe palace maids, which are subtle and intriguing. Although there is no lyrical word in the poem, the complex emotions of the palace maid intertwined with sorrow and expectation are revealed, which reflects the tragic fate of women in the feudal era from one side.
Yuan Day
?Wang Anshi of the Song Dynasty The sound of firecrackers marks the end of the year, and the spring breeze brings warmth to Tusu. Thousands of households exchange old talismans for new peaches every day.
Yuan Day: the first day of the first lunar month.
2. One year has passed.
3. Tusu: Tusu wine. According to the custom in ancient times, every New Year's Eve, every family would make wine with Tusu grass and hang it in a well. On New Year's Day, it would be taken out and the whole family would drink Tusu wine facing the east. The whole sentence says that the spring breeze blows warm air into Tusu wine (meaning that after drinking Tusu wine, you feel warmly that spring has arrived).
4. 曈曈: Brilliant. The whole sentence says that the rising sun shines on thousands of households.
5. Always replace the old talisman with a new one: always replace the old one with a new one. Peach charms are made of peach wood. In ancient times, during the New Year, every household would use two pieces of peach wood board to draw two statues of gods and hang them on the door, which was said to be able to drive away devils.
Translation:
In the sound of crackling firecrackers, we bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new year. When people drank the delicious Tusu wine, there was a warm spring breeze blowing across the street. It was so pleasant! At dawn, every household took down the old peach charms and replaced them with new ones to welcome the new year.
Appreciation of famous lines - "Thousands of households always replace old talismans with new peaches."
This poem describes the scene of people celebrating the Spring Festival in the Song Dynasty: the spring breeze sends It's warm, the sun is rising, every household lights firecrackers, drinks Tusu wine, and is busy taking off the old peach charms on the door and replacing them with new ones with the door god on them. The author selected these most typical festive scenes during the New Year to show a picture of folk customs with a strong flavor of life. Song people especially liked to express their political ambitions and philosophical views through poetry. Wang Anshi is now the prime minister and is carrying out drastic reforms. Therefore, the lines of this poem are filled with his firm belief and optimism in eradicating current abuses and implementing new laws. It expresses his proud and contented mood.
Appreciation 1:
This poem describes the scene of getting rid of the old and welcoming the new during the Spring Festival. The sound of firecrackers bid farewell to the old year, and I felt the breath of spring while drinking the delicious Tusu wine. The rising sun shines on thousands of households, and the peach charms on every door are replaced with new ones.
"Yuan Day" is the first day of the first lunar month. This is a poem about welcoming the New Year in ancient times. It is based on folk customs. It sensitively captures the typical materials of ordinary people celebrating the Spring Festival and captures the representative details of life: lighting firecrackers, drinking Tusu wine, replacing peach charms, and fully It shows the joyful atmosphere of the New Year and is rich in the flavor of life.
"The sound of firecrackers marks the end of the year, and the spring breeze brings warmth to Tusu." Setting off firecrackers during festivals has been an ancient custom that continues to this day. Tusu refers to the wine brewed with Tusu grass or several other herbs that was drunk during the Spring Festival in ancient times. It is an ancient custom that on the first day of the first lunar month every year, the whole family drinks Tusu wine, then wraps the dregs in red cloth and hangs it on the door frame to "ward off evil spirits" and avoid the plague. These two sentences mean: In the sound of firecrackers, the old year has passed. People drink the festive Tusu wine and feel warmly that spring has arrived.
The third sentence, "Thousands of households on the same day", inherits the previous poetic meaning, saying that every household is bathed in the light of the morning sun in early spring. "曈戈日" refers to the rising sun that turns from darkness to light. The last sentence describes the forwarded discussion. Taofu: refers to the peach board with the two gods Shen Tu and Yu Lei painted on it or the names of the two gods written on it. It is hung on the door in the early morning of the first lunar month to "avoid evil". This is also an ancient folk custom. "Always exchange new peaches for old talismans" is a compressed and omitted sentence pattern. "New peaches" omit the word "talisman", and "old talismans" omit the word "peach". They are used interchangeably. This is because the number of words in each sentence of Qijue is limited. for the sake of. Meaning: The old ones are replaced with new ones. The replacement of peach symbols reveals the theme of "removing the old and bringing in the new".
In fact, the artistic conception and reality expressed in this poem also have its own metaphorical and symbolic meaning. It uses the metaphor of getting rid of the old and welcoming the new to metaphor and praise the successful implementation of the new law. This poem praises the birth of new things as full of vitality as "the spring breeze brings warmth". There is also a profound philosophy in it, pointing out the law that new things always replace declining things.
? Farewell to the ancient grass
(Tang Dynasty) Bai Juyi
The grass grows in the original land, and the grass dries up every year.
The wildfire cannot be burned out, but the spring breeze blows it again.
The distant fragrance invades the ancient road, and the clear green meets the deserted city.
I sent the king and grandson off again, and the love was full of farewell.
Notes
① Fu De: For designated and limited poem titles, add the word "Fu De" to the title.
②Lili: The appearance of lush green grass. Original: wilderness.
③Wither: Wither.
④Rong: prosperity.
⑤Far Fragrance: The fragrant grass stretches, and grows farther and farther away.
⑥Invade: occupy, cover. Encroaching on the ancient road: A piece of weeds extending into the distance, encroaching on the ancient road.
⑦Qingcui: green wild grass under the sun.
⑧Desolate city: a desolate and damaged town. Together with the ancient road in the previous sentence, they are all used to color the ancient original scenery.
⑨Wangsun: Originally refers to the descendants of nobles, this refers to distant friends.
⑩苋苋: Describes the appearance of lush vegetation.
Translation
The grass in the wilderness is lush. Once a year it withers and flourishes again.
No matter how mercilessly the fire burns. As long as the spring breeze blows the next year, there will be green weeds everywhere again.
A patch of wild grass spreads into the distance, occupying the ancient road. On a sunny day, the sun shines on a patch of green connecting the deserted city.
Today I came to say goodbye to an old friend again, and even the lush grass was full of farewell.
This was written by the author when he was sixteen years old. It was originally an exam exercise, but because it was done well, it became his famous work. According to "Youxian Advocacy" by Zhang Gu of the Tang Dynasty, the author first came to the capital and visited Gu Kuang, a celebrity at that time, with his poems. Gu borrowed the name "Juyi" and joked: "The price of rice is expensive, and it is not easy to live." When he read his poem to "The wild fire cannot be burned out, the spring breeze blows again", he couldn't help but admire it greatly: "The way is right." As the saying goes, it’s easy to live here!” It became widely known. According to the standard of "appropriate poetry", the structure of this poem can be said to be rigorous and appropriate: the first four sentences are written "original grass", and the last four sentences are "farewell on the ancient road". However, the beauty of this poem goes far beyond that. It is a masterpiece because it is meant to win - to praise a tenacious and progressive spirit of life.
This is an ode to weeds and, by extension, to life. The weeds are growing apart and growing. Separation is the trend of growth; years of decline and prosperity are the rhythmic process of life, and its meaning is law and eternity. However, eternal life does not continue in mediocrity. The poet put it in the raging fire to burn, and in the heroic contrast between destruction and eternal life, he verified its tenacity of vitality. Wildfire burning symbolizes the hardships and trials of life; the spring breeze blows and it is said to be tenacious and unyielding; the invasion of ancient roads and deserted cities is said to be omnipotent and unstoppable. The first four sentences of the poem express the diachronic beauty of the wild grass's life; the last four sentences focus on expressing its temporal beauty. Only such weeds are qualified to become a symbol of all life in the universe and have a meaning of life worthy of praise. The last couplet means farewell, and the word "you" implies that parting is inevitable in people's affairs in ancient and modern times; farewell is like the luxuriant spring grass, which is also human nature. Therefore, the predecessors lamented that "the kings and grandsons traveled far away and never returned, and the spring grass grew luxuriantly" ("The Songs of Chu: Recruiting Hermits"). Later generations also lamented that "the separation from hatred is just like the spring grass, and the farther you travel, the more alive you will be." (Li Yu's "Qingping") "Happiness") sadness.
Predecessors have praised this poem a lot. "Gu Huantang Collection and Miscellaneous Works": "Liu Xiaochuo's sister's poem: 'When the fallen flowers are swept together, the clusters of orchids are picked and revived'. Meng Haoran 'The forest flowers are swept down again, and the paths and grass are stepped on and revived'. Did this couplet come from Liu Wei?... The ancients all had their roots in poetry, but they have evolved endlessly, so they are not just copycats. ""The Formation of Tang Poems": "It does not necessarily have a profound meaning, but a kind of broad and generous atmosphere, which is different from chirping and whispering. "Farewell."
But there are also those who say that this poem has a different meaning. "Three Hundred Tang Poems": "Poetry is a metaphor for villains. They can't be eliminated, they are born when they are available, and they violate the right path. The decoration is ugly, but they are the most touching." "A Brief Introduction to Poetry": "Those who recite this poem all think that It is a metaphor for the inexhaustible movement of villains, just like the vines of grass. The author has this intention, but it is not clear. However, the metaphor is not definite. It is used to describe the way of the world, and it is used to control the chaos of the world; it is used to describe the heart of heaven, although it is severe and cold. It's snowing, but spring is coming. Different opinions are different. "
Appreciation 2
The title "Farewell to Ancient Grass" is quite interesting. The relationship between grass and farewell seems to have been connected since the ancient poet wrote the famous sentence "The kings and grandsons have traveled here and never come back, the spring grass grows luxuriantly" ("The Songs of Chu: Recruiting Hermits"). However, it is still not easy to write the characteristics of "ancient grass" while also conveying the meaning of farewell, especially to write new ideas.
The first sentence breaks the title of "ancient original grass". What a lush ("living") grass on the original land. This statement may seem ordinary, but it captures the characteristics of "spring grass" with strong vitality. It can be said that it is detached from "spring grass grows and is luxuriant" without leaving any trace, and it is for later generations. Wen Kai has a very good idea. As far as "ancient grass" is concerned, why not start with "Autumn Comes in the Deep Path" (Seng Guhuai's "Original Autumn Grass"), and the whole story will be different. Wild grasses are annual plants, blooming in spring and drying in autumn, and the cycle continues year after year. "One year old and one withered prosperity" seems to mean nothing more than this. However, writing "Ku──Rong" is quite different from writing "Rong──Ku". If you do the latter, you are like autumn grass and cannot produce three or four good sentences. The two characters "一" are overlapped to form a chant, which also creates an endless feeling. Three or four sentences are completed naturally.
"Wildfire never burns out, but the spring breeze blows and grows again." This is the development of the word "withered and prosperous", changing from a concept to an image. The characteristic of ancient grass is its tenacious vitality. It cannot be cut down or hoed to an end. As long as a few roots remain, it will become greener and longer in the coming year and spread quickly across the wilderness. The author grasped this characteristic and instead of saying "it can't be cut down with hoeing", he wrote "the wildfire can't burn it all", thus creating a heroic artistic conception. Wildfires ignited a prairie fire, and the flames were terrifying. In an instant, large tracts of dead grass were burned to the ground. The emphasis on the power of destruction and the pain of destruction is to emphasize the power of regeneration and the joy of regeneration. Fierce fire can "burn out" all the weeds including their stems and leaves, but the author prefers to say that it "cannot be burned out", which is very meaningful. Because no matter how fierce the fire is, it can't help the roots hidden deep in the ground. Once the spring breeze turns into rain, the life of the weeds will revive, and with rapid growth, they will cover the earth again and answer the abuse of fire. Look at the grass on the grassland, isn't it a green flag of victory? "Spring breeze blows and rebirths", the language is simple and powerful, and the word "rebirth" is three-part in language but full of meaning. Wu Zeng's "Neng Gai Zhai Man Lu" of the Song Dynasty said that these two sentences are "not as simple and full of meaning as Liu Changqing's "Spring comes into the burning mark green"", which is not true.