Original text:
Two Poems by Wang Zhaojun
——Li Bai (Tang Dynasty)
The moon on the land of Qin in Han Dynasty is illuminated by flowing shadows Concubine.
Once on the Yuguan Road, you will never return to the end of the world.
The Han moon still rises from the East China Sea, and the concubine Ming will not marry in the west.
The Yan branch is long and the cold snow makes flowers, and the eyebrows are haggard and there is no sand.
Lack of gold in life is a waste of pictures, and death leaves green graves to make people sigh.
Zhaojun brushes his jade saddle, mounts his horse and crows with red cheeks.
Today’s Han palace people were Hu’s concubines in the Ming Dynasty.
Translation:
The bright moon over the Qin land of the Han Dynasty shines on the Ming concubine Wang Zhaojun.
I got married in one day, climbed up the Yuguan Road, and never returned to the end of the world.
The Han moon can still rise from the East China Sea, and the concubine Ming will marry in the west and will never return.
The sky and the earth in Yanzhi Mountain are freezing cold, so the snowflakes can be used as flowers, and the haggard eyebrows are buried in the sand.
Because there was no gold during his lifetime, he was painted into an ugly monster by painters. Only the green graves in the desert where he was buried after his death made people lament.
Wang Zhaojun patted the jade saddle, and after mounting his horse, he cried and stained his red cheeks.
A Han Dynasty palace dweller today will become a barbarian’s wife and concubine tomorrow.
Note:
These two poems are "Xianghe Song Ci". Xianghege is a kind of music formed in the Han Dynasty of China on the basis of "Jiemo Yao" and inherited the pre-Qin Chu sound and other traditions. It is mainly played on occasions such as banquets and entertainments among officials and wealthy businessmen, and is also used in court New Year's Day gatherings and banquets, worshiping gods and even folk custom activities. The earliest record of the name "Xianghe Song" can be found in "Book of Jin Yue Zhi": "Xianghe is also an old song of the Han Dynasty. Silk and bamboo are more harmonious, and those who hold the knot sing." It is characterized by the singer playing the rhythmic drums and accompanying orchestral instruments Correspondingly, and hence the name.
Qin Di: refers to the area under the original jurisdiction of the Qin State. This refers to Chang'an.
Mingfei: Wang Qiang, a native of the Han Yuan Dynasty, was named Zhaojun. In the Jin Dynasty, she avoided the taboo of Sima Zhao (Emperor Wen) and changed her name to Mingjun. Later generations also called her Mingfei.
Yuguan: namely Yumenguan. Yumen Pass: Built by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. It got its name because jade was imported from the Western Regions through this route. In the Han Dynasty, it was the gateway to all parts of the Western Regions. The former site is in today's small Fangpan City northwest of Dunhuang, Gansu Province. Wang Zhihuan of the Tang Dynasty wrote "The spring breeze does not pass through Yumen Pass" ("Two Poems of Liangzhou·Part 1").
Yanzhi: refers to Yanzhi Mountain, which was occupied by the Xiongnu before the early Han Dynasty. There is a kind of Yanzhi grass growing on the mountain. Xiongnu women used it to make up, hence the name.
Mo Mei: Slender and curved eyebrows, mostly refers to beautiful women. Husha: Desert or windswept sand in the west and north.
Wrong picture: Zhaojun once served as Ye Ting and waited for the imperial edict, and was selected into the harem of Emperor Yuan of Han Dynasty. At that time, in order to win favor as soon as possible, other palace ladies bribed the palace painter Mao Yanshou with gold, hoping to paint themselves beautifully and be selected by the emperor. Wang Zhaojun was the only one who relied on her beauty and was unwilling to pay bribes, so Mao Yanshou put a mole on her portrait. Zhaojun was demoted to the cold palace for three years and had no chance to meet him.
Qingzhong: the tomb of Zhaojun. In the south of today's Hohhot City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. It is said that after autumn, the grass outside the fortress turns yellow and withered, but the grass on Wang Zhaojun's tomb is green, so it is called "Green Tomb".
Appreciation:
The story of Zhaojun, the queen of the Han Dynasty, who married Huhanxie, the Xiongnu Chanyu, has been widely circulated among the people since the Han Dynasty because of its wonderful story and rich meaning. It has won the love of the common people and has become an enduring creative theme for literati of all dynasties. Over the past thousands of years, many touching folk legends have been produced, and countless poems, novels, and dramas have been created based on Wang Zhaojun's story. "Two Poems by Wang Zhaojun" by Li Bai, a great poet of the Tang Dynasty, is a representative work in this regard.
In 752 and 753 AD (the eleventh and second years of Tianbao in the Tang Dynasty), Li Bai followed his trip to Youzhou and made another trip to Mobei. He left Youzhou and went south to Wei County and then went north along Taihang, entering Hedong Road, to Yunzhong County, and then went north to Shanyu Duhu Mansion to pay homage to Zhaojun's tomb and wrote "Two Poems of Wang Zhaojun". Because Li Bai was full of regret for Zhaojun's departure, the whole poem is filled with a sad and sentimental atmosphere.
The first poem uses the word "moon" at the beginning to highlight the sad theme of Zhaojun marrying the Huns: the moon of the Han family in the Central Plains, its brilliance follows Zhaojun, who marries the Huns. However, as soon as she set foot on the road to Yumen Pass, it was like she had gone to the end of the world and would never return. "Moon" here represents not only the moon in hometown, but also hometown and motherland. However, a small Yumen Pass can ruthlessly block all of this. Looking back at my hometown, the full moon is about to disappear forever before my eyes. This feeling of separation between life and death cannot help but add a bit of melancholy.
Then the poet used the word "moon" to express a sad sigh: The moon of the Han family will rise from the East China Sea tomorrow, but Zhaojun's marriage to the west will never return. This kind of separation made the poet feel helpless and hopeless, so he became more sad. The poet also mentioned Yanzhi Mountain. In the poet's opinion, the Yanzhi Mountain where the Xiongnu lived was extremely cold all year round, with no vegetation and only falling snow making flowers. Therefore, the poet imagined that when Zhaojun married the Xiongnu, even the beauty that once captivated the country and the city would not be the same. Also haggard and old, buried outside the wall of rolling yellow sand. The main culprit of all this was the painters of the harem of the Han Dynasty. Zhaojun had no gold to give to the painters of the harem during her lifetime, and she only left a green tomb after her death, which made future generations mourn and sigh.
As for "Wuhua Pictures", there is a legend that Zhaojun once served as Ye Ting to wait for the imperial edict and was selected into the harem of Emperor Yuan of the Han Dynasty. At that time, in order to win favor as soon as possible, other palace ladies bribed the palace painter Mao Yanshou with gold, hoping to paint themselves beautifully and be selected by the emperor. Wang Zhaojun was the only one who relied on her beauty and was unwilling to pay bribes, so Mao Yanshou put a mole on her portrait. Zhaojun was demoted to the cold palace for three years and had no chance to meet him. Although it is a bit far-fetched to connect Zhaojun's so-called "tragedy" with the court painter, it can deepen the theme of sadness.
The second poem says that Zhaojun brushed his saddle, got on his horse and headed west with tears in his eyes. "Today" is still a palace member of the Han Dynasty, and "in the Ming Dynasty" they are the wives and concubines of the Xiongnu Chanyu. According to Mr. Ding Qizhen, when the poet came to write the second poem, he seemed to be overwhelmed and could only barely complete a five-character quatrain, which was different from the five-character quatrain of the first poem.
The story of Zhaojun’s departure from the fortress has always been written on various themes. Although Li Bai's two poems follow the path of compassion and sadness, they are still sad and touching when read.
About the author:
Li Bai (701-762), also known as Taibai, also known as Qinglian Jushi, also known as "Exiled Immortal", was a great romantic poet in the Tang Dynasty. Later generations hailed him as the "Immortal of Poetry", and together with Du Fu, he was called "Li Du". In order to distinguish him from the other two poets Li Shangyin and Du Mu, known as "Little Li Du", Du Fu and Li Bai were also collectively called "Big Li Du".
According to the "New Book of Tang", Li Bai was the ninth grandson of Emperor Xingsheng (Liang Wuzhao King Li Hao) and the same clan as the kings of Li and Tang Dynasties. He is a cheerful and generous person who loves drinking, writing poetry, and making friends. Li Bai was deeply influenced by Huang Lao Liezhuang's thoughts. The "Collection of Li Taibai" has been handed down from generation to generation. Most of his poems were written when he was drunk. His representative works include "Looking at Lushan Waterfall", "The Road is Difficult", "The Road to Shu is Difficult", "About Wine" and "Morning". "Fa Baidi City" and so on.