Miscellaneous Poems of Jihai
Gong Zizhen [Qing Dynasty]
It is sad that Kyushu relies on wind and thunder to make it angry, and thousands of horses are silent.
I urge God to cheer up and send talents of any kind. (Talents 1: Talents)
Translation
Only relying on the huge power like wind and thunder can make the land of China full of vitality. However, the lack of vitality in the social and political situation is ultimately a tragedy.
I advise God to regain his spirit and not stick to certain specifications in order to send down more talents.
Notes
Kyushu: one of the nicknames of China. They are: Jizhou, Yanzhou, Qingzhou, Xuzhou, Yangzhou, Jingzhou, Liangzhou, Yongzhou and Yuzhou.
Angry: a lively situation.
Rely (shì): rely on.
Thousands of horses were silent: all the horses were silent. It is a metaphor for the lifeless social and political situation.
Yīn, silence, not speaking.
Tiangong: Creator.
Cheer up: cheer up, work hard.
Jiang: birth, descent.
Appreciation
The whole poem has clear levels, divided into three levels: the first level describes the lifeless real society where thousands of horses are silent and the government and the public are silent. "Ten thousand horses are silent" is a metaphor for the fact that under the rule of the Qing Dynasty, people did not dare to speak, and there was a suffocating and dull atmosphere everywhere. An allusion is used here. Su Shi's "Three Horses Illustrated Praise and Introduction": "At that time (in the early Song and Yuan Dynasties), the tribute horses from the Western Regions had a head eight feet high, a dragon's head with a phoenix bone, and a tiger's back with a leopard seal. It left the Donghua Gate and entered the Heavenly Si Prison, vibrating its mane and sounding loudly. , Thousands of horses are in silence." For the situation of "thousands of horses in silence", the word "sorrow" is used to express the poet's regret and patriotism. The poet went to Beijing to be an official in 1810, full of ambitions and strategies for governing the country, but his official career was frustrated. The disillusionment of his political views made him clearly realize that he was in a situation of "two bumps in life" ("The Strong Wind Arises on the 20th of October and I Feel the Book").
On the second level, the author points out that to change this dull and decadent status quo, we must rely on the huge power of wind and thunder. It is a metaphor that China must undergo tremendous social changes to become vibrant.
On the third level, the author believes that such strength comes from talents, and what the court should do is to recommend talents out of the norm. Only in this way can China have hope. "I urge God to cheer up and send down talented people of all kinds." The use of grafting techniques expresses the poet's desire to smash the rule of darkness and create a new world. "Tiangong", the Jade Emperor, is also the so-called God in the world. The poet exposed the ills of the times and suddenly persuaded God. At the end of the poem, he wrote a self-note: "When I passed Zhenjiang, I saw the Sai Yu Emperor, the God of Wind and the God of Thunder. Tens of thousands of people prayed in the temple, and the Taoist priests begged to write Qingci." This self-note explains the poet's self-note. The specific environment in which this poem was written shows that the poet took advantage of "Taoist priests begging to write Qing Ci" and used folk superstitious activities to serve the thoughts and feelings he wanted to express. "Eclectic" fully expresses the poet's broad mind, far-sighted vision and strategic assumptions. The Qing government at that time was corrupt and incompetent, suffering from internal and external troubles, especially the imperialist invaders. They were eager to enslave the Chinese nation and destroy the Chinese country. The partition trend was imminent. To save China, which was like a shipwrecked ship in the storm, all kinds of efforts must be made. A large number of talents in this field are of no use, so the poet advises God to regain his spirit and send a large number of talents in an eclectic way, so as to stem the tide of collapse and the building that is about to collapse. The word "persuade" has a positive meaning. It is advice, not begging. It shows the poet's condescending position and also shows the poet's confidence in change.
Creative background
The era Gong Zizhen lived in was an era of decadence and decline of feudalism. With his talents, he started to discuss politics to "heal the country" and propagate reforms. However, due to "touching the taboos of the times", he resigned in 1839 AD (Jihai, the 19th year of Daoguang) and returned south, writing three hundred and eleven words on the way. Fifteen "Miscellaneous Poems of Ji Hai". This is one of them.
About the author
Gong Zizhen (August 22, 1792-September 26, 1841), whose courtesy name was Zhuan, and whose name was Dingxu (Yizuoding'an). Han nationality, from Renhe, Zhejiang (now Hangzhou). In his later years, he lived in Yulushan Hall, Kunshan, and was also known as Yulushanmin. Thinker, poet, writer and pioneer of reformism in the Qing Dynasty. Gong Zizhen once served as Secretary of the Cabinet, Director of the Zongren Mansion, and Director of the Ministry of Rites. He advocated abolishing bad government and resisting foreign aggression. He once fully supported Lin Zexu in banning opium. He resigned at the age of 48 and returned south. He died in Yunyang Academy in Danyang, Jiangxi the next year. His poems advocated "changing the law" and "changing the map", exposing the corruption of the Qing rulers, and were full of patriotic enthusiasm. Liu Yazi praised him as "the best in three hundred years". He is the author of "Collected Works of Dingzhen", which contains more than 300 articles and nearly 800 poems, which are now compiled into "The Complete Works of Gong Zizhen". The famous poem "Miscellaneous Poems of Jihai" contains 315 poems. Many poetic and allegorical works.