Bee
Luo Yin of the Tang Dynasty
No matter the flat land or the top of the mountain,
the infinite scenery is occupied.
After harvesting the honey from hundreds of flowers,
For whom does it work hard and for whom does it taste sweet?
Full text translation:
Whether it is on the flat ground or on a high mountain peak, all places where flowers bloom are occupied by bees. After they collect all the nectar and turn it into honey, who are they busy with in the end? For whom is that mellow honey brewed?
Poem Appreciation:
"Bee" was written by Luo Yin (833-909), a famous poet in the Tang Dynasty. It uses bees as a metaphor to express the praise of hard-working workers and the hatred and dissatisfaction of those who get something for nothing.
This poem praises the noble character of bees for their hard work, and also metaphors the author's hatred and dissatisfaction with people who get something for nothing. This poem has several characteristics in terms of artistic expression: it wants to seize it, so it gives it to it, and it is powerful when it falls; it narrates and interrogates, and sings and sighs about emotion; its meaning is profound and can be interpreted in two ways.
Bees and butterflies have become symbols of charm in the writings of poets and poets. However, bees are different from butterflies after all. They work hard all their lives to make honey, accumulating a lot but enjoying little. The poet Luo Yin focused on this point and wrote such a profound poem "Animal Story". The meaning alone is refreshing. There are three points worth noting in terms of the artistic expression of this poem:
Luo Yin's satirical prose has a high level of achievement and can be called a wonder of ancient sketches. The satirical sketches included in "The Slanderous Book" are all his "angry and grievance words, which are not met by the current world and have no reason to vent his anger" (Fang Hui's postscript to "The Slanderous Book").