Zheng Peng left the Han Dynasty, returned to Yan and entered Wu Tian.
Envoy to the Fortress
Era: Tang Dynasty Author: Wang Wei Genre: Wulu Category: Frontier Fortress
A bicycle wants to ask about the border, but the country it belongs to is too long.
Zheng Peng left the Han Dynasty and returned to Yan to enter the Wutian.
The lonely smoke in the desert is straight, and the sun is setting over the long river.
Whenever Xiao Guan rides, he always protects Yan Ran.
Notes
In the twenty-fifth year of Kaiyuan (737), Cui Xiyi, the deputy ambassador of Hexi Jiedu, defeated Tubo. Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty ordered Wang Wei to go to the fortress as a supervisory censor to express condolences and inspect the military situation. This actually pushed Wang Wei out of the court. This poem was written on the way to the border.
"The bicycle wants to ask for directions." If a light bicycle goes there, where is it going? "The country has passed over Juyan", Juyan is located in the northwest of Zhangye County, Gansu Province, far away from the northwest frontier.
"Zheng Peng leaves Hansai, returning wild geese enter Hu Tian", the poet compares himself with "Peng" and "Wild Geese", saying that he came to "Hansai" like a fluffy grass blown away by the wind. , entering the "Hu Tian" like the "Guiyan" flying north. In ancient poems, flying puffs are often used to describe wanderers, but here they are used to describe a minister with a mission to the court, which is a metaphor for the poet's inner anger and depression. Echoes the "bicycle" in the first sentence. A journey of thousands of miles was conveyed in just ten words.
Then capture the typical scenery in the desert and describe it: "The solitary smoke is straight in the desert, and the sun sets over the long river." The last two sentences are written when arriving at the frontier fortress: "When Xiao Guan is waiting to ride, he will always protect Yan Ran." When they arrived at the border fortress, they did not meet the general. The scout told the envoy that the general was at the front line of Yanran.
The poet focused his writing on what he was best at - describing scenes. The author's mission happened to be in spring. On the way, he saw several lines of returning geese flying north. The poet created a metaphor based on the scene and used the returning geese to compare himself. He not only narrated the story but also described the scenery. It was two strokes in one stroke, which was appropriate and natural. In particular, the couplet "The solitary smoke is straight in the desert, and the sun is setting in the long river" describes the strange and magnificent scenery outside the border fortress seen after entering the border fortress. The border desert is vast and boundless, so the word "big" in "desert" is used. The frontier fortress is desolate and there are no wonders. The thick smoke from the beacon tower is particularly eye-catching, so it is called "lone smoke". The character "solitary" expresses the monotony of the scenery, while the character "straight" immediately following it expresses the beauty of its strength and perseverance. There are no mountains and trees in the desert, and the Yellow River that runs through it cannot express the poet's feelings without using the word "long". The sunset can easily give people a sentimental impression, but the word "round" is used here, but it gives people a warm, warm and boundless feeling. The word "round" and the word "straight" not only accurately depict the scene of the desert, but also express the author's deep feelings. The poet skillfully dissolves his loneliness into the description of the vast natural scene. Chapter 48 of "A Dream of Red Mansions" says: "'The solitary smoke in the desert is straight, and the sun sets round in the long river.' How can the smoke be straight? The sun is naturally round. The word 'straight' seems unreasonable, and the word 'round' seems too vulgar." When I closed the book and thought about it, I seemed to have seen this scene. If I were to search for two more words to replace these two, I couldn't find two more words. This is the advantage of poetry, which cannot be expressed in words. The meaning of "I want to go" is realistic; it seems irrational, but "I want to go" is actually reasonable and sentimental." This passage can be regarded as expressing the superb artistic realm of these two poems.