Original text
I heard that the army was taking over Henan and Hebei
Suddenly it was announced outside the sword that it was taking over Jibei.
When I first heard about it, my clothes were filled with tears.
But see where my wife is worried.
The poems and books are full of joy.
You must indulge in drinking while singing during the day.
Youth is a good companion for returning home.
That is, cross Wu Gorge from Ba Gorge,
then go down to Xiangyang towards Luoyang.
Today's translation
Outside Jianmen Pass, I suddenly heard that the army had recaptured Jibei.
At first I heard that uncontrollable tears filled my clothes.
Looking back at the sad faces of my wife and children, I don’t know where they have gone.
I was packing poems and books randomly and couldn’t help but feel ecstatic.
In the daytime, I sing loudly and drink to my heart's content.
The spring scenery just happens to accompany me back to my long-lost hometown.
Immediately set off through the Ba Gorge and then the Wu Gorge,
Then passed Xiangyang and then turned to the old capital Luoyang.
About the author
Du Fu (712-770), a poet of the Tang Dynasty. The courtesy name is Zimei, a native of Gong County, Henan Province (now Gongyi City, Henan Province). Du Fu was born during the prosperous age of Kaiyuan and the Anshi Rebellion. He lived a life of wandering and hardship. His poems extensively recorded the real life of this period and are known as the "history of poetry". Du Fu was good at various poetry styles, and his poetry style was melancholy and frustrating, which had a great influence on later generations.
Notes
Official and Army: The army of the Tang Dynasty.
Recover: Recover.
Henan and Hebei: generally refers to the area south and north of the Yellow River, equivalent to today's Henan, Hebei, and Shandong areas.
Jianwai: Outside Jianmen Pass, now the area in Jiannan, Sichuan.
Jibei: Northern Hebei Province today. At that time, it was the base area of ??An and Shi rebels.
First hearing: First hearing.
Tears: tears.
Look back; look back.
Manjuan: rolled up randomly.
Indulge in alcohol: Indulge in drinking.
Youth: Spring.
Baxia: on the Jialing River in the east of today's Chongqing City.
Wuxia Gorge: in the east of Wushan County in present-day Sichuan Province.
Xiangyang: in present-day Xiangfan City, Hubei Province.
Appreciation
This poem was written by Du Fu when he was living in Zizhou. Du Fu was 52 years old this year, and it was his fifth year since he had drifted away from Jianmen due to the Anshi Rebellion. Du Fu always looked forward to quelling the rebellion and returning to his roots. Suddenly he heard that the army had recaptured Jibei, and he cried with joy and could not restrain himself. The author uses four consecutive actions of "suddenly passing", "first hearing", "unexpectedly seeing", and "managing" to express the surprise incisively and vividly. In the four dynamic and rhythmic descriptions of "from", "through", "down to" and "toward", the author imagines that he has passed through Ba Gorge and Wu Gorge, passed by Xiangyang and Luoyang, and returned to The hometown of dreams. Later generations said: "This poem has a joyful meaning, a flow of energy, full of twists and turns, absolutely no embellishment, the more simple and true it is." This poem is Lao Du's "first fast poem in his life", and so on. It's a very accurate comment.
The poem starts from "Suddenly spreading outside the sword to collect Jibei" and directly narrates the good news. Jibei is the home base of the Anshi rebels. Recovering Jibei marks the collapse of the Anshi rebels and the reunification of the broken mountains and rivers. This is great news for the poet who has been wandering in "Jiannan" for many years and is eager to end his wandering and return to his hometown. The poet reflects his mixed feelings of sadness and joy by writing about his tears flowing out like a fountain and covering his clothes. In the second couplet of the poem, the poet's surprise is more vividly expressed. With tears of joy, I looked back at the old wife and children who had gone through hardships. Their past sorrows had long been dispelled and they were immersed in joy. The joy of their relatives was the greatest comfort to the poet. He was so happy that he almost went crazy. I packed up the poems and books at random, and no longer had the intention to study at my desk. This is an extremely abnormal behavior for a person who originally read tens of thousands of books. However, this abnormal description appropriately expresses the poet's ecstatic state of mind realistically. "Excited with joy" is not only the result of the first surprise above, but also the reason for the prospect caused by surprise below. Because of "crazy joy", he indulged in drinking and singing, and then had the reverie of youth as a companion and returning to his hometown by boat, so the poem has a third couplet, "Singing in the day requires drunkenness, youth as a companion is a good way to return home." The poet expressed his inner thoughts The ecstasy was further rendered and sublimated. The last couplet is the specific imaginary route back home, "Baxia" is the starting point, "Wuxia" is the must-go place, and "Xiangyang" and "Luoyang" are the poet's origin and hometown.
This sentence accurately expresses the poet's eagerness to return home and his joy at regaining the lost ground