Introduction to the work
"Grass" (also known as "Farewell to the Ancient Grass") was created by Bai Juyi and was selected into "Three Hundred Tang Poems". This is a poem about things, and it can also be read as an allegorical poem. Some people think it is a mockery of villains. From the perspective of the whole poem, although the original grass refers to something, the metaphorical meaning is not definite. "Wildfire never burns out, but the spring breeze blows and grows again," but it is well-known as a kind of "resilience" and has become a swan song passed down through the ages. For more appreciation of Tang poetry, please pay attention to the 300 Tang Poems column of "Station".
Original text
"Grass" (also known as "Farewell to the Ancient Grass")
Author: Bai Juyi
Li Liyuan Shang Grass dries up every year.
Wildfires cannot be burned out, but the spring breeze blows them again.
The distant fragrance invades the ancient road, and the clear green meets the deserted city.
I sent the king and grandson away again, full of love.
Lili: Lili, clear appearance. The look of lush vegetation.
One year old: one year.
Wither: wither.
Rong: lush.
Yuanfang: grass stretching into the distance.
Wangsun: Noble, here refers to the author’s friends.
luxuriant: lush appearance. These two sentences are borrowed from the allusion in "The Songs of Chu: Recruiting the Hermits" that "the kings and grandsons have wandered and never returned, and the spring grass grows luxuriantly".
Rhyme Translation
The weeds on the ancient plain grow wildly, growing lush in spring and withering in autumn.
No matter how wildfire burns, it still grows vigorously when the spring breeze blows.
In the distance, the fragrant grass covers the ancient post road, and extends to the deserted city where the green and clear scenery is clear.
The long green grass in spring sends wanderers away again, and the luxuriant grass is like a belly filled with wounds.
Commentary:
"Farewell to the Ancient Original Grass" is also titled "Grass". Fu De: For all designated and limited poem titles, add the word "Fu De" to the title. This practice originated from "Yingzhi poems" and was later widely used in "test poems" for imperial examinations. This poem was an exercise for the author to prepare for the imperial examination, so the word "Fu De" was also added. The two poetic lines of "Send Again" are originally from "The Songs of Chu: Recruiting Hermits": "The kings and grandsons have traveled here and never returned, and the spring grass has grown luxuriantly."
This poem is intuitively a description of natural evolution, but It has a profound meaning and is often used as a metaphor for the tenacious vitality of progress. For more appreciation of Tang poetry, please pay attention to the 300 Tang Poems column of "Station".
Legend has it that when Juyi was sixteen years old, he traveled from the south of the Yangtze River to Chang'an (today's Xi'an) to take the imperial examination, and brought his poems to pay homage to Gu Kuang, a famous scholar at that time. Gu looked at his name and joked: "The price of rice in Chang'an is very expensive. It's not easy to live here!" When he read Bai Juyi's poems and read this "Ancient Yuancao", he couldn't help but admire: "You can do such a thing." His poetry makes it easy to live here!" Bai Juyi became famous from then on (see Zhang Gu's "Youxian Advocacy").
In Tang Dynasty poems about things, the author’s original intention can often be seen only in the last sentence. Bai Juyi always advocated that poetry should be easy to understand, but he was not opposed to using metaphors. The title of the poem "Ancient Yuancao" has the word "farewell", which is obviously a poem to send off a friend. Almost the whole article is written in grass, which is actually a metaphor, using the lush vegetation to show the lingering friendship between friends when parting. The love is profound and the metaphor is particularly clever. It is worthy of being Bai Juyi's famous work.
The sentence begins with the Chinese character "Cao". In the endless ancient countryside, vegetation is flourishing. Year after year, prosperity and decline alternate, and I don't know how many springs, summers, autumns and winters have gone through. These two sentences were written plainly and truthfully. They seemed unremarkable, but in fact they revealed the natural laws of the prosperity and decline of vegetation on that ancient grassland. The author uses the word "Lili" at the beginning of the sentence, which gives us the impression of lush spring grass. "The Book of Songs Wang Feng Millet Li": "The millet is Lili, the seedlings of other crops." Zhang Heng's "Xijing Fu": "The sacred wood and spiritual grass, Zhu Shi Lili." "Lili" is used to describe a kind of fruit. A state of luxuriance and luxuriance. Therefore, the focus of the two sentences "When the grass grows in the original land, it is prosperous after one year old" is on "prosperity", not on "wither". This paved the way for the following two sentences: "Wildfire never burns out, but the spring breeze blows it again." It is said that these two sentences are particularly appreciated by Gu Kuang because they not only show the tenacious vitality of vegetation, but also reveal the objective laws of nature’s endless growth. At the same time, they also symbolize people’s tenacious struggle and enterprising spirit in the face of adversity.
"The distant fragrance invades the ancient road, and the clear green connects to the deserted city" expresses the lushness of spring grass, the vastness of the wilderness and the warmth of spring. "Ancient roads" and "deserted cities" are closely related to the "ancient plains" in the title, contrasting the metabolism of human affairs with the ever-changing scenery of nature. The words "invasion" and "connection" are used to describe the scene of spreading spring grass and vast green fields, which is a vivid portrayal. It can be said that he is good at handling things. The last sentence of "Buncao" is related to human affairs and sends the king and grandson far away. Wang Sun also refers to the author's rhyme friend. The tradition of using the lushness of spring grass as a metaphor for the feeling of separation has a long history. "The Songs of Chu: Recruiting Hermits" contains the sentence "The kings and grandsons have traveled far away and never come back, and the spring grass is growing luxuriantly".
Jiang Yan's "Farewell": "The spring grass is green and the spring water is green. I send you to Nanpu, how hurt you are!" Bai Juyi fully described the prosperous spring grass, and concluded with, "Send the king and grandson away again, the luxuriant flowers are blooming." "Full of farewell" turns the abstract feeling of separation between friends into a concrete and tangible image. The words are as if they are in the present, and the soul is in ecstasy and cannot bear the pain. It's not surprising that Gu Kuang was so praised in the first place. Original publication: "Appreciation of Bai Juyi's Poems"
Explanation
The title of the poem is "Grass". Composing poems based on ancient poems or idioms is a way for the ancients to learn to compose poems, or to compose poems based on topics at gatherings, or to write poems based on propositions during imperial examinations. The title of the poem is usually preceded by "Fu De", which is similar to the poem about chanting things. "Yong".
This poem was Bai Juyi's first practice work when he went to Chang'an to take the exam, and it is also his famous work. According to "Youxian Advocacy" by Zhang Gu of the Tang Dynasty and "Tang Zhayan" by Wang Dingbao of the Five Dynasties, as soon as Bai Juyi arrived in Chang'an, he brought his poems to visit Gu Kuang for appreciation. Gu Kuang was a well-known poet at that time and a close friend of Prime Minister Li Mi. He was a book writer at that time and was responsible for writing inscriptions, blessings and memorial texts. Many people visited him, but few received his praise. At first, Gu Kuang was very disapproving of this fledgling young man. When he saw the word "Juyi" in his name, he joked: "Chang'an is expensive, so it's not easy to live there!" But when he read "Farewell to Fude Gu Yuancao", When reading the first two couplets, I couldn't help but admire it greatly, and then changed my mind and said: "It's easy to live if you have such talent!" This is a widely circulated anecdote, which may not be true, but this poem was recited by people at that time. , it is conceivable.
Sentence Explanation
The grass on the Lili Plain wilts once a year.
The grass on the ancient plain grows one clump after another, withering once a year. There was also a period of prosperity. The title of the opening chapter is "Ancient Yuancao". "Lili" means lush and prosperous, here it describes grass everywhere. "One year old and one glorious year" expresses the cycle of grass growing in autumn, withering in spring, and flourishing year after year. The author does not say "prosperity and decline", but "withering and prosperity", which emphasizes the strong vitality of grass.
Wildfires can’t be burned out, but the spring breeze blows and they grow again.
Wildfires set the prairie ablaze, and the withered grass turns to ashes, but they can’t be burned out; the spring breeze blows, and the grass comes back to life, and the earth is green again. Volume 18 of Tian Wen's "Guhuantang Collection" of the Qing Dynasty said: "Liu Xiaochuo's sister's poem: 'Falling flowers are swept together, and clusters of orchids are picked back to life.' Meng Haoran, 'Forest flowers are swept away, and paths and grass are stepped back to life'. Is this couplet correct? From Liu Jie? Bai Letian's poem about seeing off guests on the original grass: "The wild fire will not burn out, but the spring breeze will blow again." The meaning of one sentence is divided into two sentences, and the style of poetry has not diminished. But there is no end to transformation. "This couplet of Bai's poem is about dryness and glory. The meaning is simple and smooth, the contrast is natural and clever, and it contains thought-provoking philosophy, so it has become an outstanding and unforgettable famous line. Wu Zeng's "Neng Gai Zhai Man Lu" of the Song Dynasty said that these two sentences are not as simple and full of meaning as Liu Changqing's "Spring comes into the burnt mark green". The reception history of this poem proves that this view has no vision. For more appreciation of Tang poetry, please pay attention to the 300 Tang Poems column of "Station".
The distant fragrance invades the ancient road, and the clear green connects the desolate city
The spring breeze blows, and the spreading grass covers the ancient road leading to the distance; the sunny sun shines, and the green color connects the desolate city. city. The beauty of the pairing of flowing water in the previous couplet lies in its naturalness; and the beauty of the pairing of this couplet lies in its fine workmanship. "Ancient road" and "deserted city" are closely related to the title "ancient plain", which is very consistent with the requirements of the poem. These two words contain the concepts of time and space, and have a static and solemn atmosphere; "Yuanfang" and "Jingcui" contrast with them, which shows the strong competitiveness of survival. The word "invasion" and the word "connection" further exaggerate the infinite vitality of spring grass in a narrative way.
The poetic and vital spring grass, combined with the "ancient road" and the "deserted city", not only has a unique artistic conception, but also provides an environment for the farewell couplet.
I send you away again, and the lush green grass seems to be full of farewell. The last couplet connects the whole article, clarifies the meaning of the title, and points out the meaning of farewell. "Wangsun" refers to the prince and grandson of the prince. This refers to the person sent as a gift. "luxury" refers to the lush and chaotic appearance of green grass. "Chu Ci Recruiting Hermits" "The kings and grandsons traveled far and never returned, and the spring grass grew luxuriantly." It means seeing the luxuriant grass and missing the wanderer. Here the meaning is changed and used, saying that seeing the luxuriant grass adds to the sorrow of farewell.
Comment
This is an ode to weeds, but also an ode to life. "Grass", as the central word, constitutes the main image of the entire poem. The whole poem uses scenes to describe emotions, with profound implications, vivid images, natural and smooth language, and a complete artistic conception. Although the poem is a proposition, it can incorporate certain feelings of life. Therefore, every word is sentimental and the language is meaningful. It is not only appropriate, but also unique. In "Fu Detai", it is an eternal masterpiece. According to the standard of "appropriate poetry", the structure of this poem can also be said to be rigorous and appropriate: the first four sentences are written as "original grass", and the last four sentences are written as "farewell on the ancient road". However, the beauty of this poem goes far beyond that. It is a famous work because it means victory, that is, it praises a tenacious and progressive spirit of life.
Some people say that this poem has a different meaning, which is a metaphor for the endless persecution of villains, or a metaphor for the order of chaos and the cycle of chaos in the world. This is purely wishful thinking. This poem is as stated in "The Formation of Tang Poetry" compiled and selected by Qu Fu of the Qing Dynasty: "It does not necessarily have a profound meaning, but a kind of tolerant and leeway atmosphere, which is different from chirping and whispering. This is the difference between big and small poems."
" (Chen Caizhi)
Author introduction
Bai Juyi (772-846), Han nationality, with the courtesy name Letian and the names Xiangshan layman and Mr. Zuiyin. He was born in "Shidunru" He was born in Xinzheng, Zhengzhou (now Xinzheng County, Henan Province). He was displaced for five or six years due to war since he was 11 years old. He was a great realist poet in the Tang Dynasty of my country and a famous and far-reaching poet in the history of Chinese literature. and writer. The Baiyuan (Bai Juyi Tomb) is located in the suburbs of Luoyang City.
Bai Juyi’s thoughts are based on Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. Confucianism "helps the world when it is prosperous, and is good for oneself when it is poor." Its ambition of "helping others" is based on Confucian benevolence, which also includes Huang Lao's theory, the art of managing Xiao, and the method of Shen Han; its intention of "being good alone" is It absorbed Lao Zhuang's concepts of contentment, equality of things, and freedom, as well as Buddhist ideas of "liberation". The two were roughly defined by Bai's demotion to Jiangzhou Sima. Bai Juyi not only left nearly 3,000 poems, but also put forward a complete set of poems. theory. He compared poetry to a fruit tree and put forward the viewpoint of "root feelings, seedling words, Hua Sheng, and actual meaning" ("Yu Yuan Jiu Shu"). He believed that "emotion" is the fundamental condition of poetry, and "no one can touch people's hearts first." "Emotion" ("Yu Yuan Jiu Shu"), and the generation of emotion is related to events and current affairs. Therefore, poetry creation cannot be separated from reality, and must be based on various events in real life to reflect the trend of an era. Social and political conditions. He inherited the tradition of poetry since the Book of Songs, attaching importance to the realistic content and social role of poetry, and emphasized the function of poetry in exposing and criticizing political shortcomings. This theory of poetry has progressive significance in prompting poets to face reality and care about people's livelihood. It also has a critical effect on the poetic style that has gradually emphasized form since the Dali (766-779), but it has overemphasized that poetry creation is subject to real politics. Need, it will inevitably constrain the artistic creation and style diversity of poetry
Chinese-English translation
Cao
Bai Juyi
Li. The grass in the original land dries up every year.
The wild fire is not burned out, but the spring breeze blows again.
The distant fragrance invades the ancient road, and the clear green meets the deserted city.
Send the king and grandson off again, full of love.
GRASSES
Bai Juyi
Boundless grasses over the plain
Come and go with every season;
Wildfire never quite consumes them --
They are tall once more in the spring wind.
Sweet they press on the old high- road
And reach the crumbling city-gate....
O Prince of Friends, you are gone again....
I hear them sighing after you.