Song Dynasty: Fan Zhongyan
People came and went on the river, but he loved the beauty of perch.
look at a leaf boat, you are in a storm.
People coming and going on the river only like the delicious taste of perch.
Look at those poor fishermen, who are driving their boats up and down in the big wind and waves.
Note
① Fisherman: a person who fishes.
② Dan: only
river fishermen
③ Love: like
④ Bass: a kind of fish with a big mouth, a flat and thin body, a white back and a delicious taste. Grow fast, big and delicious.
⑤ jun: you.
⑥ a leaf boat: a boat like a leaf floating on the water.
⑦ haunting: looming. It means that you can see for a while and can't see for a while.
⑧ storm: waves.
Creative background
Fan Zhongyan is a politician who advocates innovation. During Renzong's reign in the Northern Song Dynasty, he served as an advisor in political affairs and presided over political reform. He was able to care about the sufferings of ordinary people living in the lower classes of society and wrote some poems sympathetic to the working people, but few of them have been handed down.
The water town in the south of the Yangtze River is rich in fish and shrimp. Among them, Jiangsu Songjiang four-gilled bass (four-gilled bass) is the most famous. There is no one who doesn't like this specialty and doesn't want to taste this delicious food. Fan Zhongyan, a native of Wuxian County, Jiangsu Province, grew up on the edge of Songjiang. I know this situation very well. However, he wrote it in poetry, but he didn't just pay attention to the delicious taste and admiration of perch, but noticed something more noteworthy. I noticed the pain and dangers of fishermen hidden behind this specialty and expressed deep sympathy.
Author's introduction
Fan Zhongyan (989-152), born in Xiwen, Han nationality, was a famous politician, thinker, strategist and writer in the Northern Song Dynasty, and was known as "Duke Fan Wenzheng" in the world. Fan Zhongyan has a high literary accomplishment and wrote the famous Yueyang Tower.