First, look at the topic
The topic is the eyes of the article. It indicates the category of poetry, the time and place, or the emotion. In other words, the topic can hint us a lot of information. For example, Wang Anshi's "Jinling Nostalgia" tells us that this is an ancient poem about history. This kind of poetry often takes historical events, historical figures and historical traces as the theme, and achieves the purpose of feeling the rise and fall and caring about the past and the future by climbing high and looking far and sighing historical facts. Therefore, from the title, we can know that this song "Jinling Nostalgia" must have been written by Wang Anshi to express his lament over the rise and fall of Jinling, the ancient capital of the Six Dynasties, and to mock the feelings of the rulers of that dynasty. Another example is Li Bai's Farewell to Meng Haoran on the way to Yangzhou. The title shows that it is a farewell poem, and the feelings expressed by farewell friends are nothing more than reluctance or blessing. Li Bai conveyed his long-lasting affection for his friends by saying, "Sailing alone in the sky, only the Yangtze River flows in the sky". Another example is Wang Wei's "Mountain in Autumn Night", which can be associated with the description of autumn mountain scenery, and will not go beyond the category of quiet and peaceful pastoral poetry. "After the rain, the mountains are empty, and beginning of autumn is at dusk. The bright moon shed clear light from the cracks and cleared the fountain on the rocks. Bamboo whispers that the laundry girl returns, and the lotus leaf bends in front of the fishing boat. " Is it not just a quiet and elegant landscape painting?
Second, look at the author.
"A leopard cannot change his spots, but a leopard cannot change his spots". A poet's writing style and language style are basically the same when presented to readers through different poems. For example, when we are white, we naturally think of boldness, optimism and use exaggeration and metaphor. "White hair and three thousands of feet, like a long beard." "Flying down three thousands of feet, it is suspected that the Milky Way has fallen for nine days." What a heroic mind. Another example is Du Fu. When I see him, I will definitely think of his frustration and frustration, worrying about the country and the people. "Zhumen wine stinks, and the road freezes to death." You can't help feeling heavy. When you see Su Shi, can you not think of his openness and detachment? "People have joys and sorrows, the moon has ups and downs, and it is difficult to be complete in ancient times." Such a realm can be seen everywhere in Su Shi's poems. Seeing the author is equivalent to seeing the language characteristics and expression skills of poetry.
Third, read notes.
Annotations, or a brief introduction to the author, or a brief introduction to the writing background, or a brief introduction to the allusions used, or the meaning of a keyword, are different. Paying attention to poems while appreciating them will help us to understand the contents of poems more accurately. Such as Du Fu's "Sunset", "Cattle and sheep have been falling for a long time, and each is related to Chai Men. The breeze is a charming night, but the beautiful mountain is not your home. The spring water flows down from the stone wall, and the dew on autumn night condenses on the grass roots. The head is white and bright, and no flowers are needed. " In the autumn of the second year of Dali (767), Du Fu wrote this poem when he lived in Kuizhou. Flower Ember: There are flowers on the wick, which means "omen" in folk customs. It tells us that this poem was written on the way for the poet to leave his hometown. "Candle embers" means that there are happy events before the candle embers, but for the poet who lives alone and has no fixed place, it not only makes him feel unhappy, but also adds to his troubles, which makes us deeply feel homesickness between the lines. Another example is Wang Anshi's "Lonely Tung": "Nature is self-contained, and it is lonely and high. Ling Xiao is indomitable, humble and polite. Old roots are strong, and the sun is more cloudy. When I think about it tomorrow, I am willing to marry the banjo. " The Ming Dynasty was an era of political clarity. Love, bitterness, resentment. Tung wood is a good material for making pianos. According to Confucius' home, Shun Di once sang while playing the banjo: "The smoke of the south wind can solve the worries of our people." Therefore, this poem is Wang Anshi's use of allusions to express his pursuit of life and lofty feelings.
Fourth, look at the image
Due to the inheritance of culture, the images in poetry have established symbolic significance. Therefore, we can understand the theme and the deep meaning of poetry according to the image. Therefore, remembering the meanings of some common images can help us find the starting point to appreciate poetry. Such as "Liu", Liu and Liu have the same sound, so there is a meaning of saying goodbye to distant places, which is a metaphor for parting. For example, Liu You's Willow on the Wall of the Spring Palace, Wang Wei's The New Color of Green Willow in Guest House, and Wang Changling's "I suddenly see the color of a stranger's willow, and regret to teach my husband to find a seal". And because the willow is planted in front of the eaves and behind the house, it is often regarded as a symbol of hometown. For example, Xu Hun's Willow Like Tingzhou. Tao Yuanming's Yin's Back Eaves. Judging from the erratic characteristics of catkins themselves, they are often regarded by poets as a means to relieve their worries, such as Du Mu's "How pitiful the willows are, don't worry." He Zhu's "More leisure, a stream of smoke, the wind all over the city, plums and yellow rain". Another example is "Swallow", which becomes a symbol of love because of its companionship. For example, Yan's "Falling Flowers Independent, Swift Qi Fei". With the joy of "Qi Fei with two wings", the sadness of "being alone" is set off, and the suffering of loneliness and lovesickness is written. Because swallows have the habit of attaching to their nests, they have become the sustenance of expressing current events and expressing personnel metabolism. For example, Liu Yuxi's Lao Wang Xie Yan flies into the homes of ordinary people. It not only symbolizes the prosperity of Wuyi Lane in the past, but also reveals the poet's infinite feelings in the face of past and present changes. Another example is "running water". Because water is soft and cold, it is often used to describe things such as moonlight that are tangible but difficult to grasp. For example, Du Mu's "It's cold as water at night, sitting and watching morning glory and weaving stars" reflects the tragic fate of women in feudal times from the side. Because the constant shearing of water is consistent with endless sadness, poets often use water as a metaphor for sadness, so there is an eternal famous sentence: "But since the water is still flowing, although we cut it with a sword, sadness comes back, although we drown it with wine." "How much sadness can you have, just like a river flowing eastward." "Spring Water in a River" is just like the poet Wang Yang's wanton melancholy, and the river is full of melancholy.
Other images, such as aloof plum blossom, pure hibiscus and lovely mandarin duck, all contain the author's various emotions. Memorizing these images will make it easier to understand poetry.
In short, if you master the above "four readings", you can find the key to appreciating poetry and handle all kinds of appreciation questions with ease.