Early plum blossom·Early plum blossom blooms in tall trees
Author: Liu Zongyuan
Early plum blossom blooms in tall trees, reflecting the blue sky of Chu.
The late morning breeze carries the night fragrance, and the heavy frost nourishes the dawn.
If you want to give me a gift thousands of miles away, you are separated by mountains and rivers.
What use is there to comfort distant visitors when Han Ying is in ruins?
Translation
The wintersweet blooms early on the tall trees,
the flowers reflect the blue southern sky.
The north wind blows wisps of fragrance at night, and the frost in the morning nourishes the white beauty of the flowers.
I want to give flowers to relatives and friends thousands of miles away.
The journey is long and blocked by mountains and rivers.
The flowers will wither in the cold wind,
What can be used to comfort the distant guests?
Appreciation
Plum blossoms stand proud of the frost and snow and fight the severe cold. They have always been the object of poets' singing, and plum blossoms are often used as metaphors to express the author's taste. This is exactly what Liu Zongyuan did. In his poem "Early Plum", he expressed his arrogant and noble character and indomitable fighting spirit by describing the beauty of plum blossoms blooming early in the severe frost and cold wind.
The whole poem is divided into two levels of meaning, the first four sentences chanting things, and the last four sentences expressing feelings. "Early plum blossoms bloom on tall trees, reflecting the clear blue sky." The starting point of the pen is extraordinary and the strokes are abrupt. Early plum blossoms are different from other flowers. Their flower buds bloom in the cold winter when everything is silent. "All the flowers have fallen and bloomed alone" (Lin Bu's "Little Plum in the Mountain Garden"). The word "Fa" vividly displays the image of early plum blossoms with head held high and full of vitality before the readers' eyes. The high and vast blue sky in the background not only reflects the color of the plum blossoms, but also highlights its elegance and unusualness. The word "gao" in "Fa Gaoshu" uses reality to write imaginary, implying that the poet does not conform to the popular customs and is higher than the people of his time. "The late morning breeze carries the fragrance of the night, and the heavy frost nourishes the morning whiteness." It follows the first two sentences to describe the harsh environment in which plum blossoms bloom, and expresses the extraordinary character of plum blossoms. These two lines of poetry are consistent with the quatrain of Lu You's "Falling Plum Blossoms": "The snow blows and the wind becomes more awe-inspiring, and the moral integrity of the flowers is the highest." They both praise the unyielding character of plum blossoms that look down on frost and snow. The "Shuo Chui" and "Complex Frost" in the environment of Early Plum Blossoms are actually the epitome of the political environment Liu Zongyuan encountered. After the failure of the "Yongzhen Reform", Liu Zongyuan was demoted to the remote and backward southern wilderness, living like a prisoner and suffering severe physical and mental torture. In the face of continuous attacks from the corrupt forces, he always adhered to his ideals and embraced firm self-confidence. He said: "If you stick to the way of the sages, start from the great and the middle, even if you are rejected by thousands of people, you will never change it." ("Answers") Zhou Jun's Nest of Bait Medicine and Longevity Book")
The author saw the lovely and respectable plum blossoms and thought of his relatives and friends far away, so he borrowed things to express his feelings: "I want to give gifts thousands of miles away, but mountains and rivers separate me, and the cold and beautiful flowers are lying there. , Why use it to comfort distant visitors?" The first two sentences are translated from Lu Kai's poem "When I met the post official, I sent it to the people in Longtou. I have nothing in the south of the Yangtze River, so I just want to give a spring branch", but the meaning is different. Lu's poems are free and easy, while Liu's poems are melancholy. This is because the circumstances in which Liu Zongyuan wrote poems are different from those of Lu Kai. After Liu Zongyuan was demoted to Yongzhou, "crimes and slanders were intertwined and suspicions prevailed." "Old ministers" no longer dared to communicate with him. Liu Zongyuan, who was struggling to live in loneliness and loneliness, missed his relatives and friends so much! So I thought of folding plum blossoms as gifts, but my relatives and friends were thousands of miles away, so it was impossible to deliver them.
In addition to geographical reasons, there are also political reasons. As a "prisoner", he cannot be implicated