The plant that Tategenhara wrote about in Broken Rock is bamboo.
It comes from a seven-character quatrain "Bamboo and Stone" created by the Qing Dynasty painter Zheng Xie. This poem is a poem about bamboo. What the poet praises is not the softness of bamboo, but the perseverance of bamboo.
Original text of "Bamboo and Stone":
Stay firm on the green hills and never let go, your roots are still in the broken rocks.
After countless hardships, I am still strong, regardless of the wind from east to west, north or south.
Translation of "Bamboo and Stone"
The bamboo clings tightly to the green mountain and never relaxes, and its roots penetrate deeply into the crevices of the rock.
After countless hardships, it remains so tenacious, no matter it is east wind, west wind or north and south wind.
Annotation of "Bamboo and Stone"
Bamboo and Stone: Bamboo rooted in the cracks of rocks.
Bite firmly means to take root in the rocks.
Establish roots: take root. Broken rock: cracked mountain rock, that is, a crack in the rock.
Original: originally, originally, originally.
Broken rock: cracked rock, that is, a crack in the rock.
Thousands of hardships and blows: refers to countless hardships and blows.
Jianjin: Strong and powerful.
Ren: Regardless, no matter, no matter.
Er: You.
The poetry of "Bamboo and Stone"
The first two lines of the poem praise the indomitable spirit of bamboo. Bamboo seeds "bite" the green mountains, take root and "break the rocks", and survive in the harsh natural environment. Instead of yielding, it stood taller and taller, showing its tenacious vitality.
The last two sentences further describe the tempering of bamboo by the harsh natural environment. After it has withstood the beating of winds from all directions of "south, east and northwest", it still stands in the face of the wind without fear. The whole poem uses personification techniques to give bamboo a virtuous and tenacious character.
This poem is often used to describe the revolutionaries' firm stance in struggle and their unwavering character when attacked by the enemy. This poem is written about bamboo on the surface, but it is actually about people. The strong bamboo in the poem symbolizes the poet's character that he would rather bend than bend in the face of all kinds of hardships and hardships, and will never give in to any evil forces, and his proud character that refuses to collude with the dark society.
About the author of "Bamboo and Stone"
Zheng Xie (xiè) (1693-1765), courtesy name Kerou, alias Banqiao, was born in Xinghua, Jiangsu. He was a scholar of the Kangxi Emperor, a scholar of the Yongzheng Emperor, and a Jinshi of the Qianlong Emperor. He once served as the magistrate of Fan County and Weixian County in Shandong Province. In the 18th year of Qianlong's reign (1753), he asked for alms for the people due to year-round hunger. He offended a prominent official and wealthy family and was dismissed from office. He lived in Yangzhou and made a living selling paintings. He was one of the "Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou".
He is known for his calligraphy and painting, and is good at painting orchids and bamboos. His calligraphy is based on the three styles of Li, Kai and Xing, which is unique and named "Liufenshu". His poems are lyrical and freehand, full of joy, and are best described in white. They are not disturbed by the prevailing trends and can be in touch with reality. The Yuefu poems he wrote are close in words and distant in purpose, and their style is similar to that of Bai Juyi and Lu You. There are "The Complete Works of Banqiao" and "Returning Home", etc., which either reflect the suffering of the people or expose the atrocities committed by officials, and have certain social significance.