Du Fu's original text and appreciation are sent to the Sand Dune City.
Original text:
What's the matter with me? I'm lying high in the Sand Dune City.
There are ancient trees beside the city, and the sound of autumn continues day and night.
Don’t get drunk with Lu wine, Qi Ge empty-handedly regains his love.
Thinking of you as if you were on the water, sending you a mighty expedition to the south.
Comments:
Translation:
What on earth am I here for? Sit back and relax in Dune City. There are old and ancient trees beside the sand dune city, and the sound of rustling day and night is connected with the sound of autumn. The wine of Lu is so thin that it is difficult to make people drunk. The songs of Qi are full of love, but it is useless for anyone. My thoughts about you are like the surging Wenshui, which flows southward with great strength to express my deep feelings.
Appreciation:
The friendship between Li Bai and Du Fu is a precious page in the history of Chinese literature. Among Li Bai's poems handed down from generation to generation, there are only two that are recognized to be written directly for Du Fu. One is "Send Off Du Erfu at the East Stone Gate of Lu County", and the other is this poem.
Sand Dune City, located on the bank of Wenshui River in Shandong Province, was Li Bai’s residence in central Shandong. The poet bid farewell to Du Fu. From the life full of friendship and joy, he returned to the sand dunes alone, feeling doubly lonely and doubly aware of the value of friendship. This poem expresses the irresistible feeling of missing the emperor under this situation. The poet first used a lot of pen and ink to write about his own life, the surrounding environment where he lived, and his own mood. In the first six lines of the poem, there is neither the word "sijun" nor the word "jun", giving the reader the feeling of going through twists and turns and not knowing where they are going. It is not until the end of the poem that the word "sijun" suddenly becomes clear and the word "sijun" is uttered. There is no sentence in the poem that does not describe the feeling of missing the king, and every couplet is as strong as the last couplet, so that in the end, I have to express my feelings directly. The smoke and clouds in the first six sentences have become the foil for the last two sentences. This kind of conception can not only prepare the theme of the poem from various angles and use various feelings, but also give those daily life affairs a strong poetic flavor.
The poem begins with: Why am I here? This is what the poet asked himself, and there is quite a bit of unspeakable resentment and self-blame in it. This will grab the reader's attention and create suspense. Gaowo Dune City, Gaowo actually refers to the poet's idle and boring life. On the one hand, this sentence describes the current life, and on the other hand, it also responds to the reason for raising the above question. The reason why the poet does not come to lie high in the sand dunes is because he misses his friend Du Fu. The beginning of this volley bursts out in a sudden way the poet's complex and depressed feelings after the friendly and cheerful life disappeared.
The first two sentences tend to express subjective emotions, while the third and fourth sentences turn to the description of objective scenery. There are ancient trees beside the city, and the sound of autumn continues day and night. To the poet, the sand dune city in front of him seems to have nothing to see or hear, except for the old trees on the edge of the city, which rustle in the autumn wind day and night. Late at night, the wind blows on the bamboos, and the sound of autumn leaves is filled with hatred. This bleak autumn wind and desolate atmosphere make the poet miss his friends and reminisce about the past, which makes the poet even more distressed. Parting with lovesickness, Yao Se and Jin Zun. However, this time, this place, this feeling, this scene, is extraordinary. Even wine can't relieve sorrow, and song can't forget it. Lu and Qi refer to Shandong where the poet was located at that time. Don't get drunk, that is, you don't have the interest to drink and get drunk. Empty and emotional, because the poet has no intention to appreciate it, and the singing can only be empty of emotion. Such a rewrite greatly increases the lyrical weight, and at the same time forces out the following.
Wenshui River originates from Laiwu, Shandong Province and flows southwest. Du Fu said goodbye to Li Bai in Lu County and wanted to go to Chang'an, which is also located in the southwest of Lu. So the poet said: My longing for you is like this mighty Wen River, following you southward day and night. The poet places his affection on the flowing water, echoes the title of the poem, and points out the main theme. The artistic conception of endless flowing water and endless longing for loves creates the lasting charm of the poem. This kind of endless longing, and the kind of green water in the sky and green mountains in the sea. The open and free mind of the poet shows the richness of the poet's emotions and style.
In the development of ancient Chinese poetry, the ancient style preceded the rhythmic style. However, the popularity of rhyme style also has an impact on the writing of ancient poetry. For example, Li Bai's "Wu Gu" poem has eight lines in total. Although the middle four lines are not neatly contrasted, traces of rhythmic poetry can be seen in the contrast between some of the words and the overall format. This kind of composition and sentence structure with pairs in prose and rhythm in ancient times better expresses the poet's pure and deep feelings, and also gives the whole poem a natural and dignified style.