Quietness is the shengxiao for parting, and silence is tonight’s Cambridge. It means that the low melody of the shengxiao reflects the feelings of parting, but this time the shengxiao was not played during parting, it was just the poet’s imagination. In terms of form, Cambridge is quiet, the parting shengxiao is quiet, and tonight's Cambridge is silent.
Farewell Cambridge
The source of this sentence is a poem by the modern poet Xu Zhimo, which is a representative work of Crescent School poetry.
I have excerpted the most famous passage from the original text of this sentence for everyone to refer to.
But I can’t sing,
Quietness is the shengxiao of parting. ;
The summer insects are also silent for me,
Silence is Cambridge tonight!
Here are some words that I think are more important, and I will explain them to you individually
⑴青荇 (xìng): a perennial herb with slightly rounded leaves that float on the water. The roots grow at the bottom of the water and the flowers are yellow.
⑵Swagger: This means "carefree".
⑶篙 (gāo): A boat-holding tool made of bamboo poles or fir wood.
(4) trace (sù): go against the direction of the water flow.
What this article mainly wants to tell us is that
"Farewell Cambridge" is a lyric poem describing scenery. The usual saying is that this poem was written by Xu Zhimo based on objects. I lost the attachment I felt when I said goodbye to Cambridge. Generally speaking, there are three emotions expressed: nostalgia, farewell and sentimentality after the ideal is disillusioned.
"Gently I left, just as I came gently, I waved my hands gently to bid farewell to the clouds in the western sky." The so-called coming and going gently in the first verse illustrates the meaning of "gently coming and going". It describes the scene when the poet quietly came and left Cambridge alone. The last "Clouds in the Western Sky" adds a brilliant touch of color to the subsequent description. The entire scenery is illuminated by the setting sun. So this stanza sets a tone for the whole poem.
"The golden willows by the river are the bride in the setting sun, and the beautiful shadows in the waves are rippling in my heart." The second stanza of the poem actually just describes the scene of the willow trees on the bank reflected in the Cam River. , but the poet wrote it so vividly, so sweetly, so beautifully and soaked with the poet's infinite joy and nostalgia.
"The green banana plant on the soft mud is swaying slippery under the water; in the soft waves of Cam Bridge, I am willing to be a waterweed." The third stanza of the poem is actually just about the waterweed in the Cam River. The word "swagger" vividly describes Kangqiao's welcoming attitude towards the poet, and the word "willingness" also describes his eternal love for Kangqiao.
"The pool under the elm's shade is not a clear spring, but a rainbow from the sky, crushed among the floating algae, precipitating rainbow-like dreams." The so-called "a pool under the elm's shade" in the fourth stanza of the poem "Pond" refers to Byron Pond, where the elm shade blocks the sun and is a very cool place. The poet used to enjoy the coolness and reverie there when he was studying. There is obviously a clear spring there, but the poet insists that it is not a clear spring, but a crushed rainbow in the sky mixed with algae floating on the pool water, and settled in the depths of the pool water, just like a rainbow-like dream. . Because the fourth stanza talks about dreams, the poet naturally turns to dream-seeking in the fifth stanza.
"Looking for a dream? Take a long pole, row upstream to where the grass is greener, load a boat full of stars, and sing in the colorful starlight." The fifth stanza of the poem is the poet's recollection of the past life. , nostalgia. He lived in Cambridge for two years. At that time, he had his own ideals, lived a fulfilling life, and had hope for tomorrow. Therefore, he used "a boat of stars" to describe life at that time, which has a symbolic meaning.
"But I can't sing, quietly is the shengxiao of farewell, and the summer insects are silent for me, and silence is tonight's Cambridge." The sixth stanza of the poem is the climax of emotion, fully expressing Xu Zhimo's love for Kangqiao's emotions concentrated on the melancholy of parting.
"Quietly I left, just as quietly as I came, waving my sleeves, not taking away a single cloud." The "cloud" in the seventh stanza has a symbolic meaning, representing a rainbow-like dream. , it is reflected in the water, but does not take it away, so saying goodbye to Cambridge is not saying goodbye to his alma mater, but saying goodbye to the Cambridge culture that brought the greatest change to his life, and saying goodbye to the ideals of Cambridge.
This poem is enveloped in an atmosphere of silence. Paint a quiet scene and create a peaceful state of mind. At the end of the poem, the poet imagines himself holding a long pole, roaming deep into the distant grass, facing the gentle breeze, and enjoying the stars. It is true that even people who lack musical inspiration can't help but sing loudly, but the idea in the poem is immediately reversed. : "But I can't sing", the poetic state still returns and is immersed in silence. And "quietness is the shengxiao of parting; summer insects are also silent for me", and even more deliberately connects "sheng dance" with "quietness", "summer insects" and "silence", which cannot be reconciled, and is intended to express The poet's detachment is unstoppable, and the sentence "Silence is Cambridge tonight" pushes the poet's state of quiet contemplation to the extreme.
The imagery chosen by the poet is novel and unique, and the atmosphere is fresh and beautiful. The emotions in the poem are as elegant as "clouds", as soft as "willow", and as clear as "water". The clouds, golden willows, green water plants, ripples of light, and starlight are all colored by emotion and made beautiful by emotion. Kanghe once witnessed a beautiful period of Xu Zhimo's life, and it is the hometown of his eternal spiritual attachment. Every plant and tree here is imbued with emotion, and the blending of scenes makes it possible to express the "Shima-style" freedom and helplessness.
This poem has four lines in one section, and the lines in each section are arranged in an orderly manner. The number of words in each sentence is basically six or seven (interspersed with eight-character sentences), and the order is seen in the uneven changes; Stanzas rhyme, change rhyme from stanza to stanza, and pursue the fluctuation and melody of syllables. In addition, the syllables are also light and soft. The repeated use of repeated words such as "gently" and "quietly" not only enhances the light rhythm of the poem, but also deliberately suppresses the warm emotions in the inner layer of the poem for you to understand. The first and last stanzas have similar sentence patterns and echo each other, giving people a dreamlike feeling.
You may not be able to understand the meaning by just reading the article, which must be interpreted in conjunction with the background at the time
This poem was written by Xu Zhimo on his way back from his third trip to Europe. The time was November 6, 1928, and the location was the China Sea. But the time he revisited Cambridge this time was in the summer at the end of July. After he stayed all night at the home of the British philosopher Bertrand Russell, without informing anyone in advance, he quietly came to Cambridge to find him on a sunny afternoon with a pounding heart. From British friends. The so-called "Cambridge" is now translated as "Cambridge", which is the seat of the famous Cambridge University. It is a place with beautiful scenery. Because Xu Zhimo studied and lived here when he was young and made many British friends, he often had a special feeling for it. Unfortunately, because he had not made good contact in advance, none of the British friends he was familiar with were there. Only Cambridge, which he was familiar with, was waiting for him quietly there. So, he quietly walked around in every place and corner where he had lived seven or eight years ago, and the scenes of his past life unfolded before his eyes again. Because he was busy at the time and rushed to Tinton Hall to meet another British friend, he did not record this emotional event. It wasn't until he took a boat from Marseille to return home, facing the turbulent sea and the vast sky, that he took out a piece of paper and wrote down his personal feelings about returning to Cambridge.