Jingye Si
Li Bai
There is bright moonlight in front of the bed,
It is suspected to be frost on the ground.
Raise your head and look at the bright moon,
Lower your head and think about your hometown.
[Notes]
1. Quiet night thoughts: thoughts caused by quiet nights.
2. Suspicious: doubt, think.
3. Raise your head: raise your head.
[Brief Analysis]
This poem writes about the feeling of missing my hometown on a silent moonlit night.
The first two lines of the poem, "The bright moonlight in front of the bed seems to be frost on the ground," describe the illusion that the poet had in a moment in the specific environment of a foreign country. For a person who lives alone in a foreign country, running around and busy during the day can dilute the sorrow of separation. However, in the dead of night, waves of longing for his hometown will inevitably arise in his heart. What's more, it's a moonlit night, let alone an autumn night with a frosty moonlight. The word "suspect" in "Suspect is frost on the ground" vividly expresses the poet's confusion when he first wakes up from sleep, mistaking the cold moonlight shining in front of his bed for thick frost covering the ground. The word "frost" is used even better. It not only describes the brightness of the moonlight, but also expresses the coldness of the season. It also highlights the loneliness and desolation of the poet wandering in a foreign country.
The last two lines of the poem, "Looking up at the bright moon and looking down at my hometown," deepen the homesickness through the depiction of movements and expressions. The word "wang" echoes the word "suspicious" in the previous sentence, indicating that the poet has turned from daze to sobriety. He stared at the moon eagerly and couldn't help but think that his hometown was also under the shining of this bright moon at this moment. This naturally led to the conclusion of "lowering my head and thinking about my hometown". The action of "lowering the head" depicts the poet completely in deep thought. And the word "thinking" leaves readers with rich imagination: the fathers and brothers, relatives and friends in the hometown, the mountains, rivers, plants and trees in the hometown, the lost years and past events... they are all missed. The content contained in the word "thinking" is really rich.
This five-character quatrain vividly reveals the poet's inner activities from "doubt" to "hope" to "thinking" and vividly outlines a picture of homesickness on a moonlit night. The language of the poem is fresh and simple, as clear as words; the expression is spoken casually and in one go. But the concept is full of twists and turns. The content of the poem is easy to understand, but the poetic meaning is difficult to fully appreciate.
Hu Yinglin, a scholar of the Ming Dynasty, said: "The quatrains of Taibai are all made up of words. It is said that there is no intention to work but nothing is not done" ("Shisou·Inner Edition"). This poem "Thoughts on a Quiet Night" can be said to be an excellent illustration of the "naturalness" and "no intention of work but no lack of work" artistic characteristics of Li Bai's poetry.
Gu Lang Yue Xing (excerpt)
Li Bai
When I was young, I didn’t know the moon,
It was called a white jade plate.
I also suspected that the Yao mirror was flying in the blue clouds.
[Note]
Yaotai: the place where the gods live in the hypothesis.
[Today's translation]
When I was a child, I didn't know the moon.
I called the bright moon a white jade plate.
I also suspected that it was a fairy mirror from Yaotai,
flying among the clouds in the night sky.
[Explanation]
"Gu Long Yue Xing" is an ancient Yuefu title. Here, only the first four lines of the poem are excerpted. The poet uses romantic techniques and rich imagination and myths and legends to show his childish and beautiful understanding of the moon in childhood. The poet compared the "white jade plate" and the "Yao Tai mirror", not only describing the shape of the moon, but also describing the brightness and loveliness of the moonlight, revealing an admirable childishness in the novelty. The word "call" in the second sentence and the word "suspect" in the third sentence vividly express the innocence of children. These four lines of poetry are like a perfect quatrain, with simple language, interesting metaphors, and very memorable.
Wanglushan Waterfall
Li Bai
Purple smoke rises from the incense burner in the sunshine,
Looking at the waterfall hanging in front of the river in the distance.
The flying current flows down three thousand feet,
It is suspected that the Milky Way has fallen into the sky.
[Note]
1. Lushan Mountain: Located in the south of Jiujiang City, Jiangxi Province, it is a famous scenic spot in my country.
2. Incense Burner: Xianglu Peak is located in the northwest of Mount Lushan. It is named because it looks like an incense burner and the mountain is often shrouded in clouds and smoke.
3． Kakemaekawa: Hanging on the water in front.
4. Jiutian: According to ancient legend, there are nine levels of heaven, and Jiutian is the highest level of heaven.
[Brief Analysis]
This is a landscape poem written by the poet Li Bai when he was living in seclusion in Lushan Mountain when he was about fifty years old. This poem vividly depicts the majestic scenery of Lushan Waterfall and reflects the poet's infinite love for the great rivers and mountains of the motherland.
The first sentence "The sun shines on the incense burner and produces purple smoke." "Xianglu" refers to Xianglu Peak in Lushan Mountain. This peak is located in the northwest of Lushan Mountain. It is pointed and round in shape, like an incense burner. As the waterfall cascades and the water vapor evaporates upwards, under the bright sun, it seems as if there is an incense burner standing high in the sky and slowly rising clouds of purple smoke. The word "生" vividly depicts the scene of rising smoke and clouds. This sentence sets a majestic background for the waterfall, and also adds to the atmosphere for the direct description of the waterfall below.
The second sentence "Looking at the waterfall Kageqianchuan from a distance". The four words "looking at the waterfall from a distance" echo the title "Wanglu Mountain Waterfall".
"Kakezengawa" means that the waterfall is like a huge white chain hanging straight from the cliff to the river in front. The word "hang" turns movement into stillness, and depicts the waterfall in the distance with a delicate texture.
The first two sentences of the poem are written from a broad perspective, summarizing the panoramic view: the purple smoke is lingering on the top of the mountain, the mountains are hanging white, and the rapids are rushing below the mountain, forming a gorgeous and magnificent picture.
The third sentence "Floating down three thousand feet" describes the waterfall in detail from close range. "Flying flow" expresses the waterfall shooting out of the sky, gushing and falling. "Straight down" not only expresses the steepness of the rock wall, but also expresses the rapidity of the water flow. "Three thousand feet" is an exaggeration to describe the height of the mountain.
Writing this way, the poet felt that the majestic momentum of the waterfall had not been fully expressed, so he then wrote another sentence: "It is suspected that the Milky Way has fallen into the sky." It is said that this "flowing down" waterfall makes people suspect that the Milky Way is pouring down from the sky. The word "suspicious" is used in an ethereal and lively way, as if it is true or illusory, attracting people's imagination and adding to the magical color of the waterfall.
This poem uses metaphor, exaggeration and imagination extremely successfully, with a unique conception and vivid, concise and bright language. Su Dongpo admired this poem very much and said, "The emperor sent the emperor to the Milky Way, and in ancient times there were only poems to banish immortals." The "exiled immortal" is Li Bai. "Wanglu Mountain Waterfall" is indeed an example of describing scenery and expressing emotions through objects.
Gift to Wang Lun
Li Bai
Li Bai was about to leave in a boat,
Suddenly he heard singing on the shore.
The Peach Blossom Pond is a thousand feet deep,
It is not as good as Wang Lun’s gift to me.
[Note]
1. Wang Lun: The friend Li Bai met in Peach Blossom Pond had a very forthright personality. This poem was given to him.
2. Ta Ge: Sing while tapping your feet on the ground.
3． Taohuatan: The name of the water pool, located in the southwest of Jingxian County, Anhui Province today.
[Brief Analysis]
When Li Bai visited Taohuatan in Jing County, he often visited villager Wang Lun's house. Before leaving, Wang Lun came to see him off, so Li Bai wrote this poem to say goodbye. The poem expresses Li Bai's deep affection for Wang Lun, an ordinary villager.
The first two sentences of the narrative: "Li Bai was about to leave in a boat, and suddenly he heard singing on the shore." Li Bai was about to leave in a boat, and Wang Lun came with a group of villagers to see him off. They held hands and walked while , while singing. "Desire" and "sudden hearing" correspond to each other, writing the poet's surprise mood. "Jianyu" means that the boat is about to set off; "Suddenly heard" means that it is unexpected. Maybe Wang Lun had held a family dinner to say goodbye last night, indicating that he had something to do the next day and couldn't send it off again. But now he is not only here, but also brought a group of villagers to see him off. Why doesn't the poet get extremely excited? In what language? Peach Blossom Pond was nearby, so the poet took it at his fingertips and compared the depth of the water in Peach Blossom Pond with Wang Lun's deep love for him. "The water in Peach Blossom Pond is a thousand feet deep, not as deep as Wang Lun's love for me." Shen Deqian of the Qing Dynasty commented: "If you say that Wang Lun's love is as deep as the water of a thousand feet deep in the pond, it is an ordinary statement. The wonderful scene only changes in a moment." ( "Tang Shi Bie Cai") Indeed, the beauty of these two sentences is that the word "not as good as" connects two unrelated things. With the "thousand-foot-deep" Peach Blossom Pond as a reference, the invisible Friendship becomes tangible, vivid and thought-provoking. The pool is "thousand feet deep", so how deep is Wang Lun's friendship?
Tang Ruxun of the Ming Dynasty said in "Interpretation of Tang Poems": "Lun, a village of people, how can they be close to Bai? They are brewing wine to wait for him, and they are farewell to their ancestors when they come back. The sentiment is solid and beyond the ordinary. That’s right. Taibai captures the true feelings of the scene, so he can tune them through the ages.” This comment is appropriate.
Sitting Alone on Jingting Mountain
Li Bai
All the birds are flying high,
The solitary cloud is gone alone.
I never get tired of looking at each other.
Only Jingting Mountain.
[Notes]
1. Jingting Mountain: Located in the north of Xuancheng County, Anhui Province, it was formerly known as Zhaoting Mountain, with quiet and beautiful scenery. There used to be a Jing Pavilion on the mountain, which was the place where Xie Tiao chanted in the Southern Qi Dynasty.
2. Xian: quiet.
[Brief Analysis]
This poem was written by Li Bai when he came to Xuancheng after ten years of wandering after leaving Chang'an. During his long wandering life, he had experienced the harshness of the world, which added to his sense of loneliness. However, his proud and stubborn character remained the same as before. During this period, he wrote a large number of poems about traveling to immortals and drinking to relieve his depression. He also wrote many poems about landscapes and expressing his inner emotions. This poem shows the poet feeling lonely in real life and finding comfort in the embrace of nature.
The first two sentences, "All the birds are flying high, and the lone cloud is alone," resemble the scene in front of us, revealing a feeling of loneliness. Many birds in the sky flew away without a trace; even the only lone cloud refused to stay for a moment and floated away far away alone, making the mountains seem particularly quiet. In the poet's opinion, everything in the world despises him and leaves him. Words such as "extremely", "lonely", "alone" and "idle" express the poet's strong sense of loneliness. This is exactly the mental outlook of many scholar-officials in feudal society who have ideals and talents but are politically suppressed.
The third and fourth sentences, "Jingting Mountain is the only place we can never tire of looking at each other," use romanticism to personify and personalize Jingting Mountain.
Although the bird flew away, the poet still did not go back, nor did he want to go back. He stared at the quiet and beautiful Jingting Mountain for a long time, feeling that Jingting Mountain seemed to be looking at him lovingly. There is no need to say anything between them, they have reached emotional communication. "Two never tire" shows the emotional affinity between the poet and Jingting Mountain. "Only" does not mean too little, but a kind of pride and satisfaction that "one knowledge in life is enough".
The Yellow Crane Tower sends Meng Haoran to Guangling
Li Bai
The old friend bid farewell to the Yellow Crane Tower in the west,
Fireworks descend to Yangzhou in March.
The shadow of the solitary sail in the distance is gone in the blue sky,
Only the Yangtze River can be seen flowing in the sky.
[Note]
1. Yellow Crane Tower: The original site is on Huanghuji in Snake Mountain, Wuchang, Wuhan City, Hubei Province today. Legend has it that an immortal flew away on a yellow crane here, so it is called Yellow Crane Tower.
2. Meng Haoran: Li Bai's friend.
3． Which: Go.
4. Guangling: Yangzhou.
5． Old friend: Old friend, this refers to Meng Haoran.
6. Fireworks: refers to the gorgeous spring scenery.
7. Exhaust: disappear.
8. Only see: only see.
9． Skyrim: The horizon.
[Brief Analysis]
Li Bai is a poet who loves nature and likes to travel. He "liked to travel to famous mountains all his life" and traveled almost all over China, leaving behind many songs. A piece of natural beauty that celebrates friendship. "Yellow Crane Tower Farewell to Meng Haoran at Guangling" is a famous poem that has always been praised. This poem was written by Li Bai during his grand tour to Shu. It describes the poet's infinite attachment when bidding farewell to his friends, and also writes about the magnificence and beauty of the mountains and rivers of his motherland.
The opening line of the poem, "An old friend bids farewell to the Yellow Crane Tower in the West," closely follows the title, pointing out the place of farewell and the relationship between oneself and the person being sent off. The word "old friend" illustrates the deep friendship between the two poets. The "Yellow Crane Tower" is a world-famous tourist attraction, a gathering place for poets and poets, and the legendary place where immortals ascended to heaven on a crane. Now the two chic and elegant poets are saying goodbye here, which is even more poetic and romantic. The second sentence, "Fireworks descend on Yangzhou in March," closely follows the first sentence and describes the season of farewell and the place where the person being sent off is going. "Yangzhou" is a southeastern city that has been prosperous since ancient times, and "March" is the season when spring is beautiful and flowers bloom. The poet uses "fireworks" to modify "March", which not only vividly describes the characteristics of misty smoke and blooming flowers in Yangchun, but also reminds people of the prosperous and peaceful Yangzhou in the prosperous age of Kaiyuan, with clusters of flowers and embroidered bead curtains. scene. The place Meng Haoran wanted to go was really a good place, and the time was chosen just right. Li Bai was naturally very envious of his friend's trip. The clear and bright poem "Fireworks descend in Yangzhou in March" expresses the poet's inner joy and yearning. But Li Bai is also an emotional poet. When his friends sail away, the feeling of farewell arises spontaneously. From the "Collection of Li Taibai", we can see that there are many poems between Li Bai and Meng Haoran. In "Gift to Meng Haoran", Li Bai wrote: "My love for Master Meng is known all over the world. The beauty abandons the crown, and the white head lies in the pine clouds." It can be seen how much Li Bai admires Meng Haoran and how deep their friendship is.
The third and fourth lines of the poem describe Li Bai's affectionate farewell when bidding farewell to his poet friends. "The shadow of the lone sail in the distance is gone in the blue sky, and only the Yangtze River can be seen flowing in the sky." On the surface, these two poems seem to describe scenery, but in fact they have a distinct image of the poet. "Lonely sail" by no means means that there is only one sailboat on the vast Yangtze River, but that the poet's entire attention and emotion are only concentrated on the sailboat on which his friend is riding. The poet saw him off by the Yellow Crane Tower, watching the boat his friend was riding on hang up its sails, and gradually get farther and farther away, getting smaller and smaller, becoming more and more blurry, leaving only a little shadow, and finally disappeared between the water and the sky. place, but the poet still stood for a long time, watching the river flowing to the sky, as if he wanted to entrust his affection to the river, accompany the boat, and send his friends to their destination. These two lines of poetry express such deep friendship, but the word "friendship" cannot be found in the lines. The poet cleverly placed his deep feelings of farewell in the dynamic description of natural scenery, completely blending the emotions and scenery together, truly making it silent but leaving an endless aftertaste.
In addition, in terms of the rhyme of the poem, the poet also creatively chose three melodious rhymes of "lou", "zhou" and "liu", which left a lingering sound when reciting. This is very consistent with the scene of the lone sail sailing away and the river flowing into the sky, as well as the poet's longing and affectionate demeanor as he watched. Coupled with the clear and natural language and the powerful and broad artistic conception, this poem really makes people fall in love with it more and more and never get tired of reading it a hundred times. No wonder it has been praised throughout the ages.
When Shen Deqian, a native of the Qing Dynasty, commented on the artistic characteristics of Li Taibai's Qi Jue in his "Tang Poems": "The seven-character quatrains are based on words that are close to the feelings and distant, and it is valuable to be implicit but not expressive. Only focus on the foreground and speak in spoken language. And there are overtones, which make people feel far away, and Taibai has Yan. "Li Taibai's Qijue is indeed unique in the world of poetry."
Departure early from Baidi City
Li Bai
The White Emperor's farewell speech was among the colorful clouds,
Thousands of miles of rivers and mountains are returned in one day.
The apes on both sides of the strait can't stop crying.
The boat has passed the Ten Thousand Mountains.
[Note]
1. Baidi: Baidi Mountain in the east of Fengjie County, Sichuan Province. There is Baidi City on the mountain, located in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River.
2. Jiangling: Jiangling County, Hubei Province, located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River.
3． Cry: cry.
[Brief Analysis]
This is a seven-character quatrain that has been passed down through the ages.
In the spring of 758 AD, Li Bai was implicated for participating in the Yongwang Li Lin shogunate affairs and was exiled to Yelang (now western Guizhou Province). He was pardoned only after traveling to Baidi City. On the way back to Jiangling, he wrote this poem to express the poet's joyful mood.
"Chaoci Baidi Caiyunjian", the first sentence describes the poet's recollection, indicating that the time for sailing is morning and the location is Baidi City. "Caiyunjian" refers to the height of Baidi City. The colorful clouds are in perfect harmony with the poet's joy at being pardoned. "A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Tombs Return in a Day", the second sentence expresses the poet's wishes and describes the speed of the ship. It only takes one day to reach the Thousands of Miles of Rivers and Tombs. The poet used an exaggerated technique to describe the rapidity of the Yangtze River, and at the same time expressed the poet's mood of "returning to his heart like an arrow."
The third and fourth sentences vividly describe the situation of the fast boat. "The apes on both sides of the strait can't stop crying, and the light boat has passed thousands of mountains." The cries of the apes on both sides of the strait have not stopped, but the light boat has already sailed through thousands of mountains and ridges. In these two sentences, the poet first writes about the sound of apes, and then writes about the light boat. He uses the word "Ji" to connect "cannot hold back his cry" and "crossing thousands of mountains", and uses the echo of the sound of the ape to set off the speed of the light boat. This rhetorical technique is very clever. of. The poet's eagerness to return eastward overflows with the bright rhythm of the poem.
The whole poem describes the scene and expresses emotions, describing the light and bright scenery, expressing the light and joyful feeling, reaching the point where the scenes blend together.