Tao Yuanming spent most of his life in seclusion. After he retired, Tao Yuanming loved chrysanthemums, which was the object of his praise and a typical image of his personality and aesthetic significance. After retiring, the poet's singing of chrysanthemum reflected a high aesthetic interest and pleasure.
First, Chrysanthemum Land and My Land are mutually integrated.
"The Land of Chrysanthemums" can be described as "a land without me". Wang Guowei said: "Without self, we see things by things, so we don't know what is for me and what is for things." "Without me, people can only get it in silence." In Tao Yuanming's poem Drinking, the phrase "Picking chrysanthemums under the east fence and seeing Nanshan leisurely" belongs to "the realm without me". In fact, strictly speaking, poetry must have "I" in any realm, and it must be a portrayal of "I"' s character, interest and experience. It's just that the poet's feelings are not directly expressed in his poems, so it seems that there is no me. In other words, the poet's mood is "carefree" and the scenery in his eyes is also "carefree". The poet only appeals to the intuition of this kind of scenery, which seems to have nothing to do with himself on the surface, but the emotional connotation is varied. Therefore, in this "realm without me", there is also a "realm with me", that is, the "chrysanthemum realm" and "my realm" blend. Wang Guowei said: "If you have my own realm, you can see things with me, so everything is my color." "If there is my realm, I will get it when I am quiet." The "chrysanthemum" in drinking is infected with emotions in "carefree". "I" in poetry is a subjective existence that reveals natural characteristics. As something in my opinion, it is actually stained with the color of "I". Subjective feelings are permeated in objective and calm description, and subjective feelings are contained in objective and calm description. There are no marks of axe carving here. It is really "clear water gives birth to hibiscus, and it is natural to carve it." Appreciating Tao Yuanming's "chrysanthemum" poems, we can feel the poet's life sentiment and significance from the mutual integration of "chrysanthemum realm" and "my realm"
2. Chrysanthemum is a perceptual natural image reflecting the essence of social life and a projection of Tao Yuanming's spirit.
Chrysanthemum is tangible, but the spirit is intangible. Turning spirit into chrysanthemum is seeking form with God. Tao Yuanming, who lives in seclusion, embodies his spirit and the poet's indifferent and quiet mind in Chrysanthemum. "The three paths are barren, and the pine chrysanthemum still exists" (Tao Yuanming's "Gui Xi Ci"). The path is deserted, but the pine chrysanthemum still exists peacefully. The poet avoided the noise of the powerful and gained a free and quiet mind in the leisurely pastoral life. The scene of "the morning is busy and useless, taking the moon lotus home" is real and full of life interest. My job is the free expression of life, so I enjoy the happiness of life. Chrysanthemum also shows Tao Yuanming's perseverance and integrity. In the era of "driving all day" in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Dongli picking chrysanthemums was an opposite behavior and a silent struggle against the social reality at that time. Chrysanthemum also shows Tao Yuanming's spirit of loving and praising labor. Poems such as "Young people are not suitable for common rhymes, and naturally love mountains" and "Dogs bark in deep alleys and chickens crow at the top of mulberry trees" outline a series of rural folk customs, which reflect Tao Yuanming's childlike heart for labor, and are in the same strain as "picking chrysanthemums under the east fence and seeing Nanshan leisurely", which is the inheritance of the poet's spiritual world.
Thirdly, singing chrysanthemums is essentially the externalization of aesthetic feelings.
"Chrysanthemum is Yu Yuanming, orchid is Qu Zi and plum is Weng, all of which are symbols of the poet's integrity." The emotion of poetry can find its counterpart in nature. Emotion depends on things, and materialized emotion is poetry. Tao Yuanming's ambition is deep, and chrysanthemum is the carrier of his deep feelings.
The charm of chrysanthemum is the poet's artistic conception. "The Book of the Republic of China" said: "Fang Ju opened Lin Yao, and Song Qingyan lived in it. With this chastity, it is outstanding for frost. " Chrysanthemums blooming under the frost are a vivid portrayal of the poet's unyielding character. Throughout the poet's life, although there is hope of being an official, in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, where fame and fortune are both achieved, the poet did the opposite and enthusiastically praised the chrysanthemum under the frost.
Tao Yuanming's emotional reaction to chrysanthemum is close to association. "Picking chrysanthemums under the east fence, you can see Nanshan leisurely." It is the leisurely chrysanthemum that touches the freedom and tranquility of poets, the objectification of people's feelings about nature, and the chrysanthemum that causes the changes of people's feelings in society. There is no noisy interference here. The clear air and pure fragrance gave birth to the poet's peaceful and natural poetic thoughts. The more comfortable and pure the poet describes this realm, the more he can show his disgust and contempt for the dirty society. The contrast between emotion and society reflects the poet's emotional pulse. Therefore, "people not only affirm themselves in the object world through thinking, but also carry all feelings." Tao Yuanming put all his feelings into chrysanthemum, and chrysanthemum also won its rhyme.
The aesthetic space presented by Tao Yuanming's "Chrysanthemum" image is an open system. A glimpse of Tao Yuanming's chrysanthemum poems from the perspective of aesthetic pleasure and emotion is helpful for us to deeply understand the artistic characteristics and achievements of Tao Yuanming's poems.