Introduction to the work
"Bu Suanzi: Going Up the Floor Alone" is a poem by Cheng Gai of the Southern Song Dynasty. This poem expresses the feeling of longing for someone who is leaving. The first part of the film is about climbing a building alone, looking out over the green mountains, until the sun sets in the west, but there are no returning geese to pass the message. The second part is about going downstairs alone, but the sound of cicadas downstairs, the moonlight at dusk, and the desolate atmosphere are still heartbreaking. The whole word is subtle and euphemistic, with a quiet artistic conception.
Original text
Bu Shuanzi
Going upstairs alone, the green mountains are far away outside the building. When I looked at the sunset, I couldn't see the geese flying in the west.
I went downstairs alone, and there was a lot of complaining from the crickets downstairs. By the time the moon came up at dusk, I was still feeling heartbroken.
Comments
⑴Xifeiyan: A wild goose flying back from the west (it is said that a wild goose can pass messages).
⑵蛩(qióng): cricket.
Appreciation
Cheng Gai's "Businessman" is known for its emotional writing. The protagonist's hopeful mood gradually turned into disappointment as time went by, and her feelings gradually changed from gentle to... Intense, from silence to sadness and sorrow, until the heart is broken. The scene evokes emotions, lingering and pathos, and the feelings are never fully revealed, but everyone can understand what the author wants to say and the thoughts and feelings he wants to express from the lines.
In the first part of the poem, I write about hope upstairs, and the time is daytime. To be alone on a high floor means to climb high and look far away. But looking far into the distance, all I can see are green mountains and the horizon. "Far" refers to the distance of the green mountains, and it also refers to the distance that the protagonist can see, which is the meaning of the sentence "Go up to the tall building alone and see the end of the world." Naturally, what we look for is not in the green mountains, but in "people". However, when I looked at the setting sun, the light was blurred, and I could no longer look far away, I still couldn't see the shadow of the man, and I didn't even expect any news! Wild goose, using wild goose as a code for passing letters, can be found in "Han Shu·Su Wu Biography". "No geese flying to the west" means no news coming from afar. "As the sun sets, the sheep and cattle come down." People who are outside feel like they are not coming home. The protagonist's sincere feelings, longing to see through, anxious wandering, and various emotions are all unspeakable. But she wasn't disheartened. So in the second part of the poem, the protagonist enters a high-rise building at night, then walks downstairs alone, lingering and waiting downstairs. But the courtyard was silent, except for the sound of crickets weeping and complaining. The sound of crickets is used to contrast the loneliness, and the sadness of the crickets' sound is used to implicitly describe the protagonist's feelings. At this point, the protagonist's "grievance" begins to be written. After spending the whole day and night in bed, the man never came back, which is where the "resentment" arose. The last two sentences of the poem are written on the moon at dusk, which is the moment to meet the one you love. However, the protagonist is still hanging around downstairs, with no one coming back. He can't help but feel resentful and sad, and his heart is broken. The word "still" shows that it has not been a day since she was so hopeful and disappointed. This can give a glimpse of the heroine's deep yearning and hope.
The main content of this poem is: when people are in a faraway land, they miss their loved ones day and night. The longer they stay away, the stronger the nostalgia becomes. They look forward to it day and night, but do not see their return, which makes people feel heartbroken. Judging from the "soft intestines" written in the poem and the unforgettable tenderness, the protagonist of the poem may be a young woman; the person she misses is her husband.
In this poem, the author only writes about the protagonist’s activities upstairs and downstairs. From this point of view, the author seems to be careless and picks it up casually, but if you read it carefully, it is moving and unforgettable. The author is familiar with life and is good at understanding the psychological state of those who look forward to someone: during the day, when looking for someone, it is natural to go to a high building. The higher you go, the deeper you will get. This is also the folk song of the Southern Dynasties "Wang Lang goes to the brothel". Emperor Liang Yuan's "Si Qiu Fu": "When I climbed up the tower and looked around, I saw smoke in the trees in the distance. The plain is like this, and I don't know how many thousands of roads there are!" It is also the same realm as climbing up the tower during the day to look for people. When waiting for someone at night, he would stay downstairs and wander around the courtyard. This is what is called "standing on the empty jade steps". If it is still upstairs, it will lose its authenticity. Of course, there are also those who stay upstairs all the time. Yao Lingwei's "Remembering the Kings and Grandsons" writes that "the lovers upstairs listen to the horses neighing." That is a lover's affair, which is not blatant. It writes about the psychological state of a specific character. Li Qingzhao's "Slow Voice" "How can one live in darkness when one is alone by the window", which is a portrayal of the husband's death and no one to look forward to. Therefore, even though I only wrote about upstairs and downstairs, I have gained a deep understanding of the reality of life. The old words are not polished, but every word is truly touching.
About the author
Cheng Gai, a poet in the Southern Song Dynasty. The year of birth and death is unknown. The courtesy name is Zhengbo and the nickname is Shuzhou. A native of Meishan (now part of Sichuan). During the reign of Emperor Xiaozong and Chunxi Emperor, he visited Lin'an. Guangzong had not yet become an official. His poems reflect a narrow range of life, and mostly write about travel, travel, parting, and sadness. There is "Shuzhou Ci". There are more than 150 poems in existence.
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