This poem comes from "Appreciating Peonies".
Original text:
"Appreciating Peonies"
Tang? .
Only peonies are the true national beauty, and they move the capital when they bloom.
Translation:
The peonies in front of the court are enchanting and beautiful but lack structure, and the lotus in the pond is elegant and clean but lacks charm.
Only peony is the real beauty of the sky. When it blooms, it attracts countless people to appreciate it, shocking the entire city of Chang'an.
Extended information:
Creative background:
In the second year of Baoli (826), Emperor Jingzong of the Tang Dynasty, Liu Yuxi was transferred back to Luoyang and worked in the Shangshu Province of the Eastern Capital In the first year of Kaicheng (836), he was appointed as the guest of the prince and the secretary of the Eastern Capital Branch. Until his later years, Liu Yuxi often socialized with his friends Bai Juyi, Pei Du, Wei Zhuang and others in Luoyang, composed poems, sang and recited, and lived in Luoyang. Leisurely.
At the end of May in the second year of Kaicheng (837), Niu Sengru stayed behind for the Eastern Capital and built a villa in Nanguo, Luoyang. , a large number of peonies were planted in the courtyard. Niu Sengru often sang poems and admired peonies with poets Bai Juyi and Liu Yuxi in the courtyard. This poem was written by Liu Yuxi at this time.
Liu Yuxi wrote many peony appreciation poems during this period. "Peony Appreciation in Si'an Nanshu" is the companion piece to "Peony Appreciation" in this article.
Appreciation:
"Appreciating Peonies" is a seven-character quatrain written by Liu Yuxi, a litterateur in the Tang Dynasty.
This poem describes the habitual custom of viewing peonies in the Tang Dynasty, using the "evil and unqualified" nature of peony and the "pure and less sentimental" nature of hibiscus to set off the peony's high standard and full of emotional beauty. It also contains the ideal personality spirit in the poet's heart.
The whole poem uses the artistic techniques of contrasting and suppressing one another to promote the other, affirming the status of peony as a "true national color" in the flower world, and truly describing the huge effect of peonies in bloom that caused a sensation in the capital.
Baidu Encyclopedia-Peony Appreciation