Category: Culture/Art
Problem description:
"In the early days of the Central Plains, when competing for the throne, Rong Xuan's plan was not enough to be generous, but he still had the will to pay homage to the emperor. Driving the horse out of the gate and asking for a tassel, Pingshi of South Vietnam went down to the Eastern Fan Dynasty. The ancient trees in the plains were in and out, the wild geese were singing in the sky, and the mountains were crowing at night. The apes were wounded from thousands of miles away and were frightened by the nine dead souls. Wouldn't they be afraid of the hardships and dangers? The country's scholar En Ji Bu Wu Er Nuo Hou Ying "Who can comment on the sentiments of life and fame?"
Analysis:
Wei Zheng
In the early days of the Central Plains, he was competing for the throne and writing for Rongxuan. Although the vertical and horizontal plans are not achieved, the generosity is still there.
The emperor is greeted with a stick, and the horse is driven out of the gate. Please go to South Vietnam with a tassel, and go to Dongfan with Shi.
Yu Yu Zhi Gaoxiu, haunting the plain. Cold birds sing in the ancient trees, and ape sings in the night on the empty mountain.
It not only hurts thousands of miles of sight, but also frightens the soul of nine dead people. Aren't you afraid of hardships and dangers? I deeply appreciate the kindness of my country.
Ji Bu made no two promises, and Hou Yingzhong said something. Life is a matter of spirit, no one can comment on fame.
This five-character ancient poem is titled "Come out of the Pass" in Volume 21 of "Yuefu Poetry Collection". It may have been performed as military music in the Tang Dynasty, and it is indeed the poet's poem during the military expedition. Written on the occasion. The poem's simple language and magnificent style are in perfect contrast to the bad habits in the poetry world at that time. Therefore, Shen Deqian of the Qing Dynasty first listed this poem in "Tang Poetry Collection" and spoke highly of it: "The ancient spirit has changed from the slenderness of the past." Xi, the style of the prosperous Tang Dynasty originated from this. "
This article was written in September of the second year of Wude (619) by Li Yuan, the emperor of the Tang Dynasty. It is a lyrical work written on the spot when the poet accepted a special mission from the imperial court and left Tongguan.
Wei Zheng's trip was a major event for the country and himself. At that time, the Tang Dynasty was first established, and the unification project had not yet been completed. There was still competition between other rebel armies in the Central Plains region, and between the rebel armies and Wang Shichong, the remnant force of the Sui Dynasty. Winning the anti-Sui forces back to the Tang Dynasty was of great significance for the complete victory over the old dynasty.
Wei Zheng was originally a subordinate of Li Mi in the Wagang Uprising Army. "Old Tang Book·Biography" says: Li Mi "was defeated by Wang Shichong and supported the people to return to the dynasty. His old territory extended to the sea in the east, Yujiang in the south, Ruzhou in the west, and Wei County in the north. (Li) occupied it, and he did not Belonging." Wei Zheng understood the situation and recommended himself to persuade Li. Li Yuan accepted the suggestion, appointed him as Secretary Cheng, and asked him to go to Liyang (now Junxian County, Henan Province) to complete his mission.
To go from Chang'an to the Central Plains, you must pass through Tongguan. In ancient times, this pass was a peach forest fortress, close to mountains and rivers. It was the strategic point of Qin, Jin, and Henan, and it was a battleground for military strategists. Wei Zheng trudged along, his heart was surging, and he composed "Shu Huai".
This five-ancient poem has twenty rhymes. The first four rhymes recall the experience of rebelling against the Sui Dynasty, surrendering to the Tang Dynasty, and requesting military service to go to the front line again. At the beginning of the poem, "Chasing the deer at the beginning of the Central Plains" is used to describe the uprising against the Sui Dynasty. Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty was a lewd and cruel monarch. His perverse behavior aroused the people's resistance. In the sixth year of the great cause, Luoyang warriors once attacked the imperial palace. The following year, Wang Bo, Gao Shida and others raised the banner of resistance in Shandong and Hebei. In the following years, the uprising expanded to all parts of the country. Famous uprising leaders include Dou Jiande, Meng Jiigong, Du Fuwei, Zhai Rang, Li Mi, Lin Shihong, etc. The most intense war was in the Central Plains and its adjacent areas. In the twelfth year of Daye, Emperor Yang of Sui Dynasty fled Jiangdu. The Wagang Uprising Army led by Zhai Rang and Li Mi began to seize counties in Henan. In the winter of the same year, Cheng Yuan Baobao of Wuyang County, Hebei Province raised troops to respond to Li Mi. Wei Zheng, who had been living in seclusion to study for a long time, was appointed as the military secretary, and then entered the Wagang Army headquarters. Therefore, the poet borrowed the allusion of Ban Chao's writing to join the army and said, "The writing is for the Rongxuan". "Rongxuan", funeral affairs. "Shi Rongxuan" means joining the army.
"Although vertical and horizontal plans fail, generosity still persists" is a documentary, not a general statement. On the eve of the great peasant uprising, Wei Zheng had realized that social unrest was inevitable and began to pay attention to various strategies, including the theories of political strategists such as Su Qin and Zhang Yi during the Warring States Period. Wei Zheng was good at literature and martial arts and knew military affairs. In the autumn of the fourteenth year of Daye (the first year of Wude in the Tang Dynasty), Wang Shichong's army and Li Mi's rebel army confronted each other at Luokou. Wei Zheng once asked Li Mi's chief historian Zheng to offer advice, analyzed the situation between the enemy and ourselves, and proposed a battle plan. Zheng refused to listen, which led to the defeat of the rebel army. . He followed Li Mi to the Tang Dynasty, traveling thousands of miles from Henan to Chang'an. He kept whipping his whip (stick) to drive the horse galloping, and finally met Li Yuan, the emperor of the Tang Dynasty. In the second year, he was ordered to leave Tongguan eastward.
The two sentences "Please take a tassel" use two vivid metaphors to illustrate the mission of leaving the customs. "Book of Han: Biography of Zhongjun" says that Zhongjun went on a mission to South Vietnam. Before leaving, he said to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty: Please give me a rope (tassel), and I will definitely be able to capture the King of Nanyue. "Pingshi" refers to the state of riding in a car and leaning on the crossbar (Shi) in front of the car. "Xiadongfan" originally refers to the vassal country that surrendered to the East. "Book of Han·Li Shiqi's Biography" says that during the founding of the Western Han Dynasty, Li Shiqi persuaded King Tian Guang of Qi to return and surrender to Liu Bang, and he "defended more than seventy cities of Qi under the command of Shi". The poet borrows from both classics, each with its own emphasis. The former writes the determination to send an envoy, and the latter writes the goal to be achieved.
Then the poet used three neat couplets to describe his experience and feelings of ascending and leaving Tongguan: "The Yuyunzhi Gaoxiu is haunted by the plains. Birds cry in the ancient trees, and apes sing in the night in the empty mountains. "It not only hurts the eyes of thousands of miles, but also frightens the soul of nine dead people." "Yu Yu" describes the twists and turns of the road. "Zhi" means climbing. It is closed on the ridge, so it is said to be Gaoxiu. The way out of the customs is between the faults of the Loess Plateau. Sometimes it rises and sometimes falls. Looking eastward, the plains in the distance also appear and disappear. The two sentences "ancient trees" depict the desolate scene of Tongguan during the war through scene description.
The combination of natural phenomena such as late autumn, cold nights, empty mountains, ancient trees, birdsong, and ape calls has a strong emotional color and reflects the poet's sad state of mind. He came from the battlefield in the Central Plains and went back to the battlefield, worried about current events and with mixed feelings. Feeling sad when looking into the distance, he came up with the words "The Songs of Chu: Calling the Soul": "My eyes are thousands of miles away and my spring heart is hurt." "The Songs of Chu: Thinking" also has the words "The soul disappears overnight." This is Qu Yuan's nostalgia for his old capital. My dream soul keeps coming back there. Wei Zheng borrowed its meaning and further exaggerated it, saying that even such dreams are unstable and often wake up.
In the complex and ever-changing war environment where heroes compete, he must fulfill his mission, which fills his heart with contradictions. The last six sentences of "Recounting Memories" express one's feelings directly in the form of self-questions and answers, opening the poet's heart. He said, who is not afraid of hardships and dangers, but the emperor values ??virtuous people so much that he treats me as the hero of the country. How could I not repay the favor. Ji Bu and Hou Ying, who were described in "Historical Records" as being trustworthy, are really admirable. This is how you should be as a human being, never covet fame and wealth. This poem reflects Wei Zheng's personality and true feelings. His behavior goes far beyond the narrow world of repaying personal kindness, making people think that he is more lovable than Ji Bu and Hou Ying.
Wei Zheng was not only far-sighted in politics, but also had great foresight in literature. He believed that the literature of the Southern and Northern Dynasties each had its own advantages and disadvantages, and advocated using their strengths and avoiding their weaknesses, and integrating the literary styles of the North and the South to write perfect works. His "Reminiscences" can be seen as such an attempt.
(Wu Gengshun)