Li He
Emperor Wu loved immortals and burned gold to get purple smoke.
The stables are full of meat horses, and they can’t understand how to reach the sky.
"Horse Poems" is a collection of poems by Li He. There are twenty-three poems in total, and the last one is selected here.
This is a satirical poem that satirizes Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty for trying to make elixirs to become immortals. The object of its satire is clearly Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, but it alludes to Emperor Xianzong of the Tang Dynasty; because Xianzong was as superstitious about immortals as Emperor Wu, but because he was the emperor of the current dynasty, it was difficult to say it directly, so he used Emperor Wu to talk about it. We must pay attention to this.
Although this poem only has four sentences, it reflects Li He's skillful satirical art and is rich in content.
Using the objective effects of actions to contrast the absurdity of subjective desires, and developing irony in cold statements, are the main artistic techniques of this poem. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty dreamed of immortality and visited immortals many times to seek help from gods. According to records in "Taiping Guangji", Li Shaojun once presented an immortal prescription to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, saying that cinnabar can be refined into a golden elixir, and taking the golden elixir can become an immortal. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty asked magicians to make elixirs. So, is there really such an "immortality" medicine in the world? Li He's answer is no. However, the poem does not directly point out this point from the front, but focuses on stating the results of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty's alchemy: "burning gold to get purple smoke", "getting purple smoke", not only vividly depicts the transformation of cinnabar into elixir in the fire The scene of bursts of green smoke drifting away, and it is a metaphor for Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty's wish to become an immortal. It is as illusory as the blue smoke, and it is just a dream that cannot be realized. "The stables are full of meat horses, and they can't understand how to reach the sky." The last two sentences further use objective reality to mock the absurd subjective wishes of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. According to the "Book of Han", Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty ordered General Li Guangli to expedition to the Kingdom of Dawan and plundered a group of famous horses called "Sweat-blooded Horses" and regarded these horses as "Tianma". The name "Pegasus" is also a reflection of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty's superstitious thoughts about gods. He hoped to ride these "Pegasus" in the sky in the future. However, wishes are wishes after all, and reality is reality after all; no matter what Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty called these horses, they were after all a pile of real flesh and blood, not "gods" from the fairy world. With the word "meat", the sacred halo that shrouded the "Pegasus" suddenly disappeared without a trace, returning them to their original appearance as mortal beings. The word "incomprehensible" is a severe mockery of the superstitious thoughts of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. In the position of the central word after the adverb "no", the poet does not use active words such as "think" and "wish", but uses the word "jie", which profoundly shows that these "celestial horses" are not only ordinary things in the world, but also the word "ji". They cannot go to heaven; and they are animals that are different from human beings. They will not understand the intentions of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty at all. However, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty pinned his wish to become an immortal and ascend to heaven on these animals that are not humane. How ridiculous!
Lu Xun once said: "Funny is not as good as plain, but its plainness makes it more funny." ("Explanation of Funny Examples") "Ma Shi" only uses cold words to make statements without much judgment. However, because it reveals the absurdity and comedy of subjective desires with objective effects, it obtains an ironic comic effect and shows its profound critical power. Li He's resentment towards those in power and his superb satirical art can be seen in "Horse Poetry".