Purpose: To express the hard life and longing for home of soldiers who served in the army.
"Xiaoya·Caiwei" is a piece in the ancient Chinese realist poetry collection "The Book of Songs", written by an unknown author. The poem is written in the tone of a garrison soldier, inspired by picking weeds. The first five stanzas focus on the hardships of life on the border, his strong homesickness, and the reason why he has not been able to go home for a long time. It reveals that the soldiers have the joy of victory in defending against the enemy. , also deeply felt the pain of the war, showing his desire for peace; the last chapter ended the poem with painful lyrics, which was deeply touching.
The original text is as follows:
If you pick weeds, they will stop. It's said to be returned, it's said to be returned, and the years are endless. The reason why the house is so spacious and the house is so luxuriant is because of the wild beasts. Not to mention Qiju, because of the 烃狁.
Pick the weeds, and the weeds will stop softly. When I say return, I say return, and my heart also stops worrying. Worry is intense, hunger and thirst are present. Our garrison has not yet been decided, and the extravagant envoys have returned.
If you pick weeds, they will just stop. It is said to be returned, it is said to be returned, and the year is also the end of Yang. The king's affairs are extensive, and there is no need to leave the office. Worried and guilty, I can’t do it!
Where is Bill? The beauty of Wei Chang. Where is Belus? A gentleman's car. The army and chariots are driven, and the four industries are done. How dare you settle down? Three wins in January.
Driving the other four horses, the four horses raced. Gentlemen rely on them, villains rely on them. Four male wings, like fish-killing clothes. Isn’t it a daily precept? 烃狋狋thorn!
I am gone in the past, and the willows are still there. Now that I'm thinking about it, it's raining and snowing. The journey is slow, full of thirst and hunger. My heart is sad, but I don’t know how sad I am!
The translation is as follows:
Pick weeds in handfuls, and the new shoots of weeds have grown up. Talking about going home, talking about going home, the year is over again. Having a home means not having a home, just to fight with the hawks. There is no time to sit down and fight with the eagle.
Pick handfuls of weeds, which are tender and beginning to sprout. Talking about going home, I feel sad and worried. My heart is burning with sadness, and I am so hungry and thirsty. It’s hard to decide on the defensive position. Who can I trust to take it home?
We picked handfuls of weeds, but the weeds have grown old and twiggy. We talk about going home, and in a blink of an eye, October is here again. There are endless errands in the royal family, and there is no time to rest. It’s so painful to be filled with sorrow, and I’m afraid I’ll never go home again.
What flowers bloom best? Tangdi flowers are blooming in dense layers. What kind of car is tall and big? The general rides on the tall chariot. Driving a chariot to go into battle, four strong horses galloped together.
How dare you try to live in peace in the border areas? How many wins will we have to fight for in January? He rode four big stallions, the horses were tall and big. The general's majesty relies on the chariot, and the soldiers rely on it for cover. The four horses are neatly arranged, and the fish skin quivers and carved bows are hung. There will never be a day when we are not on guard, and when the military situation is urgent, we will not disarm!
Recalling that when we set out for the expedition, the willow trees were still blowing in the wind; now on the way back, heavy snow is flying all over the sky. The roads were muddy and difficult to walk on, and we were tired from thirst and hunger. Full of sadness and sadness. Who can understand my sorrow?
Extended information:
The three chapters in the first part adopt the form of repeated chapters and repeated sentences to repeatedly express the miserable mood of the garrison soldiers who have been far away from home and have not returned for a long time. The first sentences of these three chapters are all "picking Wei and picking Wei", which leads to the following. The beginning of the poem shows readers a desolate picture of life on the border. We seem to see the soldiers collecting wild vegetables on the slopes of the wilderness, missing their hometown after a long absence, and counting the dates of their return home...
The first two sentences of the first chapter read: "Picking weeds, and the weeds stop." This is about spring, when weeds have just sprouted tender green bud tips; the second chapter reads: "Picking weeds." The third chapter is: "Picking weeds, and the weeds are still soft." This is about summer, when the leaves of weeds are plump and tender; the third chapter is: "Picking weeds, and the weeds are still firm." This is about autumn, when the leaves and stems of weeds will be Old and rough.
From spring to autumn, weicai grow from young to old, and time passes ruthlessly; the garrison soldiers think about returning, from spring to autumn, the year is almost over, when can they return home? In fact, in the poem, the poet originally regarded the instantaneous changes in the four seasons of heaven and earth, and the life and death of natural creatures as witnesses and comparisons of life.
Therefore, Xing is the simplest and most direct perception that nature gives to people, which contains the profound meaning of understanding life. So in the gesture of "picking wei", which is solidified in the memory of the soldiers, we can see not only the reincarnation of the four seasons and the passage of time, but also the growth of longing and the traces of old age in life.
Baidu Encyclopedia——Xiaoya Caiwei