Original text of Peony Appreciation:
The peonies in front of the court are incompetent, while the hibiscus on the pond is pure and unfeeling. Only peonies are the true national beauty, and they move the capital when they bloom. Translation and annotation of "Appreciating Peonies"
Translation The peonies in front of the court are enchanting and gorgeous but lack of character, and the lotus in the pond is elegant and clean but lacks charm. Only peonies are the real beauty of the sky. When they bloom, they attract countless people to admire them and startle the entire city of Chang'an.
Notes Yao: Gorgeous and charming. Grid: Bone Grid. Peony is also known as "wood peony". Peony is a herb, also known as "boneless peony", so the author calls it "unqualified". Here, untouched means that it is not very classy. Lotus: Lotus. National color: The original meaning is the most beautiful woman in a country. This refers to the outstanding color of peony, gorgeous and noble. Capital: Refers to Chang'an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty. Chang'an was the capital and capital of the Tang Dynasty. Translation and Notes on Peony Appreciation 2
Translation: The peonies in the courtyard are gorgeous, but not of high style; the lotus on the pond is bright and clear, but lacks enthusiasm; only peonies are the real national color. , is the most beautiful flower. When it blooms, its splendor causes a sensation throughout the capital.
Notes 1 Peony: a famous ornamental plant. In ancient times, there was no name for peony, and it was collectively called peony. Later, peony was called peony. It is generally said that peony was named after the Tang Dynasty, but it has been recorded in records before the Tang Dynasty. 2 Peony in front of the court: metaphorically refers to eunuchs and powerful people. Peony: a perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the Ranunculaceae family, blooming in early summer and similar in shape to peonies. Demon without character: enchanting and beautiful, but lacks character. Demon: Gorgeous and charming. Grid: Bone Grid. Unqualified means that the style is not high. Zheng Qian's "Hu Materia Medica": "Peony, also known as boneless flower." Peony is also known as "wood peony". Peony is a herb, also known as "boneless peony", so the author calls it "unqualified". 3. Lotus (qu): Another name for lotus. "Erya·Shicao": "Lotus, Fuqu. Its stem is eggplant, its leaves are buds, its root is lotus, its flower is lotus, its root is lotus, among which is coix, and among the coix is ??coix." Guo Pu's note: "(Fuqu) is also known as Furong, and it is called Lotus in the east of the Yangtze River." 4 National Colors: The color that overwhelms the country. The original meaning is the most beautiful woman in a country. This refers to the outstanding color, gorgeous and noble peony. Li Jun's "Songchuang Miscellaneous Records": "The poem is quite good, so I asked Xiuji: "Nowadays, peony poems are being sung in the capital, who is the first to sing them?" Li Zhengfeng, a scholar in the bookstore, wrote in a poem: "The sky is fragrant and the night is dyeing clothes, and the country is beautiful and the wine is flowing." When I heard about it, I sighed and admired it. "Wu Gang and Zhang Tianchi's "Selected Notes on Liu Yuxi's Poems" believe that this is the author's metaphor for revolutionary people. 5 "Flowers bloom" sentence: It shows that in the Tang Dynasty, peony viewing was very popular. Li Zhao's "Supplement to the History of the Tang Dynasty": "I have been visiting the capital to cultivate peonies for more than thirty years. Every spring and evening, the carriages and horses are so crazy that I feel ashamed not to indulge in fun. I hold the Jinwu shop outside the official enclosure and watch the temples to see the seeds. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, when Han Ling arrived in Chang'an, he suddenly ordered him to leave and said, "How can I be like my daughter?" "Bai Juyi" "Buying Flowers": "Emperor Spring is about to end in the city, and there are noisy carriages and horses. When I go to buy peonies, the price is not the same, and I look at the number of flowers: a hundred red flowers, a few bunches of plain curtains. The fence is woven next to it, and the color is still the same as before. It is a custom in every family, and everyone is confused. "Jingcheng: It is generally believed to refer to Chang'an, but "Appreciation of Ancient Poems about Flowers" compiled by Liu Zuo. The "Couplet of Poems of Chinese Scenic Spots" compiled by Bao Sitao and others and the "Selected Readings of Poems about Things in Past Dynasties" compiled by Xie Ming and others believe that the capital in this poem refers to Luoyang.
Appreciation of Peony Appreciation
This poem is a work that praises peonies. The technique of praising peonies is to use the contrasting method of suppressing one another and exalting one another. The poet did not describe the beauty of the peony from the front, but from the side. The poem begins by commenting on peony and hibiscus. Peony and hibiscus are originally favorite flowers. However, when praising peonies, poets use the words "peony is unqualified" and "hibiscus is pure and less sentimental" to set off the peony's high standard and emotional beauty. "Peony" was originally a flower with ornamental value, but it is said that after Wu Zetian in the Tang Dynasty, "peony began to flourish while peony's beauty declined" (Wang Yufu's "Preface to the Poetry of Peony"). Some people even compare peonies to the "King of Flowers" and peonies to the "King of Flowers". Here, Liu Yuxi also described Peony as enchanting but not high-end with subjective feelings. "Hibiscus" is a flower that often appears in poetry with a noble and clean appearance. However, Liu Yuxi probably said that she was pure and unfeeling because she stood gracefully on the surface of the pond and could only be viewed from a distance but not played with up close. This implies that peony has the four qualities of charm, purity, character and emotion, and can be said to be the most beautiful among flowers.
The first two sentences use the technique of suppressing one another and promoting one, paving the way for the emergence of peonies, while the third sentence changes the direction of writing and praises peonies from the front. The word "only" highlights that only peony is worthy of being called the "true national color" and shows the poet's preference for peony. "National beauty and natural fragrance" became the evaluation of peony at that time, and it was also accepted and used by future generations. Peony is the king of flowers, "all colors and all kinds of fragrance" (Shao Yong's "Peony Song"). However, this poem does not mention the color and fragrance of peonies at all, only saying that "the capital is in bloom when the flowers bloom." This sentence expresses the lively scene of people coming out to watch peonies, and praises the beauty of peonies that are admired by people all over the country. In the eyes of the poet, Peony has outstanding beauty and is the best "beauty" in the country. Because of the unparalleled beauty of peonies, they caused a sensation in the capital during the blooming season, and people rushed to appreciate them. It vividly described the fashion at that time and expressed the aspirations of many people.
The word "moving" is used wonderfully here, as if people can see the vivid scene of people crowding out and crowding in order to watch peonies at that time.
This short four-line poem describes three famous flowers, and it contains the poet's rich aesthetic thoughts. The poet did not forget to praise the beautiful side of peony and lotus, but also highlighted the beauty of peony, which is endlessly interesting. As flowers and trees, it doesn't matter the style or the amount of emotion, but the poet used personification and contrast techniques to cleverly and vividly turn the natural beauty into artistic beauty, leaving an unforgettable impression on people. Creative Background of Peony Appreciation
Peony is a famous flower native to China. It blooms in late spring and has large and beautiful flowers. It was transplanted from Fenjin (today's Fenhe River Basin in Shanxi Province) to the capital during the reign of Emperor Gaozong and Empress Wu of the Tang Dynasty. It was still regarded as a treasure during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong. This poem describes the grand occasion of peony appreciation in the Tang Dynasty. Regarding the time and place of the creation of this poem, the "Chronological Annotation of the Complete Works of Liu Yuxi" edited by Tao Min and Tao Hongyu speculates that this poem was written between the second and fifth years of Yamato (828) based on the use of Li Zhengfeng's "national color" language in the poem. The author wrote it in Chang'an in 831; Qu Yiyuan's "Liu Yuxi's Collection of Notes" believes that this poem was written when the author returned to Chang'an during the Dahe period of the Tang Dynasty; Gao Zhizhong's "Chronological Notes on Liu Yuxi's Poems" believes that this poem is related to "Hun Shi" "Zhongzhai Peony" was written at the same time; Wu Gang and Zhang Tianchi's "Selected Notes on Liu Yuxi's Poems" suspect that this poem was written during Yongzhen's reform.
Poetry works: Appreciating Peonies Poetry author: Liu Yuxi of the Tang Dynasty Poetry classification: Peony