《Poetry of Returning to Swallow》
Author: Zhang Jiuling
Although Haiyan is slightly dazzled,
Spring will come temporarily.
How did you know that mud is cheap?
I only saw the jade hall open.
Double entry when embroidering the household,
How many times a day in Huatang.
Don’t compete with things,
Don’t guess at each other.
Author introduction
Zhang Jiuling (673-740) was a minister and poet in the Tang Dynasty. A natural history scholar, named Zishou, was born in Qujiang, Shaozhou (now Shaoguan City, Guangdong Province). He was young and intelligent, and could write well. He was a Jinshi scholar in the early years of Emperor Zhongzong Jinglong (707-710) of the Tang Dynasty and was appointed as a school scholar. Later, he entered the system department of "Daoqi Yilu" and became Zuo Shiyi. During the Kaiyuan reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty (713-741), Li Guan Zhongshu Shilang, Tong Zhongshu Menxia Ping Zhangshi, and Zhongshu Ling were famous prime ministers in the Tang Dynasty. Zhang Jiuling has quick thinking and elegant writing. In his early years, his poems were clear and elegant, and his emotions were profound and graceful. He was highly appreciated by Zhang Shuo, a senior poet in the poetry world. After he was demoted, his style became simple and vigorous. His five-character ancient poems, with simple and simple language and profound expectations for life, made a great contribution to eradicating the Six Dynasties poetic style followed in the early Tang Dynasty. There are twenty volumes of "Qujiang Collection" handed down to the world. Appreciation of Zhang Jiuling's related works: "Selected Tang Poems of Zhang Jiuling".
Appreciation of Zhang Jiuling’s poems
This is a poem about things. What is chanted is the swallow that is about to return. However, the poet did not describe the swallow's body and wind spirit in detail, but rather narrated and discussed it more than meticulously carved depictions.
Volume 17 of Ruan Yue's "Shi Hua Zong Gui" quoted "Minghuang Zaxun", saying that Zhang Jiuling was sincere when he was the Prime Minister. The Emperor Ming was negligent in political affairs, and Li Linfu slandered him. Fang Qiu, Emperor Ming ordered Gao Lishi to hold a white feather fan as a gift to Yan. Jiuling wrote "Guiyan Poems" to benefit Linfu. It can be inferred from the above description that this poem should have been written on the eve of Zhang Jiuling's dismissal from the prime ministership. The poet was a famous prime minister during the Kaiyuan period of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty. He was famous for his outspokenness and daring to give advice. Due to Li Linfu and others' slander, Xuanzong gradually alienated Zhang Jiuling. In the twenty-fourth year of Kaiyuan, Zhang was dismissed as prime minister, and "Gui Yan Shi" was written around the autumn of this year.
The poem begins with Haiyan's "Wei Xian", implying that the poet himself was of humble origin, unlike Li Linfu who was of noble origin. The sentence "Chunchun also comes temporarily" means that he came to the court temporarily to serve as an official in the era of sage. Like a swallow, spring comes and autumn goes, and it will not stay long. In the middle four sentences, the swallow does not know the value of "mud" and only sees the "Yutang" open, so he goes in and out of it several times a day, making a nest of mud in his mouth to hide himself in the imperial court, working hard day and night, and running a miserable business. "Xiuhu", "Huatang" and "Yutang" are all metaphors for the imperial court. The last sentence is a warning to Li Linfu: I have no intention of competing with you for power and gain. You don't need to doubt or slander me. I am going to retire. At this time, the power had fallen into the hands of Li Linfu. Zhang Jiuling knew that he could not make a difference and had to give in, but he had many complaints and emotions in his heart. Liu Yuxi's "Preface to the Tribute to Zhang Qujiang" said that after Zhang was demoted, "he had thoughts of being imprisoned, satirized birds, wrote poems about grass and trees, and was as depressed as the poets." This is a wise saying. It is also appropriate to comment on "Guiyan Poetry" from this passage. "Guiyan Poetry" is a work that "satires on birds".
This rhymed poem has neat counterpoints, simple language, and light style, such as "light silk and simple practice" (Zhang Shuo's comment on Zhang Jiuling). It is called Ode to Things, but it is actually an expression of feelings. It describes both swallows and people. Every sentence is inseparable from swallows, but it is also Zhang Jiuling's self-portrait. The poet's artistic ingenuity is mainly reflected in his choice of the external object that best describes his own image - the swallow.