Hu Shi wrote on April 20, 1934: "From today on, I will write a good poem that I can recite every day, regardless of length, regardless of era, regardless of genre. One year later , these poems can be printed into a collection of poems, called "A Poem Every Day". A month later, he said: "Later I decided to write a special poem about quatrains."
The reason why Hu Shi has a passion for quatrains. Duzhong, this may be because it has as few as twenty characters and at most only twenty-eight characters. One is equivalent to ten, and less is better than more. It is the shortest and most refined of all literary styles. He planned to choose one song a day and 365 quatrains in a year. However, five years later, he only selected more than a hundred quatrains.
As a celebrity of his generation, Hu Shi’s legacy has always been controversial. His outstanding achievements in life cannot be described in just a few words. During the "May Fourth Movement", he spared no effort to promote "vernacular literature", which then became a "movement". This was undoubtedly a brilliant contribution in his academic career.
For "vernacular poetry" included in "vernacular literature", Hu Shi put forward three "white" standards, namely speaking plainly, being innocent, and understanding. The so-called "speaking plainly" means to be as direct and popular as usual. "Innocent" means refreshing and natural, without having to polish it. "Understand" does not mean it is profound or difficult to understand.
His "A Poem Every Day" is an excellent work that he selected from the ancient poetry heritage and can provide vivid examples of the three "whites".
The first poem selected by Hu Shi was "Fanzhi Turning His Socks" by Wang Fanzhi, a poet of the Tang Dynasty: "Fanzhi turns his socks, and everyone knows that it is wrong. It can hurt your eyes at first glance, but you can't hide it." My feet."
Twenty words, like talking to oneself, vividly outline the image of a carefree and contented person. I wore my socks on backwards and people said I was wrong. However, I would rather make you feel displeased than offend my feet.
Humor and ridicule are all there. After a little pondering, you will gradually realize that this is not talking about socks. In fact, it is talking about a person's way of doing things, or to express it in cultural terms, it is talking about a philosophy of life. Just like the old saying often heard: I go my own way and let others say it. Or convert it into an idiom: go my own way.
Hu Shi admired Wang Fanzhi very much. In his "History of Vernacular Literature", he talks about this person: "Among the vernacular poets in the early Tang Dynasty, Wang Fanzhi and Han Shan Shidi both came from the path of mockery, and both came from limericks." He further commented: "Anyone who starts with game limericks, as long as there is content, artistic conception and insights, will naturally produce a first-class philosophical poem."
Ligerels can easily become superficial, but they can also be done. Be profound and readable. The opposition between "superficial" and "profound" contains rich philosophy.
Hu Shi selected two poems by Du Mu. One song is: "The autumn light of red candles paints the screen coldly, and the small light fan flutters at the fireflies. The sky is as cold as water at night, and I sit and watch the Altair and Vega." ("Autumn Eve")
He said: "Recalling my early years This is the only quatrain that I can recite by Du Mu. "Perhaps because of the cold and lonely scene presented in the poem, it left an indelible mark on my heart, so I felt infinite pity and concern for this palace lady, and I couldn't help it. Let it go. It can be seen that the vitality of art will not weaken with the passage of time, but will become stronger with time.
The whole poem is easy to understand and as clear as words. The first sentence tells the character's life background, and the second sentence is her actions. Next came how she felt, and finally how she looked. Through in-depth descriptions that are better than one layer after another, although it only captures a moment on an autumn night, what can be revealed is the tragic fate of the characters throughout their lives, which makes people endlessly ponder.
Hu Shi once wrote this in his diary: "I was reading "Shenbao" by chance, and saw a regular comment by Lao Pu, quoting Yang Yi's poem "Puppet". This is an excellent vernacular poem, and I didn't know it It was this monster from Xikun who did it. It's disrespectful!" "Puppet" reads as follows: "Bao Lao laughs at Guo Lang at the banquet, and laughs at him as the sleeve leader.
Mr. Bao and Guo Lang are two puppet artists. "Langdang" describes inappropriate clothes and poor skills. This poem is about the two artists mocking each other, saying that one can't do it, and the other can't do it. Fifty steps to laugh at a hundred steps brings vigilance and reflection to readers so as to cultivate their own character and conduct, which is of great value and significance.
There are twenty-eight characters in the poem, but nineteen of them are repeated. It is a bit like a word game, and it is very consistent with the meaning of the poem. The author is a representative of the much-criticized "Xikun" style. Some commentators criticized: "Yang Yi's beauty is extremely poor, decorated with wind and moon, flowers and plants, and is obscene, clever and extravagant." Therefore, Hu Shi called it a "monster", but this did not affect his high appreciation of this poem as an "excellent vernacular poem". People are people, and poetry is poetry. Hu Shi's scientific attitude towards writers and works is worth learning from and is very advisable.
In this poetry anthology, the poet with the most selections is Wang Anshi. Hu Shi said: "None of the thirteen quatrains of Jing Gong I chose was among the thirty-two poems included in "Song Wenjian". Who chose the right one?"
Hu Shi was very confident. His intellectual accomplishment endowed him with extremely high appreciation ability, making him uniquely discerning and able to discover masterpieces that others had overlooked.
"Walking with Daoyuan from He's House to Jingde Temple": "I occasionally saw flowers like dreams in the past, with red and purple colors competing in shallow depths. Today, I came back to sleep like a dream, there is no peace and fragrance left to pursue. "Wang Anshi used "previous times" and "today" as a comparison to express the unpredictable changes of "dreams", which in turn triggered his understanding of life. When I was young, I saw "flowers like dreams", colorful, vivid and bright. After tasting the fireworks of the world, the "dream" was suddenly shattered, and the hustle and bustle fell into "quietness". The rich and delicious food that once existed has disappeared without a trace.
The text of this poem is also very simple, but it is chewy and has a strong Zen aftertaste. It can guide readers from the mundane world to a peaceful and tranquil spiritual world, eliminate all distracting thoughts, and return to peace and tranquility.
Hu Shi took great pains to select good poems and try his best to expand his horizons. He said: "Looking at the fourth volume of "Yuemantang Diary", I quoted a quatrain from Gong Shitai of the Yuan Dynasty... This is really a good vernacular poem!"
The quatrain he discovered It is titled "Outside the Golden Gate". The poem goes like this: "The willows outside the Golden Gate are like gold, and they are green and shaded after three days of absence. I will break a branch and go into the city to teach people that spring is deep."
There are no words that are difficult to read, no Incomprehensible words, everything is clear. But in the smooth flow, the image of "I" is so lifelike. "Gold" becomes "green", the color is bright and bright. "Three days" is just a moment. That's why we have to "go to the city" and tell others that "spring has reached its peak".
In fact, "teaching people to know" is not just about seasonal changes, but a kind of scenery and a kind of mood. It is in the blending of scenes that the nature and universe are displayed, as well as the optimism and open-mindedness that one should have towards life. The tone is cheerful, relaxed, and contented, and it achieves a high degree of unity and harmony with the scenery, emotions, thoughts, and behaviors.
Most of Hu Shi's poem selections followed his three "white" standards. However, some poems are obviously closely related to his state of mind at that time. For example, in the annotation of "Shi'er" written by Lu You, "When you die, you will know that everything is in vain, but you will not see the same sorrow as all the nine states. On the day when Wang Shibei set the Central Plains, he did not forget to tell Naiweng during family sacrifices." He wrote: "This is the time when the old man is about to die. To commemorate the May 4th Movement, I copy this poem. "The stars are pale and the moon is different, and all the eyes are filled with sorrow. The lights are gone in the temple, but there are only so many dreams left." "(Wang Anshi's "La Xiang") In the annotation of this poem, Hu Shi said: "This poem is very sad. I feel sad when I read this poem tonight." It turns out that this day is the third anniversary of September 18th. anniversary.
Hu Shi began to select "A Poem Every Day" in 1934 and completed it in 1952. During this period, he traveled across the oceans and wandered, and later went to Taiwan. As a wanderer, there is bound to be an irresolvable feeling of homesickness that strikes his heart all the time. He Zhizhang's song "When a young boy leaves home and his boss returns home, his local pronunciation remains unchanged and his hair fades. When children see each other but don't recognize each other, they laugh and ask where the guests are from." ("Returning to Hometown") is probably what he feels in his heart. A true portrayal.
"A Poem Every Day" is unique and distinctive among many poetry anthologies. It is a good book worth reading. The book is accompanied by comments and analyzes by Chai Jianhong, Zhao Rengui and others, which are full of insights and rich information, and are very helpful for reading.
("A Poem Every Day Selected and Annotated by Hu Shi", published by Zhonghua Book Company in 2008.
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