Appreciation of Wang Wei's "Zhongnan Farewell"
Li Langning
In his middle age, he was quite good at Taoism. In his later years, he came to Nanshan.
Every time you come or go alone, you will know your victory in vain.
Walking to a water-poor place, sit and watch the clouds rise.
I happened to be visiting Lin Sou, and we talked and laughed for a long time.
———— "Zhongnan Bieye" by Wang Wei of the Tang Dynasty
Wang Wei (701-761), whose courtesy name was Mojie, was one of those people who "even when they are small, they are also big when they are big" "Good" character. He was very talented at the age of nine. At the age of nineteen, he went to the capital to take an examination and was awarded the title of Jinshi at the age of twenty-one. He once served as an envoy to the fortress and served in the government most of the time. During the Anshi Rebellion, he was arrested and imprisoned in Bodhi Temple. He pretended to be ill. During the Anshi Rebellion, he was considered guilty of flattering a traitorous official. Because he had written poems and sent poems to express his feelings, he was only punished by being demoted. He became the official of Shangshu Youcheng and wrote twenty-eight volumes of "Wang Youcheng Collection".
Every time Wang Wei is mentioned, Su Shi's comment that has been quoted countless times comes to mind: "There are paintings within poems, and there are poems within paintings." However, if only eight characters can summarize the artistic value of Wang Wei's poetry, it would be too simple. Just as Wei Qingzhi of the Song Dynasty commented on the neck couplet of "Zhongnan Farewell": "The beauty of making words, as for the appearance and appearance of creation, is not just 'paintings in poems'." Also as scholar Jiang Yin said: "Su Dongpo's words are as a family It is indispensable as a reference for comments, but it is not an exaggeration to emphasize it as the main feature of Wang Wei's poetry, which is not only a disregard for the artistic characteristics of poetry, but also an underestimation of the artistic value of Wang Wei's poetry. "< /p>
I think Wang Wei is an artist, an artist struggling between the officialdom of "excellence in learning leads to officialdom" and "excellence in art leads to officialdom", pure art and uncontested religion. It is for such an artist that when he reaches middle age, all his struggles seem to temporarily ease. Especially during the Tianbao period, during those days when he was both an official and a secluded person in Zhongnan Mountain, the masterpiece "Zhongnan Farewell" was born.
Some scholars in the academic world hold a "film theory" on Wang Wei's poetry, believing that in addition to "paintings in poetry" and "pictures with sound", his landscape poems are "poems like movies" ". This is the highest state of "painting within poetry". Let's take a look:
The first couplet: He was quite good at Taoism in his middle age, and he came home to Nanshan in his later years. The music sounded continuously, like the sound of Zen, slightly ethereal and slightly human. The camera gradually zooms in from the distant view of the mountain, and slowly freezes on the yellowing branches and leaves of an old tree. Through the criss-crossing leaves, you can vaguely see the smoke curling up from the kitchen, and vaguely hear the friendly local accent.
Zhao couplet: When things come and go, you will go alone, and you will know your success in vain. As the sun sets in the west and the autumn wind blows on the ancient road, a middle-aged man with black hair mixed with gray is walking slowly along the waterway, thinking, sometimes frowning in thought, sometimes looking up to the sky and laughing wildly, sometimes being arrogant, and gradually drifting away.
Neck Couplet: Walk to a waterless place and sit down to watch the clouds rise. At dusk, the afterglow has not yet faded, and on the Zhongnan mountainside, the water ends. He dusted off the dust on his body, sat on the stone stairs in the mountain, and looked intently into the distance. In the distance, white clouds were floating. Soundtrack: Liu Xing's "Going His Own Way" by Xianyun Guhe.
End couplet: I occasionally visited Lin Sou, chatting and laughing without repayment. The night was getting late and the conversation was in full swing. Music: "Fishing Boats Sing Evening"
I think anyone immersed in the beauty of nature will have a sense of being refined, let alone the poet Wang Wei who has studied religion and has some hobbies. ? Yu Jie, an angry young man in literature, was ostracized by the world because of his excessive talents. Coming from the mountains, he must have a deeper understanding of Wang Wei's artistic conception, right?
As for Zhongnan Mountain, the background of "Zhongnan Farewell", we can get a better explanation from another poem by Wang Wei, "Zhongnan Mountain":
Taiyi is near the capital of heaven. , from mountains to sea corners. The white clouds look back and merge, and the green mist comes in to see nothing.
The peaks in the field change, and there are many valleys and clouds. If you want to stay somewhere, ask the woodcutter across the water.
The artistic conceptions of "mountain", "cloud", "water", "woodcutter, and forest old man" in the poem are all mentioned in "Zhongnan Farewell". The difference is that "Zhongnan Farewell" "Nanshan" focuses on describing the scenery, just like line drawing in painting; the same scenery in "Zhongnan Farewell" is used to pave the way for the author's narrative.
At this point in writing, I once again carefully read "When I walked to the waterless place and sat down to watch the clouds rise", I still feel that words cannot fully express my meaning. You see, the word "sitting" tells the poet's "good way" and his achievement, staying away from the hustle and bustle of the world, away from the intrigues of officialdom, and walking into the quiet nature. It turns out that "when the clouds rise" is "where the water flows", and "where the water is poor" is not "when the people die"! Compared with Lu You's mood of worrying about gains and losses, and the ups and downs in "the mountains and rivers are full of doubts and no way out, and the willows and flowers are bright in another village", Wang Wei's poems can better embody the principle of "survival from desperate situations, whether it is the best of times". Just eight words, neatly contrasted and consistent, as smooth as flowing clouds and flowing water. The story is told eloquently, with profound meaning and light taste, but you will never tire of reading it.
Wang Wei, master!