"Ode to the Willows" is a seven-character quatrain written by He Zhizhang, a poet in the prosperous Tang Dynasty. The following is about the meaning of the ancient poem "Yong Liu". Welcome to read!
Yong Willow
The jasper is as tall as a tree,
Thousands of green silk ribbons hang down.
I wonder who cuts the thin leaves,
The spring breeze in February is like scissors.
Poetry Notes
Jasper: jade green. Here it is used as a metaphor for the green willow leaves in spring.
Makeup: decoration, dressing up.
One tree: full of trees. One: Full, complete. In classical Chinese poetry and articles, quantifiers do not necessarily indicate exact quantities when used. The "wan" in the next sentence means a lot.
绦(tāo): a rope made of silk. This refers to wicker like a ribbon.
Cut: Cut.
Similar: Like, as if.
Poetry Translation
The tall willow trees are covered with new green leaves, and the gentle willow branches hang down, like thousands of gently fluttering green ribbons.
Whose skillful hands cut these thin leaves? It turned out to be the warm spring breeze in February, like a pair of dexterous scissors.
Appreciation
The beauty of the willow lies in its long and flowing branches. Once a year, it grows new green leaves, drooping, and has a charming attitude in the spring breeze. This is something everyone can appreciate. In classical poetry, this kind of image beauty is used to describe and compare the slim figure and graceful waist of a beautiful woman, which is what readers often see. This poem has a new idea and is turned upside down. "Jasper makes up a tree as high as a tree". At the beginning, willow appears as a beauty: "Ten thousand green silk ribbons hang down", and these thousands of draping silks also become her skirt. The word "gao" in the upper sentence brings out the graceful grace of the beauty Tingting; the word "hang" in the second sentence implies that the slender waist is flowing in the wind. There are no words "willow" and "waist branch" in the poem, but the weeping willows in early spring and the beauty incarnated by the willow trees are vividly depicted. "Southern History" said that Liu Zhizhi, the governor of Yizhou, presented several willows of Shu, "the strips are very long, like silk threads." Emperor Wu of Qi planted these willows in front of Yunyu Palace in Taichang, and admired them without caring about them, saying that they were "romantic and cute." ". The wicker is referred to as "green silk ribbon" here, which may be a metaphor for this famous allusion about willow. But this is chemical use, and no trace can be seen.
"The jasper makeup" leads to the "green silk ribbon", and the "green silk ribbon" leads to "who cuts it out". Finally, the invisible and elusive "spring breeze" is also revealed. Depicted visually with "like scissors". These "scissors" cut out green and bright red flowers and plants, giving the earth a new look. It is a symbol of natural vitality and a revelation of beauty that spring brings to people. From "jasper makeup" to "scissors", readers can see a series of processes of the poet's artistic conception. The series of images that appear in the poem are closely linked to each other.
There were many famous beauties in ancient my country, Liu, why are they only compared with jasper? This has two meanings: First, the name Biyu is related to the color of willow. "Bi" and "green" in the following sentence are complementary to each other. Second, Biyu will always leave a youthful impression in people's minds. Speaking of jasper, people will think of the widely circulated "Jasper Song", "When Jasper Breaks the Melon", and poems such as "The Little House Girl of Biyu" (Xiao Yi's "Lotus Picking Ode"). Jasper has almost become a general term for young and beautiful women in ancient literary works. Comparing willow with jasper, people will imagine that this beauty has not yet reached the age of abundance and prosperity; this willow is still a young willow in early spring, and has not yet reached the time when dense leaves hide crows; it is similar to the "thin leaves" and "February spring breeze" below. "There is a connection again.
"The jasper is as high as a tree, with thousands of green silk ribbons hanging down", which deeply captures the characteristics of the weeping willow. In the poet's eyes, it is like the incarnation of beauty. The tall tree trunks are like her graceful grace, and the drooping wickers are like the ribbons on her skirt. Here, willow is a person, and a person is a willow. There seems to be no clear distinction between the two. And "jasper" also has a pun meaning. It not only coincides with the green color of the willow tree literally, but also refers to a young and beautiful girl. It echoes the "February Spring Breeze" below - this is a weeping willow in early spring, which has not yet reached summer and autumn. hour. However, the following two sentences are even better: "I don't know who carried the thin leaves. The spring breeze in February is like scissors." Before He Zhizhang, who had ever thought that the spring breeze was like scissors? It turns the spring breeze in February, which is suddenly warm and cold, from invisible to tangible. It shows the magical dexterity of the spring breeze and makes "Ode to the Willows" a model work of poetry about objects.
This poem uses willow trees to sing about the spring breeze, comparing the spring breeze to scissors, saying that she is the creator of beauty, and praising her for cutting out spring. The poem is filled with people's joy at early spring. The novelty and appropriateness of comparisons and metaphors are the success of this poem. Therefore, "Notes on Tang Poems" says: "The things are filled with wonderful things and the language is gentle.
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