Zeng Guofan revived the decline of Tongcheng School with his advantage of being studious, diligent in thinking and enthusiasm for cultivating talents, and issued the pioneering voice of Tongguang Poetry, becoming a brilliant literary master in the late Qing Dynasty. Some of his writing ideas and methods are also scattered in his family letters and diaries. After reading Zeng Guofan's letters, he read them from time to time to facilitate his study.
When you talk and write to the sea, you have to learn from Donglai Boyi, so my brother must circle it with a pen first, and then choose a few articles to read well, but he just can't stand it. No matter what book, you should always read it from beginning to end; Otherwise, turn over a few pages and extract a few articles, but you don't know the essence of the overall situation of this book. It is also good to learn poetry from Zhongzhou Collection. However, reading an album is better than reading an album. Everyone has different views and hobbies on this matter. My hobbies are: I like reading five ancient prose selections, seven ancient Changli collections, and I like reading five laws. My poems are shorter than the Seven Rhymes, and everyone has his own experience, but I cherish that no one in Kyoto can speak fluently. If my younger brother wants to learn poetry, he must read a collection first, instead of reading it from the east to the west. He must first learn as a person, and must not learn from all his classmates, so that everyone can understand. Ling Dizhou is good at poetry. If he is in the province, he can ask for advice.
Reading and writing complement each other. People who are good at writing are good at reading. From this letter, we can draw some suggestions on Zeng Guofan's poetry creation.
First, learning to write poetry should be good at imitation. It's good to learn from Donglai Bo Yi, and it's also good to learn from Zhongzhou poetry. Dong Lai Bo Yi is Zuo Bo Yi compiled in Song Dynasty. Although this is a masterpiece of students, it has many insights from Lv Zuqian. The "Shi Wen" in Zeng Guofan's article is an eight-part essay. Zhongzhou Collection is a collection of Jin Dynasty poems compiled by Yuan Haowen, with a volume of 10, more than 200 writers and more than 2,000 works. These two collections were models for studying poetry and eight-part essay at that time.
Why imitate?
If you don't write specifically to imitate ancient bones, you should also imitate ancient bones in your composition. The method of making sentences in The Book of Songs has nothing to do with this. There are many ready-made sentences in the article Zuo Zhuan. Yang Ziyun, a literate sect in Han Dynasty, imitated Yi, Analects of Confucius, Erya, Twelve Proverbs, Changyang Fu, Jiechao Fu, and Ganquan Fu. In other words, the works of Han, Ou, Zeng, Su and others are all imitated and used as adult fragments. After writing a poem, you should imitate your own heart and then stand between the two, which will have a faster effect and a more convenient path.
Second, how to read? "No matter what book it is, you must read it from beginning to end; Otherwise, turn over a few pages and extract a few articles, and the essence of the overall situation of this book will be at a loss. "
3. Which books are the best? The answer given by Zeng Guofan is that it is better to read an album than to read an album. Zeng Guofan has mentioned many times: "I have no other way to teach my brothers to learn poetry, but I have to read one album after another, so that I can't read the anthology." It is essential. " Not only should we be single-minded when studying, but we should also be single-minded when imitating genres. To learn the five laws, we should specialize and learn at the same time. Otherwise, you will be at a loss and don't know where to go. "To learn poetry, you must first read a collection, and don't read it from east to west. You must learn one thing first, not each other. "
Fourth, read widely. Only by extensive reading and careful screening can we know our preferences. "My hobby is that I like reading five ancient prose selections, seven ancient Changli collections, five-law Du collections and seven-law Du poems". Only by knowing your own preferences and weaknesses can you be more conducive to your own imitation. The spirit to be carried forward here is "if you don't read, you will do it", such as river courses, to repair the shore and let your energy flow in an interesting and established direction.
Fifth, we should pay attention to consultation and communication. "My poem is shorter than Qiyun, and he has his own experience. I don't cherish anyone who can speak fluently in Kyoto. " "Spirit emperor boat is most suitable for the rhythm of poetry. If he is in the province, my brother can ask. " Zeng Guofan gives people a sense of dignity and his own aura. In fact, his nature is flying and he is good at words. It was only later that he deliberately corrected his personality and ran to the requirements of Neo-Confucianism, giving people an impression of being wooden and taciturn.