Bie Chu
Dynasty: Song Dynasty
Author: Ouyang Xiu
Original text:
Flowers bloom and the willows rot. Qingming, see me off before drinking wine.
I am as drunk as usual, so I don’t want to teach the strings and instruments to make separate sounds.
Appreciation
First sentence
Ouyang Xiu is broad-minded and can still enjoy himself everywhere despite being in adversity. The last two paragraphs of his "The Drunkard's Pavilion" show the scene of him having fun with the people. This poem and "The Drunkard's Pavilion" also use the word "drunk", but it does not exaggerate the emotions of separation too much. "The Drunkard's Pavilion" is about the joy of banquets and the beauty of mountains and rivers. The scene of the farewell banquet between fathers and relatives expressed in this poem is particularly interesting. The first sentence describes the scenery, indicating that the time of farewell to Chu is in the spring when the scenery is harmonious. Ouyang Xiu moved from Chuzhou to Yangzhou. The official documents from the imperial court were issued in the leap month of that year, and he arrived in Yangzhou in February. Chuzhou is located in the south and has a warmer climate. It is different from another poem "A Play to Yuan Zhen" written by the author in Yiling (today's Yichang, Hubei Province), "The spring breeze does not reach the end of the world, and there are no flowers in the mountain city in February." The flowers are bright and the willow silk is light and bright. In this way, the first sentence of this poem not only describes the seasonal characteristics of Biechu, but also sets a comfortable and cheerful tone for the whole poem.
The second sentence
The second sentence is a narrative, writing that the local officials and people specially paid a farewell visit to Ouyang Xiu. "Before drinking wine and flowers" is a banquet for guests to send Zhizhou to, which is exactly the opposite of the Zhizhou banquet for guests in "The Drunkard's Pavilion"; on this day, there are silk and bamboo to add to the fun, and the atmosphere is warm and grand. Although it is different from the previous fun of throwing pots, playing chess, and drinking and feasting, it also describes the enjoyment of the officials and the people and the deep affection of the Chuzhou people for the wise governor who left office.
The last two sentences
The last two sentences are lyrical. The poet implicitly expresses his contradictory and exciting mood in calm and composed language. During his tenure in Chuzhou, Ouyang Xiu was quite helpful in his administration. The sincere and friendly feelings expressed to him by the local elders during the farewell made the poet's heart unable to calm down for a long time: more than two years of relegated life are about to pass. The place here is secluded, simple, and the folk customs are honest. The author is particularly fond of the previous time with the guests at Langya Mountain in Chuzhou. The scene of the banquet was nostalgic; but at this time, parting was imminent. The mountains and rivers of Chuzhou and the warm farewells of the officials and people made him have mixed feelings. The word "and" in "I am as drunk as usual" here is used very well, describing the poet's expression and inner activities when he was drinking happily with the guests. The concluding sentence uses a contrasting technique. The music played as entertainment at this farewell banquet is a tune that Ouyang Xiu usually likes to listen to. But because of the worry-free baby mind, the more pleasant the tune is, the more uncomfortable it feels inside. Zhang Wei of the Tang Dynasty wrote a farewell poem titled "Send Lu Ju's Envoy to Heyuan": "My old friend is going to the border state for service, and there are many horses left here today. When will the long road pass through the mountains end, and the hall full of silk and bamboo will worry about you." "The meaning expressed in the conclusion here was adapted by Ouyang Xiu. "Don't teach the strings and pipes to make separate sounds", which makes people think and makes the poem have an endless aftertaste. Later, Huang Tingjian's poem "Night Sends Ning to Du Jiansou" "I am just as drunk as that day, and the wind and moon in the river are sad for others", which is how I escaped from it.
Whole poem
This poem by Ouyang Xiu is obviously different from the sadness that is exaggerated in other works that describe the sadness of separation. It is written briskly, naturally, easily and fluently, and is very Touching. This is in sharp contrast to the "Xikun style" poetry style prevalent in the early Song Dynasty, which deliberately pursued gorgeous rhetoric but seemed empty in content. Because Ouyang Xiu corrected the shortcomings of the times with his bright and simple poetic style in poetry creation, he became a famous poet in the Northern Song Dynasty.