The meaning of this poem is: The real ancient horse "Chenghuang" is seen in the world again.
Source: Du Fu's "Wei Xilu's House Viewing General Cao's Painting of Horses" by Du Fu of the Tang Dynasty
Excerpt:
In the early days of the Republic of China, people came to paint pommel horses, which is wonderful The only king of Jiangdu.
Thirty years have passed since the general was named, and the real person is seen again in the world.
The late Emperor Zeng Maung illuminated the night white, and thunderbolts flew from the dragon pond on the tenth day.
Translation:
Among the painters who are good at painting pommel horses since the founding of the People's Republic of China, only King Jiangdu has the most exquisite and vivid painting skills. General Cao has been famous for his horse paintings for thirty years, and the real ancient horse "Chenghuang" has been seen in the world again. He once described Emperor Xuanzong's "Zhaoye Bai", which looked like a dragon flying over a pond and sounding like thunder for ten days.
Poem Appreciation
This poem is intricately organized. The first four sentences of the first paragraph praise Cao's superb painting skills. The eight sentences in the second paragraph narrate the honor and favor that Cao received when he responded to the imperial edict to paint horses. The third paragraph contains ten sentences, describing the wonder of the nine-horse picture and the postures of each horse.
The eight sentences in the fourth paragraph are the foreshadowing of the "first emperor" in the second paragraph, which creates a sense of difference between the past and the present. The poem begins with a wonderful and lofty idea, is full of ups and downs in the middle, and ends abruptly and implicitly. The horse writing is extremely vivid, and the emotional fugue is off-topic, deeply touching, and interesting. Pu Qilong's "Reading Du Xinjie" said: "I have experienced ups and downs, and I am moved by the times, but there are tears in my chest, so there is something in the words." This statement is extremely true.