The original text of the shepherd boy's poem:
The cows are herded in the morning, and the cows are herded down the river. Grazing cattle at night, herding cattle across the village and valley. The lotuses come out of the forest, the spring rain is gentle, and the reed pipes blow the green sedge. If you have your waist covered with basil and arrows, you will not be afraid of tigers bullying the yellow calves. Translation and annotation of Shepherd Boy's Ci
Translation Go to herd cattle in the morning and drive the cattle to Jiangwan. In the evening, I went to graze the cattle and drove them through the village. Wearing a raincoat, we walk in the drizzle of the woods, lying on the green grass with a broken reed pipe and playing a tune. With short arrows made of basil stuck in his waist, he is no longer afraid of tigers biting the calf.
Notes 1 Chao (zhāo): morning; when the sun rises. 2Coir raincoat (suō): raincoat, a rainproof appliance made of grass or brown, similar to a raincoat. 3 Sedge: perennial herb. Mostly found in humid areas or sandy areas near rivers. Stem erect, triangular. The leaves are slender, dark green, hard and shiny. Small spike-like flowers bloom in summer, russet. There are slender stolons and brown swollen tubers underground. The tuber is called "Cyperus rotundus" and is used medicinally. 4. Penghao (hāo): the common name of "chrysanthemum". 5. Yellow calf (du): calf. (6) Load: draped on, carried on the back. Appreciation of Shepherd Boy's Poems
The main idea of ??the poem is: Because the grass and millet are dense around the village, the cattle are afraid of eating the crops, so they are put far away in the pit. Along the bank of the river, there are beautiful springs and licorice. It is really a good place for grazing; there are many cattle here! The cows graze and drink water freely, and the shepherd boy doesn't want to go to the hillside to play with other cowherd boys for a while; but annoying birds are hovering in the sky. When they are hungry, they always fly to the back of the cow to peck for lice. How can you leave it alone? Cows are aggressive by nature, especially the little white cow let by the shepherd boy was even more naughty. Sometimes it lowered its head to eat grass, sometimes it raised its head and roared. Could this sound be a signal for someone to find tentacles? It's so worrying that I can't leave it for a moment. At this time, a familiar voice suddenly came to the shepherd boy's ears. Someone was rolling reed leaves and whistling. He knew that his companion was keeping the cows on the other side of the embankment, so he also followed suit, rolling up leaves and blowing them in response to each other; while monitoring the cows that were grazing, he shook the whip in his hand a few times. , and said the following two words of warning to the cow. There is an allusion to this statement.
It turns out that during the Northern Wei Dynasty, Tuoba Hui served as the governor of Wanzhou. On the way from Xindu to Tangyin, he sent people to cut off the horns of cows because they needed the horn grease to lubricate the wheels, which scared the people away from the cows. Let it out. This brutal story is widely circulated among the people, and everyone knows it among the shepherd boys. "The official's head is cut off," the shepherd boy said casually while waving his whip. Of course, to the ignorant cow, these words are like "playing the piano", but to the shepherd boy, they think it is an effective threat. This is worth pondering deeply.
Tang Dynasty Since the An-Shi Rebellion, vassal towns have been divided and civil war has continued. It is very common for the government to seize and kill private cattle for military needs. Yuan Zhen, a poet at the same time as Zhang Ji, reflected this in "Ancient Yuefu Poems: Tian Jia Ci": "For sixty years, soldiers have gathered, and grain carts have been rolling every month. One day, the officers and soldiers collected the sea clothes and drove the carts to eat beef." Even the meat was eaten up, and the two horns on the head were cut off and boiled with horn fat, so it was no problem. This was the objective reality at the time. Regarding this reality, Zhang Ji did not make any description in this poem. At the end, he just used the mouth of a cowherd boy to give a slight nod. The meaning of the writing is vague and non-existent, and the people's fear and resistance to the government , it is conceivable.
The whole poem contains ten lines, which is a wonderful picture of cattle herding. The first eight sentences vividly and tortuously describe the environmental background of the ranch, the psychological activities of the shepherd boy and the dynamics of the cows, and are full of interest. However, the theme of the poem is not here; it is not until the last two sentences that the reader can see the poet's intention. From the first eight sentences to the last two, it is as easy as picking it up, and the writing is very natural; it combines sharp irony with light ridicule, and the intention is very bright and profound.
The language of the poem is simple and fresh, as clear as words, showing a kind of exquisite skill of "starting from work to detail without leaving any trace".
Poetry: Shepherd Boy Poetry Author: Li She, Tang Dynasty Poetry Category: Children, Satire