1. "Han Ju/Painted Chrysanthemum"
Zheng Sixiao, Song Dynasty
The flowers are not in full bloom, but the independent and sparse hedges are not exhausted.
I would rather die with the fragrance on the branches than blow it down in the north wind.
2. Translation
Chrysanthemums bloom in autumn, never among other flowers, but stand alone beside sparse fences, and their sentiment and interest have not faded.
It is better to wither and die on the branches than to be blown down by the biting north wind!
3. Appreciation
In this poem of chanting things, the cold chrysanthemum is used to symbolize the awe-inspiring integrity of being loyal to the motherland and never surrendering to the new dynasty. Every sentence in the poem is written closely to the natural physical properties of Hanju. The beauty is that these natural physical properties are connected everywhere and hint at the poet's feelings. "Holding the fragrance" refers to one's noble national sentiments, and "north wind" is a pun, implying the Mongolian rulers from the north. The whole poem is written with great passion and impact.
"The flowers are not in full bloom, but they are independent and sparse." The main meaning of this sentence is that hundreds of flowers bloom in the bright spring season, and the chrysanthemum stands alone in the harsh wind and frost, not competing with the flowers. Yan Dou Yan. Zheng continued, and the poet wrote that all the flowers had withered, and only the chrysanthemums stood beside the sparse fence, which was endlessly interesting. The "interest" here refers to the natural interest of the chrysanthemum, which is proud of the wind and resists the frost and shines alone. It is also the subjective interest of the painter's noble, faithful, honest and contented nature integrated into the image of the chrysanthemum. The poem incorporates Tao Yuanming's meaning of "picking chrysanthemums under the eastern fence" and "there is a true meaning in it". Fan Chengda mentioned in "Preface to the Chrysanthemum Genealogy of Fancun" that "chrysanthemums are used to compare gentlemen", saying: As the years go by, the grass and trees fade away, leaving only the beautiful hair, looking proudly at the wind and dew, this is a secluded place. The conduct of a scholar. "The theme of Fan Chengda's preface and Zheng Sixiao's poem are the same. The sample essay can help us understand the profound connotation of Zheng Sixiao's poetic imagery.
The last two lines of poetry have a deeper meaning. After the chrysanthemums bloom, on the branches Gradually withering, the petals do not wither and fall to the ground, so it is said that "the branches hold the fragrance and die". In the writings of Southern Song writers, the north wind symbolizes the intrusion of the aristocratic ruling group from the north. The poem uses a metaphor to say that it is better to maintain integrity. Death, unwilling to succumb to the Mongolian and Yuan ruling groups, expresses the awe-inspiring righteousness of "I would rather live in pieces than in ruins", and sincerely expresses the poet's own noble national integrity that will last until death. Zhu Shuzhen's poem "Chrysanthemum" of the Song Dynasty said: "I would rather grow old with fragrant branches than dance with the yellow leaves in the autumn wind." Zheng Sixiao gave some hints to deepen the meaning of the poem, which has a strong flavor of the times.
The focus of the poem is to describe the object and express the ambition, not to use the theory of painting. Therefore, it has the characteristics of a poem chanting objects. At the same time, it depicts Zheng Sixiao's patriotic sentiments, not only showing the natural beauty of chrysanthemums, the painting beauty of chrysanthemum paintings, but also the personality beauty of the painter and poet, harmoniously unifying the natural and social nature of the chrysanthemum image. The first painting poem also has a noble aesthetic experience and profound philosophical implications, allowing readers to gain aesthetic pleasure and life enlightenment from it.