A tree, a tree
stands apart from each other
Wind and air
tell their distance
But under the cover of soil
their roots are elongated
in the invisible depth
they entangle their roots
. Every grass and tree here inspires the poet's strong poetic sentiment ...
The poet's footprints are mastered by himself? Or is it fate? In the autumn of 1939, Ai Qing, who was living in Guilin, was asked to teach at Hengshan Rural Normal School in Xinning County, Hunan Province. He agreed and came to this landscape as a Chinese teacher. Here, what impact will it have on his poetry creation? The mountains, rivers, grass and trees here all seem to have spirituality, which has made the poet gain a lot.
The poem Tree came into being at this time.
Xinning County is an idyllic scene, which seems to be far away from the anti-Japanese bonfire, and it seems that we can't hear the guns and shouts of Chinese warriors fighting bloody battles with the Japanese aggressors. However, the poet's heart was not intoxicated with this pastoral scenery. His heart stretched out countless tentacles and always felt the pulse of the great struggle for national survival. His heart can't be calm, and his poems still care about the rise and fall of the world.
Maybe the trees here have their special charm. Maybe at this moment, the poet has a special feeling for the trees here.
The trees here have attracted the poet's attention and meditation. The poem "Tree" came into being.
The poem Tree is not long, only eight lines. However, this poem has great connotation.
"A tree, a tree/standing alone from each other/wind and air/telling their distance".
The first four lines of poetry write a scene, which is real and can be felt not only by poets, but also by others. All the trees in the world stand alone, with a certain distance from each other. Looking at these four lines alone, there seems to be nothing special. If you don't look at the following, it is difficult for others to know the poet's intention in writing like this. However, after reading the following poems, the meaning of the first four sentences becomes clear, and there is a social generalization in this simplicity.
"But under the cover of soil/their roots are stretched out/in the invisible depths/they entangle their roots together".
"But", a turning point, shifted the reader's eyes from the ground to the underground, and the broad meaning of this poem gradually became clear. This "but" has great power. The poet wants people to know that it is more important to see the tree standing alone on the ground, but also the scene of the tree underground, where the roots of the tree are "intertwined".
The structure of this poem is very clear. The first four sentences are about the above-ground landscape of the tree, and the last four sentences are about the underground landscape of the tree. These two landscapes are the survival landscapes of trees.
after reading the complete poem, readers will understand that this poem is not only about the living landscape of trees, but also about the living landscape of society and people. More precisely, the poet was writing about a living state and spirit of the Chinese nation at that time.
the poet's summary is extremely accurate. At that time, the Chinese nation was in dire straits. Long-term class oppression made people live a miserable life without food, and long-term enslavement rule made people's spirit depressed. Between them, it seems that they are all struggling for their own survival, and they all seem to be isolated from each other. But this is only the superficial landscape of life, just like the landscape of trees on the ground. The Chinese nation is cohesive, which is not only proved by the history of the Chinese nation, but also proved by its present. When confronted with oppression, especially when the nation is in danger and ruthlessly placed in front of people, the poor sons and daughters of China will unite and fight to the death. The poet has a deep understanding of the Chinese nation, and he knows the great cohesion of the Chinese nation. Therefore, when the poet saw the tree, he thought of the Chinese nation. The poem Tree vividly expresses the poet's thoughts. What's the matter? What's the address of the mystery account? What about the warbler? Look how small it is! The reason why the jealous atmosphere is vivid is because the poet combines the two things well. One is to grasp the living landscape of trees, which is of course easier. One is to grasp the social landscape, which requires a deep understanding. Between these two kinds of assurance, the poet found the connection between the two landscapes. Inspiration is also generated from this.
The poem "Tree" was originally included in the poet's collection of poems "The Wilderness" published in Chongqing. The poet said in Foreword of the Wilderness:
"The 2 poems collected in The Wilderness were all written by the author in the southwest mountainous area, or because they were far away from the bonfire, they couldn't smell the smell of' fighting', but the author couldn't help singing because he had been immersed in the roughness and freedom of the wilderness for a long time, and every grass and tree also expressed sincerity. I only hope that these songs were somewhat' social'.
actually, even if I wrote some mountain poems, it's not a mistake. Poetry should have the freedom to choose the beauty of poetry from many sides and angles. The poet defends himself here, which shows that some theorists are too harsh and excessive in demanding poets. The requirements for poetry are too narrow. What's more, the poet wrote in these poems that "there is something' social', and it should not be criticized.
Although the poems of the poet in this period did not directly describe the full swing of the Anti-Japanese War, it does not mean that the poet did not pay attention to the rise and fall of the nation. On the contrary, some of the poets' poems in this period are far more shocking than some poems written directly about the war of resistance, whether in terms of their profound connotation or their fighting capacity. The short poem "Tree" is enough to prove the poet's mind. It is not only a poem rich in fighting power, but also a very artistic poem.
the power of poetry lies not only in what to write, but also in how to write.