"The Envoy to the Fortress" is a travel poem written by Wang Wei, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, on his way to the frontier to express condolences to the soldiers. It describes the envoy's journey to the Fortress and the scenery outside the Great Wall he saw during the journey. Let's take a look at the original text and annotations of "Shi Zhi Zhi Shang" that I compiled for everyone. You are welcome to read it, for reference only. The original text and annotations of "The Envoy to the Fortress"
The Envoy to the Fortress
Tang Dynasty: Wang Wei
A bicycle wants to ask about the border, but the country it belongs to has passed Juyan.
Zheng Peng left Hansai, returned to Yan and entered Hutian.
The solitary smoke in the desert is straight, and the sun is setting over the long river.
Whenever Xiao Guan is waiting to ride, he will always protect Yan Ran.
Translation
I wanted to go to the border by bicycle, but the vassal country I passed through had already passed Juyan.
Thousands of miles of flying pods have also floated out of Hansai, and the wild geese returning to the north are soaring in the sky.
In the vast desert, the solitary smoke rises straight up, and the setting sun is perfect on the endless Yellow River.
Go to Xiaoguan and meet the scouting knight and tell me that the Protector is already in Yanran.
Comments
Envoy to the fortress: Being ordered to send an envoy to the frontier fortress. Envoy: to send an envoy.
Bicycle: a car with few vehicles, here it is described as a light vehicle and a simple one. Ask the border: to visit the border fortress, to express condolences to the officers and soldiers guarding the border.
Subordinate country: There are several explanations: One refers to the minority who are affiliated with the Han court and retain their national title. Both the Han and Tang dynasties had some vassal states. The second refers to the official name. During the Qin and Han Dynasties, there was an official position called Dianshuguo. After Su Wu returned to the Han Dynasty, he was awarded the official position of Dianshuguo. People in the Tang Dynasty sometimes used the term "subordinate country" to refer to envoys sent to the border areas. Juyan: Place name. It was called Juyanze in the Han Dynasty and Juyanhai in the Tang Dynasty. It is located in the northern part of Ejina Banner in Inner Mongolia today. In the Western Han Dynasty, there was Juyan County in Zhangye County (see "Hanshu Geography"), and the old city was located in the southeast of today's Ejina Banner. In addition, the Liangzhou Governor of the Eastern Han Dynasty had Zhangye in the Juyan state, and its jurisdiction was in the Juyanze area. The general annotations for this sentence say that Wang Wei passed by Juyan. However, Wang Wei's mission did not actually require passing through Juyan. Therefore, the "Selected Poems of Chinese Dynasties" compiled by Lin Geng and Feng Yuanjun believes that this sentence refers to the Tang Dynasty's "vast frontier fortress, with dependent countries extending beyond Juyan".
Zhengpeng: The fluffy grass flying in the wind, here is the poet's self-explanation.
Returning geese: geese are migratory birds, flying north in spring and south in autumn. This refers to geese flying north. Hu Tian: The airspace of the Hu people. This refers to the northern area occupied by the Tang army.
Da Mo: Big desert, here probably refers to the desert north of Liangzhou. Gu Yan: There are two interpretations of Zhao Diancheng's note: One goes that when the ancient border guards burned wolf dung, "the smoke was straight and gathered, and it did not disperse even if the wind blew." There are many whirlwinds outside the Great Wall, "smoking smoke and sand rising straight up". According to later generations, field investigators in Gansu and Xinjiang confirmed that there were indeed cyclones like "lone smoke rising straight up". Also: Guyan may also be a safe fire used by border guards in the Tang Dynasty. Changhe: refers to an inland river flowing through the desert north of Liangzhou (now Wuwei, Gansu). This river was called Macheng River in the Tang Dynasty, and is suspected to be the present-day Shiyang River.
Xiaoguan: The name of the ancient pass, also known as Longshan Pass, its original location is in the southeast of Guyuan, Ningxia. Waiting Cavalry: Cavalry responsible for reconnaissance and communications. Wang Wei's envoy to Hexi did not pass through Xiaoguan. This is probably the meaning of He Xun's poem "waiting to ride out of Xiaoguan and pursue the troops to Mayi", which is not a literal description.
Protectorate: The Tang Dynasty established six major protectorate offices in the northwest frontier, including Anxi and Anbei. Their officers were called protectors, and each office sent one chief protector and two deputy governors to be responsible for all affairs in the jurisdiction. This refers to the former enemy commander. Yanran: Yanran Mountain is now Hangai Mountain in Mongolia. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, Dou Xian defeated the Xiongnu in the north, and his merits were recorded in stone at this moment. "This refers to the front line.
Two sentences about "Bicycle": One is "I am ordered to leave Tianque, and I want to ask about the bicycle."
Waiting Cavalry: A scout on horseback.
Appreciation
This poem is published in Volume 126 of "Complete Poems of the Tang Dynasty". The following is an appreciation of this poem by Mr. Zhang Yanjin, an expert on ancient Chinese literature, a member of the Chinese Writers Association, and a former doctoral supervisor in the Chinese Department of Capital Normal University.
"Envoy to the Fortress" depicts the strange and magnificent scenery outside the fortress, and expresses the poet's praise for the patriotic spirit of the border soldiers who are not afraid of hardships and sacrifice themselves for the country; the narrative of this poem is concise and concise, and the pictures are Beautiful and magnificent.
"The bicycle wants to ask about the side", the light vehicle goes there, where is it going - "The country passes Juyan", Juyan is in the northwest of Zhangye County, Gansu Province, far away from the northwest frontier.
"The expedition leaves the Hansai River, and the returning wild geese enter the Hutian". The poet compares himself with "Peng" and "Yan", saying that he came to the "Hansai" like a fluffy grass blown away by the wind. , entering the "Hu Tian" like the "Guiyan" flying north. In ancient poems, flying puffs are often used to describe wanderers, but here they are used to describe a minister with a mission to the court, which is a metaphor for the poet's inner anger and depression. Echoes the "bicycle" in the first sentence. A journey of thousands of miles was conveyed in just ten words.
Then capture the typical scenery in the desert and describe it: "The solitary smoke is straight in the desert, and the sun sets over the long river."
The last two sentences are written when arriving at the frontier fortress: "When Xiao Guan is waiting to ride, he will protect Yan Ran." When they arrived at the border fortress, they did not meet the general. The scout told the envoy that the general was at the front line of Yanran.
The poet focused his pen and ink on what he was best at - describing scenes. The author's mission happened to be in spring.
On the way, he saw several lines of returning geese flying north. The poet created a metaphor based on the scene and used the returning geese to compare himself. He not only narrated the story but also described the scenery. It was two strokes in one stroke, which was appropriate and natural. In particular, the couplet "The solitary smoke is straight in the desert, and the sun sets over the long river" describes the strange and magnificent scenery outside the frontier fortress seen after entering the frontier fortress. The border desert is vast and boundless, so the word "big" in "desert" is used. The frontier fortress is desolate and there are no wonders. The thick smoke from the beacon tower is particularly eye-catching, so it is called "lone smoke". The character "solitary" expresses the monotony of the scenery, while the character "straight" immediately following it expresses the beauty of its strength and perseverance. There are no mountains and trees in the desert, and the Yellow River that runs through it cannot express the poet's feelings without using the word "long". The sunset can easily give people a sentimental impression, but the word "round" is used here, but it gives people a warm, warm and boundless feeling. The word "round" and the word "straight" not only accurately depict the scene of the desert, but also express the author's deep feelings. The poet skillfully dissolves his loneliness into the description of the vast natural scene. The passage in the 48th chapter of Xiang Lingxue's poem "Dream of Red Mansions" can be regarded as expressing the superb artistic realm of these two poems.