Ancient Farewell
Meng Jiao
I wanted to take the man's clothes away, "Where has he been now?"
I don't regret coming back late. Don’t go to Linqiong!”
This little poem is true and simple and natural.
The word "desire to leave" at the beginning refers to the "separation" in the title, and also provides the background for the words and deeds of the following characters. The subject of "holding Lang's clothes" is naturally the heroine in the poem. Some people think that this action expresses the inability to bear separation. Although it cannot be said that it has no such meaning, judging from the whole poem, this action is obviously to match the language, so Its meaning cannot be understood apart from the characters' language and the context in which they speak. The main reason why she wanted to "hold her husband's clothes" was to make her husband, who was about to leave, stop and listen to her words quietly. His movements revealed a solemn and intimate attitude. All of this, of course, is to enhance the weight of language and emotion, so as to attract the other party's attention.
While holding Lang Yi, the heroine spoke: "Where is Lang now?" Under normal circumstances, thousands of words should be said before parting, at least not until the moment of "wanting to say goodbye" before asking "where?" This seems puzzling. However, if you look at the fourth sentence, you will know that what makes her uneasy is not the problem of not knowing "where to go", but the worry that he will go to a "terrible" place - "Linqiong", that is her What you really want to say but have always found it hard to say. "Where is Lang Jin?" This statement seems to miss the point at this moment, but this "superfluous twist" how vividly depicts the panic and contradiction in her heart at this moment!
In the third sentence, let go and move to the return date. According to common sense, one should be expecting him to return early. Isn't it "hateful" to be late? However, she insisted on saying "I don't regret coming back late." To understand this "not hating", we must also connect with the fourth sentence - "Don't go to Linqiong". Linqiong, now Qionglai County, Sichuan Province, is where Sima Xiangru met and fell in love with Zhuo Wenjun while traveling as a guest in the Han Dynasty. The word "Linqiong" here does not necessarily refer to it specifically, but is used as a metaphor for the place where a man finds new love. In such a place, wouldn't it be more hateful and terrifying for her? It can be seen that "don't hate coming back late" is compared with "coming back late" and "going to Linqiong". It's not that we don't complain about "returning late" at all, it's "the lesser of two evils". This poem is not irony or hypocrisy, but true love, a true love that endures pain, and a true love that is willing to use the pain of missing each other to win eternal love for each other. She first gave in so sincerely and offered her affectionate heart, and finally expressed her unspeakable hope and request - "Don't go to Linqiong"! If you use your own feelings to move people's feelings, you should be able to move them more, right? He has deep feelings, sincere intentions, and good intentions. As the saying goes, "Poetry comes from the heart, and the heart often feels sad when it comes out" (Su Shi's "Reading Meng Jiao's Poems").
The first three sentences of the poem are all roundabout to lead out and set off the fourth sentence. The fourth sentence is the "answer to the riddle" and the starting point and destination of the whole poem. Only by grasping it can we truly understand it. Understand the first three sentences and taste the charm of the whole poem. The poet uses this kind of melodious, swaying and emotional strokes to succinctly and delicately depict the heroine's desire for a happy love life but also her hidden anxiety and uneasiness, and reveals from this contradiction It shows her character of steadfastness, sincerity, forbearance and restraint. She speaks less but means more, is meaningful and profound, and is thought-provoking. It is related to "I don't know how to make new kindness when I leave my old love" (Bai Juyi's "Resentments"); "I am always afraid of new voices coming out, and my old voice will be muted" (Meng Jiao's "Ancient Concubine's Unlucky Life"); "Not afraid of the general's success" "After a long separation, I am afraid that the heart of the feudal lord will change." (Xue Daoheng's "Yu Zhang Xing") and other poems reflect the sad situation of women in the feudal era from one aspect, and have certain social significance. The short oblique rhyme used in the poem also helps express the characters' anxious and uneasy expressions.