That was not the case. "Peach, plum and spring breeze, a glass of wine, ten years of rivers and lakes Yi Deng." "What kind of life is everywhere? It should be like flying in slush. " "When the spring breeze turns green in Jiang Nanan, when will the bright moon shine on me?" "The shadows are clear and shallow, and the faint fragrance floats on the moon." "Wangu has sound, the peaks are silent, and the sun sets."
1. Which is better, Tang poetry or Song poetry?
People always like to compare the advantages and disadvantages of Tang poetry and Song poetry, and there are different opinions and no conclusion. Now Qian Zhongshu, a great scholar, has a very thought-provoking view. He pointed out in the article "Poetry Style in Tang and Song Dynasties":
"Tang poetry and Song poetry not only have different dynasties, but also have different constitutions. There are two kinds of people in the world. There are two kinds of poems. Tang poetry has a good rhyme, and Song poetry has a good reason. "
In other words, Tang poetry and Song poetry are actually two different styles.
Tang poetry is characterized by rich emotions and profound artistic conception, while Song ci is characterized by being good at reasoning.
Then why are they called "Tang Poetry" and "Song Poetry"? On the whole, there are many poems with rich emotions and profound artistic conception in Tang poetry, so we call this style of poetry "Tang poetry". Similarly, poems that are good at reasoning are called "Song Poetry".
In terms of literary style, Tang poetry is not necessarily written by Tang people, and Song poetry is not necessarily written by Song people. There were also poets who were good at reasoning in the Tang Dynasty, such as Du Fu. In the Song Dynasty, there were also poems that blended natural and unrestrained with scenes.
So there is no difference between Tang poetry and Song poetry, just two different styles.
? Second, the background of the formation of Song poetry style.
In fact, what we really need to think about is, why did the Song Dynasty form a different poetic style from the Tang Dynasty? On this issue, Mr. Xu's exposition is quite incisive.
First, the Song Dynasty inherited the Five Dynasties in time, but culturally, the Five Dynasties had nothing to inherit and directly inherited the Tang Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty did leave a very rich legacy. Faced with such a rich legacy, Song people felt the pressure of "unsustainable". So I hope to create a new poetic style. Since Tang poetry is good at expressing emotion, Song people choose to talk about reason; Tang poetry is famous for its gorgeous rhetoric, so the Song people chose plain.
Second, Tang poetry is the literature of aristocrats, while Song poetry is the literature of civilians.
The concept of family status in the Tang Dynasty was very heavy, and many poets were born in aristocratic families. For example, the great poet Du Fu often praised his grandfather Du Shenyan and his distant ancestor Du Yu. Noble literature is inevitably rich in luxury and romance. After the Anshi Rebellion, almost all the nobles were wiped out. Literature has also turned from aristocrats to civilians. Many literati in the Song Dynasty were born civilians and were willing to be civilians. Therefore, Song poetry is also contaminated with plain and simple temperament.
Third, the examination system has a far-reaching impact on people than you think.
If the college entrance examination only tests poetry, then every candidate will know the rhyme law of flat and even tones like the back of his hand. There will be no more English cram schools in the street, but poetry learning clubs.
In the Tang Dynasty, scholars were selected by poetry and fu, and in the Song Dynasty, scholars were selected by Confucian classics. Song Dynasty was a particularly popular era of ancient Chinese prose, and Ouyang Xiu and Su Shi, two literary leaders, advocated a simple and popular style. The style of the article will also affect the style of poetry. After all, they are also people who write articles and poems. This formed a feature of the Song Dynasty-taking prose as poetry. Taking prose as poetry means writing poetry in the language of prose, which dispels the leap of poetic language and reduces the artistry of poetry to some extent.
Fourthly, reflecting on the catastrophe of Tang and Five Dynasties forced the development of rational spirit of Song people. One result of the reflection of Neo-Confucianism in Song Dynasty is that indulgence will lead to disaster. Therefore, they advocate "preserving righteousness and destroying human desires." Bai Juyi, a poet in the Tang Dynasty, can also boldly praise his two concubines "Su Fan's cherry mouth and waist" in his poems, which is rare in Song poetry.
How can secular desires be suppressed if they are suppressed? Ci of secular desire in song dynasty. The most obvious performance in this respect is Ouyang Xiu. His poems are more formal and his feelings are more serious. If you only read his poems, you may think that he is a dull Old Master Q. However, it is such a Old Master Q who created many colorful words. "Life is infatuated, and this resentment has nothing to do with romantic affairs" and "On the willow shoot and the moon, people meet after dusk" are all written by Ouyang Xiu.
Therefore, it is not that poets in the Song Dynasty can't write poems, but the poems written are different from those in the Tang Dynasty. Later generations, out of personal preference, praised Tang poetry, such as Li Panlong, or emphasized Song poetry, such as Yuan Hongdao. Just as Sichuanese like spicy food and Cantonese like sweet food. Which one is delicious?