The willow in ancient poetry refers to the willow tree. To be precise, it should refer to the weeping willow.
Anyone who is attentive will find that every spring, willow trees will produce white catkins, and the flying catkins can easily remind people of the feeling of parting in ancient poems. The word "willow" first came from "The Book of Songs, Xiaoya, Plucking Wei". In the past, I went there, and the willows lingered; now I come to think about it, and the rain and snow are falling. ?
This sentence also well expresses the dependence of willows and people's feelings of farewell. Starting from the "Book of Songs", Chinese classical poetry has associated the image of willows with farewell. together.
The leaves of poplar trees are rounder, the trees are tall, and the branches are stiff. There is no "yiyi" state in ancient poetry at all. Therefore, the Yiyi willow with the feeling of farewell in ancient poetry is definitely not a poplar tree. .
Liu Xie of the Southern Dynasty also wrote in "The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons? Objects" that the freshness of the scorching peach blossoms mirrors the appearance of willows. ?Here he uses the posture of "willow leaning" to vividly show the gentle and graceful posture of willow.
Later, some poets also used willow to describe their feelings of parting, such as Liu Yuxi's "Nine Poems on Willow Branches"? There are countless trees on the road in Chang'an, but only the weeping willows manage separation. ?
Li Bai's "Lao Lao Pavilion" "The spring breeze knows how to avoid suffering and does not send away the green willow branches." ?
Liu Yong wrote in "Yulin Ling", "Sentiment has hurt parting since ancient times, and it is even more embarrassing to neglect the Qingqiu Festival." Where to wake up tonight, on the bank of willows, with the waning moon in the morning breeze. ?
In fact, in ancient Chinese poetry, there are countless poems that use willows to describe the feeling of parting.
In "Ancient and Modern Things", sometimes the ancients could not distinguish the names of many trees very well, such as willow, among which there are more than ten kinds of willows and poplars. There are many, and the two are sometimes combined in comments.
Li Shizhen recorded in the "Compendium of Materia Medica" that "poplar branches are hard and raised, so it is called Yang; willow branches are weak and drooping, so it is called willow." ?In fact, the difference between the two is clearly written.