The full text of Shu Ting's poem To the Oak Tree;
If I love you-
Unlike climbing Campbell,
Show off yourself with your tall branches;
If I love you-
Never imitate spoony birds,
Repeat monotonous songs for the shade;
It is not just like a fountain,
Send cool comfort all year round;
It is not only a dangerous mountain peak,
Increase your height,
Set off your dignity.
Even during the day,
Even spring rain.
I don't know,
These are not enough!
I must be a kapok beside you,
Standing with you as the image of a tree.
Root,
Grasp the ground;
Leaves,
Touch each other in the clouds.
Every time a gust of wind blows,
We all greet each other,
But no one,
Understand what we said.
You have your copper branches and iron stems,
Like a knife,
Like a sword,
Like a halberd;
I have my red flowers,
Like a heavy sigh,
Like a heroic torch.
We share the cold wave,
Wind and thunder,
Thunderbolt;
We like fog,
Flow haze,
Rainbow.
As if we were separated forever,
But they are lifelong dependent.
This is great love,
Loyalty is here:
Love-
Not only love your strong body,
I like your position,
The land under your feet.
Appreciation of oak trees;
Although Shu Ting said To the Oak is not a love poem, more readers are willing to appreciate it as a love poem.
Through the artistic technique of overall symbol and the inner monologue from "kapok" to "oak tree", this poem enthusiastically and frankly sings his own personality ideal and love view, which requires standing shoulder to shoulder, independence and affection. It can be seen that the poet has carefully designed when choosing the materials for poetry creation: oak is so suitable to represent the masculine beauty of men, while kapok is so suitable to represent women's self-reliance and equality with men. As soon as this poem was born, oak and kapok became a new group of images in China's love poems.
At the beginning of this poem, two hypotheses and six negative metaphors are used to express her love view: she doesn't want to climb on the other side and show off her vanity by the other side's prosperity; I don't want to drown in each other's indifferent shadows and sing unrequited love songs alone. As a woman, she should be affectionate and considerate by default, but she thinks that she can't just stay in this state; She admits that bedding and foil can make each other's image more prominent and powerful, but she still feels that this does not represent the whole of love. For each other, I want to dedicate the warmth like "sunshine" and pour out the affection like "spring rain". But she was not satisfied with these: "No, these are not enough! I must be a kapok beside you, standing with you in the image of a tree. " The poet made it clear that she must stand in the same position as the other party-you are a tree, I must be a tree, and it is an equally tall and straight tree; You stand, I must stand, equally between heaven and earth.
Next, the poet described the attitude that men and women should have in ideal love: "Roots, close to the ground; Leaves, touching in the clouds. Every time a gust of wind passes, we greet each other, but no one understands us. " They are soul mates, closely linked. Kapok said to the oak tree and himself in a proud tone, "You have your copper branches and iron shafts, just like knives, swords and halberds;" I have my red flowers, like a heavy sigh and like a heroic torch. "Obviously, kapok deeply understands the respective characteristics and values of her and the oak tree. She went on to express her belief that true love should share joys and sorrows with "cold waves, storms and thunder and lightning" and "* * * enjoying fog, flowing haze and rainbow". On the surface, they seem to be separated forever, but in essence, they are dependent on each other and love-not only your stalwart body, but also the position you insist on and the land under your feet. "The poet believes that love does not stop at admiring each other's' stalwart body', but incorporates each other's career pursuit, ideals and beliefs into their own love arms, and is completely integrated in spirit." This is great love. "
In artistic expression, poetry adopts the lyrical way of inner monologue, which is convenient to express the poet's spiritual world frankly and happily. At the same time, the image is constructed by the method of overall symbol (the whole poem correspondingly symbolizes the independent personality and sincere love of lovers with the overall image of oak and kapok), which makes the philosophical thoughts and concepts germinate and poeticize in the intimate and sensible image, so this poem with the rational temperament of the richest man does not feel any didactic meaning, but is only conquered by rich and moving images.
The whole poem sincerely confesses the "Oak Tree" with the lyric subject "Kapok", personalizing and spiritualizing them, so that these two central images shine with ideological and aesthetic light from the outside to the inside. Kapok can be understood as a symbol of the beauty of modern women full of youth, softness and rigidity, and also as an impassioned, rich emotion and unique deep personality. Oak shows a masculine temperament, which is a symbol of stalwart and strong character. With this unique and exquisite image as the symbolic core, this poem naturally breaks away from the concrete and limited form and has rich connotations. It can be regarded as equal and sincere love between men and women, and it can also be understood as intimate, equal and harmonious interpersonal relationship. The poet skillfully used the confession of "kapok" to derive and combine a series of concrete images with rich contents. These images may imply Kapok's view on the disharmonious and unbalanced interpersonal relationship in the traditional outlook on life, or boldly affirm the interdependence on the basis of personality independence, and show the yearning and pursuit for harmonious interpersonal relationship, new love view and life value. The composition and syntax of the whole poem are carefully arranged, which makes lyric and discussion naturally merge and makes rich and delicate feelings bring rational luster.
About the author:
Shu Ting (1952~), formerly known as Gong, was born in Xiamen, Fujian. As one of the representatives of the misty poetry school, his poems reveal rational thinking in a hazy atmosphere, and he is good at expressing his unique and profound feelings by using artistic means such as metaphor and symbol, which is the product of the combination of romanticism and modernism. Representative works include Dedicated to Oak, Motherland, My Dear Motherland, This is Everything, etc. Published a collection of poems, "Double Mast Ship" and "Singing Iris".
Creation background
Shu Ting once talked about the creative background of the poem "To the Oak Tree": "In fact, the production of this poem is simple and ordinary." Shu Ting recalled. 1975 Cai Qijiao, an old returned overseas Chinese poet who once helped her a lot in writing, visited Gulangyu Island. One night, while Shu Ting was walking with him, Cai Qijiao told her about the girls she met in her life. It's bold to talk openly about the girl you liked in the 1970s. Cai Qijiao said that there are beautiful girls, but no talent; Talented girls are not beautiful; Beautiful, talented and fierce, he found it difficult to find a perfect girl. Shu Ting said that she was very angry after listening to it. She thinks this is male chauvinism and men and women should be equal. So that night, she wrote a poem "Oak Tree" and gave it to Cai Qijiao. Later, when it was published, it was changed to To Oak. "In fact, oak trees in the south can never grow with kapok trees. In this poem, they are used as references for men and women. " She added.