The original sentence is: Life is like dust and dew, and the path of heaven is long and long. Meaning: Each of us living in this world is like dust and morning dew, which will disappear soon, but the way of heaven is eternal, and the way of heaven is eternal.
From "Thirty-Two of Eighty-Two Songs of Love" is a poem written by Ruan Ji in the Wei and Jin Dynasties.
Creative background
Ruan Ji lived in the Wei and Jin Dynasties and had great ambitions. In the late Cao Wei Dynasty, the Sima family and the Cao family competed for power. They massacred political dissidents, resulting in an extremely dark and terrifying political situation. As the political situation became increasingly dangerous, Ruan Ji had to give up his ambitions and resorted to feinting to avoid conflicts. He drank all day long and did not care about worldly affairs.
Although he avoided death, he felt extremely painful inside. Historical biographies record that he "drove alone without hesitation. He could not follow the path, and the tracks of his car were exhausted, and he often returned crying." He poured out this pain and anger in obscure and tortuous forms in his poems, which is the famous five-character poem "Eighty-two Songs of Love".
Extended information
Appreciation
"The rising sun is no longer strong, and the day is suddenly dark in the west." The first two sentences are written from the day, which symbolizes the passage of time. The sentence structure is the same as "The wind blows in the daytime, and suddenly returns to the Western Mountains" in Cao Zhi's "Gift to Xu Qian", which expresses the feeling of worry and sadness when the scenery is galloping west, the white horse passes by, the water flows in the prime of life, and is gone forever. It's just that Ruan's poem didn't mention where "Bai Ri" was hiding, while Cao's poem actually said "Western Mountain".
One is more about images and the other is more about reasoning; the first is to describe the scene, and the other is to symbolize the meaning. "Going here is like dust and dew, and the path of heaven is long and long." Someone once said that "going here" refers to "going to the time of Wei's prosperity", which means that the prosperity of Cao Wei disappeared in an instant. It can be seen that the words "rising sun" and "white sun" in the first sentence not only symbolize the passing of time, but also have a deeper meaning of the Cao Wei regime's decline from prosperity and prosperity, never to return, and ultimately extinct.
Here, the poet blends the elegy about the short life and the lamentation about the decline of Cao Wei's national destiny. The double meanings intersect and grow from each other. They are placed at the end of the poem and cover the whole poem. The next twelve sentences are all inspired by Its control.
The first two sentences are "Life is like dust and dew", using the strong contrast of "Life - the way of heaven" to describe the shortness of life and national destiny. In the "long" heavenly way and the eternal universe, the Cao Wei regime is as if it were looking down upon, let alone a mere humble scholar, who is just like dust and dew, and will perish in an instant.
The next four sentences are "Qi Jing Gong ascends the hills and mountains", and then uses the allusions of Qi Jinggong cherishing his life and Confucius mourning his death, which perfectly describes the short life and national destiny. "Han Shi Wai Zhuan" once recorded that when Qi Jinggong visited Niushan and looked at Qi in the north, he said: "What a beautiful country? Mount Tai is so gloomy! If there were no dead in ancient times, what would we do here?" After saying this, he burst into tears.
"The Analects of Confucius·Zihan" records that Confucius said to the flowing water that has never returned: "The dead are like this people! They don't give up day and night." In Qi Jinggong, he climbed Niu Mountain, saw the beauty of the mountains and rivers, and lamented that he was not immortal. In the crying and Confucius' regret for the passing of flowing water, the poet's dual worries about his personal destiny and the destiny of the country are deeper than the previous metaphors and comparisons.
How will the poet protect himself in such a lonely world? How can the poet escape from such deep sorrow? "Those who leave will not be able to catch up, and those who come will not be left behind." The cross is a saying of great enlightenment. In the last six sentences, the poet cut off the two chapters of "Chu Ci: Yuanyou" and "Zhuangzi: Fisherman" and took their literary meaning.
The first four sentences are taken from "Yuan Yuan" "I can't reach those who have gone by, and I won't hear those who come." : The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors have passed away, but I cannot reach them; even if there are saints in future generations, I cannot wait for them. It is better to climb Mount Taihua and swim with red pine nuts. Chisongzi is an immortal in ancient legends. He traveled with the immortals and had the desire to be born in this world. The words "Historical Records: The Liuhou Family" said: "I would like to abandon the world and travel from Chisongzi."
Last two The sentence implicitly embodies the meaning of the sentence of "The Fisherman", indicating that we must get rid of the dangerous situation of "being pregnant with fire" and "walking on thin ice" (the 33rd poem "Yong Huai·Day after Night"), so as to protect ourselves and get rid of it. , only by following Chisongzi and the fisherman, one can become an immortal or a hermit, far away from the troubles of the world, and the common people can avoid dangers and have a happy life. ——However, this is just a temporary fantasy. There is no basis for immortality, and there is no room for concealment, so in the end we will fall back into the dark world described above.
When Ruan Jisheng was in the Wei, Jin and Jin dynasties, the conflicts and struggles within the ruling group became increasingly cruel and fierce. In order to usurp the Wei Dynasty and take over the throne, the Sima family wanted to kill dissidents. Everyone in the court and the public looked at them with suspicion, and everyone was in danger. The poet was also persecuted repeatedly. It is necessary to avoid disaster all over the body, but also to vent the inner worries and anger. Therefore, it can only express fiery feelings in a tortuous and obscure way, with cold language; and express serious themes with an absurd tone.
This poem uses mythology, allusions, metaphors and double meanings to write, making its poetic meaning obscure and profound, and the pheasant can't find an explanation. Zhong Rong's "Shi Pin" said that Ruan Ji's "Poetry of Ode to Huai" "has great ambitions and is hard to find." He can be described as a confidant in the poetry world.
Baidu Encyclopedia-Eighty-two Songs