Original poem:
Cowboys ride on the backs of oxen, and songs echo in the forest.
Suddenly want to catch the song of the tree, immediately stop singing and stand by the tree silently.
Translation:
The shepherd boy rode on the back of the cow, and the loud song echoed in the forest. Suddenly, I wanted to catch the cicada in singing in the trees, so I stopped singing and stood quietly by the tree.
Poetry appreciation
Yuan Mei attaches great importance to "truth" in his poems and essays. He said, "Poetry is hard to be true." The first two sentences of this poem are about the carefree appearance and happy mood of the shepherd boy. The shepherd boy rode leisurely on the back of the cow, singing while walking, and the loud song echoed in the forest. "Riding a horse" describes the shepherd boy's posture, and "Shocking the Woods and Moon" describes the shepherd boy's happy mood.
His singing alarmed the cicadas in the tree. Cicada did not show weakness, but let go of her voice and sang. The forest was full of excitement.
The last two sentences of the poem are the shepherd boy's silent concern for cicadas. The shepherd boy suddenly remembered that he had caught a cicada barking in a tree, and immediately stopped singing and stood still. The word "suddenly" is skillfully used and vividly depicts the image of a shepherd boy.
The whole poem is only 20 words, with singing and harmony, movement and silence, and full of fun.