Original poem
My family washes the trees at the head of the pond, and all the flowers bloom with faint ink marks.
Don’t let others praise you for your good color, just flow pure Qi and fill the universe.
Appreciation
The first sentence is "The tree at the head of the pond where my family washes inkstones", or also "The tree beside the pond where my family washes inkstones". "My home" means "my home", "yan" is the ancient word for "yan", "tou" and "bian" have the same meaning here, indicating the place, such as "I suddenly saw the head of the stream when I turned around" (Xin Qiji's "Moon on the West River" ), "Afraid of the beach, said panic" (Wen Tianxiang's "Crossing the Lingding Ocean"). Although this sentence seems extremely simple, it is still controversial. Some people regard it as a reference, while others do not think so. The former believes that "my family" here refers to. The word "Wang Jia" means "Wang Jia", and "Wang Jia" means "washing inkstones", which naturally reminds people of the great calligrapher Wang Xizhi. It is said that Wang Xizhi "came to the pond to study calligraphy, and the pond water was completely black", and he often "created" a lot of "ink" by washing his pen. "Chi". On the one hand, Wang Mian and Wang Xizhi have the same surname, so they inevitably have a natural feeling of admiration and closeness towards him. On the other hand, the two people's life trajectories are also similar. Wang Xizhi also pursued seclusion throughout his life, wandering around the mountains and rivers, and devoted his life to In the art of calligraphy, he learned from others' strengths and was determined to innovate, creating a style of calligraphy that was admired by Wang Mian, who was also proficient in calligraphy and painting. Therefore, "my family" in the poem refers to both the poet himself and Wang Xizhi. Those who hold different opinions believe that. "My family" here has the most common meaning, which refers to "Wang Mian's family".
So, what is my family? In ancient poems, close relatives are "my family", Zuo Si " "Poetry of a Beautiful Girl" says, "My family has a beautiful daughter." After more than ten generations, it is still "my family". Du Fu's "Huiyi" says: "My family's stele (referring to Du Yu's stele) is still the same, and Wang's well is still the same." "Friends with the same surname who are not related by blood can also be called "my family". Shi Jianwu's "Gift to Shi Xiangu" said: "Piaomiao is a female fairy in my family. Although she is young, she does not know how old she is. "My family" can even be used in the following terms. Zheng Yuan of the Tang Dynasty wrote a poem "Shou Sui": "My noble Lord, the phoenix tower opens." It can be seen that the usage context of "my family" is very general. The above two The arguments seem to make sense. We don’t have to worry too much about the actual meaning of “my house” and the specific ownership of the “tree by the pond”. Instead, we need to see the emotional independence of the ancients in the usage of “my house”— -Here, "my family" expresses a strong feeling of closeness. In fact, we might as well think about our own wording habits in daily life. No matter what the specific content of the words is, even if it is a complaint, as long as "my family" is used. As soon as this word comes out, there is a sense of intimacy and affection. In short, the first sentence not only describes the location of the plum blossoms, growing by the inkstone, but also cleverly sets the emotional tone of the whole poem to sing and praise the plum blossoms.
The second sentence "Every flower blooms with light ink marks" is also called "Every flower blooms with light ink marks". The overlapping use of each in the poem emphasizes that each plum blossom has an elegant color, with only a light color. The ink marks also suggest that the plum blossoms are blooming separately, which is consistent with the composition of the plum blossom painting. When interpreting this poem, perhaps because the image of Wang Mian's love for plum blossoms is too prominent, some people think that this poem comes from "The Plum Blossoms". I forgot about the fact of "Pictures of Plum Blossoms" and misread it as a general poem about things. I thought the poem was too real, so I started to wonder "Why do flowers have light ink marks?" and then came up with "The water of the inkstone pond". "Dye the unique color of the trees by the pond" and other explanations. In fact, the object of singing in the painting poem may be the object in the painting, or the entity of the object in the painting in reality, or more likely a combination of the two. Wang Mian combines the appearance characteristics of plum blossoms with the spiritual characteristics of plum blossoms. On the one hand, the plum blossoms are naturally light ink. On the other hand, the light ink color also reflects the noble and elegant temperament, which is in line with the indifferent and elegant culture of plum blossoms. The connotation is unified.
The last two sentences "Don't let people praise your good color, just flow pure energy to fill the world." "Wang Mian expresses his feelings directly and praises Mo Mei boldly. This poem is very much like speaking on behalf of Mo Mei, telling its inner monologue for Mo Mei. Relatively speaking, "good color" and "light ink marks" have only a faint Naturally, ink is not a "good color". When ancient people praised flowers, they often loved their elegance and disliked their richness. It was not the gorgeous and flamboyant flowers that were highly praised by the literati, but the simple and elegant plum orchid, lotus and chrysanthemum. Orchid is regarded as a model of "gentleman's guarding". Yuan Zhen said, "It's not that chrysanthemum is preferred among flowers. There will be no more flowers when the flowers bloom." Zhou Dunyi even praised the lotus as "coming out of the mud but not stained". , What do you think about the appearance that is not conspicuous enough? Mo Mei doesn’t think anything about it! The praise and comments of others have nothing to do with me. I just need to stick to my own nature, and I will fill the world with the fragrance of plum blossoms - - "Only the flow of pure Qi fills the universe." The word "full" corresponds to the "light" in the first half of the paragraph "Every flower blooms with light ink marks". Although it is only light ink, it can still "fill the universe". This It even more vividly describes how the seemingly inconspicuous plum blossoms contain a rich and mellow aroma, hinting at the solid and abundant moral spirit of the plum blossoms.
Here, "only the pure air flows." "Qiankun" also has a variation - "Only pure Qi is left to fill the universe." Which one is better, "Liu" or "Liu"? Personally, I prefer "Liu". "Liu" emphasizes more on a result , is a relatively stable state. And "flow" describes a dynamic, the flow and dispersion of fresh air is natural; at the same time, it highlights the "origin" - it can flow all over the world and continuously bring benefits to the surrounding world. Isn't the fragrance that refreshes the heart and soul just because of the rich and rich aroma of plum blossoms? Wang Mian used the description of plum blossoms to express his steadfast and pure pursuit of life, praising the noble quality that does not flatter the world.
Mo Mei does not seek praise from others, but only wants to spread fragrance to the world. We must also be noble and self-responsible in dealing with others, standing between heaven and earth, but we must have a clear conscience.
Translation
There is a plum tree beside the inkstone washing pond in my house, and the blooming plum blossoms look like they are dyed with light ink.
It does not need others to praise how beautiful the color is, it just wants to spread the fragrance between heaven and earth.
Notes
Mo Mei: plum blossoms outlined with ink pen.
My home: My home. Because Wang Xizhi and Wang Mian had the same surname, Wang Mian thought that the surname Wang belonged to the same family.
Inkstone washing pool: a pool for washing brushes and inkstones after writing or drawing. It is said that during the Three Kingdoms period, when Zhong Yao was practicing calligraphy when he was young, he often used the pool next to his home to wash his brushes, so that the entire pool ended up being ink-colored. It is said that Wang Xizhi of the Eastern Jin Dynasty "came to the pond to study calligraphy, and the pond water was completely black." This is an allusion to boast of his love for the art of calligraphy, painting and culture.
Chitou: beside the pool. Head: side.
Light ink: Ink colors are divided into four types in ink painting, such as clear ink, light ink, thick ink and burnt ink. What it means here is that the blossoming plum blossoms are dotted with light ink.
Traces: Traces.
Qingqi: the fresh fragrance of plum blossoms.
Full of heaven and earth: permeating the heaven and earth. Full: diffuse.
Qiankun: between heaven and earth.
Creation background
This poem was written around the ninth to tenth year of Emperor Shun of the Yuan Dynasty (1349-1350). Wang Mian returned to Shaoxing after a long journey. There was a plum blossom house in Jiuli Mountain in Kuaiji, and he called himself the owner of the plum blossom house. This poem was written here. At this time, it was the eve of the outbreak of the peasant uprising in the late Yuan Dynasty. Faced with the unresolved contradictions in real life, the author used plum blossoms to describe himself and wrote this poem with emotion.
Appreciation
This is a poem about painting. The poet praises the virtue of the plum blossoms without asking for praise from others, but only wants to leave a fragrance to the world. In fact, he uses the plum blossoms as a metaphor to express his attitude towards life and his noble sentiments of not flattering the world.
The first two sentences, "My family washes inkstones on the tree at the head of the pond, and the flowers bloom with faint ink marks" directly describe the plum blossom. In the painting, the plum trees beside the small pond are in full bloom, and the blossoming plum blossoms are dyed with light ink. "Washing the inkstone pool" is an allusion to Wang Xizhi's allusion of "Linside the pool to study calligraphy, the pool water is completely black".
Three or four sentences praising Mo Mei for her noble character and integrity. It is painted with light ink. Although it is not pretty in appearance, it has an inner temperament that is clear, noble, dignified, and secluded. It does not want to use bright colors to attract people, please people, or seek praise from people. It only wants to be praised by people. Distribute a fragrance and let it stay between heaven and earth. These two sentences are exactly the poet's self-portrait. Wang Mian was poor since he was a child. He herded cattle during the day and went to the Buddhist temple to study hard at night. Finally, he learned a lot of economics and was good at poetry and painting, and was versatile. However, he failed in repeated attempts and was unwilling to curry favor with the powerful, so he abandoned his ambition for fame and fortune and retired to Jiuli Mountain in eastern Zhejiang, where he made a living by painting. The two sentences "Don't let people praise the good color, just leave the pure energy to fill the world" show the poet's despising the popular customs, being self-reliant and not seeking merit.
This poem is titled "Mo Mei", which is intended to describe aspirations. The poet organically integrates painting style, poetry style and personality. Literally praising plum blossoms, actually praising one's own moral integrity.
In this poem, one "light" and one "full" fully show the personality. On the one hand, the plump plum blossoms and the poet's proud image appear vividly on the paper; on the other hand, it makes people feel the fragrance of calligraphy. The fragrance of plum blossoms seems to come to your face. In this way, "poetry style", "painting style" and personality are skillfully integrated.
"Mei Mei" praises the elegance and integrity of plum blossoms. The poet also uses objects to express his feelings and uses plum blossoms to describe himself, showing his attitude towards life and noble sentiments. Some people believe that the poem on the painting points out the creative intention and emphasizes ethics and interests, and is even more famous in the history of art than the "Moumei Tu" itself.
Wang Mian (1310-1359), named Yuanzhang, also known as Zhuishishanong, also known as Shizhongweng, Meihua Housekeeper, etc., was a native of Fengqiao, Zhuji, Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province, and a famous painter of the Yuan Dynasty. Poet and seal carver. He was born into a poor family and worked as a herdsman for others when he was young. He became a self-taught man. There are 3 volumes of "Zhuzhai Collection" and 2 volumes of sequels. He has loved plum blossoms all his life, planted plum blossoms, chanted plum blossoms, and painted plum blossoms. The plum blossoms painted are densely packed with branches, full of life, strong and powerful, and have a great influence on future generations. Existing paintings include "Spring Morning in Nanzhi", "Dark Plum Blossoms", "Three Gentlemen", etc. He was able to seal seals, and he created seals using flower milk stones, and his seal writing skills were exquisite. There is a biography in "History of Ming Dynasty".