What are the figurative or symbolic meanings of the images in farewell poems?

1. Liu (surname)

"Willow" is one of the main images in China's ancient farewell poems, which originated from the social custom of "folding willow to bid farewell" in ancient China since the Han Dynasty.

There are probably two meanings: on the one hand, the willow tree has a strong vitality, and the folk proverb says, "There is another village with a bright future", which is very adaptable. Sending friends away with it means that no matter where friends wander, they will take root and flourish, and they can adapt to the new environment quickly, which is a kind of beauty and wish for friends. In the second aspect, willow is homophonic with "stay", and folding willow means "stay". The weakness of wicker, like holding a person's arm, is just in line with the mood when the two sides leave.

2. wine

Wine into poetry, as early as in the Book of Songs. Many great poets, such as Tao Yuanming, Li Bai, Du Fu, Bai Juyi, Su Shi, Lu You and Xin Qiji, have an indissoluble bond with wine. There are two main reasons for the large number of wine images in farewell poems in Tang Dynasty: First, wine itself has certain physiological and health care functions, so people regard wine as a good carrier to express their feelings. Second, it has magical power to make people excited or intoxicated. Only wine can elevate the poet immersed in farewell occasions to a carefree and detached world.

3. Water

The word "water" often appears in poetry, and the creator uses it to symbolize something and make it an image.

Water itself has been endowed with various symbolic meanings by poets. Such as: cold water symbolizes the desolation of leaving love; The tenderness of water symbolizes parting; The long flow of water symbolizes the parting from generation to generation; Running water is gone forever, symbolizing that pedestrians are drifting away; The ups and downs of water waves symbolize the swaying of the heart; The emptiness of water symbolizes the loss of mood, and so on It is precisely because water has the above symbolic meaning that poets can set up water images widely and flexibly in farewell poems according to the needs of expressing emotions.