Issue No. 6
Journal of Xihua University (Philosophy & Social Sciences)
December 2005. 2005
A new theory on the beauty of imagery in Dai Wangshu's "Rain Lane"
Zhang Jianfeng
(School of Humanities, Xihua University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610039)
Abstract: The imagery of "Rain Alley" contains not only the connotations of national culture, but also the thoughts and emotions of modern people; it has both classical beauty and modernity. sex. Its artistic charm lies in the organic combination of the expression of modern consciousness and the creative use of archetypal images in classical poetry, achieving a level of sophistication that leaves no trace.
Keywords: oil-paper umbrella; rain alley; lilac girl; image beauty
CLC number: I 226. 1 Document identification code: A Article number: 1672-8505 (2005 ) 06-0045-03
Imago Beauty in Dai Wangshu s Rainy Lane
ZHANG Jian -feng
(Shoool of Humanities , Xihua University , Chengdu , Sichuan , 610039)
A bstract :T he imago in “Rainy Lane ”contains no t only national culture , but affection of present people ; it also conveys bo th classical and modern beauty . Its ar tistic appeal lies in perfect combination of consciousness of modern wo rld and pro to ty pe of classical poetry .
Key words:oilpaper umpella; Rainy Lane; Lady Ding xiang; imag o beauty "Rain Lane" was submitted to "Novel Month" that year When the newspaper was published, acting editor Ye Shengtao praised it for "opening a new era for the syllables of new poetry." Indeed, "Rain Alley" is like a soft, low-pitched, subtle serenade, beautiful, melodious and charming. However, we changed the first verse to: "Holding an automatic umbrella, wandering alone/in the spacious, spacious/busy streets/I hope to meet/a girl with a happy knot like a morning glory." What will happen? ? The rhythm and rhyme have hardly changed. Compared with the original poem, there is no realm at all. What is the reason? The image has changed! So, where is the beauty of the image in "Rain Alley"?
Dai Wangshu is here "Ling Zha on Poetry" says that new poetic sentiment can be found in "old things" and "old classics" can be used to express new emotions. He used a large number of "archetypal images" with strong national cultural color to construct the artistic conception of his poems. He used "archetypal images" as the aesthetic information carrier of poetry, injecting new thoughts and emotions into them, transforming them into modern images with the characteristics of the times and personal characteristics, thus having both classical beauty and modernity. "Rain Alley" does not have much realistic environmental description, nor much romantic emotional expression. Instead, it only presents "oil-paper umbrella", "long time", "sound of rain", "alley", "me", "lilac" ", "girl" and several other images. These images clearly have the regional cultural charm of Jiangnan, profound national cultural connotations and modern flavor.
The poet opened his mouth as "oil-paper umbrella", but changed it to an automatic umbrella, a big flower umbrella... Why is it not good? In the Yangtze River Basin and the areas south of it, especially the plum rainy season in the south of the Yangtze River
< p> Festival, or in the southwest region where "the sky is never sunny for three days", people must bring rain gear when going out. As the saying goes: "Bring an umbrella when the weather is sunny, and bring food when you are full." Whether it rains or not, you always need to bring an umbrella when you go out. Even though it is extinct, it is still unforgettable. Isn’t there a handicraft oil-paper umbrella? The “oil-paper umbrella” in the poem is not just a rain gear, it is a metaphor for people in the rain and the customs of people in the rain. The customs and mentality of traveling from umbrella to person and from person to person reflect the cultural customs of Jiangnan. The "rain" that appears next is the drizzle during the plum rain season in the south of the Yangtze River. The "alley" is the iconic landscape of the Jiangnan town. The "rain lane" and the "decayed fence" behind it constitute a distinct geographical background of the south of the Yangtze River.The regional nature of "Lilac" is not as strong as "Oiled Paper Umbrella" and "Rain Alley", but "Lilac" affects the sadness of scholars and the blood of national culture. "Oil-paper umbrella", "sound of rain", "alley", "lilac", simple images permeate Jiangnan cultural customs and classical cultural charm. The opening chapter will let you enter the distinctive regional culture and appreciate the beauty of the strong national culture.
"Yu Lane" was previously "long". Wouldn't it be better to be shorter? Wouldn't it be better to be wider? Why does it have to be "long"? What is more "long"? "Long" is not enough. How about it again? For thousands of years, people who go out, go on the road, and travel far away are mostly scholars, and their mentality has been like this. "The Jianjia is green, and the white dew is frost. The so-called Yiren is on the side of the water. If you follow it back, the road is long and blocked. If you follow it back, you will wander in the middle of the water." ("Jianjia") "The road is long and long, and I "I will search up and down." (Qu Yuan's "Li Sao") "Traveling again and again, we are separated from you for more than ten thousand miles, and we are all in the same place.
Received date: 2005-09-03 Fund project: Sichuan Provincial Department of Education Youth Fund Project "Research on the Imagery of New Chinese Poetry". 1965), male, . 46 Journal of Xihua University (Philosophy and Social Sciences Edition) 2005
Yi Ya. The road is blocked and long, how can we know if we will meet well?" ("Nineteen Ancient Poems") "The beauty is in the clouds, and the road of heaven is endless" (Meicheng's "Miscellaneous Poems") "The beauty is like a flower separated by the clouds, with a blue and dark sky above. , There are waves of the Lu River below. The journey is long and the soul is in pain. It is difficult for the soul to reach Guanshan. The long love is heart-breaking." (Li Bai's "Saucy Love") "The clothes are covered with dust and wine stains, and the soul is intoxicated everywhere when traveling far away. . This fit is the poet's "Xi Yu riding a donkey into Jianmen" (Lu You's "Encountering Light Rain on the Road to Jianmen") Scholars have been "seeking" and "traveling far away" for thousands of years. What a long journey it is. ! What a difficult road to walk! No matter how long or difficult it is, you have to walk it. You have to walk it, but it’s endless! Isn’t this the “long, long/lonely rain alley”? Walking a long road is difficult. , implies the loneliness, loneliness and pain of human beings, "traveling far away is everywhere without ecstasy"! The years are silent, and modern scholars also have the same mentality. Bing Xin, a 20-year-old college student, wrote: "It's dusk -/The waves of the lake are sleepy -/The endless corridor!" ("Spring Water") Ancient scholars walked on mountain roads, water roads, and heaven roads. Bing Xin walked on the corridor of the campus, and Dai Wangshu walked on the rainy alley in the south of the Yangtze River. They were both long, long, long roads with no end! In 1928, Xu Zhimo was "looking for dreams" in the foreign Cam River and "supporting the road". A long pole, / slowly moving towards where the grass is greener" ("Farewell to Cambridge"), the beauty is in the middle of the water, and it is also a long waterway. This is the "hesitation" after "screaming", the "disillusionment" after "pursuit", and the "melancholy" after "excitement". It is not the mood of a few poems or a few people, but the mood of some young people in the mid-to-late twenties. Intellectuals have the same mood. It’s not just young intellectuals in the 1920s, I’m afraid many people are like this, right? The popularity of the song “Water Forgetting Love”, doesn’t it just express the aspirations of modern people? “When I was young, I loved chasing dreams, and I just wanted to move forward. Flying, searching over thousands of mountains and rivers, I have never looked back. Suddenly I look back and my love is far away, and I can't help but feel that I am already on the horizon, and then I realize that the most painful thing about love and hate is regret!" I ran all the way, going through wind and rain. "Chasing dreams", looking back suddenly, the ancient road is west wind, and people are at the end of the world. Do you really regret it? No! Why? Because there is "Lilac Girl" in "Rain Alley", dreams are at the end of the world!
The image of "Rain Alley" seems realistic, but in fact it hides profound national cultural connotations. Why "rain"? Is the sky not sunny? Why "alley"? Is the road bad? Is the street bad? Is the highway bad? The poet starts by saying "oil paper umbrella", telling you that it is raining, and Rain always accompanies people and appears from time to time. In the whole poem, "Rain Alley" appears 4 times, "Oil-paper Umbrella" appears 3 times, and "Rain" appears 2 times, totaling 9 times, which is the most frequently occurring image. Is this rain a storm? Is it a thunderstorm? Is it "eastern rain"? No. This is the light rain during the plum rainy days in the south of the Yangtze River. It is continuous, endless, wispy, hazy, and unclear. I don’t know how long it will rain. It’s so annoying! This is the alley in the south of the Yangtze River, with stone slabs. The floors are dark, the walls are dark, and the buildings are crooked, crooked, and full of potholes. It’s hard to walk on a regular basis, and it’s even harder to walk on a rainy day—it’s so annoying! It’s raining, and I should be staying at home for recreation. , now I have to go out - "I can't help myself", and the road is not easy to walk, how can I feel good - it's terrible! People are in the rain alley, and the activities in the rain imply the mood and mentality of the people in the rain. This mood and mentality are repeatedly expressed in classical poetry, and can be said to be the mood and mentality of Chinese scholars.
American sinologists Watson and Mary James and Chinese scholar Chen Zhi'e respectively reviewed "Three Hundred Tang Poems" (edited by Sun Zhu), "Tang Poems" (edited by Shen Deqian) and Li Bai, Du Fu, Meng Haoran and Liu Zongyuan. , Li Shangyin's poems have made statistics on the images, and the conclusion is that there are far more seasonal images of "spring and autumn" than "summer and winter", and there are far more climate images of "wind and rain" than "sunny days".
"The Book of Songs" begins to "wind and rain". "I traveled to Dongshan, eloquent and never returned.
The fragrance of poems and flowers. "Seeing the moon in the palace looks sad, and hearing the sound of heartbroken bells in the rain at night. / When the peach and plum blossoms bloom in the spring breeze, the sycamore leaves fall in the autumn rain. / The lonely jade face sheds tears, and a branch of pear blossom brings rain in spring. "(Bai Juyi's "Song of Everlasting Sorrow") "I have a leisurely dream of the ripe plum blossoms in the south of the Yangtze River, the night boats are playing flutes in the rain, and people are talking about the bridge by the post. "(Huangfu Song's "Dream Jiangnan") "How many leisure and sorrows are there? A Sichuan tobacco, flying catkins all over the city, plums and yellow rain. "(He Zhu's "The Green Jade Case") "Listen to the spring rain in the small building all night, and sell apricot flowers in the deep alley in the Ming Dynasty. "(Lu You's "The First Spring Rain in Lin'an") This rain can last for thousands of years! "Their interest is not so much in the scenery presented in front of them, but in the conventional metaphors and symbols. "[2] "Rain" has become a stable image for ancient poets to express their mood and state of mind, and it has the character of "succession" (Chen Zhi'e's words). No matter whether it rains or not, as long as you are in a bad mood, let the poem rain. ! Poetry is also made of water!
In this cultural background, the "Lilac Girl" appeared. She is the core image of "Rain Lane", why is it lilac? The Four Gentlemen of Plum, Orchid, Bamboo and Chrysanthemum are not good Isn’t the beautiful and fragrant peony bad? Isn’t the lotus that emerges from the mud but not stained bad? Isn’t the sweet-scented osmanthus, hibiscus and rose bad? Isn’t the peach blossom, plum blossom, and pear flower bad? Isn’t the apricot blossom, jasmine and white orchid bad? “Apricot blossom” "Spring rain in the south of the Yangtze River", this is the eternal song! "What a beautiful jasmine flower", this is the charm of the south of the Yangtze River! Why must we get lilac?
Lilac, the leaves are oval and oblong, bloom in summer, the top of the branches The flowers are in panicles, 10-20cm long, with a thin corolla tube, 1cm long, with small cross-shaped white, purple or yellow flowers, clusters of buds on the branches, small buds, round and bulging. It is bulging, just like the flower buttons on the skirt. This is the "lilac knot". The rain lane is long, narrow, curved, gray, one by one, small and delicate, and is it suitable for the huge peonies. ? Do the bright peonies match? The peonies are too big and bright, and they are not on the same level as Yuxiang. They are not suitable. The jasmine and sweet-scented osmanthus are quite small and "match each other", so why not use them? There is an image of national cultural connotation here. Question. The words "lilac" and "sorrow" appear frequently in classical poetry. This is the habit and mentality of scholars. "Lilac is weak and has tangled branches." "(Du Fu's "Five Odes on the Head of the River") "The embroidered collar is left hanging in a bun, and the lilacs are blooming in spring. "(Du Mu's "Send Away for Others") "Upstairs, my desires are resting at dusk, and the jade ladder is hooked in the middle of the moon. The plantains do not show their lilac knots, but they all face the same sorrow in the spring breeze. "(Li Shangyin's "Gift on behalf of others") "The jade hook on the hand-rolled real pearl locks the heavy building according to the hatred of the previous spring. Who is the master of the falling flowers in the wind? Thinking leisurely. The bluebird does not convey the message from outside the clouds, and the lilacs in the sky are filled with sorrow in the rain. Looking back at the green waves of the three Chu twilight, connecting with the flow of heaven. " (Li "Acacia is only on the lilac branches and the cardamom tips." (Wang
"Huanxi Sand")
"Autumn Waves") "Want to know the prescription
< p> Cun, how many new sorrows are there in ***? The plantain does not show its lilac knot. "(He Zhu's "Shizhou Slowness") "The lilac leaves are weeping and the broken branches are still wet. "(Cai Shen's "Liu Shaochun") Everyone has many troubles, sorrows and sentimental things, one after another; the problems in life can never be solved, and the worries can never be solved. Lilac knots are knotted every year, and the knots cannot be untied. The knots are filled with endless sorrows that cannot be untied. It has been a long time! Musician Chen Xiaoqi "pirates" "Maple". "Night Mooring on the Bridge" and "Night Rain in Bashan" have become "the sound of the waves is still there", which is called "change you without negotiation". Dai Wangshu "repeat yesterday's story", but inherited the cultural connotation of classical poetry imagery and "added icing on the cake". The two images of "Lilac" and "Girl" are combined into a new image "Lilac Girl"Why combine it with the image of "Girl"? Since the "Book of Songs", the theme of lovesickness and searching has been associated with it. The images of "Yiren" are linked together. The "fair lady" "on the island of the river" and the "so-called Yiren" "by the water" are both used to express the thoughts, emotions and spirit of love that leads to thinking but not being able to think about it. State. "Chu Ci" borrows "Herb Beauty", .
I come from the east, and there is no rain. "("Dongshan") "I went there in the past, and the willows are still here. , ”
Issue 6 Zhang Jianfeng: A new theory on the beauty of imagery in Dai Wangshu’s “Rain Lane” 47
Later generations of literati often used the pain of lovesickness to express the difficulties of pursuing, becoming an official, and seeking fame. . Li Bai's so-called "beauty is like a flower in the clouds," and Cheng Meicheng's "beauty is in the clouds, separated by the sky" means that political ideals, life values, and career fame are far away in the horizon, elusive and elusive! "The journey is long and the soul is in pain." "It's hard to reach the mountain without dreaming." The road of pursuit is long, far, difficult, and painful! Dai Wangshu wandered in the long rainy alley, "I hope to meet / a girl who is like a lilac / with sorrow and resentment", Isn't it just "seeking dreams"? Isn't it just looking for ideals?
Dai Wangshu follows the imagery of classical poetry, making his poetic imagery contain traditional metaphorical and symbolic meanings. But he did not copy them as they were, but gave these "classical images" "modern emotions", thus giving them modern meaning and generating modern beauty.
The "modern emotions" that Dai Wangshu chants repeatedly are related to the times, society and personal life. As a "dream seeker" in the 1920s and 1930s, Dai Wangshu was obsessed with the pursuit of ideals, career and love, but was repeatedly frustrated. He was sentimental, sad, troubled, hesitant, lonely, lonely, sad, depressed, disillusioned, nihilistic... …From "Rain Alley" to "Dream Seekers", "Birds of Paradise" to "To Fireflies", Dai Wangshu expanded on the basis of classical imagery to express the melancholy of ideals, career and love in life that are elusive but out of reach. , even feelings of despair. Continuing pursuit in the midst of disillusionment, finding a way out in pain, yearning for ideals in despair, and longing for clouds in darkness are common spiritual phenomena in modern society. "Lilac Girl" is just one of the series of "girl" images in Dai Wangshu's poems. Since then, there have been "girls on the road", "girls in the forest", "liriko", "yaleko", "mengduzi", "unrequited love girl", "lover", "village girl"... these images all have varying degrees of Symbolic colors include more universal social and life meanings, and are metaphors for the social ideals and life values ??pursued by Dai Wangshu. Rather than saying "Rain Lane" is a whisper of love, it is better to say "Rain Lane" is an ideal love song. So, what is the connotation of "Lilac Girl"? What is the modern beauty of this image?
The second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth verses of "Rain Alley" are all about "Lilac Girl" ". What are the characteristics of "she"? "She" has an elegant appearance, "the color of lilac", pure white, noble purple or gorgeous yellow; "she" has a charming nature, "the fragrance of lilac", The fragrance is fragrant and refreshing; "she" has a sad temperament, "sadness like lilacs", which is a trait inherited from classical poetry and given by Chinese literati. "Sadness in the rain/sadness and hesitation" is actually the objectification of the Chinese scholar's self. Chinese literati have always actively "joined the world" and relentlessly pursued their ideals, but they couldn't get them; they couldn't get them, but they persevered, and they knew they couldn't do it, so they had no choice but to "sorrow and hesitate"! Dai Wangshu was not called this name originally,
Dai Chao, also known as Dai Mengou and Dai Wangshu. Why is it named "Wangshu"? It comes from Qu Yuan's "Li Sao", "Wangshu in the front is the pioneer, and Fei Lian is the follower." Qu Yuan's spirit of searching up and down flows in Dai Wangshu's blood. "Lilac Girl" is endowed with the spirit of persistent pursuit, which is the most modern aspect of this image. Verses of three, four, five and six stanzas are incomprehensible. Why is "Lilac Girl" wandering "like me", indifferent, desolate, and melancholy? Why is she "like a dream" sad and confused? Why does she cast a "eyes like the breath" after approaching, and then drift away? Why does she drift away? The color, fragrance, vision and melancholy all disappeared with the wind? We can't help but ask, where did "Lilac Girl" come from? Why did she come? Where did she go in the end? Why did she go?
" "Lilac Girl" is beautiful, and ideals are also beautiful; "Lilac Girl" is fragile, as easy to wither as a flower, ideal dreams are also fragile, and can easily disappear with the wind; "Lilac Girl" With sorrow and resentment, it is obvious that he has withstood the blow of fate, and his boiling ideals will also encounter sudden "snowstorms". But "Lilac Girl" is not decadent or desperate, nor is she overwhelmed by heavy sorrow. She is "indifferent" when facing the eyes of the world. She disdains to be with the common people, and the world does not understand her pursuit, so she has to be "desolate" alone. ", endure the hardships "silently", and continue to pursue tenaciously. She is a flag, fluttering in the wind and rain.
After a long period of anticipation, the "lilac girl" finally "floated". "She approached silently." Just as the two hearts were about to touch the spark of "love", they immediately distanced themselves. The ideal is close to "me", but it disappears in an instant. "Lilac Girl" was disappointed, "casting / a breath-like look", and then drifted past her, "she silently moved away, far away, / reached the crumbling fence, / and walked through the rainy alley. "There is no choice but the flowers fall away, and people who seem to have known each other return. Meeting and knowing each other is like in a dream, "Saya Nala" is in the rain alley. Two wandering people, looking for the dream that passed by. The two had the same illness and sympathized with each other and agreed not to break up, but they had the same illness and couldn't save each other, so they had to say goodbye. They are wanderers, and they are dream seekers who continue to pursue their dreams despite being hesitant.
The "Lilac Girl" came, but only flashed before our eyes and disappeared in an instant. Her color, fragrance, and her "eyes like breath/melancholy like lilac" were left empty. "I" wandered alone in the rain alley. The rain is pattering on the oil-paper umbrella, the mist is misty, and the loneliness that penetrates the heart and mind is deep. "I" no longer have any hope of "meeting" Miss Lilac, I only want to "float" a figure and get some spiritual comfort. I can forget the whole world, but I can't live without you - Lilac girl! This is the poet's "dream lover" who "thinks of you in my dreams", and is the poet's life belief and spiritual support - "There is only one thing in my heart" You"!
If most of the poems in "Old Tips" are still based on the imagery of classical poetry, then by the time of "Rain Alley" Dai Wangshu has begun to integrate the ancient and the modern, innovating with the old and bringing forth the new. "Lilac" is always connected with sorrow and resentment in classical poetry, forming a simple "lilac knot" image.
"Rain Lane" expands the "lilac knot" into "lilac girl", which has a richer meaning, is more contemporary and personal. As Huang Tingjian said in "Reply to Hong Ju's Father": "Although I take the ancient sayings and put them into calligraphy, it is like a magic pill that turns iron into gold." After "Wangshu Cao", Dai Wangshu not only "turned iron into gold" in the use of imagery, but also "reinvented the reincarnation" and created "Autumn", "Wanderer", "Autumn Fly", "Traveler", "May" "Garden", "Dream", "Lamp", "Autumn Night", "Lili Wild Grass", "Fireflies", "Ancient Shrine", "Paradise Bird" and other novel images. They contain not only the charm of national culture, but also the thoughts and emotions of modern people. They have both classical beauty and modernity. The artistic charm of the imagery in "Rain Alley" lies in the fact that Dai Wangshu organically combined the expression of modern consciousness with the creative use of archetypal imagery in classical poetry, achieving a level of sophistication that leaves no trace.
References:
[1] Zhou Faxiang's "Image Statistics" [J]. "Literary Heritage". 1982(2). Chen Zhi'e's "Image Theory of Poetry
" [M] . Beijing: China Social Sciences Press. 1990. [2] Zhou Faxiang "Image Statistics" [J]. "Literary Heritage". 1982(2).
[Editor Chen Lei]