Year: Song Author: Xin Qiji
It is difficult to find a hero like Sun Quan after the history of the country.
Dancing pavilions and singing platforms always blow away.
Sunset grass trees, ordinary alleys,
Humans send slaves to life.
Looking back, how powerful he was when he led the Northern Expedition and recovered lost ground!
Yuanjia, seal the wolf in Xu,
Win a hasty retreat.
I have been back to the south for forty-three years, and I still remember the war scenes in Yangzhou.
Looking back, under the beaver temple,
Crow club drum.
Who can ask: Lian Po is too old to eat?
Vernacular translation:
Throughout the ages, it is difficult to find a hero like Sun Quan. In those days, the dance pavilion and singing platform were still there, but the heroes had already disappeared with the passage of time. The setting sun shone in an ordinary alley covered with grass trees. People say that this is the place where Emperor Wu of Song once lived. Looking back, how brave he was when he led the Northern Expedition and recovered lost ground!
However, Liu Yilong, the son of Emperor Wu of Song, was overjoyed and eager for the Northern Expedition. However, Emperor Tuoba Tao of the Northern Wei Dynasty took the opportunity to send troops to the south and returned to the north bank of the Yangtze River, where he was badly hit by his opponent. I have been back to the south for forty-three years. Looking at the Central Plains, I still remember the war scenes in Yangzhou. How can you turn around? At that time, there were sacrifices outside Tuoba GUI Palace, and crows pecked at the sacrifices. People lived a social life and only worshipped him as a god. I didn't know that this was once the emperor's palace. Who else will ask, is Lian Po eating well when he is old?
Appreciate:
This poem was written in the first year of Kathy (1205). At that time, Han Biaozhou was preparing for the Northern Expedition. Xin Qiji, who has been idle for a long time, was appointed as the envoy of eastern Zhejiang the year before last. At the beginning of this spring, he was ordered to know Zhenjiang Prefecture and left Jingkou (now Zhenjiang, Jiangsu), the key defensive place in Zhenjiang. On the surface, the court seems to attach great importance to him, but in fact it just takes his signboard as a call. After Xin Qiji took office, on the one hand, he actively arranged the preparations for military attack; But on the other hand, he was clearly aware of the sinister political struggle and his own difficult situation, and felt deeply difficult to make a difference.
In the intensive Northern Expedition, he can certainly arouse his great ambition to restore the Central Plains, but he is also worried about Han Biaozhou's aggressive attitude of underestimating his enemy. This self-mature, thoughtful emotional contradiction and complex psychological state are intertwined, which is fully expressed in this short work, and has become a masterpiece that has been passed down through the ages, and has been promoted as a masterpiece by later generations (see Yang Shen's Ci Pin). This of course depends on the profound ideological content of the work first, but at the same time, because it represents the special achievements of Xin Ci in language art, the allusions are used very appropriately; Through a series of allusions, the image of the work is enriched and the theme of the work is deepened.
The title of this poem is "Looking Back at the Gubei Pavilion in Jingkou". Jingkou is an important town established by Sun Quan, the Emperor of the Three Kingdoms, and was once the capital. This is also the place where Emperor Wudi of the Southern Song Dynasty grew up. Facing the magnificent scenery and remembering the heroes in history, it is a hero like Xin Qiji who landed with the proper feeling and meaning in the title, and the ci was formed from this.
Sun Quan fought Cao Wei in a small area to the east of the Yangtze River and expanded his territory, which led to the tripartite confrontation among the three countries. Although the stars have changed, the vicissitudes of life have changed, and the stage and pavilion have disappeared, his heroic achievements are in harmony with the mountains and rivers through the ages. Emperor Wu of song grew up in poverty and weakness. Take Jingkou as the base area, pacify civil strife and replace the Eastern Jin regime. He made two northern expeditions and recovered a large area of land south of the Yellow River.
These inspiring historical facts can be vividly summarized in three sentences: "I remember that year, I swallowed Wan Li like a tiger." This hero left a deep impression on later generations, so "sunset grass trees, ordinary alleys", the legendary remains of his former residence, can also arouse people's admiration. Here, the author is thinking about the past and writing about real feelings.
Both Sun Quan and Emperor Wu of Song have been passed down from victorious battles and established the southeast of China. This is in stark contrast to the cowardice of the rulers of the Southern Song Dynasty, who lived a quiet life in Jiangzuo and swallowed their anger.
If the first part of Ci expresses today's feelings through ancient meanings, it is still enlightening, then in the next part, the historical significance and realistic feelings revealed by the author through allusions are even more profound and obscure.
Creative background:
Le Jing Kou Gu Beiting Nostalgia was written in the first year of Song Ningzong Kathy (1205), and Xin Qiji was 66 years old. At that time, Han Biaozhou was in power and was actively planning the Northern Expedition. Xin Qiji, who has been idle for a long time, was used as a messenger of peace in eastern Zhejiang the year before last. At the beginning of this spring, he was appointed as the magistrate of Zhenjiang, guarding Jingkou, an important place for river defense. On the surface, the court seems to attach great importance to him, but in fact it just takes his signboard as a call. After Xin Qiji took office, on the one hand, he actively arranged the preparations for military attack; But on the other hand, he is clearly aware of the sinister political struggle and the loneliness of his own situation, and he is deeply unable to make a difference. Xin Qiji supported the decision of the Northern Expedition to resist gold, but he was worried about the aggression of Han Biaozhou. He thought that we should make full preparations and never rush into it, otherwise it would be inevitable to repeat the same mistakes and make the Northern Expedition fail again. Xin Qiji's opinion did not attract the attention of the Southern Song authorities. Once he came to Gubei Pavilion in Jingkou, looked up, recalled the past, and was deeply touched, so he wrote this wonderful poem.