This poem comes from "Shui Tiao Ge Tou: When Will the Bright Moon Come" by Su Shi, a poet from the Song Dynasty. Meaning: I just hope that all the relatives in this world can live a safe, healthy and long life, and that they can still enjoy the bright moon even if they are thousands of miles apart.
First let us appreciate the original text together.
"Shui Tiao Ge Tou·When Will the Bright Moon Come"
Su Shi [Song Dynasty]
Bingchen was drinking happily until the end of the Mid-Autumn Festival, and was very drunk, so he wrote this article. Also pregnant with a child.
When will the bright moon appear? Ask the sky for wine. I don’t know what year it is today in the palace in the sky. I want to ride the wind back home, but I'm afraid it's too cold in the high places. Dance to figure out the shadow, how does it seem to be in the human world. (What is like? One word: when; and one word: fear? One word: only / only fear)
Turn around the Zhu Pavilion, look down at the door, and the light will make you sleepless. There shouldn't be any hatred, so what's the point of saying goodbye? People have joys and sorrows, separations and reunions, and the moon waxes and wanes. This is a difficult thing in ancient times. I hope that people will live long and travel thousands of miles to meet Chanjuan. (Chang Xiang Yi Zuo: Bias)
Translation
During the Mid-Autumn Festival of the Bingchen year (AD 1076), I drank all night long until dawn, got very drunk, and took the opportunity to write this article. , while expressing his nostalgia for his younger brother Ziyou.
When will there be a bright moon like the Mid-Autumn Festival? I held my wine glass and asked the sky. I don't know what day it is now in the palace where Gao Yao is above. I wanted to use the wind to go back to the sky to have a look, but I was worried that the jade building was too high and I couldn't stand the cold. I stood up and danced, admiring my clear shadow under the moonlight. The moon palace could not be as heart-warming as the fireworks on earth.
The moon moved, turned around the vermilion pavilion, and hung low on the carved windows, illuminating those who were not sleepy. The bright moon shouldn't have any resentment towards people, but why does it always become full when people leave? Life is full of joys and sorrows, and the moon often waxes and wanes. (The moon is also full when you want people to be reunited.) Such good things have been difficult to have both at the same time since ancient times. I just hope that all the relatives in this world can be safe, healthy and live a long life, and that they can still enjoy the bright moon even if they are thousands of miles apart.
Notes
Bingchen: refers to 1076 AD (the ninth year of Xining, Shenzong of the Song Dynasty). In this year, Su Shi served as the prefect of Mizhou (now Zhucheng City, Shandong Province).
Dadan: Until dawn.
Ziyou: The name of Su Zhe, Su Shi’s younger brother.
Put the wine in hand: Pick up the wine glass. Hold, hold, hold.
Heavenly Palace (què): refers to the palace in the middle of the moon. Que, the stone platform behind the ancient city wall.
Go back: Go back, here refers to returning to the moon palace.
Qiong (qióng) Lou Yuyu: a building made of beautiful jade, referring to the imaginary fairy palace.
Invincible (shèng, pronounced shēng in the old days): unable to withstand.
Sheng: bear, endure.
Clear the shadow: It means that the figure under the moonlight also makes various dancing postures. Nong: enjoy playing.
He is like: How is it, how can it be compared.
Turn around the vermilion pavilion, looking down at the Qi (qǐ) household, illuminating the sleepless people: the moon moves, turns around the vermilion pavilion, hangs low on the carved windows, illuminating the sleepless people (referring to the sleepless people) the poet himself).
Zhu Pavilion: A gorgeous vermilion pavilion. Kito: Doors and windows with ornate carvings.
There shouldn’t be any hatred, why should it be long (cháng) to be round when we say goodbye: (Yueer) shouldn’t be resentful (toward people), why is it always round when people are separated?
What: Why.
Long direction: always there. "Long" refers to a long time, a long time, and can also be extended to always, a long time ago. "Xiang" is a preposition, meaning in.
This matter: refers to people's joy and harmony" and the clearness and roundness of the moon.
But: only.
千里***Chan (chán) Juan (juān): Even if we are thousands of miles apart, we can appreciate the beautiful moonlight together.
Chanjuan: Refers to the moon. >Creative background
This poem was written by the author during the Mid-Autumn Festival in 1076 AD (the ninth year of Xining, Emperor Shenzong of the Song Dynasty). The small preface before the poem explains the process of writing the poem: "Bingchen Mid-Autumn Festival, Drinking for a long time and getting drunk. I wrote this article because I was pregnant with my son. Because Su Shi had different political views from Wang Anshi, the reformer in power, and others, he sought to be transferred to other places and served as an official in various places. He once asked to be transferred to an official position closer to Su Che, so that his brothers could gather together. In 1074 AD ( In the seventh year of Xining (the seventh year of Xining), Su Shi sent a message to Mizhou. After arriving in Mizhou, this wish still could not be realized. In the Mid-Autumn Festival of 1076 AD, the moon was shining brightly, and it had not been seven years since the poet separated from his brother Su Che. To be reunited. At this moment, the poet faced a bright moon, his heart was full of emotions, so he was in high spirits and wrote this famous poem.
About the author
Su Shi. (January 8, 1037 - August 24, 1101), courtesy name Zizhan, Hezhong, Tieguan Taoist, Dongpo layman, known as Su Dongpo, Su Xian, Han nationality, from Meishan, Meizhou (Meishan City, Sichuan Province) Su Shi, whose ancestral home was Luancheng, Hebei Province, was a famous writer, calligrapher, and painter in the Northern Song Dynasty. He was a literary leader in the mid-Northern Song Dynasty and made great achievements in poetry, poetry, prose, calligraphy, and painting.
His writing is bold and unbridled; his poems are broad in subject matter, fresh and vigorous, good at using exaggerated metaphors, and have a unique style. Together with Huang Tingjian, he is called "Su Huang"; His prose writings are grand and bold. Together with Ouyang Xiu, he is called "Ou Su" and is one of the "Eight Great Masters of Tang and Song Dynasties". Su Shi was good at calligraphy and one of the "Four Masters of the Song Dynasty"; he was good at literati painting, especially ink bamboo, strange rocks, dead wood, etc. Together with Han Yu, Liu Zongyuan and Ouyang Xiu, they are known as the "Four Great Masters of Eternal Writing". His works include "Seven Collections of Dongpo", "Yi Zhuan of Dongpo", "Dongpo Yuefu", "Xiaoxiang Bamboo and Stone Picture Scroll", "Ancient Trees and Strange Rocks Picture Scroll", etc.
Appreciation
This poem is written to look at the moon and cherish people during the Mid-Autumn Festival. It expresses the infinite longing for my brother Su Che. Bingchen was in the ninth year of Xining (1076 AD), the reign of Emperor Shen of the Northern Song Dynasty. At that time, Su Shi was working as a prefect in Mizhou (today's cities in Shandong). On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, he drank while admiring the moon until dawn, so he composed this song "Shui Tiao". Songtou". The poet uses image description techniques to outline an atmosphere of a bright moon in the sky, relatives thousands of miles away, and loneliness and vastness. Throughout his life, Su Shi advocated Confucianism and focused on practice. But he was also "a good Taoist". After middle age, he once expressed his "return to Buddhism and monks" and was often involved in the entanglement of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. Whenever he is frustrated and frustrated, the thoughts of Lao and Zhuang rise to help him explain his confusion about how to advance and retreat. In the fourth year of Xining (AD 1071), he promoted officials from Kaifeng Prefecture to pass judgment on Hangzhou in order to avoid the whirlpool of political disputes in Bianjing. In the seventh year of Xining (AD 1074), he was transferred to Mizhou. Although it was voluntary, he was still in the position of being ignored by the outside world. Even though he was "beautiful" and showed some broad-mindedness at that time, it was difficult to conceal the deep anger in his heart. This Mid-Autumn Festival poem is the sublimation and summary of this dangerous experience in the official career. "Dzui" is the main word to cherish the child, and "also pregnant with the child" is the auxiliary word. For the author who has always upheld the moral principle of "honoring the Lord and benefiting the people", the separation of siblings and personal relationships are, after all, secondary ethical loads compared to the country's worries about the country's borders. This point has a profound and subtle hint in the preface of the title.
Among natural scenes, the moon is very romantic and can easily inspire people's artistic associations. A crescent moon can be associated with budding things; a full moon can be associated with a beautiful life of reunion; the brightness of the moon can be associated with an upright personality. The image of the moon concentrates the infinitely beautiful longings and ideals of human beings. Su Shi was a writer with a bold personality and romantic temperament. When he looked up at the bright moon of the Mid-Autumn Festival, his thoughts and emotions seemed to have grown wings and soared freely in heaven and earth. Reflected in the words, a bold and free and easy style was formed.
The upper part of this poem looks at the moon, which is both high-spirited and high-spirited, yet down-to-earth and elegant. A question is raised at the beginning: When did the bright moon begin to appear? "When did the bright moon appear? Ask the sky about wine." This detail of "asking wine to the sky" is similar to Qu Yuan's "Wen of Heaven" and Li Bai's "Asking Wine to the Moon" . There is indeed a similar kind of essence, energy, and spirit in his obsession with questioning and his thoughts. In terms of creative motivation, the majestic poetry of Qu Yuan's "Tian Wen", which contains more than 170 questions, came from his wandering in the mountains and rivers, experiencing the tombs and land after his exile, and seeing "pictures of heaven, earth, mountains, rivers and gods" in the Temple of the Former Kings of Chu and the Gongqing Ancestral Hall. And "ask about it" after "the ancient sages and monsters acted" (Wang Yi's "Chapter of Chu Ci·Tian Wen Preface"). It is the product of situational contact and excitement. The self-note of Li Bai's poem "Walking with Wine and Asking the Moon" is: "My old friend Jia Chun ordered me to ask about it." It should also be an improvised work of nostalgia. As mentioned in the preface, Su Shi's poem is a rhapsody about looking at the moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival and drinking joyfully at the end of the night. It is also a "work of idleness" (Wang Guowei's "Human Words"). They all have the characteristics of sudden appearance and bizarre questions. From a creative psychological point of view, before Qu Yuan entered the temple of the ancestors, he was already "screaming Hao Min, looking up to the sky and sighing" (Wang Yi's "Chapter and Sentences of Chu Ci·Tian Wen Preface"), and he was in an emotional and crazy mental state, so he asked The blue sky "looks like madness but not madness, extremely angry and extremely sad" (Hu Junyuan's "New Notes on Chu Ci"). Li Bai said, "I only wish that the moonlight would always shine in the golden cup when I sing about wine" ("Asking the Wine to the Moon"). The exuberant mood of frustration and despair can also be heard. Su Shi wrote this poem in the Bingchen year, when he asked himself to be appointed to Mizhou because he opposed Wang Anshi's new law. Not only was I deeply concerned about the political situation of the imperial court, but I also had a complicated mood of looking forward to returning to Bianjing. Therefore, it was the Mid-Autumn Festival, so I got drunk after one drink, and my mood was full of rhythm in the waning atmosphere. The creative psychology of the three people is actually closely connected.
Su Shi regarded Qingtian as his friend and drank wine, which showed his bold character and extraordinary courage. Li Bai's poem "Asking the Moon over Wine" says: "When will the moon come in the blue sky? I'll stop drinking today and ask." However, Li Bai's tone here is more soothing, while Su Shi's tone is stronger and more urgent because he wants to fly to the moon palace. "When will the bright moon come out?" This question is very interesting. It seems to be tracing the origin of the bright moon and the origin of the universe; it also seems to be marveling at the ingenuity of creation. Readers can feel the poet's praise and yearning for the bright moon.
The next two sentences: "I don't know what year it is today in the palace in the sky." The praise and yearning for the bright moon are further advanced. Many years have passed since the birth of Mingyue. I wonder what kind of day it is tonight in the Moon Palace? The poet imagined that it must be a good day, so the moon was so round and bright. He really wanted to take a look, so he continued: "I want to ride the wind back, but I am afraid that it will be too cold at high places.
People in the Tang Dynasty called Li Bai the "Exiled Immortal", while Huang Tingjian called Su Shi and Li Bai the "Two Exiled Immortals". Su Shi himself also imagined that he was a man in the moon in his previous life, so he thought of "returning on the wind." He wanted to fly on the wind. Xiangyue Palace was afraid that the Qionglou Yuyu there was too high and could not bear the cold there. "Qionglou Yuyu" came from "Da Ye Shi Yi Ji": "Qu Qianyou was playing with the moon on the bank of the river, or what could be said about it. ? Qu Xiao said: "You can follow me and observe." ’ I saw that the moon was half a day long, and the beautiful buildings and jade buildings were in ruins. "It's too cold", an allusion from "Miscellaneous Records of the Ming Emperor": On the night of August 15th, Ye Jingneng invited the Emperor Ming to visit the Moon Palace. Before leaving, Ye asked him to wear leather clothes. When he arrived at the Moon Palace, it was really too cold to support him. These lines express the coldness of the moon palace, hinting at the brightness of the moonlight, and express the ambivalence of longing for the heavens and the earth very implicitly. There are two words worth noting here, which are "I want to ride the wind back." "Go" means "go". Flying into the moon, why is it said to be going back? Maybe it's because Su Shi longed for the bright moon and had already regarded it as his destination. Judging from Su Shi's thoughts, he was more influenced by Taoism He has a detached attitude towards life and likes Taoist health-preserving techniques, so he often has the idea of ??becoming an immortal after being born in this world. It's like Feng Xu riding the wind, not knowing where it stops; fluttering like being left alone in the world, becoming an immortal and ascending to immortality. "It is also because of looking at the moon that I think of ascending to immortality, which can be corroborated with this poem. The reason why the poet has this fantasy of being separated from the world and transcending nature comes from his curiosity about the mysteries of the universe, and more importantly from his curiosity about the mysteries of the universe. Dissatisfaction in the real world. There are so many unsatisfactory and unsatisfactory things in the world, forcing the poet to imagine getting rid of this troubled world and living a free and easy fairy life in Qionglou Yuyu. Su Shi was later demoted to Huangzhou, where he often had troubles. Similar fantasy, the so-called "the boat will pass away from now on, and the river and sea will spend the rest of my life." However, in the poem, this is just a plan, and before it is unfolded, it is interrupted by another opposite thought: "I am afraid that the beautiful buildings and beautiful buildings will be high." "It's too cold to live in". These two sentences take a sharp turn. Although the "Qionglou Yuyu" in the sky is magnificent and beautiful, the cold there is unbearable and cannot be lived for a long time. The poet deliberately finds out the flaws in the sky to strengthen his determination to stay in the world. The combination of positive and negative reveals the poet's love for human life. At the same time, the Mid-Autumn Moonscape is still being written here. Readers can appreciate the beauty of the moon and the coldness of the moonlight. This turning point expresses the poet's love for human life. The ambivalence of longing for the world and longing for heaven can more deeply explain the poet's thoughts and feelings of loving the world and loving life. It shows the poet's broad mind and far-reaching ambition, thus bringing a broad-mindedness to the poem. Style.
"Dancing to clear the shadow, how can it be like being in the human world!" "After all, Su Shi loves life on earth more. Instead of flying to the cold moon palace, he might as well stay in the world and dance in the moonlight! "Qingying" refers to his clear figure under the moonlight. "Dancing to clear the shadow" means It means dancing and playing with one's own clear shadow. Li Bai's "Drinking Alone under the Moon" said: "I sing about the wandering moon, and my dancing shadows are messy. "Su Shi's "Dancing to Clear the Shadows" was born out of this. "It's too cold at high places" is not the fundamental reason why the author does not want to go back. "Dancing to clear the shadows, how does it feel like being in the world" is the fundamental reason. Rather than Flying to the cold moon palace, it is better to stay in the world and dance in the moonlight. At least you can be with your own shadow. This poem starts from the fantasy of heaven, and then returns to the love of the world. The psychological transitions from "I want" to "I am afraid" to "What is it like" show the ups and downs of Su Shi's emotions. He finally returned from hallucination to reality. In the conflict between being born in the world and joining the world, the thought of joining the world finally took over. "How is it like to be in the world" is undoubtedly affirmative, and the vigorous writing power shows the intensity of emotion.
The next piece is about pregnant people, which is associated with the full moon of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Farewell in the world, and at the same time, I am grateful for the impermanence of separation and separation in life. "Turn and dip both refer to the movement of the moon, implying that the night is deep. The moonlight turns through the vermilion pavilion, passes low through the carved doors and windows, and shines on the people in the room who have not been able to fall asleep. This refers to the longing for my brother. Affection can also generally refer to all those who have difficulty falling asleep because they cannot be reunited with their loved ones during the Mid-Autumn Festival. "Sleepless" generally refers to those who feel sad because they cannot be reunited with their loved ones and cannot sleep when the moon is full. What a pity this is! So the poet unreasonably complained about Mingyue and said: "There should be no hatred, why would we be reunited when we say goodbye? "You shouldn't have any resentment towards Mingyue, right? Why does it always become full when people leave? In comparison, it makes the sorrow of leaving people even heavier. This is to blame Mingyue for deliberately making things difficult for people and adding sorrow to people. The unreasonable tone further brought out the poet's deep affection for his brother, but also implicitly expressed his sympathy for the unfortunate people who died.
Then the poet turned his pen and expressed some relief. The following words came to excuse Mingyue: "People have joys and sorrows, and the moon waxes and wanes. This is difficult to do in ancient times." "People have joys and sorrows, and the moon also waxes and wanes. There are times when it is covered by dark clouds, there are times when it is lost and incomplete, and it also has its regrets. Since ancient times, nothing is perfect in the world. In this case, why should it be temporary? The poet is open-minded after all, and he immediately thought that the moon is also innocent. In this case, why should he be sad about the temporary separation? summary.
From the tone, it seems to be answering the previous questions on behalf of Mingyue; from the structure, it is pushed a layer away, transitioning from the opposition of man and moon to the fusion of man and moon. Excusing the moon is essentially to emphasize optimism about human affairs and to place hope for the future. Because when the moon is full, people also get together. Very philosophical.
The end of the poem says: "I hope that people will live forever, thousands of miles away from Chanjuan." "Chanjuan" means beautiful, here refers to Chang'e, which means the bright moon. "***Chanjuan" means ***Mingyue. The allusion comes from Xiezhuang's "Moon Fu" in the Southern Dynasties: "Thousands of miles away, there is a bright moon." Since parting in the world is inevitable, as long as relatives are alive for a long time, even if Even though they are thousands of miles apart, the two places can be connected through the bright moon that illuminates the world, and can communicate with each other's hearts. "I hope people will last forever" means to break through the limitations of time; "Thousands of miles away from the moon" means to break through the barriers of space. Let the common love for the bright moon unite people who are separated from each other. The ancients had a saying about "spiritual friendship". Friends who are far apart and cannot meet each other can be connected in spirit. "Qianli ***Chanjuan" can also be said to be a kind of divine friendship! These two sentences are not ordinary masturbation and sexual encouragement, but express the author's attitude towards major issues such as time, space and life, fully demonstrating the richness and breadth of the poet's spiritual realm. Wang Bo has two poems: "There are close friends in the sea, and the world is as close as our neighbors." It has profound meaning and has been passed down as a good line. In addition, Zhang Jiuling's "Looking at the Moon and Huaiyuan" says: "The bright moon rises on the sea, and the end of the world is at this time." Du Mu's "Autumn Skies Send Away" says: "We should only wait for the bright moon, and we will be with you thousands of miles away." You can refer to each other. I hope that people will be safe every year and be able to enjoy this beautiful moonlight thousands of miles apart. It expresses the author's blessings and longing for his relatives, and shows the author's broad-minded attitude and optimistic spirit. Su Shi dissolved the poetic spirit of his predecessors into his own works and melted them into a universal emotion. As mentioned in the small preface before the poem, this poem expresses the nostalgia for his younger brother Su Che (ziyou), but it is not limited to this. It can be said that this poem is Su Shi's best wishes to all those who are experiencing the pain of separation on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival.
This article is one of Su's representative works. From the perspective of artistic achievements, it has a unique conception, a unique path, and is full of romanticism. It has always been recognized as the swan song among Mid-Autumn Festival poems. In terms of performance, the first half of the word is written vertically and the second half is written horizontally. The first film is a high-rise building, and the next film is full of twists and turns. The first half is the introduction of new myths from the past dynasties, and it is also the evolutionary development of the fairy poetry of the Wei, Jin and Six Dynasties. The second half is purely drawn in white, with the person and the moon touching each other. It's called deductive physics, but it actually explains people and affairs. The writing is intricate and swaying. From the perspective of layout, the upper part rises in the sky and seems to be empty when entering; the lower part has cascading waves, returning to virtual reality and turning into reality. In the end, the virtual and the real are intertwined, and Xu Xu comes to an end. The whole poem is set in a clear and majestic setting, with chanting to the moon as the center, expressing the contradictions and confusions between wandering immortals "returning" and dancing straight to the "human world", separation and joining the world, as well as broad-minded self-adaptation, long-term optimism and good wishes for life. Very philosophical and humane. The intention is high, the concept is novel, and the artistic conception is fresh and picturesque. Finally, it ends with broad-minded feelings, which is a natural expression of the poet's feelings. It has both emotional charm and magnificent state, and has high aesthetic value. This poem is full of beautiful sentences, which typically reflects the clear and broad-minded style of Su's poems.
The author not only highlights the "unparalleled cosmic consciousness", but also abandons the "astonishment in the face of magical eternity" (Wen Yiduo's comment on "Spring River Flower Moonlight Night"). He does not treat the changes and development of nature completely detachedly, but strives to find the meaning of life of "entertaining oneself according to circumstances" from the laws of nature. Therefore, although this poem is basically a sentimental chant of autumn, it does not lack the charm of "spring is born when touching the place" and leads people to upward.
This song "Shui Tiao Ge Tou" has always been highly praised. Hu Zai's "Tiaoxi Yuyincong Hua" believes that this poem is the best poem about the Mid-Autumn Festival. This poem seems to be a dialogue with Mingyue, in which the meaning of life is explored. It is both rational and interesting, and very thought-provoking. Therefore, it has been recited for nine hundred years. Wu Qian's "Frost Sky Dawn Corner": "Let's sing Dongpo's "Shui Tiao", under the clear dew, the lapels are covered with snow." Chapter 30 of "Water Margin" writes on August 15th, "You can sing the Mid-Autumn Festival to the moon and the scenery. "Qu'er" was sung by "a Mid-Autumn Festival "Shui Tiao Song" by a scholar from Dongpo." It can be seen that the song was popular in the Song and Yuan Dynasties. The artistic conception of the whole poem is bold and broad, the feelings are optimistic and broad-minded, the yearning for the bright moon, the attachment to the world, as well as the romantic colors, unrestrained style and flowing language, still give people a healthy sense of humor. Aesthetic enjoyment.