Wang Siyu: Appreciation of the Han Dynasty Yuefu poem "Jiangnan"
Lotus can be picked in the south of the Yangtze River, and there are fields with lotus leaves. Fish play among the lotus leaves. The leaves of the lotus are to the east, the leaves of the lotus are to the west, the leaves of the lotus are to the south, and the leaves of the lotus are to the north.
"Jiangnan" belongs to the Yuefu Xianghe Song Ci of the Han Dynasty. There is only one ancient poem recorded above in this title, which is contained in "Song Book·Yue Zhi" and "Yuefu Poems Collection". It is an authentic Han Dynasty folk song.
This is a beautiful lotus-picking song from the south of the Yangtze River.
In the water towns south of the Yangtze River, lotus grows very commonly. In summer and autumn, when the lotus seeds mature, young girls (usually young women are responsible for picking lotus) paddle small boats through the green lotuses, singing and picking lotus at the same time, which is the most characteristic of a water town. The lotus-picking song "Jiangnan" depicts this moving scene of working life.
The first two sentences are about people picking lotus looking at the big and round lotus leaves emerging from the water. They feel so happy that they can't help but praise enthusiastically. "Ke" here means appropriate and just right. "You can pick lotus in Jiangnan" means that lotus grows everywhere in the south of the Yangtze River. It is really a good place to pick lotus. "Tiantian" describes the round and fresh-green appearance of the lotus leaves. One theory describes the plump and vigorous lotus leaves standing upright on the water. "He Tian Tian" is "He Qi Tian Tian", which is an extremely complimentary tone. Only leaves are written here, but we can think of flowers. The flowering period of lotus is from May to July in the lunar calendar. Each flower can bloom for two to three days. It opens every morning, gradually closes at three or four o'clock in the afternoon, and opens again the next morning. After the flowers have bloomed for 20 days, the lotus pods can be harvested. Eaten raw, the ripening period of the fruit (lotus seeds) is between July and August. Zhang Yugu, a native of the Qing Dynasty, said: "Don't talk about flowers, but talk about leaves; the leaves are still lovely, and the flowers need no words." ("Appreciation of Ancient Poems") The dense lotus leaves and flourishing lotus flowers not only make the scenery extremely beautiful, but also indicate that the harvest of lotus seeds is bound to be good. The lotus pickers were naturally very happy.
When people pick lotus pods from the water, they will inevitably see the scene in the water. "Fish Playing among the Lotus Leaves" describes fish swimming around among the lotus leaves, as if in a game. The word "play" describes the speed and joy of fish in the water, which is very vivid. Fish are described here, but also fish are compared to human beings. The lotus collectors rowed boats through the lotus leaves, chasing and playing with each other, just like fish swimming in the water. Their rowing movements are skillful and the boats are brisk. The lightness of posture and the joy of mood naturally appear before our eyes. The next four sentences use the four directional characters of east, west, south, north, and are chanted repeatedly, depicting a moving picture of fish lingering around the lotus leaves for a long time. This poem is a Han Yuefu Xianghe song. It is sung by one person and harmonized by everyone. These four lines should be the lyrics of the song harmoniously sung by everyone. The repeated singing of the happy play of the fish expresses the happy mood of the lotus pickers. Chen Zuoming of the Qing Dynasty said in "Selected Ancient Poems of Caishutang": "The four sentences rehearsed (arranged perfunctory) are unrestrained and unrestrained, and the writing is erratic. It is more lively than 'Zai Zao' and 'Yi Pu' in "Shi". (According to "The Book of Songs") "Xiaoya Fish and Algae": "The fish is in the algae, depending on the cattails." It is said that the fish is hidden among the algae and cattails, which is a static description of people.) "The praise is not exaggerated.
The fish are clearly visible, which not only indicates that the water in the pond is clear, but also that the weather is clear. On a sunny day in summer and autumn, the clear water reflects the green lotus leaves, late-blooming lotus flowers, the girls' beautiful clothes, and their flower-like smiling faces, and the air is filled with the fragrance of lotus pods; they laugh and play While picking lotus pods, singing lotus-picking songs, the cabin was finally filled with pickings, singing joyful songs, and returning home with a full load - what a touching picture!
This poem only uses one sentence about picking lotus, mainly through the description of lotus leaves and fish, to express people's happy mood when picking lotus. The use of four refrains at the end not only prevents people from feeling repetitive, but also makes the rhythm of the whole poem appear more brisk and expresses the joy of the lotus pickers. Shen Deqian of the Qing Dynasty called it "Qige" ("Original Poems"), and the artistic expression technique is indeed very unique. Lu Guimeng of the Tang Dynasty once used the last five sentences of it as the first sentence to write five "Jiangnan Songs", which shows its influence and people's love for it.