Martin: I think of Pu Songling in the New Year

Pu Songling is the pride of the people of Zibo. He is not only famous at home and abroad for his "Liaozhai Zhiyi", but also his poetry and miscellaneous works are also the culmination of Zibo's regional culture.

In his later years, Pu Songling wrote several poems with the same title of "Chinese New Year's Eve" and about "Nian". This is the epitome of his sad evening scene, and also conveys some customs of the Zibo area "New Year".

First, at the age of seventy-two, at the end of the fifty years of the Kangxi Dynasty (1711), he wrote a poem called "The Five Laws of The Age". Shi Yun: "Seventy is two years old, and the old friends are in decline." "People are old, and at the end of the year, it is easy to make associations. He returned to his hometown at the age of seventy-one from the Xipu Bi family, and after ending most of his life as a school teacher, it was another year, feeling that he was getting weaker and weaker (old and sleepy), his friends were becoming more and more distant, the evening scenery was desolate, and there was a taste of "people walking tea cool", and he naturally sighed. However, the poet still "painstakingly picked up the bald pen and picked up the peasant books." This is when he was seventy years old, and he also carefully copied the "Qi Min Zhi Shu", a great work of agricultural science. It can be seen that the poet has studied hard all his life, never wasted his life, pursued learning, and never quit his life. After all, the years are not spared, "suddenly the day has gone, and the years have passed." "Fortunately", this body is fortunate and stubborn, and dares to hate food. "Here, it shows its old and persistent spirit, but also full of the bitter taste of decay and helplessness.

Based on the same situation and mood, the poet immediately wrote a poem "Chinese New Year's Eve" (Seven Laws) Cloud: "Suddenly the wax is exhausted and the spring sun is shining, and the cold and summer disciples are frosting." After seventy days of age, Yu Yu was drunk for nine thousand times. "Obviously, this is an expression of the feeling that life is short and drunk." The warbler has changed from person to person, and the sun and moon are busy with the world. "Year after year, flowers blossom and fall, human feelings are cold and warm, the world is cold, even if you refuse to go with the flow, you are powerless to change the tragic reality." In the end, he could only sigh that he was "old without accomplishing anything, and he wants to hold a glass of wine to persuade Fei Guang." "There is a great feeling of "asking the wine to the sky". In fact, the poet's life has produced the strange book of "Liaozhai Zhiyi", which is enough to illuminate the thousands of autumns. It's just that that era masked his brilliance, so the poet repeatedly lamented that time flew by, "nothing can be achieved"!

The end of the year often makes people, especially the elderly, lament that time has passed and life is short. Another year has passed. At the age of seventy-four, he wrote another poem "Chinese New Year's Eve" (Seven Absolutes). Shi Yun: "La went to spring and came more years, and I was shocked to see the scenery." The flow wave has passed away and there is no day, only the frost hair (chan, broken) is reborn. "The passage of time makes people old. The poet touched the scene with sadness, felt desolate, and time was running out. Only to see the white hair on his head shaved and revived. What a sad and helpless thing!

In fact, the poet was seventy-three years old, and at the end of that year, there was already a poem "Old Sigh" (Seven Laws) that vividly depicted an old dragon clock and a sensory failure. "I've had fifty sideburns since I've had fifty sideburns, and sixty skins and crepe eyebrows that've grown. Close to the deaf and hornless to hear, but to see people kissing and kissing. Sometimes the horse is asked to the sheep, sneering at the crowd. Don't talk to each other, life is here to be merciful. "It's a drowsy, decaying, lamentable, ridiculous, pitiable self-portrait. At the same time, the poet advises bystanders (especially young people) in a loyal and old-age tone not to laugh and laugh, and to think that everyone will have an old age.

Year after year, how many times can an old man who is more than a year old be? Just a few days before the poet died at the age of seventy-six, at the end of the year, he wrote another poem as usual, "Chinese New Year's Eve" (Seven Absolutes). Shi Yun: "More than three hundred days and another week, tuanyuan laughed and talked around the stove." On the one hand, I once again lamented the passage of time, and saw the scene of the children and grandchildren in front of me, the whole family reunion, and I couldn't help but feel the rare happiness of heavenly happiness in my heart. However, the poet "did not realize what was going on", an inexplicable premonition, which triggered many reviews and feelings. In the end, there is only "no pleasure in wine, only sorrow.". For the wine as a song, this "no joy" diluted the rare "tuanqu laughter", a "sad" word, which has become a summary of this year and even a miserable life.

In such a complex and low state of mind, the poet completed the last days of his life. After the Chinese New Year's Eve, it is a new year, the fifty-fourth year of the Kangxi Dynasty, and the fifth day of the first month of the first month is the death anniversary of the poet's father, Pu Yu. Seventy-six-year-old Pu Songling insisted that he must lead his children and grandchildren to the grave of his father's death. It was cold, and the gentleman had a wind chill. Since then, he has been sick and painful, and when he arrived on the twenty-second day of the first month, he sat down by the window and died. Therefore, Kangxi's fifty-three years of "Chinese New Year's Eve" has become the poet's masterpiece. "There is no joy in wine, only sorrow" became the conclusion of his life. ——It's really "Chinese New Year's Eve Crane to go sad"!

In addition to the above-mentioned poems of "Chinese New Year's Eve", there are several poems about the "New Year".

In the forty-sixth year of the Kangxi Dynasty, the poet was sixty-eight years old, and wrote the "New Year's Day Slogan" (Seven Absolute) Clouds: "Oh Oh Neighbor Chicken Sings the Wind, and the Money Burns and The Fire Flies in the Air." The young grandson showed off his new clothes and beauty, and also learned to worship the old man. "New Year's Day" here refers to the first day of the first lunar month, which is now called "Spring Festival", not "New Year's Day" in the Gregorian calendar. This poem is written about the scene and custom of the local "New Year" at that time - the chickens got up, laid out offerings, lit incense candles, ate reunion dumplings, burned paper money, knelt down and prostrated their heads, and prayed to heaven to bless the coming year with smooth winds and rains, abundant grains, and prosperity of people and animals. At dawn, the children wear floral clothes and new hats, happily showing off their "new clothes and beauty". Then, led by young parents, the demonstration is given to Grandma and Grandpa to kowtow to the New Year. This custom continues in Zibo to this day. However, the atmosphere has become much thinner.

People are old and prone to nostalgic associations. New Year's Day, naturally think of the New Year's customs and customs. At the age of seventy-three, the poet Xinzheng wrote a poem called "The Day of Man" (Seven Absolutes). Shi Yun: "Lingchen cut the ancient Laixing, and the boudoir laughed and increased." On this day, it is said that the cat marries the daughter, and the child cries and shoots without a light. "People's Day", also known as "People's Day", is the seventh day of the first lunar month. The poem conveys many ancient customs and legends of "human days". "Lingchen scissors", that is, the colored silk is cut to the human form, pasted on the door panel, or the woman makes a headdress. "Falsehood" is a white lie for fun, so "laughter increases". As for the story of "cat marrying woman", although it is not available, it must be full of fun. "Children cry and shoot without lights", this is the traditional "New Year", which has the meaning of praying for blessings in silence. In short, it renders a strong festive atmosphere. Moreover, the preference for women's boudoir customs has increased the cheerful and peaceful life of this festival. This mood of life is rare in Pu shi.

In the same month of the same year, the poet wrote another poem "Shangyuan" (Seven Laws), which wrote about the scene of the "Lantern Festival" on the fifteenth day of the first month. First link: "The beginning of spring is long and unresolved, and the cold wind is like cutting the moon and rising." "It points out the seasonal characteristics of the fifteenth day of the first month: the spring is cold and steep, and the full moon is empty. Jaw Lian: "Taiping Cottage House Wine, Happy String Song Household Lamp." "This is the custom and atmosphere of the Lantern Festival: family gatherings, drinking and entertainment, singing and playing, and displaying lights. This custom has been passed down to this day, and the atmosphere has not diminished. This scene triggered the infinite emotions of the old and depressed poet. Neck link: "There is no homophony at all, and the closed door is like a monk at home." "Write about the poet's lonely and lonely, depressed, only sitting behind closed doors, like the situation and state of mind of an old man who is detached from the world. Finally, The Tail Link: "Young Qingxing is in a festive season, and I have cheered through the dawn." The poet is still infected by the joyful holiday atmosphere, recalling his youth of every festival, laughter and all-nighter, which reflects the lonely and desolate evening scene at present.

From "Twilight" to "Chinese New Year's Eve" to "New Year's Day", and then to "People's Day" and "Shangyuan", the poet completely painted a panorama of "New Year", which has a different meaning. But from the poet's infinite emotion, we can clearly see the deep imprint of that era. This is not the same as the "New Year" of the new era in which we live.

Made on March 17, 2015

About author:Ma Ting, born in October 1933, is a native of Zhangdian District, Zibo City. Graduated from the Chinese Department of Shandong Normal University (now Shandong Normal University). Since 1960, he has served as a Chinese teacher in Zibo No. 6 Middle School and No. 11 Middle School. The first batch of teachers in Zibo City to obtain the title of senior teacher of middle school. He has published more than 200 teaching papers, essays, poems, etc., and has published essay collections such as "Miscellaneous Notes and Long Talks", "Polishing Anecdotes", "Farmer Yang Yukuan", "Sunset Collection", "Holding Hands Collection", "Harvest in Winter" and so on.

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