The sunset is just the right place for the stream
——Appreciation of Ancient Poems of Yongxia Solstice (3)
Wang Chuanxue
The summer solstice is the thunderstorm season in Gangnam. The poet Yang Wanli of the Southern Song Dynasty lived in seclusion on the bank of Nanxi in his later years, on the day of the summer solstice, the rain passed through the sky, the air was fresh and cool, the poet and his friends walked along the stream, and wrote "Two Songs on the Summer Solstice Yuji and Chen Luchang Twilight on the River", describing the scene of walking by the stream with his friends at dusk after the summer solstice rain, showing the unique summer solstice scenery:
Chapter 1
The West Mountain has been darkened by the golden cymbals, and it is still clear in the East Mountain.
The time of the film makes the mountains colorful, and it is yellow and purple and all green.
Second
The sunset is cool just like the stream, and the twilight is urging people to be in a hurry.
The sound of frogs stopped halfway, and a pine fire separated the fence.
"Part One" mainly depicts the dim and faint afterglow in the evening, and the fantastic and magnificent mountain scenery after the rain.
The first two sentences "the west mountain has been darkened by the golden cymbals, and it is still shining on the east mountain", which means that the west mountain has become dim, but there is still a bright sun shining on the east mountain. It is similar to Bai Juyi's famous sentence "Half River Se Se and Half River Red" ("Twilight River Yin").
"金钲 (zhēng)" is an ancient musical instrument, which is often used as a metaphor for the sun in ancient poems. The word "wipe" is used very well, it expresses the exquisiteness, softness and ephemerality of the scenery under the sunset of Dongshan. Since the western mountains have become dim, and the sunset of the eastern mountains is only a touch, it is implied that the afterglow has been there for a short time. This ephemeral beauty makes people feel more precious and beautiful.
The last two sentences, "The time of the film makes the mountains colorful, the yellow and the purple are all green", depict the changing colors of the mountains when the sun sets.
"Film time" describes the shortness of time. These two lines of poetry vividly depict the rapid change of color in the sky at dusk after the rain, sometimes yellow, then purple, and finally all blue. "Qing" not only has the meaning of "green" in ancient poems, but also the meaning of "black", such as Li Bai's "Morning is like green silk and twilight becomes snow" ("Will Enter the Wine").
The whole poem uses concise and delicate language to describe the gorgeous colors of the mountains in the evening after the summer solstice rain, expressing the poet's feelings and love for the magic and beauty of nature.
"The Second" mainly writes about what he saw and heard on the way home.
In the first sentence, "The sunset is cool just like the stream", in the summer evening, after the rain, the poet and his friends walked along the stream, refreshed and comfortable. The word "cha cha" is used well, reflecting the poet's comfortable mood,
In the second sentence, "Twilight is urging people to be anxious", the poet begins to become anxious when the sky is getting darker, probably because he and his friends are intoxicated by the beautiful sunset of the summer solstice and rain, and before they know it, it is very late, and they have to hurry home. It is written here with ups and downs, turning the inner feeling from happiness to anxiety.
The third and fourth sentences of "the sound of frogs on the way to the end of the road, and the light of the pine fire separates the fence", closely follows the previous sentence, and writes about the poet's experience on the way back. Halfway through, the frog that was chirping heard the footsteps of passers-by and stopped chirping, making it even quieter. Firewood burned in the stove in the hut by the roadside, flickering and swaying through the fence. "Pine fire" refers to the fire that burns pine wood, and the contrast with the "twilight" in the second sentence makes the picture light and dark contrast and the layers are richer.
These two poems contain Yang Wanli's careful observation and understanding of nature, and vividly show the twilight beauty after the summer solstice and rain.
By the time of the summer solstice, farming was almost busy. The seedlings have been planted, and the fields are green, full of vitality and extremely quiet and peaceful. The Southern Song Dynasty poet Hong Zhikui's "Summer Solstice Passing the East City Two Uniques" vividly depicts this scene:
Chapter 1
The rain is just fine when the seedlings are planted, and the top heel of the shepherd is leveling.
The bald nose of the calf goes to the wind, and sits sideways on the cow's waist while the grass walks.
Second
The ups and downs of the Pingxi water see the sand, and the people on both sides of the city are green and yin.
The evening breeze comes and goes, blowing incense far away, and a few trees and flowers are blooming.
This is the work of the poet who was impeached and removed from office for outspokenness and stayed at home for seven years. The simple and simple pastoral life soothed the poet's wounded heart, reawakened the courage of life, picked up the pen and sketched a beautiful summer solstice idyll, allowing us to see the most beautiful fireworks in the countryside of the Southern Song Dynasty.
On the day of the summer solstice, the poet passed through the East Market. I saw that the seedling field was full of green seedlings, and after the rain, the sky was clear, and there was a thriving scene everywhere. The south wind brought coolness, and I saw a child herding cattle, dressed in clothes that meant peace, holding a cow rope that passed through the nose of the ox, sitting on the back of the ox, leisurely walking through the grass.
The first poem focuses on a picture of a shepherd boy herding cattle, depicting the shepherd boy's leisure. It shows that by the summer solstice, the summer planting and farming have basically ended, and the countryside presents a leisurely and peaceful atmosphere.
The second poem is about the beautiful environment of the East City on the summer solstice.
"The ups and downs of the Pingxi water see the sand, and the people on both sides of the city are green and yin", which vividly depicts the beautiful scenery of the East City. There are streams, green shades, and people's homes, quiet and simple, and indisputable with the world, just like Tao Yuanming's "Peach Blossom Spring". It is not only "Pingxi" that "rises and falls", but also the unpredictable life. Only by returning to the true nature and returning to inner stability, can we feel the changes in the surrounding scenery and feel the beauty and touching bit by bit.
"Green Yin on both sides of the city", a water flows, the white sand is exposed, and under the green shade on both sides of the strait, it is a poetic and prosperous East Market and people. "Green Yin" points out the characteristics of solar terms, and "people on both sides of the strait" show the wealth and prosperity of the East City.
"The evening breeze comes and goes and blows incense far away", in the evening, the long south wind blows a burst of fragrance, a "come and go", writing the leisurely and comfortable south wind of the summer solstice, and also expressing the yearning and expectation for a free and easy life. "Blowing incense far away", through the description of the sense of smell, shows the poet's relaxed and pleasant and floral fragrance.
"A few trees and flowers of holly" is the finishing touch of the whole poem. Through the sense of hearing, the tranquility of the summer solstice is written. The poet who was intoxicated by the beautiful scenery of the fragrant wind suddenly heard the "rustling" sound of the holly tree, which made the poet enter a kind of artistic conception of heart condensation and interpretation and the harmony of all things.
During the summer solstice, while feeling the summer solstice, feeling the beauty of the countryside, and feeling the changes in nature, we should pay more attention to the changes in our hearts. Only when you are in a good mood will everything be good; Only when the mood is beautiful, everything will be beautiful.
The summer solstice was an important solar term in the Song Dynasty and often caused people to reflect on their lives. In the poem "Rain After the Summer Solstice", the Northern Song Dynasty poet Su Zhe looks back on the past, reflects on himself, comprehends the will of heaven, and has a unique insight:
Heaven is not poor, drought and rain come.
Mai Qianchun Ze turn, He Ji summer thunder fall.
Losing two rains a year, the truth is really not continuous.
I am poor and I am poor, and I have enough to eat.
Fifteen years after taking Lu, there is a field and Yingchuan.
The cultivation power is insufficient, and the harvest is ashamed.
Yu Gong governs the room, and abandons the accumulation of dogs.
It is useless to raise his body for a long time, and he does not know his providence.
In the sixth year of Yuanyou (1091), Su Zhe worshiped Shangshu Youcheng, and was promoted to the servant of the door in the following year. Zhezong's pro-government (1093), Su Zhe was resigned to Zhiru Prefecture, and reinstated the resettlement of Leizhou. In the first month of the third year of Chongning (1104), Su Zhe settled in Yingchuan, and in the second year of Daguan (1108), Su Zhe was reinstated as a doctor of the court and moved to the middle doctor. From the poem "Fifteen Years of Victory", it can be seen that this poem was written about 1108 before his reinstatement.
Su Zhe was in Yingchuan, because he felt that there were not many people left in the Yuanyou period, so he built a room and said "the old man Zhai", called himself "Yingbin Old Man", read and wrote all day long, sat silently and participated in Zen, refused guests, never talked about current affairs, and pinned all his feelings in the poem. This poem is the poet's perception of providence and personnel when he sees the rain after the summer solstice.
The first six sentences are the first layer, which illustrates the truth that things must be reversed. The poet believes that God does not make people poor forever, and after a long drought, the rain comes. In the spring, when the wheat fields are dry, the spring rains fall, and in the summer, when the seedlings dry up, the heavy rains fall. If there is a lack of rain in both spring and summer of the year, the harvest will be reduced, and the grain in the granary will be at the bottom. This reflects the poet's view of the relationship between time and people: the extremes of things must be opposed, and the dialectical unity is unified.
The next six lines are the second layer, and the poet looks back on his derogatory career over the past 15 years. The poet said that his career was not smooth, his situation was difficult, and his life was difficult. Fortunately, God gave him a way to live, and he had a field by the Yingchuan River. For fifteen years, though the number of people has decreased, they will not go hungry. I was not in good health, I could not afford to cultivate by myself, and I was ashamed to be able to enjoy the harvest of the fields.
Fifteen years of degrading and punishing the poet made him physically and mentally exhausted, in a difficult situation, and in a difficult life. Fortunately, the poet bought some fields and real estate in Yingchuan, so that he would not starve and freeze.
The last four lines are the third layer, expressing the poet's inner reflection and emotion. The poet felt that all his efforts were spent on managing the family, and gradually gave up the good habits he had developed and became tainted with some bad behaviors. The poet sighed: I have raised this body for a long time but it has not played a role, because I have not seen through God's mind.
In this summer solstice season, the poet looks back on the past, reflects on himself, understands the will of heaven, and has a feeling that there is nowhere to use talent, and it is difficult to grasp his own destiny.