Why is Liu Yuxi, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, called a "poetry hero"? This is mainly reflected in three points: First, it is reflected in the "heroism" of never bowing down after being demoted twice. It can be said that "Liu Lang, who once saved Liu Lang, is here again" is a true reflection of his heroism. The second is reflected in his "heroism" of having great ambitions and never surrendering to old age. His "There are no mulberry trees in the night, but the sky is full of clouds" is a true portrayal of himself. The third is that his poems draw on the strengths of others, are diverse in form, and have a "bold" style.
Bai Juyi was a famous realist poet in the Tang Dynasty, but he sincerely admired Liu Yuxi's poetic talent and poetic skills. He praised him and said: "Liu Mengde from Pengcheng is a great poet." From then on, Liu Yuxi won the reputation of "poetry hero". So, in what aspects does Liu Yuxi, the "poetry hero", show his "magnificence"?
First, it is reflected in the "heroism" of never bowing down after being demoted twice.
It can be said that "the man who once saved Liu Lang is here again" is a true reflection of his heroism.
Liu Yuxi spent more than 20 years of his life being demoted, but he never bowed to the evil forces. When Liu Zongyuan was demoted to Yongzhou Sima, Liu Yuxi was demoted to Langzhou as Sima. Nine years later, they were both recalled to Chang'an together. There is a Taoist temple in Chang'an called Xuandu Temple, with many peach trees planted there. One day, Liu Yuxi asked his friends to go to Guanli to enjoy the peach blossoms. He was so moved by the scene that he wrote a poem on the spot: The red dust of purple road blows in the face, and everyone looks at the flowers. There are thousands of peach trees in Xuandu Temple, all of which were planted after Liu Lang left. The meaning of this poem is: Many years ago when I went to Langzhou from Chang'an, there were no peach trees in this temple. Now that the peach blossoms are blooming so vigorously, aren't they all newly planted after I left? This is what it means on the surface. In fact, it also has an ironic meaning. It is a satire on those upstarts who have come up from behind. It means that you are now wearing red and purple, but haven’t you stepped on me to climb up?
This poem stung the nouveau riche of the imperial court, and they all went to the emperor to complain. This led to Liu Yuxi being demoted for the second time, and was demoted to the most remote Bozhou. Fortunately, Liu Zongyuan interceded for him. He was reassigned to Lianzhou. It’s been more than ten years since I left. In the meantime, Liu Yuxi's good friend Liu Zongyuan passed away. It was not until the second year of Taihe that he returned to Chang'an again. He once again came to Xuandu to visit, but found that there was no peach tree left, so Liu Yuxi wrote another poem "Visiting Xuandu Again": The hundred-acre courtyard was half covered with moss, and the peach blossoms were all gone and the cauliflowers were blooming. Where does the peach-growing Taoist priest go? The former Liu Lang is here again! Fourteen years have passed since the last poem, during which great changes took place in the court. There were only four emperor changes, and all the bureaucrats, big and small, also had new faces. The meaning of the poem is, where are the newly wealthy people who were once famous for a while? And I, Liu Yuxi, am back today! There is ridicule and pride here, showing Liu Yuxi's pride and heroism.
The second is reflected in his "heroic" ambition and never surrenders to old age.
His "There are no mulberry trees in the evening, but the sky is full of clouds" is a true portrayal of himself.
Liu Yuxi’s ancestors were Huns, and they did not change their surname to Liu until the Northern Wei Dynasty. He moved his family to the south of the Yangtze River to escape the chaos. He was very fond of the south of the Yangtze River and called himself a "guest from the south of the Yangtze River." Liu Yuxi has been eager to learn since childhood and received guidance from famous teachers. When he was 19 years old, he went to Chang'an to study, and later passed the Jinshi examination with Liu Zongyuan. After that, he passed three subjects in a row, and he was very satisfied and wanted to make a difference in politics. Wang Shuwen implemented the New Deal, and Liu Yuxi became the backbone of the reform group. But within half a year, the reform failed, and Liu Yuxi began a long career of relegation. Like Liu Zongyuan, Liu Yuxi wrote vigorously when he was demoted to Langzhou. He hated eunuchs, powerful ministers and those who followed people's influence.
Liu Yuxi’s hair turned white after nine years in Langzhou. He finally hoped to be recalled by the imperial court, but a poem written by Xuanduguan made him demoted to Lianzhou again. When he returned to the court again, he was already fifty years old! After that, he sometimes served in the imperial court and sometimes as a local official. Although I have achieved some political achievements, I always feel that I have not been able to use all my talents. In his later years, he returned to Luoyang, where he spent his days leisurely drinking, writing poems with Pei Du and Bai Juyi. But he's still in good spirits. He wrote a poem and said: "Don't say that the sky is still full of sunset glow." The meaning of the poem is: Don't say that it is already sunset, there is still a sky full of sunset glow! This famous saying expresses a positive and optimistic attitude towards life, and later became a saying often used by the elderly to encourage themselves.
The third reason is that his poems draw on the strengths of others, with various forms and "bold" style.
Liu Yuxi's famous poem also has seven lines of "Rewarding Lotte and Seeing Gifts at the First Banquet in Yangzhou", which was written by the poet when he met Bai Juyi in Yangzhou. "Thousands of trees spring" is an eternal aphorism. The meaning of the poem is: Beside the sunken ship, thousands of ships are passing by; in front of the dead trees, thousands of trees are full of life. Here, the poet compares himself to a "sinking boat" and a "sick tree", saying that although he is dying, everything in the world is still so prosperous, and personal gains and losses are insignificant. This also shows the poet's heroic spirit and bold style.
When Liu Yuxi was a local official, he also paid great attention to learning folk songs. There is a kind of folk song called "Zhuzhi Ci", which was originally popular among the people in Bayu area. Liu Yuxi also wrote lyrics according to the tune and wrote about ten poems. There is a song that goes like this: The willows are green and the river is level, and I hear the singing on the Langjiang River. The sun rises in the east and rains in the west. There is no sunshine but there is sunshine.
The lyrics of this song are clear and clear. The words "Qing" and "情" in it are homophones. On the surface, it means that the sun has come out in the east, but it is raining in the west. It is said that it is cloudy and it is sunny, but in fact it means " There seems to be no emotion but there is emotion.” This is completely the expression technique of folk songs, implicit and clever.
Liu Yuxi also wrote a very famous short article called "Inscription on a Humble Room". This inscription of less than a hundred words is like a song or a poem, expressing the author's admiration for the ancient sages. Although the small room is simple and simple, its owner and the guests and friends are all knowledgeable and noble people; such a "humble room" is far better than the balcony and the pavilion! This also fully demonstrates the poet's heroic spirit and bold style.
Therefore, what an appropriate evaluation it is for Liu Yuxi to be called a "poetry hero"!