Cao Cao's "Dan Ge Xing"
Singing while drinking, what is life like? Like morning dew, it will be more painful every day when it goes away.
Be generous and worry about things unforgettable. How to relieve worries? Only Du Kang.
Qingqing Zijin, my heart is leisurely. But for your sake, I still ponder it.
Yo yo, the deer roars, eating apples in the wild. I have guests who play the harp and sheng.
It’s as bright as the moon, when can you wipe it off? Worry comes from it and cannot be cut off.
The more unfamiliar you are, the more you cross the border, the more useless you are. We talked a lot, thinking about old kindness.
The moon and stars are sparse, and the black magpie flies south. Walking around the tree three times, there is no branch to lean on.
The mountains never get too high and the sea never gets too deep. The Duke of Zhou feeds and the world returns to its heart.
Chapter 48 of "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" contains a description of Cao Cao's poem. After Cao Cao pacified the north, he led a million-strong army to drink in the Yangtze River and fight Sun Quan decisively. It was a bright and bright night, and he set up wine and entertainment on the river to entertain the generals. Drunk, Cao Zhi stands on the bow of the boat and sings generously. The lyrics are the song "Dan Ge Xing" above.
This is a very famous poem. Su Dongpo mentioned it in "Ode to the Former Red Cliff". Later, after being exaggerated by novelists, it became a household name. But what is this poem about? Wu Jing of the Tang Dynasty said that it "speaks of timely music and brings joy" (Essential Interpretations of Ancient Yuefu Questions). Luo Guanzhong gave this poem a superstitious color of "poetic prophecy" and said that Cao Cao's lines about "the black magpie flying south" were an ominous omen and foreshadowed his failure in the Battle of Chibi. These statements are not to the point. I think Zhang Yugu of the Qing Dynasty was right: "This is a poem that laments that time is fleeting and wants to get talented people to build the king's career early." (Volume 8 of "Appreciation of Ancient Poems") Chen Hang also pointed out : "This poem is the purpose of thinking about warriors in Han Gao's "Song of the Great Wind"."
"Singing over wine, what is life like?... How can we relieve our worries? Only Du Kang." Is this an exhortation for people to enjoy themselves in time? ? It is true that this is Cao Cao's lament about the short life, but he is not greedy for life and afraid of death because of the fleeting years. Looking at the whole article, he laments that wars are frequent and great achievements have not been accomplished, which creates a sense of urgency for time. As he himself said: "As the years go by, I am worried about the world but not in peace" (Cao Cao's "Qiu Hu Xing"), so his lament about "the geometry of life" is not a sign of weakness and depression, but a desire to cling to the limited life and cherish it. During my lifetime, I want to work hard in time and do something vigorous and vigorous. Wei Yuan said it well: "Singing over wine has the spirit of a storm."
Throughout the ages, entrepreneurial heroes know the path to success. To govern a country and bring peace to the world, one must first have capable people with experience in the world. Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty, who was about to conquer the world, sang "Song of the Great Wind" and said: "The strong men are here to guard the four directions!" This was what he expressed in his heart. At this time, Cao Cao wanted to "break Jingzhou, go down to Jiangling, and follow the river to the east." He urgently needed talents to assist him in conquering the world. Therefore, on this moonlit night when the stars are sparse, when "I drink wine by the river and write poems across the river", I can't help but express my thirst for talents.
"Qingqing Zijin, my heart is leisurely", he seemed to be casually reciting famous lines from the "Book of Songs". The second sentence of the continuation says: "But for the sake of the king, I have been thinking about it until now." This turns what was originally a woman's deep love for her lover into her own desire for talented people. The four lines of "Yo yo Lu Ming" are poems in the Book of Songs about entertaining guests with sincerity and enthusiasm. Cao Cao picked them up at his fingertips to express his expectation of the sage's enthusiasm. "It's as bright as the moon, when can it be lifted?" He also compares the sage to the bright moon high in the sky, illuminating the sky; it can be seen but cannot be reached, which makes people "worry from it and cannot cut it off." I would like to thank the wise men who have come all the way from across the country for condescending to have a heart-to-heart talk at today’s banquet. I feel so relieved! But I know that there are still a large number of wise men who are still wandering on the wrong path. They are like black magpies flying south, choosing a tree to roost in, and circling the tree three times, but they have not finally chosen their destination! Therefore, Cao Cao issued a heartfelt call to the world's talents: "The mountains never get too high, and the sea never gets too deep. The Duke of Zhou spits out nourishment, and the world returns to its heart." It means that he has a broad political mind and his desire for talents is never-ending, just like the ocean's endless trickle. , the high mountains do not abandon the earth and rocks. Moreover, he encouraged the virtuous and virtuous people from all over the world to come back and create a great situation in which "the world returns to its heart". These four lines of poetry are magnificent and full of emotion, showing the ambition and enterprising spirit of unifying the world. Among poets throughout the ages, only Cao Cao, a man of great talent, great strategy, and arrogance, could write about it, and only he could match it. Even now, when I read it, I still feel that it is so heroic.
Readers may want to ask: How could Cao Cao, the most evil hero in the world, be so generous in loving talents and being courteous to the virtuous? It should be said fairly that Cao Cao in history was a reformer with emancipated thoughts. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty deposed hundreds of schools of thought and only respected Confucianism, which resulted in the rigidity of Han culture and thought. Dong Zhongshu even advocated the prophecy theory that combined Confucianism and theology. Cao Cao boldly doubted and openly denied traditional concepts such as theological superstition and feudal ethics. In terms of employment, during the Han Dynasty, scholars were selected based on their proficiency in classics and benevolence and filial piety. Cao Cao advocated "evaluation based on talent" and valued those who were "not benevolent and unfilial, but had the skills to govern the country and use military force." He argued eloquently: "A man who is good may not be enterprising, and a man who is enterprising may not be good. How can Chen Ping practice diligently, and how can Su Qin keep his word? Chen Ping established the Han industry, and Su Qin weakened Yan. From this point of view, , Scholars are too short, can they be discarded if they are mediocre?" "The Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms: Emperor Wu's Chronicle" quotes Wei Shu, saying that he "knows people and is good at observing people, and it is difficult to fake the strings. When he was among the captives, he served his orders and performed meritorious deeds, and was listed as a famous general. He "established his martial arts externally and promoted literature internally". He "led strong men to break strong formations during the day, and picked up poets to fill the palace at night."
Chen Lin, who was good at cursive calligraphy, wrote a call to action for Yuan Shao in his early years, and insulted Cao Cao as "Ao eunuch and ugly" (Cao Cao was born in a eunuch family). After Yuan was defeated and returned to Cao Cao, Cao said: "Qing Xi was the first to move the calligraphy." , But the crime is just a solitary one, and the evil is limited to him, why should he go up to his father and ancestors?" The left and right people persuaded him to kill him, showing pity for his talent, letting go of the past, and putting him to good use. It can be seen that the above-mentioned Cao Cao's poems express his love for talents, and his feelings are real and consistent with his personality. Professor Chen Zizhan commented in his article "Talking about Cao Cao" that Cao Cao's poems are "generous and sad, and have a unique tone through the ages. ... The style of his poems is consistent with his personality. His rhetoric is based on sincerity, which is very different from the tyrants of later generations who steal the country and seize power, and make arrogant words in vain. , who deceives himself and others, and is ultimately judged by history. This is also the secret of his unique achievements in literature.
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