However, under these "towering trees", there are also many unknown poets, just like wild flowers and endless spring grass, which bring the same gorgeous color to the mountain of Tang poetry. Although they did not leave any prominent reputation in history, they also left an indelible mark in history with their talents and poems. Many times, people only know their poems, but they don't know their names.
Today, I want to share this poem with you. Although it is very unpopular, it has inspired generation after generation, and the famous opening sentence is well known. This is the first part of two poems by Bailudong, a useful classic of Tang poetry. The whole poem is as follows:
The author of this poem is Wang Zhenbai, a poet in the late Tang Dynasty. Many people may not remember his name at all. However, the famous phrase "an inch of time and an inch of gold" in this poem is well known. This sentence is an enlightenment poem in the hearts of China people, and it is the most commonly used sentence when teachers educate their children, accompanying the growth of generation after generation.
So, who is Wang Zhenbai? Wang Zhenbai, a native of Guangfeng, Jiangxi Province, was a famous poet in the late Tang Dynasty. He had frequent contacts with Luo Yin, Fang Gan and Guan Xiu, and often made peace with poems. He once went to the Great Wall with the army and wrote many touching poems reflecting the life of the frontier fortress. In addition, he also created a large number of poems describing his personal reading life, such as the first of two poems, White Deer Cave.
Obviously, this is a poet's poem describing reading life, and it is an inspirational poem that has been passed down through the ages. The "White Deer Cave" in the test is not a cave, but an academy. Located in the south of Houping Mountain at the southern foot of Wulaofeng Mountain in Lushan Mountain, Jiangxi Province, surrounded by green hills and trees. Li Bo, a native of Luoyang in the middle Tang Dynasty, kept a white deer as his companion when he was studying here, hence the name "White Deer Cave".
At the end of the Tang Dynasty, many literati took refuge in Lushan Mountain. They often go to Bailudong to discuss knowledge and exchange experiences. Wang Zhenbai wrote this poem in this period. The whole poem is simple and straightforward, and there are no gorgeous sentences. Only one reader has a heartfelt feeling, which is really touching!
The first sentence, "I don't feel the depth of spring when reading", is purely for fun. It means that I didn't realize that spring was going to die because I was absorbed in reading and didn't listen to the movement outside the window. At this point, it is already late spring. Although the sentence "I don't feel the depth of spring" is straightforward, it vividly depicts the tense and fulfilling life state of the poet when he concentrates on reading. This state of life is really enviable!
The poet was so absorbed in reading that he found that spring was almost over. This discovery made the poet very excited and surprised. However, he felt sorry not because he didn't appreciate the beautiful spring scenery, but because time passed too fast. In the poet's mind, there is too much knowledge to learn and too many books to read. However, times are changing. There is too little time for reading, and there is always not enough time.
Therefore, the poet can't help but sigh: "An inch of time is worth an inch of gold" and "an inch of time", which is vivid in image by measuring a very short time with a unit of measurement; "One inch of gold" measures time horizontally with gold, which is a metaphor for the preciousness of time. This is the poet's unique feeling after discovering the "deep spring", and it is also a wise saying that the poet encourages future generations, especially scholars, to cherish time and study hard, which has been passed down through the ages.
The last two sentences of the poem, "It is not the Taoist who makes people laugh, but the Taoist who makes people laugh", complement the poet's narrative that he found "the depth of spring", not because he is lazy, but because Taoist makes people laugh. In the Tang Dynasty, Taoism flourished, and a Taoist temple was built next to Bailu Cave. It is very rare and common for scholars to exchange and discuss knowledge with Taoist priests.
The poet said this to emphasize that he can stand loneliness and calm down. He needs a Taoist to "laugh" before he can relax and have a rest. Because the poet is very absorbed in reading. Even if the Taoist priest visits occasionally and laughs, he has been studying the refined teachings of Duke Zhou and Confucius almost all the time. Among them, "Zhou Qing Sikong" refers to the Confucian classics read by ancient scholars.
After reading this poem, will you envy the poet's intense and fulfilling reading life? The phrase "an inch of time and an inch of gold" is easy to understand, but many people often have to wait for many years to understand its profound meaning. However, by that time, we have wasted many beautiful years, and it is too late to regret it!