Chang'e

The candle shadow on the mica screen is deep, and the dawn stars are gradually setting over the Yangtze River.

Chang'e should regret stealing the elixir, and her heart will be filled with blue sea and blue sky every night.

Rhyme translation:

The mica screen is stained with a thick layer of candle shadow,

The Milky Way gradually slopes down and the morning star has sunk.

Chang'e must have regretted secretly taking the elixir.

Now she is alone with the blue sea and blue sky, and feels chilled every night.

Commentary: In terms of content, this is a poem praising Chang'e. However, everyone has different opinions. Some people think that it is a song about the elopement of a loved one, some people think that it is a direct song about the loneliness of the protagonist, some people think that it is based on Chang'e to have other sustenance, some people think that it is about a woman learning Taoism and seeking immortality, and some people think that it should be viewed as "untitled". For now, let us think of a woman who sings about living in a secluded place and staying awake all night. From this point of view, it is really written very affectionately and rationally. The language is suggestive and the mood is sentimental.

This poem is titled "Chang'e". It actually describes the lonely protagonist's feelings about the environment and his inner monologue.

The first two sentences describe the protagonist's environment and sleepless nights. Indoors, the candlelight becomes increasingly dim, and a deep shadow covers the mica screen, which further highlights the emptiness and coldness of the room, revealing the protagonist's dejected state of mind as he sits alone for a long night. Outdoors, the Milky Way gradually moves westward to the ground. The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl look across the river. It might have brought some reverie to the sleepless people who are alone in the room, but now this Milky Way is about to disappear. The few morning stars dotting the empty sky seem to be silently accompanying the lonely moon and those who never sleep at night. Now even this last companion is about to disappear. The word "Shen" vividly depicts the low-hanging morning star with lingering desires, and the protagonist's heart seems to be gradually sinking. "The candle shadow is deep", "the long river falls", and "the dawn star sinks" indicate that time has reached the end of dawn, and the word "gradual" implies the passage of time. The protagonist in loneliness spent another sleepless night facing the cold screen, the candle and the lonely moon in the blue sky. Although there is no direct description of the protagonist's psychology here, with the help of the rendering of the environment, the protagonist's loneliness and loneliness and the unbearable loneliness can almost be touched.

In the long lonely night, the most eye-catching and daydreaming thing in the sky is naturally the bright moon. When you see the bright moon, you will naturally think of Chang'e, the moon palace fairy in myth and legend. It is said that she was originally Hou Yi's wife. Because she stole the elixir given to Hou Yi by the Queen Mother of the West, she flew to the Moon Palace and became a fairy. "Who is Chang'e living alone next to?" In the eyes of the lonely protagonist, isn't the situation and mood of Chang'e, who lives alone in a vast palace with no companions, similar to her own? Therefore, I couldn't help but have this thought coming from the bottom of my heart: Chang'e must have regretted secretly taking the elixir, so that on New Year's Eve, she lived in the moon palace, facing the blue sea and blue sky, and it was hard to get rid of her loneliness and coldness. "Should regret" is a word of speculation, and this speculation expresses a feeling of sympathy and sympathy. Due to the description and rendering of the first two sentences, the word "should" seems to be natural and reasonable. Therefore, the last two sentences are not so much an affectionate and considerate response to Chang'e's situation and mood as they are the lonely inner monologue of the protagonist.

Who is this protagonist who lives in solitude and never sleeps at night? There is no clear explanation in the poem. In the poem "Sending the Palace Man to Taoism", the poet once compared the female crown to "Yue'e's widow alone". In the poem "Moonlight Night Returns to Song Huayang Sisters", he also used "stealing medicine" to refer to women studying Taoism and seeking immortality. Therefore, it may not be nonsense to say that this poem expresses the desolation and loneliness on behalf of the female crown trapped in the palace. Taoism was prevalent in the Tang Dynasty, and it became a trend for women to join Taoism. After joining Taoism, they experienced the constraints of religious rules on normal love life and suffered from mental distress. The three and four sentences are a true portrayal of their situation and mood.

However, the loneliness expressed in the poem and the "regret for stealing the elixir"-like emotion caused by it are integrated into the poet's unique real-life feelings, and contain richer and deeper connotations. Surrounded by the dark and filthy reality, the poet strives spiritually to get rid of the mundane world and pursue a noble realm, but the result of his pursuit often makes him fall into a more lonely situation.

The twins of aloofness and loneliness, as well as the resulting self-admiration and self-injury, the subtle and complex psychology of being neither willing to change one's heart and conforming to the secular world, but also unbearable the torment of loneliness, are here expressed by the poet in subtle and connotative language. Successfully performed. This is a kind of beauty with strong sadness, which easily arouses widespread excitement among the noble scribes of the old era. This is also the typical meaning of poetry.

Chang'e lives alone without a companion, the female crown in the Taoist temple, the noble and lonely poet. Although the immortals are separated from the mortal world, and those who are in the world are in different situations, they are noble and lonely. But the secret communication is clear. The poet grasped this point and created the artistic image of the Trinity. This skill of artistic generalization is Li Shangyin's specialty.