An oak leaf leaves its intimate branches,

is chased by the merciless storm, and flies to the wilderness and barren hills;

It suffers the cold and heat Destroyed by hardship, it withered and withered,

And so it finally drifted to the shores of the Black Sea.

There is a young and lush white poplar growing on the black coast;

The breeze is caressing the green branches, and is talking to it;

Several birds of paradise swayed back and forth on the green branches;

They were singing the glory of the Queen of the Sea.

The wanderer clings to the roots of the tall poplar trees;

With deep sorrow, it begs for temporary shelter,

It is like this Said: "I am a poor oak leaf,

I grew up in that cold wilderness.

I grew up in that cold wilderness.

"I have been wandering alone and confused in the world. For a long time,

I withered, without dreams or rest.

Please keep this stranger in your green leaves,

I know many strange and wonderful stories. ”

“What do I need you for?” "Young Baiyang said to it,

"You are dirty and yellow - how can you match my handsome son?

You know a lot - but what do I need your stories for?

The noise of the birds of paradise has already tortured my ears enough.

"Go your way; oh, wanderer! I don't know you!

The sun loves me, I grow for it and bloom for it;

Here I stretch my branches toward the sky,

while the cold sea water washes my roots. ”

(Yu Zhen translation)

Appreciation

This poem is like a fable. Oak leaves and poplars are a pair of contrasting protagonists. The former is lonely and drifting, while the latter is proud of the spring breeze. The oak leaf prayed to the poplar for a shelter, but was ridiculed and rejected by the poplar. Obviously, oak leaves and poplars each have symbolic meanings. The image of "leaves" "chased by ruthless storms" often symbolized political "exiles" in Russian and European literature at the end of the 18th century and the first half of the 19th century. In Russia at that time, such exiles were mostly progressive people with radical ideas. They pursued their ideals, but were persecuted and exiled by the Tsarist dictatorship. They were far away from home, friends, and the center of politics. Their personal happiness and ideal way out were at stake. Without a solution, where is the hope? have no idea.

As a poem, the symbol and the object of the symbol are often specious and different. Different people have different opinions. They cannot and do not need to be precise. The oak leaf here may refer to the actual political "exile", or it may refer to a kind of spiritual exile and wandering. At that time, many people in Russia were dissatisfied with the dark reality, but they were powerless to deal with it. They were in pain, confused, and couldn't find their direction. They were like a wanderer who had left his familiar hometown and lost the root of his life. Just like the "oak leaf" Leaving "its intimate branches", one comes to a remote and unfamiliar land ("wandering to the shores of the Black Sea").

In the poem, the oak leaf is described as "wandering alone and confused in this world for a long time." Loneliness is a theme often expressed by poets, such as "Sail": "In the mist of the sea, a solitary sail shines. "With white light"; "In the desolate north country there is a green pine": "In the desolate north country there is a green pine, standing alone on the bare peak"; "Cliff": "The cliff stands alone in meditation, whispering in the wilderness The poet was constantly persecuted politically. Under the intensified reactionary rule in the 1830s, the poet felt even more lonely. In the poem, the oak leaf "has been wandering alone and confused in this world for a long time", which is the poet's self-portrait. .

This poem draws on the writing style of a fable: There are main characters - oak leaves and poplars, secondary characters - the bird of paradise, and these characters are all personified; there is a simple plot - an oak tree The leaf drifts to the seaside, meets a poplar tree, and asks it for shelter, but the poplar ruthlessly rejects it; there are also dialogues and detailed descriptions. All these make the whole poem vivid and contagious.

(Jiang Ping)