1. Asking for poetry and understanding about friendship

For Wang Lun

Li Bai

Li Bai was about to travel in a boat when he suddenly heard that he was on the shore. The sound of singing.

The water in Peach Blossom Pond is thousands of feet deep, but it is not as good as Wang Lun’s gift to me!

In the fourteenth year of Tianbao (755), Li Bai traveled from Qiupu (now Guichi, Anhui) to Jingxian (now Anhui) to visit Peach Blossom Pond. The local Wang Lun often made fine wine to entertain him. Before leaving, Wang Lun came to see him off again, and Li Bai wrote this poem to say goodbye.

The first half of the poem is a narrative: first it writes about the person who is leaving, and then it writes about the person who is seeing them off, showing a picture of parting. The beginning of the sentence "take a boat" indicates that the person is following the waterway; the phrase "willing to travel" indicates that the boat is about to set off. This sentence makes us seem to see Li Bai saying goodbye to people on the boat about to leave the shore.

First of all, it is not known who the person seeing him off is, but the second sentence is not as straightforward as the first sentence. Instead, it uses a tune and only says that he heard singing. A group of villagers stepped on the ground to the beat and walked and sang to see him off. This seemed to be beyond Li Bai's expectation, so he said "suddenly heard" instead of "distantly heard". Although this poem is relatively implicit, one can only hear its voice but not see its person, but people are ready to say it.

The second half of the poem is lyrical. The third sentence is a distant connection, further explaining that the location of the boat is in Peach Blossom Pond. "A thousand feet deep" not only describes the characteristics of the pool, but also foreshadows the conclusion.

The water of Peach Blossom Pond is so deep and deep, it even touches Li Ren's feelings. Wang Lun's deep affection is unforgettable, and the water is naturally connected with deep affection. The concluding sentence bursts out, "It's not as good as Wang Lun's love for me", which vividly expresses the sincere and pure affection by comparing things with objects. The pool is already "thousand feet deep", so how much deeper is the friendship between Wang Lun and Li Bai? Food for thought. Shen Deqian of the Qing Dynasty appreciated this sentence very much. He said: "If you say that Wang Lun's feelings are as good as a thousand feet of pond water, it is an ordinary saying. The wonderful state only changes in one change." ("Tang Poems") Obviously, the beauty lies in The good thing about the word "less than" is that it does not use metaphors but uses comparison techniques to turn the invisible friendship into a vivid image, which is ethereal and lingering, natural and true.

This little poem was deeply appreciated by later generations, and "peach blossom pond water" became a common expression for later generations to express their farewell feelings. Because of this poem, many beautiful legends and relics for tourists have been left in the Taohuatan area, such as the Tage'an Pavilion on the east bank with the inscription "Tage Ancient Shore" on the front door, the Diaoyin Platform under the rainbow stone wall on the west bank, etc.

A very ordinary little poem, but it is the best interpretation of friendship. This poem has been passed down by future generations.