Poetry describing a friend coming from afar:

1. An old friend invited me to Tian’s house with chicken and millet.

Source: From "Crossing the Old Friend's Village" by Meng Haoran, a poet of the Tang Dynasty.

Appreciation: The beginning of this poem is very plain, as if it is just a note in a diary. The old friend "invites" and the author "comes". There is no exaggeration in the text, it is simple and casual. However, this straightforward narrative style reflects the innocent understanding between friends. They invited each other with "chicken millet", which not only showed the Tian family's unique flavor, but also showed the simplicity of hospitality.

Describes the scene when a friend invites the poet to his home. Chicken millet is the food that the Tian family treats guests with, representing the host's enthusiasm and sincerity, and also showing the closeness and trust between friends.

2. The laughter and affection are as old as ever, but the hair on the temples has become stained.

Source: From "Meeting Old Friends from Liangzhou on the Huai River" by Wei Yingwu, a poet of the Tang Dynasty.

Appreciation: This poem describes the meeting of the poet and his old friend. The laughter and closeness they had once remained the same, as if time had left no trace on their friendship. However, the traces of time ruthlessly appeared on their temples, becoming sparse and gray. This sharp contrast makes people feel more deeply about the ruthlessness of time and the shortness of life.

In addition, this poem also uses the writing method of "one happy and one sad" to vividly display the two opposite emotions. The contrast between laughter and desolation allows people to have a deeper understanding of the poet's emotional fluctuations and inner feelings. This writing technique also adds more artistic appeal to the whole poem.

3. After the floating clouds parted, the water flowed for ten years.

Source: From "Meeting Old Friends from Liangzhou on the Huai River" by Wei Yingwu, a poet of the Tang Dynasty.

Appreciation: This poem expresses the author's emotion after parting with his old friend and the helplessness of time passing by. Floating clouds and flowing water are both amorphous symbols, and the author uses them to describe the wandering after separation and the ruthlessness of time. In the past ten years, time has passed like running water, and the separation between the author and his old friend has been as amorphous and uncertain as floating clouds.

At the same time, this poem also expresses the author's deep nostalgia and longing for his old friend. In the past ten years, the author has experienced many changes and ups and downs in life, but he can never forget the friendship with his old friends and the laughter he once had. This emotional expression makes people feel the poet's cherishment of friendship and nostalgia for the past.