This verse comes from "Two Evening Scenes on the Spring River in Huichong" written by Su Shi of the Song Dynasty. It means that when mugwort is spread all over the earth and the reed buds have become shorter, it is the time when pufferfish are about to jump onto the river.

This poem describes the coming of spring. Wormwood and reed buds are spring plants, while pufferfish symbolizes the vibrant spring. The lush wormwood and short reed buds indicate that spring has arrived, and everything in nature is glowing with new vitality. The pufferfish is about to rise to the surface of the river, which symbolizes that the arrival of spring will bring more life activities and reproduction.

The entire poem expresses the breath of spring and the revival of vitality in a concise and concise way, giving people a feeling of joy and expectation. At the same time, through the description of natural scenes, the poet expresses his praise of nature and his longing for vitality.

Original text

Two Late Scenes on the Spring River by Hui Chong

Su Shi [Song Dynasty]

Three or two branches of peach blossoms outside the bamboo, the duck prophet of the warmth of the spring river .

The ground is covered with wormwood and short reed buds, which is when the puffer fish is about to come.

The two returning Hong want to break the group, but Yiyi still looks like the people returning from the north.

I know from afar that there are many winds and snows in the Shuo Desert, but I am waiting for the spring in the south of the Yangtze River.

Translation

Two or three peach blossoms are blooming outside the bamboo forest, and the ducks playing in the water are the first to notice the warming of the river in early spring.

The river beach is covered with mugwort, and the reeds have sprouted short new shoots. At this time, the pufferfish is about to swim upstream from the sea to the river.

The wild geese flying north are like the people returning north, reluctant to leave and almost falling behind.

Thousands of miles away, we already know that the desert in the north is very windy and snowy, so it’s better to spend half a month of spring in the south of the Yangtze River.

Notes

Huichong (also known as Huichong): a monk from Jianyang, Fujian, one of the nine monks in the early Song Dynasty. He was able to write poetry and paint. "Spring River Evening Scene" is the title of Hui Chong's painting. There are two paintings, one is a picture of ducks playing and the other is a picture of flying geese. Qian Zhongshu's "Selected Notes on Song Poems" is "Xiaojing". Many annotated editions use "Xiao Jing" and "Wan Jing", so from "The Complete Works of Dongpo" and the annotated editions before the Qing Dynasty, "Wan Jing" is used.

Artemisia annua: the name of grass, including Artemisia annua, Artemisia annua and other species. Reed buds: The young shoots of reeds are edible.

Pufferfish: A type of fish, scientific name is "Fugu". The meat is delicious, but its ovaries and liver are highly toxic. Produced in my country's coastal areas and some inland rivers. Every spring they swim up the river to lay eggs in fresh water.

Up: refers to going up the river.

Guihong: Guiyan. Breaking the group: leaving the flying group.

Yiyi: the appearance of reluctance to give up. Guiren: A person who returns home.

Shuo Mo: Desert land in the north. Du Fu's poem: "As soon as I go to Zitai and even Shuomo."

More wait: wait again; pass again.

Appreciation

These two poems were inscribed by Su Shi on Hui Chong's painting "Spring River Dawn". Hui Chong's original painting has been lost, and some versions of this poem were titled "Spring River Dawn Scene", which is now impossible to verify. Paintings use vivid images to give people a specific visual experience, but they can only express a specific picture and have certain limitations. Although a good poem has no visible images, it can use figurative language to attract readers into a beautiful artistic conception formed through the poet's unique conception, so as to make up for some things that cannot be expressed in pictures.

Creative background

"Two Evening Scenes on the Spring River by Huichong" was painted by Su Shi for Hui Chong in Bianjing (now Kaifeng, Henan) in the eighth year of Yuanfeng of Shenzong (1085) "Spring River Evening Scene" is a poem written on two paintings. It is said that this poem was written in Jiangyin.

About the author

Su Shi, (January 8, 1037 - August 24, 1101), courtesy name Zizhan and Hezhong, also known as Tieguan Taoist and Dongpo layman, lived in the world Known as Su Dongpo or Su Xian, he is a Han nationality from Meishan, Meizhou (Meishan City, Sichuan Province). His ancestral home is Luancheng, Hebei Province. He is a famous writer, calligrapher and painter in the Northern Song Dynasty, and a famous figure in water control in history. Su Shi was a literary leader in the mid-Northern Song Dynasty and made great achievements in poetry, lyrics, prose, calligraphy, and painting.

His writing is bold and unbridled; his poems are broad in subject matter, fresh and vigorous, good at using exaggerated metaphors, and have a unique style. Together with Huang Tingjian, he is called "Su Huang"; His prose writings are grand and bold. Together with Ouyang Xiu, he is called "Ou Su" and is one of the "Eight Great Masters of Tang and Song Dynasties".