Jade and snow are bones and ice is soul

- Appreciation of Su Shi's poems about plum blossoms

? Wang Chuanxue

In the literary world of the Song Dynasty, poems about plum blossoms The rise of the peak is inseparable from the creative influence of some literary masters. Su Shi, a literary leader of the generation, loved plum blossoms very much. He wrote more than 30 poems about plum blossoms in his life, which played a very good role in promoting the development of plum blossom poems.

In the first month of the third year of Yuanfeng in the Song Dynasty, Su Shi was demoted to the remote Huangzhou to serve as the deputy envoy of regiment training due to the "Wutai Poetry Case". When passing by Da'an Mountain (also called Chunfengling) in Macheng, he saw the hillside The clusters of plum blossoms blooming in the cold weather aroused his poetic sentiment, so he wrote "Two Poems on Plum Blossoms":

Part One

Spring is coming and the valley water is gurgling,

Plum blossoms among the thorns.

One night the east wind blew the rocks apart,

Half of them were crossing the mountain with the flying snow.

Second

Who puts wine to soothe the deep and quiet,

It makes you feel bored and sad.

Fortunately, there are three hundred songs of Qingxi River,

I sent him to Huangzhou without saying goodbye.

"When spring comes, the water in the valley is gurgling, and the plum blossoms are blooming among the grass and thorns." The first sentence uses dynamic contrast to describe the environment where plum blossoms grow. The graceful grace of the jade bone is not stained by dust. The second sentence describes the plum blossom's vigorous vitality and proud character. It looks bright and bright. The blossoming plum blossoms bloom so brightly and brightly among the thin grass and thorns, and they look so otherworldly.

"One night the east wind blew the rocks apart" describes the dangerous living environment of plum blossoms and the violent destruction they suffered. "Blowing rocks into pieces" shows how powerful the wind is and how violent the blow is. "Halfway through the mountains with flying snow", the plum blossoms blown down by the wind are flying in the sky, the plum blossoms are like snow, and the snow is like plum blossoms. The petals of plum blossoms are unyielding souls, accusing and shouting in the air. The word "half" here is worth pondering. The hidden subtext seems to be: "One night" of swords and swords, the strong wind may not be completely victorious, and the plum blossoms may not be completely defeated. Once the wind calms down and the sun rises, she will make the valley more beautiful.

In this poem, Su Shi is writing about plum blossoms and his own misfortune. Although he was framed by villains, he did not give in. His pride was not broken. He bore the wind, frost and swords indifferently and welcomed the coming of spring.

The first poem focuses on the specific image of plum blossoms and the description of unfortunate encounters, while the second poem focuses on the unity of things and myself, more clearly revealing the poet's contradictory and complex inner world.

"Who uses wine to soothe the deep and quiet, and become bored and depressed." A rhetorical sentence directly expresses the deep sorrow and injustice in the chest. The poet seemed to be concentrating in front of the plum blossoms and silently asked: "Plum blossoms, plum blossoms, you are so beautiful and lovely, how can you hear from me when you are so scattered and turned into mud? You have no choice but to leave your beautiful face and tears quietly in this deep place." "In the valley of the valley!" The sentence "Blooming is boring and falling makes me sad" expresses the poet's deep sympathy for the plight of the plum blossoms. The plum blossoms are full of dependence when they bloom, and they are full of sadness when they fall, which refers to the loneliness and loneliness of the poet during his relegation. In fact, the plum blossom is unfortunate but fortunate, because she finally met the poet who had been waiting in front of the flower for a long time. Who can appreciate the poet's talent of serving the country? It reveals the deep loneliness and pain in the poet's heart.

"Fortunately, there are three hundred meanders of clear streams, and I sent them to Huangzhou without saying goodbye." South of Da'an Mountain is an endless plain, and the winding Jiushui River flows straight to the Yangtze River on the edge of Huangzhou. Qiting Ancient Town at the foot of Da'an Mountain is a water dock. The poet who has suffered from the trek can directly take a boat to Huangzhou, which is melancholy and somewhat comfortable. In these two sentences, the poet combines himself and the petals into one, because the two have the same experience, "the same people are reduced to the end of the world"; the situation is also similar - drifting with the flow. The poet's "boring" and "sad" situation is indeed somewhat deplorable and sad, but the poet does not just be pessimistic and lament, but thinks deeply from a philosophical perspective: This "luck" actually comes from "misfortune" , Admiring the flowers alone, the snow blowing in the wind, the misfortune of the flowers; the jealousy of talented people, the harshness of the world, the misfortune of people. However, it is a great blessing for a flower to be able to fall into a clear stream instead of being trapped in a dirty river; it is a great blessing for a human being to get rid of the cage of officials and gain precious freedom.

The word "lucky" condenses the poet's long and painful thinking process about gains and losses. Finally, the poet finally understood and sobered up. After letting out a long sigh, he reluctantly and hopefully opened his mind to a new path in life.

After the poet was demoted to Huangzhou, he wrote "Three Poems on Red Plum Blossoms", which expresses his ideal pursuit and aesthetic taste:

First

Fear I worry about being too sleepy and late to open my eyes.

I am afraid that I will not be able to catch up with the times.

Pretending to be a red peach and apricot color,

There is still a solitary, thin and snowy appearance.

The cold heart refuses to follow the spring state,

The wine faints on the jade skin for no reason.

Shilao didn’t know that Meg was there,

but looked at the green leaves and green branches.

Second

Flowering is late in the snow,

How can we monopolize the spring time?

I also know that creation has profound meanings,

so I gave him the wonderful appearance of Zhufa.

The drizzle leaves a thousand tears,

The mild cold makes a muscle thin.

You should not mix peach and apricot with peach and apricot.

The slightest bit of acidity has already set on the branches.

The third one

Young people hate themselves for being late in exploring spring,

I don’t see sandalwood when her heart is not vomiting.

The pill cauldron is a treasure to seize the fetus,

The jade woman’s cheeks are more beautiful.

The dark stamens of Baocong are just beginning to contain their seeds,

The fragrance of fallen leaves has penetrated the skin.

Qiu and Xu Xi’s new paintings,

The slanting branches shine brightly among the bamboos

These three poems focus on the color, shape and fragrance of red plums. , using anthropomorphic techniques, vividly depicts the beauty of appearance and character of red plums, with both form and spirit, and delicate emotions.

The following focuses on the first song.

At the beginning of the poem, the shape of plum blossoms is described in an anthropomorphic way: it blooms late in late winter, later than other flowers, like a beauty who loves to sleep and is too lazy to get up, fearing that her pure and clear face is not fashionable and will be suspected by the world. . Here, Mei's state of mind is vivid and her sadness is rippling. In fact, this is the poet's own sadness. The sentence "self-fear" expresses the mentality of this "sad beauty", which is actually the poet's sigh after going through hardships. Su Dongpo was persecuted by his political enemies due to the "Wutai Poetry Case" and was demoted to Huangzhou in the third year of Yuanfeng (1080). At this time, just two years have passed. The poet who has experienced a thrilling experience can never let go of the situation of being loyal and offended. The word "fear" is the finishing touch, marking the mark of spiritual pain. "Bing Rong" is used brilliantly, depicting the image of plum blossoms as pure and icy, with an aloof and superior character, which contrasts with the title "Red Plum" and also leaves people with suspense: where does "red plum" come from "ic appearance"?

The sentence "It is made of red peach and apricot color" in the couplet on the chin says? The reason for "red". In the poet's mind, the plum blossom is pure and pure white, and now it occasionally appears red, which corresponds to the "fear" and "terror" in the first couplet, and is a pretense of "following the crowd" in a colorful way. Immediately afterwards, "Shang Yu, solitary, thin, snowy, and frosty" outlines the charm of plum blossoms in a strange way, revealing the original temperament of plum blossoms. "Lonely and thin" points out the sparse and elegant flowers and the aloof style. "Snow-shuang posture" is the essence of Mei's character. At this time, although it is artificially red, the grace of Ao Xueshuang still remains. The word "Shangyu" is used brilliantly. There is no intention to show it, and there is no way to hide it. In the poet's mind, plums are plums, no matter what color they are in, they are completely different from "peaches and apricots".

The neck couplet makes an in-depth exploration of Mei’s heart and solves the mystery of why the white plum changes into “peach and apricot color”: “The cold heart refuses to follow the spring state, and the wine faints on the jade skin for no reason.” “Cold heart” "From "The Analects of Confucius": "When the year is cold, you will know that the pines and cypresses will wither. ''The "spring state" is the "little red peach and apricot color". The poet combines the "cold heart" and the "spring state" of the plum blossom. The opposites are connected with "unwilling" to express Mei's aloof character. As for the appearance of red, the poet easily explained: The beauty has just drank wine, and the "wine dizziness" has appeared on the "jade skin", which is the solution to the suspense. Here: Mei's soul - cold heart, appearance - jade skin, originally inseparable; red is "wine halo", which is a temporary disguise, but the essence remains unchanged.

? The sentence "Drunken" is very beautiful and unexpected. It is actually an elegant joke. The humorous character and the twists and turns of the poetry are perfectly blended.

In the last two sentences, "Shi Lao" refers to Shi Manqing, a poet of the Northern Song Dynasty. Shi Zeng's "Red Plum Poems": "Peach has no green leaves, but apricots have green branches." Dongpo thinks this sentence is ridiculous. He doesn't look at plums with the eyes of a poet, but only uses the "red" color to distinguish peaches and apricots. This is He couldn't agree to that. While Dongpo ridiculed "the poet doesn't know that Meg is here", he subtly sublimated his praise of plum blossoms and his own ideals, believing that to understand plum blossoms, one must judge them from their unique "Meg". This emphasizes the inner character or inner spirit of red plum blossoms, which is the essential characteristic of plum blossoms that like cold and frost. This ending sublimates the whole poem and leaves an endless aftertaste.

This poem not only describes the natural characteristics of the late blooming and light red flowers of the red plum, but also gives the red plum a certain temperament of a girl, with both form and spirit, and delicate emotions.

The poet was demoted to Huizhou when he was sixty years old in 1094 (the first year of Shaosheng). In the past, when the poet was relegated to Huangzhou and passed through Chunfeng Ridge, he saw plum blossoms blooming among the grass thorns, and he was inspired to write a poem. Fourteen years later, when I lived in Huizhou, I saw plum blossoms blooming among the thorns under the Songfeng Pavilion. I was deeply moved by the cold beauty of the plum blossoms, so I wrote the poem "Plum Blossoms in Bloom under the Songfeng Pavilion on November 26th". ":

Huainan Village on Chunfeng Ridge,

In the past, the plum blossoms had died.

How did we know that we would meet each other again after wandering?

The wild wind, rain, and sorrow at dusk.

Lizhipu is long and half-fallen,

The lying trees stand out in the orange garden.

Not only does the dim light leave the darkness of the night,

I am afraid that the coldness will repel the winter warmth.

Among the thorns under the Songfeng Pavilion,

Two jade pistils bloomed in the Ming Dynasty.

The fairy clouds in Hainan are falling down,

Under the moon, people wearing silk clothes come to knock on the door.

Wandering around the tree after waking up from drunkenness and dreaming,

The wonderful meaning is there but is silent at the end.

Sir, don’t sigh when you drink alone.

Fortunately, the setting moon can peek into the clear bottle.

The four sentences of "Spring Breeze Ridge" start with "Plum Blossoms in the Past" and lead to the subsequent life in exile. Su Shi said in his own note: "I went to Huangzhou in the past and saw plum blossoms on Chunfeng Ridge, which made me wonder. In the first month of next year, I wrote a poem on Qiting Road: 'Last year today, on Guanshan Road, the drizzle of plum blossoms was killing their souls.'" What he called The two quatrains refer to "Two Plum Blossoms" written when he went to Huangzhou to be demoted in the first month of 1080 (the third year of Yuanfeng) and passed by Chunfengling in Macheng County. The poem says: "When spring comes, the water in the valley is gurgling, and the plum blossoms are blooming among the thorns." He also says: "Fortunately, there are three hundred clear streams, and I send them to Huangzhou without saying goodbye." It is said that the fallen plum blossoms are sent to each other all the way along the water. In the first month of the next year, I went to Qiting and remembered the plum blossoms on Chunfeng Ridge, so I wrote another poem with seven rhymes, including the lines "last year" and "drizzle". These past events in Huangzhou's exiled life came to mind as I faced the plum blossoms blooming under the Songfeng Pavilion. ? The sentence "I don't know" is extremely sad. The poet is already sixty years old, but he once again lived in exile. He once again saw this old lover in his relegated life, Meihua, and it was in a borderland with "barbaric wind and rain". , compared with Huangzhou, it was getting worse and worse, which made him sad. The four words "barbaric wind and rain" vividly summarize the differences in Lingnan's customs. Huizhou is an area inhabited by ethnic minorities. In ancient times, ethnic minorities were despised and generally called "barbarians". "蜑" is the so-called "蜑子獠", which is also a contemptuous name for the ethnic minorities in the south.

The following turns to plum blossoms who meet again in exile. In the four sentences of "Long Strip", before writing about the plum blossoms under the Songfeng Pavilion, I first used what I saw in Lizhipu and Julang Garden as a background. Although those half-fallen strips and single lying trees are not in full bloom, they have deeply touched the poet's soul. He was intoxicated by their "gloom" and "cold beauty". "Retaining the night color" expresses the brilliance of the flowers, and "removing the winter warmth" expresses the ice and snow quality of the flowers. "Winter temperature" is the characteristic of the Lingnan season. The word "direct fear" expresses the poet's concern for flowers. It means: In this warm southern country, you should not be too cold and inappropriate for the season! The poet chose "Lizhipu" and "Juanglang Garden" to give the description of the whole poem a layer of rich local color.

The four sentences "Under the Pine Wind Pavilion" are the front text of the title.

Those half-fallen long strips on Lizhi Pu and the unique lying tree in the palm garden have aroused the poet's deep affection. The two plum blossoms in full bloom under the Songfeng Pavilion, "jade and snow are bones and ice are souls", have also aroused the poet's affection. interest. In the early morning, he came to the Songfeng Pavilion and found that the plum blossoms blooming among the thorns were as bright as jade in the rising sun. He was completely intoxicated. The poem described a dreamlike and beautiful state: He could no longer see it before his eyes. Plum blossoms, he seemed to think that on a moonlit night, a Hainan fairy in plain clothes, riding on the delicate clouds, slowly descended to the steps outside the window of the poet's book, moved her lotus steps lightly, and came to knock on the poet's lonely and closed room. Door. The actual content here is just that the blooming branches of flowers are calling the poet, forcing him to break out of the door, but he further compares it with the beautiful association of "knocking on the door in silk clothes", which is dyed with a strong subjective color. In the artistic atmosphere, there is no romance but infinite charm, full of unique artistic charm. The poet here does not devote himself to the specific description of the shape of plum blossoms. Instead, he adopts the method of drawing inspiration from the remains and writing in the virtual place, seizing the unique style and personality of the aesthetic object, focusing on the contrast and rendering of the side, to achieve a beautiful and moving artistic realm.

The four sentences at the end of "Drinking and dreaming" bring us back from the dream world to reality. He "went around the tree without saying a word" and his thoughts were deep. Judging from the inner emotional context of the poem, this is closely connected with the sentiments implicit in the previous sentence "How could we not know that we would meet again after wandering". He seemed to realize something, but was speechless in the end. This is exactly what "silence is better than sound at this time." Saying "don't sigh" or "fortunately" is a forced tone of dismissal. In this southern country at dawn, when the sun has risen and the moon has not yet faded, the poet holds a clear bottle alone and enjoys the short-lived joy of this famous flower.

This poem has beautiful imagery, fresh language, rich emotions, and flying imagination. Each four sentences forms a fragment and a level of its own, from the old plum blossoms on Chunfeng Ridge, to the half-fallen strips in Lizhipu, to the single and beautiful lying trees in the Palm Garden, and gradually leads to the two jade-like snow-like trees under the Songfeng Pavilion. There are plum blossoms, and the sentence "How could I know that we will meet again after wandering" is the focus of the whole article. The ups and downs of voice and emotions, and the wonderful naturalness are Su Shi's proud works in his later years.

Su Shi used the same rhyme and wrote three seven-character lines in one breath: "Reuse the Preface Rhyme" and "Flowers Fall Again the Preface Rhyme". The predecessors called it "the rhyme is dangerous and the words are spoken". Work cannot be achieved without a large amount of money" ("Duzhai Xianlan").

Let’s look at his "Reuse Preface Rhyme" again:

Plum Blossom Village at the foot of Luofu Mountain,

Jade and snow are bones and ice is soul.

They all began to doubt the moon hanging on the tree,

Geng Geng alone and Shen Hengtong.

The gentleman lives alone in the rivers and seas,

As quiet as a sick crane in a deserted garden.

The fragrance of heaven and the beauty of the country are willing to care about each other,

I know that my wine is familiar and my poems are clear and warm.

Flower and bird envoys in Penglai Palace,

Fusangs hanging upside down in green clothes.

I hugged the bush to see me lying drunk,

so I sent Woodpecker to knock on the door first.

Magu Guojun rushes to sweep,

Birds can sing and dance, flowers can talk.

The drunken people are scattered and the mountain is silent.

Only the fallen pistils stick to the empty bottles.

(Lingnan rare birds have upside-down legs, green hair and red beaks, and are as small as parrots. They come from the East China Sea and are not found in dust.)

In the first year of Song Shaosheng's reign, the poet wrote to Emperor Zhezong. , was demoted to Huizhou again. One day, when I came to Luofu Mountain, I thought of the story of Zhao Shixiong, who was demoted during the reign of Emperor Kaihuang of the Sui Dynasty, and met the plum blossom fairy by chance in a pine forest in the wilderness under the moonlight. I felt in a trance and wrote this famous poem praising plum blossoms. The poem uses beautiful words It praises the plum blossom's icy purity, elegance and gentleness, and also expresses the poet's loneliness and desolation when he looks at the stars alone at sunset and in the cold weather. Among them, the poem "Plum Blossom Village under Luofu Mountain, jade and snow are bones and ice are souls" has become a famous line through the ages.