By contrasting the sharp contradictions between the eternity of nature and the impermanence of life, the author expresses the sadness of feeling the loss of life after the subjugation of the country.

From: "The Poppy: When Will the Spring Flowers and Autumn Moon Come" is a poem written by Li Yu, the empress of the Southern Tang Dynasty during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, before he was poisoned to death. It can be called a fatal poem.

Original text:

Poppy · When is the Spring Flowers and Autumn Moon

Five Dynasties: Li Yu

When is the Spring Flowers and Autumn Moon? How much do you know about the past? There was an east wind in the small building last night, and the motherland could not bear to look back at the bright moon.

The carved railings and jade inlays should still be there, but the beauty has been changed. How much sorrow can you have? Just like a river of spring water flowing eastward.

Translation:

When will this year end? How many past events do we know! Last night, the spring breeze blew again from the small building. How could I endure the pain of recalling my homeland on this bright moonlit night?

The finely carved railings and jade steps should still be there, but the person I miss is already aging. Ask me how much sadness is in my heart, just like the endless spring water flowing eastward.

Extended information:

Creative background:

This word and "Langtaosha·Gurgling Rain Outside the Curtain" were both written before Li Yu was poisoned to death. In the third year of the Taiping and Xingguo reign of Emperor Taizong of the Northern Song Dynasty (978 AD), it had been nearly three years since Li Yu returned to the Song Dynasty.

In the third year of the Taiping and Xingguo reign, Xu Xuan visited Li Yu on the order of Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty. Li Yu sighed to Xu Xuan: "I killed Pan You and Li Ping by mistake, and I regretted it endlessly!" It was probably in this state of mind. , Li Yu wrote the poem "Poppy Beauty".

Appreciation:

This is a lament for life. By contrasting the sharp contradictions between the eternity of nature and the impermanence of life, the author expresses the sadness of feeling the loss of life after the subjugation of the country. The language is so whimpering that it is unbearable to read.

The romantic flowers in spring and the noble moon in autumn should make everyone happy, but for the prisoners below, they are no longer interesting. Although the word "when" is a strange question, it actually contains two meanings: when did the past years end? When will the remaining life after the disaster end?

This shows his determination towards life. "The east wind blew again in the small building last night" more concretely confirms the fact that the spring flowers and autumn moon will never end. From the small building to the homeland, the four words "cannot bear to look back" are words that bleed in my heart.

"Moonlight" not only echoes the "moon" in the sentence "Spring Flowers and Autumn Moon", but also shrouds the small building, homeland, life, etc. in the eternal moonlight, which makes Li Yu's personal sadness natural. It is the great sorrow of mankind.

Changing heads to inherit the bright moon of the motherland points out the meaning of right and wrong. The six sentences in the poem up to this point are all contrasted in pairs, creating a huge contrast between eternity and impermanence, expressing the author's thinking on the relationship between the universe and life.

But the weak Li Yu can no longer inspire the passion for progress. He can only indulge in his sad mood before making a decision with life, allowing himself to indulge in this boundless tragedy of life, quietly. Quietly waiting for the final song of life to play.

The two sentences at the end of the poem are self-questioning and answering, using concrete flowing water as a metaphor for abstract sorrow, and writing about the boundless, endless, endless and unstoppable sorrow. Li Yu has used water as a metaphor for sorrow many times before, but this sentence is not only novel and alarming, but also both appropriate and powerful.

Author introduction:

Li Yu (August 15, 937 - August 13, 978), the sixth son of Li Jing, Yuanzong of the Southern Tang Dynasty (i.e. the central leader of the Southern Tang Dynasty), was first named Cong. Jia, whose courtesy name is Chongguang, is also named Zhongyin and Lianfeng Jushi.

Han nationality, born in Jinling (now Nanjing, Jiangsu Province), with ancestral home in Pengcheng (now Tongshan District, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province), was the last king of the Southern Tang Dynasty. In the second year of Jianlong (961) of the Northern Song Dynasty, Li Yu succeeded to the throne. He respected the Song Dynasty as the orthodoxy and paid annual tribute to ensure peace.

In October of the fourth year of Kaibao (971), Song Taizu destroyed the Southern Han Dynasty. Li Yu removed his Tang title and changed his name to "Lord of Jiangnan". The following year, the ritual system was devalued and the owl kiss was removed from the Jinling Terrace Hall to show respect for the Song Dynasty.

In the eighth year of Kaibao's reign (975), Li Yu was defeated and surrendered to the Song Dynasty. He was captured and taken to Bianjing (now Kaifeng, Henan). He was awarded the title of General You Qianniuwei and the title of Marquis of Disobedience. On July 7, the third year of Taiping and Xingguo's reign (978), Li Yu died in Bianjing. He was posthumously awarded the title of Grand Master and the title of King of Wu.

He is known as the Empress of the Southern Tang Dynasty and the Empress of Li. Li Yu was versatile, good at calligraphy and painting, good at poetry, and proficient in music and rhythm. His greatest achievement was especially in poetry. There are more than thirty poems by Li Yu that have survived in the world. In terms of content, they can be divided into two periods, namely the period after the country was overthrown and the Song Dynasty was overthrown.

The early poems mainly reflected court life and the love between men and women, with a graceful and soft style. Although they did not break away from the habits of the Huajian School, they had greater artistic summary power in the description of characters and scenes than the Huajian poets. .

Some of the poems also reveal heavy sadness (such as "Qingpingle·Farewell to Spring"); later poems reflect the pain of country subjugation, are sad and desolate, have profound artistic conception, and are highly artistically appealing.

Li Yu is good at connoisseurship and has a rich collection of books. Tens of thousands of volumes of books and paintings were purchased in the palace. There are many authentic calligraphy works by Zhong Yao and Wang Xi. They are all stamped "Inner Hall Books", "Treasure of Jianye Study Room", "Jixian Hall Academy", etc. in both public and private collections, or Sign his name, write an inscription, or write a poem.