This poem is from Ji Hai's Miscellaneous Poems (V) written by Gong Zizhen, a poet in Qing Dynasty.
Original text:
Great sorrow tilts the day,
A whining whip means the end of the world.
Falling in love is not heartless,
Turn into spring mud to protect flowers.
Translation:
The great sadness of parting extends to the distant sunset,
When I left Beijing, I waved my whip to the east and felt that I had reached the end of the world.
I quit my job and went home like a fallen flower, but it was not heartless.
It has become the soil of spring and can also play a role in cultivating the next generation.
Extended data:
Literary appreciation
This poem, the fifth in Ji Hai's Miscellaneous Poems, describes the poet's mood when he left Beijing. Although with "mighty sorrow", it means that we still have to make final efforts for the country and the people.
The first two lyric narratives of this poem show the spirit of being bold and free and easy in infinite emotion. On the one hand, parting is sad. After all, after living in Beijing for many years, old friends are like clouds and the past is like smoke. On the other hand, parting is easy and pleasant. After all, I have escaped the shackles and can go back to the outside world to do other things.
In this way, the sadness of parting and the joy of returning are intertwined, both "mighty parting" and "whipping the East"; There is daylight, the west and the vast horizon. These two paintings complement each other and make each other interesting, which is a true portrayal of the poet's mood that day. The last two sentences of the poem use falling flowers as metaphors to express their own thoughts, which naturally blend into the discussion in the image metaphor.
"Turning into spring mud protects flowers more", the poet said and did the same. After the Opium War broke out, he wrote to Liang Zhangju, the governor of Jiangxi in Shanghai, many times to discuss state affairs, and hoped to join the shogunate to offer suggestions. Unfortunately, the poet died in Danyang Academy soon (only 50 years old), unable to realize his social ideal. What a pity.
"Falling red is not heartless, but turning into spring mud will protect flowers more." The poet turned from expressing his feelings of parting to expressing his ambition to serve the country. On the other hand, in Lu You's words: "Scattered into mud, crushed into dust, only the fragrance remains." Falling in love originally refers to the flowers blooming on the branches, but it is not something without feelings. Even if it turns into spring mud, it is willing to cultivate beautiful spring flowers to grow.
Not for the unique fragrance, but to protect the flowers. It shows that although the poet is divorced from officialdom, he still cares about the fate of the country and never forgets his ambition to serve the country, so as to express his enthusiasm for caring for the country until his death. Fully express the poet's strong feelings and become a famous sentence handed down from generation to generation.
This little poem combines political ambition with personal ambition, organically combines lyricism with discussion, and vividly expresses the poet's complex feelings. On poetry, Gong Zizhen once said that "poetry and people are one, there is no poetry outside people, and there is no one outside poetry" (Shu Tang Hai Qiu Poetry). His own creation is the best proof.
Creation background
In the 19th year of Daoguang (1839), that is, one year before the Opium War, Gong Zizhen was 48 years old. Disappointed with the rulers of the Qing Dynasty, he resolutely resigned and returned to his hometown. Later, he went to the north to meet his family. On the way back and forth between north and south, he wrote what he thought and felt on account paper with chicken feathers and put it in a bamboo basket.
Later, * * * "got 3 15 pieces of paper, covered 3 15 poems (The Book with Wu Hongsheng) and wrote a large group of poems. This is the famous "Jihai Miscellaneous Poems"-that year was Jihai. This article is selected from the fifth article of Ji Hai Zashi. At that time, the author resigned angrily and left his relatives and friends, full of worries.