Bai Juyi's A Proposal for Liu, a friend of the Tang Dynasty, originally read:
There is a glimmer of green in the old bottle and a hint of red in the quiet stove.
With dusk and snow coming, how about a glass of wine?
Translation:
Made light green rice wine and burned a small stove.
It's getting late and it's snowing harder and harder. Can I have a cup of hot wine in my humble abode?
Extended data
Creative background:
A suggestion for my friend Liu was written by Bai Juyi when he lived in seclusion in Luoyang in his later years. Liu Shijiu was a friend of the author when he was in Jiangzhou, and the author wrote a song "Liu Shijiu Sleeps Together", saying that he was Chu Shi of Songyang. Some people think that this poem was written in the twelfth year of Yuanhe (8 17), but the poet is Sima in Jiangzhou (now Jiujiang, Jiangxi), so it is impossible to invite Luoyang's old friends to drink.
Appreciate:
The expression of the whole poem mainly depends on the combination of three images (new wine, stove and sunset snow).
"New wine in old bottles" introduces new wine straight to the point, and depicts the light green and turbid roughness of newly cooked domestic wine, which is easy to arouse readers' association and makes readers seem to see the rich, sweet and delicious rice wine.
The second sentence, "There is a red commotion in a quiet stove", is a simple and warm stove, and the fire is burning red. The poet sat around the fire, and the blazing fire lit up the house at dusk and the wine with green foam. This sentence plays a role in rendering colors and setting off the atmosphere for the drinking environment. The wine is already very attractive, and the fire adds a warm atmosphere.
The last two sentences: "It feels like snow outside at dusk. How about a glass of wine inside?"? ? "In such a cold and snowy winter, in such a twilight leisure time, inviting old friends to drink and catch up with the past shows the poet's deep friendship.
A word "snow" outlines the broad background of friends gathering and drinking. The cold wind is rustling and the snowflakes are fluttering, which makes people feel cold and cold. The more so, the more it can reflect the fiery stove and the preciousness of friendship.
The three images of "home wine", "small stove" and "falling clouds and snow" are connected in series to form a vivid, tangible and affectionate picture, which is filled with the warmth of friendship and the fragrance of human nature.
Baidu Encyclopedia —— A Suggestion for Friend Liu