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Chapter 21 Section 2 Poems of the Mid-Qing Dynasty

Chinese poems and songs 刘耕路 2229Words 2018-03-20
In the middle of the Qing Dynasty (Qianlong and Jiaqing eras), it was a period of stable development of the Qing Dynasty. Academically, the "Qianjia School" was formed, and great achievements were made in the research and compilation of ancient books.There are great novels in fiction writing.There are also not small achievements in poetry creation, and it is an era when poets are born in large numbers. Emperor Qianlong should be mentioned here, because he likes to write poems everywhere, and everyone is familiar with the so-called "Qianlong Legacy".He once said that "poetry is the most learned in his life", he admired Du Fu the most, and was a passionate poetry lover.In his later years, he claimed to have composed more than 40,000 poems in his life. In terms of quantity alone, he may be the "number one" poet in China.Many of his poems put on the airs of the emperor and have no special features, so no one has ever mentioned him in the history of literature.In fact, some of his poems are quite good.Let's read a few selected poems from his "The Tribes of Mongolia".One:

This is a picture of grazing returning at dusk. Anyone who is familiar with pastoral life knows that it is common for children to look for cattle on horseback, and they can always find the cattle based on experience.Second:
The child was riding a camel, eating milk cakes in his mouth, and was very happy.Sometimes it would fall down and land on the soft grass, and he would playfully imitate his father and dance the Omen Dance (the name of the Mongolian dance).The writing is lively and lovely, just like a custom painting of herdsmen.Third:
After hunting and returning, they set up a bonfire to roast the fresh and fat venison, took out the leather wine bag (huntuo) to get drunk, and then got on the horse and galloped away in pursuit of Gu Hong.This vividly draws the brave and fierce Mongolian national character and its unique way of life.The poem exudes a strong grassland atmosphere, which cannot be written by those weak scholars.

Shen Deqian (1673-1769 A.D.) was a poet with great influence during the Qianlong period.His name is Queshi, his name is Guiyu, and he is from Suzhou.He advocated that writing ancient poems should be based on Han and Wei Dynasties, and writing modern poems should be based on Tang poetry.He advocated "style theory", that is, the content of poems should be "gentle and honest", and poetry should pay attention to rhythm and tone.According to his standards, he has edited several books such as "The Source of Ancient Poetry" and "Bie Cai of Tang Poetry", which are still in print today.When he was an official in the court, he had a close relationship with Emperor Qianlong and was a poet friend.After retirement, Qianlong summoned him when passing through Suzhou.Some of Shen Deqian's poems are very novel and ingenious, such as "Passing Xuzhou":

Xuzhou is now Xuchang, Henan.This kind of summer scene is common: clear water flows in the pond (jujue, the sound of running water), and weeping willows cover the plains.There is emerald green everywhere, and the eyes are full of vitality, which makes people feel as if the beard and eyebrows have been dyed green, and the sound of cicadas will accompany you through Xuzhou all the way.This couplet is novel in imagination and not out of the ordinary, which makes people feel fresh and appropriate.His five masterpieces "Evening Sunshine" are also quite innovative:
The dark clouds opened gaps to reveal the setting sun, and there were still scattered raindrops falling on the ground, which could be seen as a light rain.The old farmer is still drinking oxen to plow the field, and there are still raindrops on the plowshares.This song is also written vividly in the second couplet.Shen Deqian's greatest influence is his theory of poetry and the anthology of poems he compiled in the past dynasties. He has no particularly famous poems handed down to the world.

When it comes to Zheng Banqiao, almost everyone knows that he is famous for his paintings and calligraphy, but he is actually a poet.His name is Xie, his courtesy name is Kerou, and his nickname is Banqiao. He was born in Xinghua, Jiangsu.He never flaunted any faction, and never put on an air when he wrote poems. He said what he had to say, straight from his heart, with a clear distinction between his likes and dislikes, and people loved to read it.Let's read one of his poems:
This is a poem he inscribed on a painting when he was a county magistrate in Weixian County, Shandong Province.He was born in poverty, and it is commendable for him to be an official without forgetting the sufferings of the people.Another poem of his "Inscription on Bamboo and Stone Painting" is also popular:

This is a metaphor for the tenacious spirit of people with the tenacious vitality of bamboo, which is not only to encourage the world, but also to encourage oneself.He once claimed to be "not immortal, not Buddha, not sage, and he has ideas beyond pen and ink".His paintings, characters, and poems are also unique and cute. Yuan Mei, Jiang Shiquan, and Zhao Yi are collectively known as the "Three Masters of Qianlong", of which Yuan Mei is the most famous.Yuan Mei (1716-1797 A.D.), styled Zicai and nicknamed Jianzhai, was born in Qiantang, Zhejiang.When he was young, he was a Jinshi, entered the Imperial Academy, and served as a county magistrate. He resigned from office and returned home at the age of 33. He entertained himself with poetry and prose throughout his life. He is a typical literati.While Shen Deqian advocated style theory, Yuan Mei advocated "spirit theory".The so-called spirituality refers to true temperament, true feelings, or "innocent heart".He opposes imitation, and believes that imitated works are false, and only the real can have life.He once said: "It is better for a dragon to run wild than a rat." These views are undoubtedly correct, but he did not realize the importance of rich life experience, which crippled his theory.His seven ancient "Solitary Beauty Peak" is very meaningful:

The first six sentences describe the isolated state of Duxiu Peak, which is unremarkable. Suddenly, the pen changes from the mountain peak to being a man: being an upright person may sometimes be isolated. This is the same as Duxiu Peak. It has the beauty of unique beauty, so don't worry about it.Because of the last two sentences, the whole poem is intriguing.Look at one of his poems "Mawei" again: , the world also has its own galaxy. After people read Bai Juyi's book, they all lamented the life and death of Tang Minghuang and Yang Guifei.Yuan Mei believes that in society, the tragedy of family ruin and death like Du Fu's "The Officials in the Stone Trench" is everywhere, and it is much more tragic than the tragedies of Li and Yang.How well done this reversal article!Poets and ordinary people sang the opposite tune, and after thinking about it, this anti-tune is reasonable and thought-provoking.Yuan Mei's life content is to write poetry and composition, he wrote in a poem:

He is very serious about his poetry, and when he is old, he still dresses up like a young girl, and he never shows it to others until he is satisfied with the modification.This is to be responsible to the readers as well as to oneself.Some people boast that they write poems and essays without adding a single draft, saying that they are quick in writing and thinking, and they should feel ashamed after reading Yuan Mei's poem.Yuan Mei has many excellent poems, but there are no such masterpieces as the first-class poets in history. Why?He said: "But if you are willing to look for poetry, you will find poetry. A little consonance is my teacher." The so-called "consonance" is what he calls "spirituality", or inspiration, which he does not lack; Social life, so I can't write a masterpiece.His "Suiyuan Poetry Talk" has many good insights and has been widely circulated up to now. Compared with his poems, his poems are inferior.

At the same time as Yuan Mei, Weng Fanggang put forward a new theory - "texture theory".The "texture" he refers to is truth and diction, which is knowledge.This proposition led to the development of the later formalist poetic style. A famous poet Huang Jingren (1749-1783 AD) appeared a little later than Yuan Mei.His style name is Zhongze, and he was born in Wujin, Jiangsu.The family was poor and eager to learn, and his talents were underappreciated, so he died at the age of 35.Many of his poems were widely read during his lifetime.For example, the poem "Guisi New Year's Eve Occasionally" is still often quoted by people today:

The leak is an ancient timer.On New Year's Eve, time passed slowly amidst the laughter and laughter of thousands of families.The poet stands alone on the city bridge, looking up at the starry sky and falling into thought.He feels that beyond the visible reality, some kind of crisis seems to be brewing and is secretly attacking the society, but people who are immersed in the joy of the festival have not yet noticed it.This poem was written in 1773, at the time of the so-called "Gianlong Prosperity". After this "prosperity", the Qing Dynasty went downhill sharply.The author is not a prophet, but prepared for danger in times of peace, which is the precious "awareness of adversity" in our cultural tradition.

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