The first half of the sentence is better than the smoke willow in the imperial city.
early spring
Han Yu
The rain in Tianjie is as slippery as crisp,
The color of the grass is close in the distance, but not at all.
The biggest advantage is that one spring,
It's better than the smoke willow in the imperial city.
[translation]
The light spring rain on Chang 'an Avenue is as smooth as crisp, and there is no green at close range, but the grass is green at a distance. Early spring is a good time of spring in a year, which is much better than the willow-filled city in late spring.
[analysis]
This little poem is addressed to Comrade Zhang Ji of the Ministry of Water Resources. Ranked eighteenth among brothers, so it is called "Zhang Eighteen". The style of poetry is fresh and natural, simple and colloquial. It seems dull, but it is by no means dull. Han Yu himself said, "Being poor is strange, and it becomes dull" (Send the teacher to john young). It turns out that his "insipid" is hard-won.
The wonderful sentence of the whole article is "the grass seems to be close, but it is not." Imagine: in early spring and February, in the north, when the ice is still hanging under the treetops and eaves, where is spring? Not even a shadow. But if it rains a little, the next day, you see, spring is coming. The foot of the rain in walk on by left the mark of spring, that is, the first spring grass buds appeared. From a distance, there seems to be a very light green, which is the grass color in early spring. Watching, people's hearts are suddenly filled with happy business. However, when you look closely with infinite joy, the ground is sparse and extremely slender buds, but you can't see what color it is. The poet, like a talented ink painter, waved his wonderful pen full of water, vaguely emitting a hint of green, which is the grass color in early spring. From a distance, there are no more images, but when you get closer, you can't see them. This sentence "grass seems to be near, but it is not", which can be said that it is suitable for both far and near and vivid in the air.
The background of this color setting is a slender light rain falling on Tianjie (the street in the imperial city). Seeing the grass color through the rain adds a hazy beauty to the grass color in early spring. And the light rain is as wet as crisp. Crispy is cream. With such nutrients, can grass not be new? With such a background, can grass be beautiful?
Finally, the poet made a comparison: "It is definitely better than the smoke willow in the Imperial Capital". The poet thinks that the color of early spring grass is many times better than the scenery of the willow trees in the city. Because the grass color of "looking far but not near" is unique in early spring, it is fresh and moist, symbolizing the rejuvenation of the earth and the prosperity of Vientiane business. Where's the willow? It's time for a "willow pile of smoke", not to mention a "full" city, which is not rare. In late spring and March, the color is strong, but it is not so pleasing to the eye. Using contrast like this, unlike the general, is a double writing, in order to highlight the characteristics of spring scenery.
"Things are rare", and the color of spring grass in early spring is also very delicate. "There are no flowers in the Chinese New Year, and grass buds are first seen in February" (Chun Xue by Han Yu). This is a state of mind. Winter has passed, and the cold is still strong. I was surprised and happy when I suddenly saw this wonderful grass color. These pale greens were the only decorations on the earth at that time; However, at the end of spring, "grass knows spring" (Han Yu's "Late Spring"). At this time, people are not interested in seeing wicker, even if it is green, because it lacks that freshness.
So the poet reminded me at the turning point of the third sentence: "The most important thing is the benefits of spring." Yes, the plan of the year lies in spring, and the best part of spring is in early spring.
This poem praises the early spring, which can capture the soul of the early spring and give readers endless aesthetic interest, even surpassing painting. The poet has no crayons, but he paints a color that is extremely difficult to describe in poetic language-a pale color that seems to be absent. Without keen observation and superb poetry, it is impossible to refine the natural beauty of early spring into artistic beauty.