Translation and appreciation of Yu Gezi’s ancient poems
Translation of Yugezi
In front of Xisai Mountain, egrets are flying freely, peach blossoms are in full bloom on the river banks, the spring water is rising, and mandarin fish are plump in the water. The fisherman, wearing a green bamboo hat and a green coir raincoat, braved the slanting wind and drizzle, fishing happily without having to go home.
Appreciation of Yu Gezi
"Yu Gezi: Egrets Flying in Front of Xisai Mountain" is a poem written by Zhang Zhihe, a poet of the Tang Dynasty.
The first two sentences of this poem describe the fishing place and season. In these two sentences, mountains, water, birds, flowers, and fish appear, outlining a beautiful fishing environment and paving the way for the characters to appear. The last two sentences of the poem write about fishing on the smoke waves. The "slanting wind and drizzle" in the last sentence is not only a realistic description of the scenery, but also has a profound meaning. This poem expresses the author's yearning for a free life by praising the natural scenery and fishermen fishing.
Xisei Mountain is located on Xitiao River in present-day Wuxing County, Zhejiang Province. It was formerly called Dao Shiji. It is a large rock protruding from the river. Xitiao River leads to Taihu Lake in the north and Mogan Mountain in the south. The scenery is very beautiful. Zhang Zhihe's poem describes the scenery during the spring flood season and reflects the loveliness of the water towns in the Taihu Lake Basin.
The egret is the kind of water bird that people usually call herons. From a distance, it looks a bit like a white crane. Its legs and neck are particularly long, making it easier to find food in the water. "Egrets fly in front of Xisai Mountain". They spread their wings and fly in front of Xisai Mountain, making this land of plenty and plenty of life even more interesting. "Peach blossom flowing water" means peach blossom water. In the south, peach blossoms bloom in February and March every year, the weather is warm, and there is more rain than in winter. After a few spring rains, the river water will rise, and more fish will swim upstream. The author does not simply say that the spring flood is coming, but describes it as "peach blossoms and flowing water with mandarin fish fat", which can better arouse the readers' imagination, making people seem to see the blooming red peach blossoms on both sides of the bank; when the river water rises sharply, Jiangnan The unique mandarin fish jumps out of the water from time to time, how fat it is. "Mandarin fish" is a freshwater fish with a particularly delicious taste, a large mouth, thin scales, and a yellow-brown color. When the spring floods come, of course the fishermen will not be idle, they are also busy. "Green bamboo hats, green coir raincoats, no need to return in the slanting wind and drizzle" are all written by them. "Go", go home. "No need to return" means that there is no need to go home. From the fisherman wearing a bamboo hat and coir raincoat, admiring the scenery of the spring water in the slanting wind and drizzle, readers can understand the fisherman's happy mood when fishing.
The author is a landscape painter. It is said that he once painted "Yu Gezi" into a picture. Indeed, this poem is full of picturesque meaning. Cangyan, egrets, bright peach groves, clear running water, tawny mandarin fish, cyan bamboo hats, green coir raincoats, bright colors, ingenious conception and beautiful artistic conception make readers seem to be looking at an excellent spring flood picture in a water town. .
This poem expresses the author's love for freedom and nature in the beautiful waterside scenery and the ideal life of fishermen. What is more attractive to readers in the poem is not the fisherman who is calm and contented with the wind and rain, but the picture of the spring river in Jiangxiang during the Peach Blossom Flood in February with rising water and misty rain. Green mountains in the rain, fishing boats on the river, egrets in the sky, and red peaches on both sides of the bank. The colors are bright but soft, and the atmosphere is peaceful but full of vitality. This not only reflects the author's artistic ingenuity, but also reflects his lofty, unconventional, leisurely and refined taste.
Original text of the work
Yu Gezi
In front of Xisai Mountain, egrets fly, and peach blossoms and flowing water make mandarin fish fat.
Green bamboo hats, green coir raincoats, slanting wind and drizzle do not need to return.
Annotations on poetry
Yugezi: Originally the name of a tune, later people wrote lyrics based on it, and it became the name of a lyric brand.
Xisei Mountain: To the west of today’s Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province.
Egret: a white water bird.
Peach Blossom Flowing Water: The season when peach blossoms bloom is when the spring water rises, commonly known as Peach Blossom Flood or Peach Blossom Water. Mandarin fish: commonly known as "flower fish" and "mandarin fish". Flat, large mouth, thin scales, yellow-green, delicious taste.
Ruo Li: A bamboo hat made of bamboo strips and Ruo leaves.
Coir raincoat: a raincoat woven from grass or brown linen.
Creative background
In September of the seventh year of Emperor Daizong of the Tang Dynasty (772), Yan Zhenqing was appointed governor of Huzhou and took office the following year. Zhang Zhihe went to pay a visit in a boat. It was late spring, the peach blossoms were in bloom, and the mandarin fish were beautiful. They sang an impromptu harmony. Zhang Zhihe sang the first song and wrote five lyrics. This song is one of them. This poem was lost during the reign of Emperor Xianzong. In the third year of Changqing (823), Li Deyu visited it and recorded it in his "Xuanzhenzi Fishing Songs", and it has been circulated to this day.
Artistic techniques
The first two sentences of this poem outline a long scroll of Jiangnan scenery. "In front of Xisai Mountain" points out the location. "Egret" is a symbol of leisure. The egret is written to fly freely, setting off the leisurely contentment of the fisherman. "Peach red" and "flowing water" complement each other, showing the scenery of lakes and mountains in front of Xisai Mountain in late spring, and exaggerating the living environment of the fisherman.
The last two sentences describe the fisherman’s mood when fishing. Completely integrated with the poetic and picturesque nature, it is fascinating. Although the author only briefly describes the fisherman's fishing life, from the implication of the words, it is not difficult for readers to find the author's yearning for the leisurely life of the fisherman.
This poem is cleverly conceived, has a beautiful artistic conception, vivid language, fresh style, and is full of feelings about the scenery. It shows a kind of purity and indifference that is unstained by the mud. It has become a popular poem that has been passed down through the ages. do.
Comments by famous experts
Liu Xizai of the Qing Dynasty's "Art Introduction": "Zhang Zhihe's "Yu Gezi" "Egrets Flying in Front of Xisai Mountain" is a piece of poetry that has been popular through the ages. Dongpo tried to use it to form a sentence It was used in "Partridge Sky" and also in "Huanxi Sand", but the sentence it formed was still not as wonderful as the original word. Huangshan Valley also tried to add the word to "Huanxi Sand" and recited it. ""
"Liu Yuan Ci Commentary" written by Huang Su of the Qing Dynasty: "A few sentences only describe how the fishermen enjoy themselves without the danger of trouble. There are already those who cannot be free." Outside, the meaning is not revealed, the pen and ink are incisive, transcending the dust. "
The recent scholar Yu Biyun's "Selected Explanations of Poems of the Tang, Five Dynasties and Two Song Dynasties" said: "A noble man comes to visit every time. Shangfu was in Sexi River, and Lingjun was in Xiangpu. Along with the later sages, there are many people who have written records. However, there are not many people in Xuanmian who can live in the rivers and lakes. The words "Xisse", "Baling", "Songjiang", "Leixi", and "Diaotai" are both Chu and Yue, and cannot be reached by a boat, so this word is also a metaphor for thinking, which is not the first experience. However, looking at the conclusion of each poem, we can see that a gentleman is poor, knows his fate, and has a transcendent mind. The sentence "Peach Blossoms and Flowing Water" is still passed down to future generations.
Su. Zizhan loved this poem very much, but he couldn't sing it because of his poor voice. He sent it to "Huanxi Sha" and said: "Egrets fly in front of Xisai Mountain, and sails are scattered outside the flower island. Peach blossoms flow through the water, and mandarin fish are fat. I cover myself in a green bamboo slipper." Li, green raincoat everywhere, no need to return in the slanting wind and drizzle. "Huang Lu heard it and continued to write. In the rivers and lakes, mountains connected to water are called jis. There is a ji in Taiping Prefecture called the bride, and there is a pu in Chizhou called the daughter. Lu Zhi was curious, so he occasionally took advantage of the name but did not pay anything. It is suitable to write this poem because it goes like this: "The bride's head is sad, her eyebrows are dark, and her daughter's eyes are wavy. The startled fish mistakenly recognizes the hook of the sunken moon. There are endless things in front of the green bamboo hat, and the bottom of the green raincoat is temporarily rested. The slanting wind and drizzle turn the bow of the boat." "The son saw and heard this and said jokingly: "I just left Xinfuji and entered Nvnupu. There is no prodigal son and fisherman in the world!" Everyone laughed. The senior's romance has been somewhat exhausted, and I think about it with great emotion. The small building is hidden in the valley, and it is necessary to have people from outside the place to deal with the situation. I am not Lu Gong, so I cannot achieve harmony, but I can still live with someone similar to him. (Ye Mengde's "Words under the Rock")
Gu Gu (Huang Tingjian) also regretted the unfinished work in his later years. Because his cousin Li Ruchi wrote "Fisherman's Ci" and used the "Partridge Sky" song to have a very harmonious rhythm, he hated it. Speak less and speak louder. Because of the article asking for Xuanzhenzi with the portrait of Xianzong, and the intention of Xuanzhen's brother Songling to persuade him to return, he wrote a few sentences: "In front of Xisai Mountain, egrets fly, and peach blossoms flow like mandarin fish. The court is still looking for Xuanzhenzi. Where can I find him?" Now there are more poems? Green bamboo hats, green coir rain clothes, no need to return to the slanting wind and drizzle. The world wants to avoid the danger of wind and waves. There are twelve o'clock in the day. "Dongpo said with a smile: Lu Zhi wants to calm down the storm. (Excerpted from "Baixiang Ci Pu Jian")
Foreign influence
After this poem was recited, not only did it have many people singing it, but it also spread overseas and became a Chinese poem in Japan in the east. The author opened the door to writing lyrics, and five of Emperor Saga's "Fishing Songs" and seven of his ministers' "Fenghe" poems were adapted from these lyrics.
About the author
Zhang Zhihe (732-774), named Zitong, first named Guiling and named Xuanzhenzi, was born in Jinhua, Wuzhou (now Jinhua, Zhejiang), and was a descendant of Because he "could not bear to sit back and watch the people's troubles", he abandoned his official position and lived in seclusion in Shishanwu, Chishan Town, Yi County (now Qimen Town, Qimen County), and then moved to Zhang Village in Runtian for shelter. Poet of Tang Dynasty.
Zhang Zhihe was able to read at the age of three, write articles at the age of six, and pass the Ming Dynasty at the age of sixteen. He successively served as Hanlin Daizhao, Zuojinwuwei Lushi, joined the army, and Nanpu County Lieutenant. Later, he felt the turmoil in the officialdom and the impermanence of life. When his mother and wife passed away one after another, he abandoned his official position and family and wandered around the world. Emperor Suzong of the Tang Dynasty once gave him a slave and a maid, who were called "Yutong" and "Qiao Qing". Zhang Zhihe and his maid then lived in seclusion in the area of Dongxitiao River and Peixi River in the Taihu Lake Basin. Fishing and woodcutting are fun.
In the ninth year of Dali of the Tang Dynasty (774), Zhang Zhihe went to Huzhou to visit Yan Zhenqing at the invitation of the Huzhou governor Yan Zhenqing. In the winter of the same year, when he and Yan Zhenqing and others traveled east to Pingwangyi, they accidentally fell in Pingwang. He fell into the water in Wangyinggao Lake and died.
His works include "Xuanzhenzi" in twelve volumes with 30,000 words, "Yi" in fifteen volumes, five "Fishermen's Ci" and seven poems handed down to the world.