In the early spring, everything sprouted, and many grass buds quietly emerged from the ground. And woody plants, the first primrose is always the willow tree, the so-called "willow color from a distance to see close but nothing", far away to see the willow tree become yellow-green, close but did not see germination. When you are not paying attention, Xu is after a spring rain, Xu is a night of spring wind, and it is "full of willows and yellow".
In the spring of 1057 AD, Mei Yaochen, a famous poet of the Northern Song Dynasty, served as a small examiner for the spring examination of the Ministry of Rites, and after experiencing the "locking of the courtyard" for 50 days, he climbed the "Quan Lou", and the spring color in front of his eyes was amiable, so he wrote a poem:
Exam BidenQuan
Song Mei Yaochen
Spring clouds are thick and light,
Double que heavy door lock construction seal.
Don't go upstairs to know for a few days,
The city is full of willows and yellow.
According to Qian Zhongshu, this poem was written in the second year of Song Jiayou (1057), "Mei Yaochen served as a small examiner for the Spring Entrance Examination" (see Qian Zhongshu's Selected Notes on Song Poems).
In the spring examination in the second year of Jiayou, the chief examiner was Ouyang Xiu, and the recruited jinshi were Su Shi, Su Rui, Zhang Zai, Cheng Hao, Cheng Yi, Zeng Gong, Zeng Bu, Lü Huiqing, Zhang Huan, Wang Shao, and so on.
The highlight of the spring examination was not only the shining list of soldiers, but also the stories of the examiners singing and composing poems. According to Ouyang Xiu's "Guitian Record", "In the second year of Jiayou, Yu and Duanming Han Zihua, Han Chang wang Yuyu, attendant Fan Jingren, and Long Tumei Gongyi were honored with the Zhili Department and Made Mei Yaochen a minor examiner. For fifty days, six people sang and sang together, and composed more than one hundred and seventy ancient songs and poems, which were collected into three volumes."
The examiners were locked in the court and were not allowed to hand over to outsiders. How to spend your spare time? Poetry! In 50 days, more than 170 songs were composed, which were spread as beautiful talks for a while.
Among the six people, only Mei Yaochen was not a "museum official" and had the lowest official position, so he was not an examiner and was only responsible for some transactional work. But in addition to Ouyang Xiu, Mei Yaochen's poetry was the best done, and his reputation spread all over the world.
Ouyang Xiu's GuitianLu records that Wang Yu was promoted to deputy envoy (equivalent to vice chancellor), and his wife Mei Shi entered the palace as usual to thank the empress dowager. The empress dowager asked her whose daughter she was, and Mei said that I was Mei Dingchen's daughter. The empress dowager smiled and asked her if she was mei shengyu (mei yao chenzi shengyu) family, and Mei Shi replied that it was not. It can be seen that Mei Yaochen's reputation has spread to the deep palace and is quite well-known.
Mei Yaochen is one of the founding ancestors of Song poetry, who did a good job of poetry but failed to do so many times, fell into inferiority, and lived in poverty. After many recommendations by his friend Ouyang Xiu and others, he was finally summoned by Emperor Renzong in 1051 and given the title of Tongjinshi. Later, it was also strongly recommended by Ouyang Xiu, and in 1056 he was able to serve as a guozijian.
Ouyang Xiu especially admired Mei Yaochen, believing that he was fully qualified to hold the position of the library, and at that time Ouyang Xiu was presiding over the revision of the New Book of Tang, and he specially invited Mei Yaochen to participate in the revision of the book, in order to ask the emperor for a position in the library when the great achievement was completed. However, The heavens did not give up their fate, Mei Yaochen fell ill and died when the New Book of Tang was about to be completed, and his career finally failed to go further.
In the spring of 1057, Mei Yaochen, who was already a tongjin scholar, a direct lecturer of the Guozijian, a revision of the New Book of Tang, and a participant in the spring examination of the Rebbe, was full of hope for his career, and after the end of his 50-day "locked courtyard" career, he climbed the examination building and felt that the spring color in front of him was particularly gratifying:
The sky is filled with rolling and sparse spring clouds, and the faint sunlight envelops the palace not far away, which is quiet and peaceful. It has only been a few days since I went upstairs, and the countless willow trees in the city have been slightly yellowed.
"Quan" means kaoxuan, and "Quan Lou" refers to the building of the Rebbe Tribute Temple.
"Double Que" should refer to the two pavilions in front of the Xuande Building, the main entrance of the Northern Song Imperial Palace, and the Tokyo Dream Record records that "the Xuande Building of the Great Inner Main Gate is lined with five doors... Curved ruler duolou, Zhu Lan colored sills, the following two pavilions opposite".
"Jianzhang" is the name of the Han Wu Emperor's Palace, which refers to the palace of Tokyo.
This poem expresses the poet's love and welcome for the upcoming spring, expresses the joy and joy of finally ushering in a turning point in life after half a life of ups and downs, and also expresses the expectation of a better life in the future.