Gangnam falls on the year of the Li Turtle 1
Tang Du Fu 2
QiWang 3 house common 4 see,
Cui Jiu 5 halls before a few degrees 6 smell.
It is Gangnam 7 good scenery,
The flower season 8 is also the king.
【Notes】
1 Li Guinian: A famous musician in the Kaiyuan period of the Tang Dynasty, he was good at singing, playing and composing, and was deeply appreciated by Tang Xuanzong.
2 Du Fu: For details, see the commentary on "Remembering Li Bai in Spring".
3 King Qi: Son of Emperor Ruizong of Tang and younger brother of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji, originally named Li Longfan, later changed his name to Li Fan to avoid Tang Xuanzong's secrets. First he was crowned King Zheng, and then he was resealed several times, and finally he was crowned King Qi. Li Fan was good at calligraphy, loved poetry, and was good at making friends with Confucians, regardless of whether they were noble or inferior, and treated each other with courtesy.
4 Common: often. During the kaiyuan dynasty, the princes and nobles were more fond of poetry and art. Du Fu was known for his outstanding talent in his youth, so he became a frequent visitor to the families of nobles such as Li Fan, so that he could often see Li Guinian and enjoy his singing and playing.
5 Cui Jiu: Originally known as Cui Di, he was later renamed Cui Cheng by Emperor Xuanzong of Tang. Born in the Boling Cui clan, he lived with Li Longji, who was a prince, in his early years, and formed a friendship. Later, his brother Cui Xiang (shí) was killed for defecting to Li Longji's political enemies, and Cui Di was more favored and eventually became the official of The Golden Purple Guanglu Doctor. In the fourteenth year of the New Century (726), he died in the same year as Li Fan. Because he was the ninth among his brothers, he was called Cui Jiu.
6 Degrees: Several times, many times.
7 Jiangnan: The Tang Dynasty referred to Jiangnan as Referring to the Area of Hunan and Jiangxi south of the Yangtze River, while the area south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River was called "Jiangzuo".
8 Flowering Season: When the flowers wither, that is, in late spring and early summer.
This poem is only twenty-eight words, the language is plain, and there is no allusion. But it contains a wealth of history and life content:
Li Fan, the King of Qi, and Cui Di were all powerful people of the year, all of whom were prominent figures, and under the pursuit of these people, artists like Li Guinian would have unlimited scenery; because of the importance of these people, Du Fu in his youth could also enter and leave the QiWang Mansion, in front of Cui Jiutang. The common sight of the two can be realized. And behind all this is an unprecedented prosperity. It is the glory and peak of the Tang Dynasty. Poets who have experienced the chaos of Anshi are obviously full of memories of the romantic feelings that radiated in their youth under the atmosphere of the Tang Dynasty. As one of the beautiful memories of the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty, the year of Li Gui naturally easily evokes the poet's thoughts. However, time and space change, the world is uncertain, and they meet again decades later, both of them have reached the twilight year, the Sheng Tang has gone away, and the prosperity is no longer there. How can this not make people sigh?
The first two sentences of the poem seem to be just plain narratives, but they convey the prosperity of the literati and nobles and nobles who sang and danced in those years. Although the last two sentences are written in spring, they use the phrase "the season of falling flowers" to depict the vibrant reality in front of them. The hundred flowers have withered, the summer verdant has not yet arrived, it is the time when spring sorrow is the most intense and sentimental; after the Chaos of Anshi, the Tang Dynasty has been devastated and depressed. If this is only the reality, it is enough, after all, this situation is not a day, and people are often used to it. But at this time, I met the old people in the prosperity, which evoked the prosperity of the old dream. Under the background of memory, reality is even more decayed; if you blindly immerse yourself in good memories, you may also be able to feel a little comfort, but the reality in front of you cannot be questioned and so ruthless. This, in turn, makes the beauty of the memories even more ethereal. What else can two twilight old men say in the huge psychological gap and double sentimentality caused by the reunion, memory and reality? In addition to the name, the poem does not make any description of the situation, demeanor, clothing, etc. when Li Guinian met, which may be the meaning of this. Li Guinian is like this, why shouldn't the poet be like this? Apart from recounting the year, pointing out the present, pointing out the reunion, what did it say? The last sentence not only conveys the two people's "care for each other without words" and emotions, but also speaks a silent thousand words. Although the reader can quickly read the whole poem, it is difficult to get rid of the stirring mood of the poet's reunion with an old friend, but it is also immersed in it for a long time and cannot be calm. This may be the realm that is intended to be outside the text and that God cares about.