Smell the thunder
【Tang Dynasty】Bai Juyi
The miasma wind and frost are early, and the warm weather is urgent.
Poor winter does not see snow, the first month has smelled thunder.
The stinging insect snake came out, and the dead grass and trees opened.
The empty passengers are square inches, still like cold ash.
Translations
The smoke miasma ground, the wind and frost came a little early; the warm weather, the climate scrambled to induce.
After exhausting the winter, there is no snow; the first month has arrived, and the thunder has been heard. Spring thunder sounded, and the dormant insects and snakes were about to leave; to their surprise, the dead grass and wood were already budding. Empty of space, the square inch of "my" guest residence is still as lifeless as cold ash.
exegesis
Miasma: Smokey ground, miasma land.
Cold Ash: A metaphor for not having a desire or a mood for life that has no pursuit. It is often used as a metaphor for discouragement.
Appreciation
This is a poem by the Tang Dynasty poet Bai Juyi.
The smoke miasma ground, the wind and frost came a little early; the warm weather, the climate scrambled to induce. This is the place where the thunder is written.
"Miasma" refers to the Jiujiang River in Jiangxi. The poet mentions many times in the poem, "Remembering the past who lived in a miasma, the ape led the weeping tiger to accompany him." ("No Two Songs Allowed"); "The miasma of the communion, the room will survive." ("Xunyang Feast Farewell")
The climatic characteristics of Jiujiang are very different from those in the Central Plains, and the poet also described in "Pipa Xing": "Living near the Xiangjiang River is low humidity, and yellow reeds and bitter bamboo are born around the house." Because the ground is "low and wet", there is more miasma, and some low and sad emotions of the poet are generated. The miasma wind and frost written in the front is actually a preparation for the surprise of the thunder in the back.
After exhausting the winter, there is no snow; the first month has arrived, and the thunder has been heard. This is the time to write "Smell the Thunder".
Both of these sentences speak of the anomaly of the weather in Jiujiang. Winter should have snow, but there was no snow; the first month, which had no thunder, came early.
Spring thunder sounded, and the dormant insects and snakes were about to leave; to their surprise, the dead grass and wood were already budding. This is the phenomenon of "stung" written. Although it has not yet reached the sting, it has already appeared the same phenological characteristics as the sting. "Explanation of the Seventy-two Waiting For the Moon Order": "On the February Festival, everything is shocked, and the earthquake is thunder, so it is called the sting, and it is the sting that frightens and walks away." ”
It is this spring thunder that not only revives all things, but also makes the poet's lonely heart rekindle a glimmer of hope. Everything is not so bad, life is impermanent, you may wish to be optimistic and listen to the blossoms.
Empty of space, the square inch of "my" guest residence is still as lifeless as cold ash. This is written "The Dissatisfaction of Smelling Thunder". Why is it that everything between heaven and earth is revived, but there is only "I", which is square inches away, and there is no vitality? On the surface, it is said that there is no life in every inch, but in fact, it is asked when the demeaning career will end. The hope of spring has arrived, but where is the hope of life?
Through this poem, we can see how poets in adversity seek reconciliation between themselves and the outside world, how to deal with the confusion of the present and the anxiety of the future, and how to find a meaning of existence between life and poetry.
The revival scene of all things, "the snakes and snakes come out, and the dead grass and trees open" is undoubtedly a good medicine to untie the knot in the poet's heart. I wish everyone, in the season of stinging, everything will be as desired, let the past go with the wind, and embrace the arrival of spring together!
Author: Yan Yong, Master of Arts. Columnist of "Daily Appreciation" on the learning platform of the Central Propaganda Department. He is a member of the Chinese Poetry Association, a member of the Jiangsu Writers Association, and a member of the third batch of the National Young Writers Class. He has published a collection of literature and history, "Taizhou History: The City by the Salt River", a collection of essays "Reading Travel", and an essay collection "Fengyun Taizhou". He has published more than 500 articles. He is currently the editor of the newspaper.