How long have you not seen swallows?

Yang Mingsen

What wild animals were most described by ancient poets?

Not the magpies of the primrose, not the various cranes full of fairy spirits, nor the mighty tigers on eight sides and the sika deer that express the auspiciousness, but the small migratory birds and swallows that can be seen everywhere.

Especially in the Tang and Song dynasties during the heyday of poetry, almost all the great poets wrote about swallows. Wang Wei, Liu Yuxi, Li Shangyin, He Zhizhang, Du Mu, Wen Tingjun, Ouyang Xiu, Su Dongpo, Lu You, Xin Shuyi, Liu Yong, Li Qingzhao, and so on, all wrote.

At first glance, the poems directly written to Swallow, Li Bai has more than 20 poems, Du Fu has more than 40 poems, and Bai Juyi has as many as 50+.

The poet was born in the Tang and Song Dynasties, if he had not written about swallows, he would have been embarrassed to open a public name and become an Internet celebrity.

The ancients wrote swallows, often associated with spring, and swallows are the messengers of spring.

The poet saw the bright spring, and there were always swallows.

Cherry thanked the pear blossom hair, red and white phase urging; The swallows returned, and several degrees of fragrant green house opened.

This is a poem by the Southern Tang dynasty poet Feng Yanwei, because it is written so well, the Song Dynasty poet Yan Shu decades later could not help but use it directly, but changed a few degrees of fragrant wind green household opening to several degrees of wind curtain embroidery household opening.

If you use the current rules to judge, Yan Shu is plagiarism, at least it is a washing draft.

In people's hearts, swallows have always been the image spokesperson of spring.

He Zhizhang's "Wing Liu" says that jasper is made up of a tree high, and ten thousand green silk threads hang down. I don't know who cut the fine leaves, and the spring breeze in February is like scissors.

This poem was written, so that posterity chased after generations.

The poet describes the spring swallow, and the pen and ink focus on diligence and cheerfulness, thus rendering the unique vitality of spring.

Du Fu said that the mountains and rivers are beautiful in the late days, and the spring breeze is fragrant with flowers and herbs. The mud melts the swallows, and the sand warms the sleeping mandarin ducks.

Late day, that is, spring day. The sun is warm, the spring colors are boundless, and the breeze brings the light fragrance of flowers and plants. How should we enjoy such a good time?

Mandarin ducks sleeping on the warm sand must be very comfortable. And the swallows are happily flying around, nesting in mud.

Bai Juyi depicts spring as a random flower that becomes more and more attractive to the eye, and asakusa can have no horseshoe. Later generations commented that the flowers and asakusa, charming eyes and no horseshoes, absolutely. And such a stunning and bright spring color is just the background and foil. The poet focuses on the youthful swallows and the happy yellow warblers. A few early warblers compete to warm the trees, and whose new swallows peck at the spring mud.

Where did the spring swallow latch on the mud go? Du Mu said that where the nest nest summer will be half, the eaves smoke in both languages.

Du Fu said that the traveler was shocked and swallowed, and entered the hall with mud.

People are used to having swallows in their lives and are used to sharing fireworks with swallows. The swallows chirp in the house, adding to the owner's life.

As a friend and even a relative of human beings, swallows are endowed with a beautiful image of diversity.

The Book of Verses, in which swallows speak of love.

The so-called wings double flying, newlywed Swallow, originally said swallows. The Book of Poetry says that si is a double flying swallow, and the mud nest is a king's house.

The Northern Song Dynasty poet Yan Said a few ways, with swallows saying that he missed.

Flower fall people independent, micro swift double flying; Roman is cold, and the swallows are both returning.

The Southern Song Dynasty poet Wen Tianxiang used swallows to say that the country broke the hatred of the family.

There are two sentences in his "Jinling Yi Second Song" that read, "Full of reeds and I are old, who fly the old swallows?"

Bai Juyi's "Yan Poems Show Liu Shuo" uses Yan as a metaphor for people to describe the difficulty of parents raising their children.

Swallows fly south, not like geese, one will line up in human characters, one will line up into one word, so it lacks some sense of ceremony.

In fact, when the swallows fly away, there are also reluctance and concerns.

Li Bai described this scene very warmly and realistically in "Qiupu Sense Of The Master Returns to Yan Zhinei".

Hu Yanbei master, double bilingual front eaves. Three flying four retrospectives, want to go back and forth.

Why do poets like to write about swallows?

In addition to poetry, there is another important reason.

Swallows are very close to people.

Swallows are the wildest animals that get along with people.

Or, among all the wild animals, the swallow is the closest friend to a person.

Swallows and people, under the same roof. There is no such closeness.

There are three species of wild birds that are close to people, magpies, sparrows and swallows. Magpies can nest in trees in the yard, but at the highest place possible; Sparrows also make nests in the room, but must choose a hidden place.

The nest of swallows, under the eaves, on the doors and windows of the most conspicuous place, many simply on the beams of the house, completely living with people.

The swallows are unsuspecting of people, sleeping in the nest at night, going out to forage during the day, and the eggs and the children to be fed are safely left in the nest. The swallow family's living and eating is completely open and transparent, and there is no privacy hidden from people.

This is a great trust that can be entrusted with the life of a family, and it will take thousands of years to test it.

The friendliness of people to swallows is indeed trustworthy. It can even be said that the mutual trust between people and swallows exceeds that between people.

The education of loving swallows has lasted for an unknown number of generations. Whether it is out of awe, or love, or taboo, people love swallows, refuse to hurt swallows, and it is absolutely impossible to eat swallow meat.

The Tang Dynasty poet Hu Yue said it well, swallows come to nest my eaves, my house is not tall. All the children are good, and Paul is not harmed.

The swallows nest under my eaves, not because my house is tall and luxurious, but because we value that our adults and children are kind and will not hurt the swallows.

Swallows are close to people, first of all because people are worth being close to. In some people's homes, the swallows refuse to go.

Swallows are close to people, and because of the place where people live, they must be suitable for survival.

In other words, swallows also attach great importance to the ecological environment.

Many years ago, there were many swallows in the countryside. At that time, there were more insects that swallows could prey on, and there were more beams and eaves that could build nests.

At that time, swallows could find nesting spring mud everywhere, early warblers singing and chirping sparrows.

Later, the swallows gradually decreased. Birds such as sparrows are also fewer.

Due to the heavy use of pesticides, the ecological environment has lost its original balance, and birds such as swallows can prey on fewer insects.

As small rivers and streams and small ponds dry up one after another, there is less spring mud for swallows to hold.

Because the farmhouses have been changed to security doors, the swallows cannot enter the house.

As more and more farmers moved into buildings, even the eaves of the swallows nested were gone.

Fortunately, in recent years, the situation has changed somewhat, and there are gradually more swallows in the countryside.

Our lives are moving towards the modern age, but we inadvertently ignore or even hurt our closest friends.

Paying that price is not what we want.