Commentary on the Poetry of Ge Ming Cao
original
My father
Text/Deng Wanfa
Father. Nothing was left for us
He said he was a wisp of windswept sand from the desert
Captured by the night to a ravine without temperature
Since childhood, I have heard frogs chirping at the sky
Looking at the night sky, I often can't sleep. He didn't want to
Sitting in a well and watching the sky, trapped by mountains on all sides. With
The eagle that had been with him in the valley for a long time
Left the village of Knife Sharpening;
Straw made of straw that leaks when it rains, thatched huts
Climb over the deserted mountains that only dogs can climb
Ragged came to the Nanling Coal Mine
With the first ray of light in life, I found the wellhead
He didn't know how deep or dark the well was
He just wanted to walk through the darkness of the well, through
The poor ravine where you can't see the blue sky is sharpened one by one
Later, fate took him into the Shaoguan Foundry
became an advanced working class. The whole sky is blue
His smile showed his head. In order to raise three sons well
He cultivated land and planted two "permanent" bicycles
Went up the hill to chop wood and cut out a sewing machine
He was as frugal as that kerosene lamp
Sweet potatoes can't feed the blood worms in the stomach, blood worms
Often runs out of the stomach. It's been like this
On the day I joined the army, he quietly touched his pocket and smiled
You can actually give me a piece that many people dream of
Plum brand watches. But he brought a Shanghai card
I haven't read a book for a day, but I like to read newspapers and write
Write your name neatly and strongly. He said
Learn mathematics, physics and chemistry well, and you are not afraid to go all over the world. Also said
Outside, you should see the six ways and listen to the eight directions
In fact, he was our first teacher in life
Before you know it, the sun is setting. He's also old
Before you know it, it's dark. He walked into the night
His back can no longer be seen. Father
Nothing was left for us
In the night, a beam of light was shining
June 13, 2023
赏析
Reading through the whole poem, you can roughly see the portrayal of the poet's father's life, although just a few dozen lines of poetry are not enough to see the whole life, but the outline of the father's life has been outlined. From accepting the arrangement of fate, to running away, pursuing new life, to the process of struggle, then to the separation of father and son, taking father as teacher, and finally the departure of father, the light emitted is immortal. The poet unfolds his poems from these aspects, and writes about his father's perseverance and determination to change his fate in depth and detail, which is not only inspiring, but also inspiring. Although the poet said, "My father left us nothing", but the gene of striving for self-improvement has been written into the lives of future generations, passed down from generation to generation, and the father has finally become a symbol of light, shining on future generations, which is an endless beacon. The whole poem tells a series of stories related to his father, which are interpreted one by one and summarized below.
Let's start with my father's birth. In the first stanza of the poet, the poet says that my father has left us nothing, which echoes the end of the poem, which can be understood as something on the material level, which shows the hardships of my father's survival from the side. First from the desert, and then taken captive to the ravine, although there is a metaphorical component, but the poverty and isolation are described realistically, and it becomes the form of a frog sitting in a well and watching the sky. I can't help but feel a lot of emotion, and there are still many such phenomena.
Then he wrote about his father's reluctance to fate. I often think about running away and running away. In the end, he left the Knife Grinding Village, taking only the mountain eagle who accompanied him. The mountain eagle is probably a figurative symbol here, representing the freedom to spread its wings and fly high. By the way, the poet described the living environment of the Knife Village, and it was under such living conditions that his father's father suffered all his life, and his father had the idea of changing his life. Suffering always inspires a person's fighting spirit, and no one wants to repeat a tragedy.
Change is painful, painful, and not easy. The father turned over the barren mountains and mountains, and the poet described it as a dog can turn over, which shows that the difficulty of getting out of the mountains is unimaginable, but the father turned over. This reflects the firmness of the will and the strength of the body. Then he fended for himself in the coal mines, from one place where he did not see the light of day, to another where he did not see the light of day, but the coal mine was better than the poor ravine. If you have the courage to come out of the ravine, you have already won, and this victory is symbolic, because the first step taken by the father will no longer have to sit in the well and watch the sky. And the darkness in the well is only temporary, and the poet here uses the word "through the darkness" to herald another change in his father.
Later, the gears of fate flicked again, walked into the foundry, changed from ragged to advanced working class, the sweetness brought by dignity appeared on the father's face, and finally passed through the darkness and saw the blue sky, echoing and contrasting with the previous text, so that the reader also experienced his father's success and was happy for him. What an inspirational story it is, and it can resonate and inspire the soul of people who are struggling. The father's smile indicates the arrival of happiness, starting a family, and the arrival of responsibility. "In order to raise the three sons well", clearing the wasteland and farming, going up the mountain to chop firewood, two short words, indicating that the father's revolution is coming again. With two "permanent" bicycles and a sewing machine, hinting at the victory of another struggle of the father. This reveals that ordinary life, as long as you have the courage to struggle, anything is possible. My father became a living example, a role model. This is the end of my father's struggle. The poet's narration in the first four stanzas, the constantly changing scenes, fully demonstrates the difficulty of struggle and the tenacious vitality of his father. Unpretentious language, full of authenticity and convincing.
The front part can be summarized as survival, and the back part can be summarized as life. Then, the poet began to talk about his father's hardship and simplicity, and compared his father's frugal life to a kerosene lamp, reflecting his father's attitude towards life and the spirit of hardship that came out of suffering. The following is written about the blood worm in his father's stomach, and the poet is indifferent, but as a reader, he can feel the pain instantly. A boiling word expresses the tension of words in a special situation strong and powerful.
Then tells the story of the day when he became a soldier, his father gave him a plum blossom watch, and he carried a Shanghai brand, the description of this plot is also to illustrate the father's hard and simple, and all kinds of love for the child. This plot, while reflecting the quality of the father, makes the content of the poem richer and the characters more three-dimensional and multifaceted.
As a father, teachings are indispensable. The psalmist wrote this verse deliberately. Emphasizing that the father did not read, but liked to read the newspaper and write, this strong contrast is very likely to be a guide and demonstration for the children to read and learn, which shows the father's good intentions. The poet relayed his father's words, "I am not afraid to learn mathematics, physics and chemistry well and go all over the world", "I see the six roads with my eyes and listen to the eight directions", this kind of simple education and emotion are all love for children. The poet regards his father as his first teacher, which illustrates his love for his father. People who grow up in an environment of love are destined to be different.
In the last stanza, the poet gradually writes about his father's departure, writing about the feelings of reluctance, gradually increasing until the moment when the father's back disappears. Nothing is left for us", reappeared, endless sentimentality. Seeing this scene, it is all moving. And the light in the night has become a symbol of my father's longevity, a blessing and a guide.
This poem is a bit long, but it shows the life of the characters, which is too short. Select typical events and pictures to express the personality of the characters, and accurately have personality. At the same time, the poems have a strong story, and the control of the emotional rhythm is measured, compact and not procrastinating. And under the story, it is the refinement of the spirit of the characters, which is very educational. The poem shows the father's life in three dimensions from several aspects such as fate, survival, life, family affection, and education, and is a poem that can make readers empathize with the father.
Throwing bricks and leading jade, discussing poetry on poetry, and learning by writing, this is the end. If you have different opinions, please feel free to communicate in the comment area. If you have a recommended poem, please leave a message to let me know, enjoy it together, and make progress together. I am the poet Ge Ming Cao, welcome to pay attention, see you in the next issue of poetry review!
Author: Deng Wanfa, 15 years in the army, with the rank of major, worked in the government department of Zhongshan City, and later founded a business and did business. Passionate about poetry.