During the Tang Dynasty, the country was strong and social mobility was strong, and the scholars had the opportunity to pass the imperial examination to enter the career path and realize their ambitions in the world. But when scholars choose to take this path, they often face the reality of separation from relatives and friends. Tang Dynasty poet Chu Guangxi's friend Zhou Eleven was about to leave for Chang'an, and on the occasion of sending off, the poet wrote a poem entitled "Send zhou eleven", the original text is as follows:
Autumn wind meteorite grass and trees, and severe frost under the grass.
What about the compound question? The land of self-proclaimed emperors.
He who has no relatives will love him, and he will want to save time.
Shake hands and don't drive, return to the long road of sorrow.
"Autumn wind meteorites grass and trees, and frost is severe under the grass", the autumn wind blows off the leaves, and the wild grass is covered with thick frost. The poet bid farewell to his friend Zhou Eleven and set off for Chang'an, and at the time of separation, the poet saw that the autumn wind of Xiao Ser blew away the leaves on the trees, and those fallen leaves fluttered with the wind, and there was no place to settle. A thick layer of frost condensed on the withered weeds, showing no signs of melting. At this time, it is late autumn, and the autumn scenery is sparse, which is already sad. Not to mention separating from friends at this time? The sorrow in my heart is like the frost, and it cannot be dissolved.
"What about repeating the question?" "I ask again where are you going?" Once again, you replied that you were going to the capital. Doesn't the poet know where his friend is going? No, the poet is "knowingly asking." Didn't a friend tell the poet? No, but friends don't "get tired of it". In this seemingly "boring" question and answer, there is a deep affection for each other. Because none of them wanted to reveal the sorrow in their hearts, they wanted to hide their worries through this kind of question and answer, and the more they covered up, the more they seemed to "want to cover up."
"Don't you know the truth of being close to the people you love?" You leave your relatives and friends to pursue the ideals of the world. Once again, the poet "knowingly asks", the friend knows the truth of being close to the person he loves, but he still has to leave his relatives and friends and go to the capital, and the purpose of going to the capital is to go through the time of the world. On the one hand, relatives and friends, on the other hand, the home country, a small and a large, friends have no hesitation in choosing to temporarily leave relatives and friends and go to their home country. The poet understands this value choice of his friends, but is still reluctant to be separated from his friends.
"Shake hands and don't drive, return to the long road of sorrow", we held hands to say goodbye, you boarded the carriage and set off; I could not suppress my inner sadness on the way back, and felt that the road was unusually long. Finally, the moment of separation came, and the poet and his friend held hands and parted ways, watching their friends board the carriage, set off, and drifted away... When he could no longer see his friend, when he could no longer hear the sound of the carriage, the poet was full of sorrow, but could only return the same way, and at this moment, he could no longer suppress the sadness in his heart, and felt that the road was unusually long. The poet's collapse after separation shows the depth of their friendship.
"People have sorrows and joys, and the moon has clouds and sunshine", parting is the norm of life, but it can always make people gloomy. The poet's friend Zhou Shiyi went to Chang'an in order to pursue the opportunity to enter the body, hoping to realize the ideal pursuit of the world. Although the poet agrees with the value pursuit of his friends to go to the lofty ideal, it is still difficult to hide the dissociation in his heart. The pursuit of lofty ambition is for the homeland, and the sorrow and separation are for oneself, and the two aspects are not contradictory.