Reading Meng Jiao's poem "Yellow Bird Yin" is evocative. The poem is as follows:
The yellow bird dances to the dust and relies on the master's benevolence.
The owner was unkind and bought a bullet.
He is not far away, and the basil is flourishing.
Artemisia grains are uncontested, and the food is precious.
Don't roll over the car, there is a reason for the crime.
The yellow sparrow did not know what to say, and the giver was courteous.
Yellow finch, is a small bird, after entering the autumn, take off from the northeast, through Hebei, Lu, Su to Zhejiang, Fujian, Taiwan and other places to spend the winter. Tao Lake (Changdang Lake) between Liyang and Jintan, every autumn, the reeds on the lake side of the lake produce seeds, it attracts a large number of yellow finches to come south, roost, forage in the reeds, waiting to fly far away.
It is revealed from the poem that in the Middle And Tang Dynasties, the yellow finch was top active, and to catch it, it was not to drive it away with a net, but to shoot with a projectile, which was more incredible than killing chickens with a cattle knife. This was the style of Liyang at that time, but the reason why MengJiao quoted Huang Quecheng's poem was another painstaking effort, how could he see it?
The New Book of Tang and the Biography of Mengjiao records:
"Fifty years old, dejin shidi, adjust liyang lieutenant." The county has Tokinse and Pingling Castles, the forest is thin and misty, there is water under it, the suburbs are idle to sit next to the water, Pei Hui fu poetry, and Cao Wu is more wasteful. Order the White House, replaced by a false lieutenant, and divide it in half. ”
This made mengjiao's life even more difficult, and the anxiety in his chest multiplied, making him think of running away from Li and making another way to make a living. So, he quoted this small animal into the poem, alluding to this unfair matter.
"The yellow bird dances to bear the dust and relies on the master's benevolence." Metaphorically coming to the beautiful scenery of Liyang, he originally planned to rely on the benevolence of the county order. "The master is unkind and buys bullets." Who knew that this chief officer thought that my chanting had affected official duties, and even resorted to the method of suspending me from my post and reducing my salary, in order to kill me. "He is not far away, and the basil is flourishing." Voice outside the string:: Why not go far away, looking for a way out. "Artemisia grains are uncontested, and the food is precious." There was (perhaps) a vacancy there, waiting for me to go and fight for it.
It can be seen that "Yellow Sparrow Chant" is an allegorical poem. Meng Jiao used Huang Que's encounter to pour out his troubles, pain, and resentment, satirizing the false benevolence and false righteousness of the official government, and stifling his human nature, so that his talents could not be fully exerted and displayed. This is one of the great tragedies of life. It can be concluded that this poem was composed by Meng Jiao after his suspension in Liyang, and his situation and mentality are very similar to his experience at that time.
Source: Sequel to The Tale of Kanase