Cao Zhi (曹植), courtesy name Zijian, was Cao Cao's third son and younger brother of Emperor Cao Pi of Wei.
The "Nanshi Xie Lingyun Biography" records: "There is only one stone in the world, Cao Zijian has eight buckets, I have one bucket, and since ancient times and today, I have shared one bucket." Therefore, in history, Cao Zhi had the name of "Talent High Eight Buckets", and cao Zhi was also recognized as a poet of the talent type——
Sensitive, affectionate, and intolerant of setbacks.
Therefore, Cao Zhi's poetry was full of lofty hearts in the early days, but after the blow, it took a sharp turn and was full of mourning.
At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, there were many wars, and Cao Zhi was inevitably affected by the chaotic world, "born chaotic, long like an army", since childhood with his father to conquer the north: "The red shore of antarctica, the east of the sea, the west of the Jade Gate, the north out of Xuansai."
But the influence of the chaotic world on different poets is also different. Some people write the sound of chaos into poetry, and some people make up the charcoal of living beings into songs and crying.
Cao Cao, who had outstanding political talents, was ambitious, and a similar exuberant mood appeared in the poetry of his son Cao Zhi, with the political ideal of "fighting to the country and benefiting the people".
Different from Cao Cao's old Cheng Zheng, from Cao Zhi's early creations, we can see that he is full of patriotic enthusiasm and full of optimistic youthful mentality.
He is full of the ideal of meritorious service and firmly believes that as long as he works hard, he will be able to achieve his ideal.
The poem "White Horse" is like a self-portrait of Cao Zhi:
The white horse is decorated with gold and the northwest gallops.
The handsome white warhorse, decorated with golden head, galloped northwest with its head held high.
"White" as the first word of poetry is a sound word, which is bright and squirted out. Opening with such an urgent pronunciation, the tone of the whole poem has been set.
The first two sentences belong to the first layer of poetry, and people are already in it without writing about people.
These two sentences seem simple, but in fact, they use the rhetorical technique of borrowing and foiling:
One is that the horse alludes to the heroic youth, and the other is that the horse's aura flatters the handsomeness and might of the teenager.
The white horse is also a common image in ancient poetry, not only can it fight a good battle, it can bear heavy responsibilities, but it can also symbolize the character of a series of soldiers, loyal and courageous and dare to sacrifice, the hero does not necessarily have a beauty, but must have a horse that follows him in all directions.
Cao Zhi's "desire to serve himself in the Ming Dynasty and make meritorious contributions to the holy world" and use the white horse to refer to his ideal young hero and his own ideal image are most appropriate. "Running northwestern" shows the urgency of military intelligence and creates a rich atmosphere of war.
Borrow to ask whose son, Secluded Ranger.
Little go to the countryside, raise the desert hanging.
Su Xi Bingliang bow, neem Ya He jagged.
The control string breaks the left, and the right hair destroys the moon branch.
Pick up the flying fox and lean over to scatter the horse's hooves.
Cunning over monkey apes, brave as leopards.
Whose teenager is this? Is a Ranger Knight of Youzhou and Juzhou.
He was in his youth but had left his hometown and was determined to go to the border to make a name for himself.
He did not hesitate to practice martial arts day and night, and he was a strong skill, and he never left his body with wooden arrows and strong bows.
Watch him pull out his bow like a full moon shooting around, and shoot arrows in succession without false fire.
Between pitches, you can shoot at random objects that fly and smash arrows.
He is more agile than an ape, and he is as brave as a leopard ant.
These 12 sentences belong to the second layer of poetry.
The first two sentences of the poem write about military emergency, but then they set up questions and answers, and then swing a stroke, unhurriedly describing this martial arts hero on a white horse. Momentum changes, rich in waves.
This young hero is not only not afraid of the hardships of the border plugs and the danger of war, but he has also become famous in his youth.
Cao Zhi combines his own experience to portray this ideal hero: he is highly skilled in martial arts, agile in posture, and shot hundreds of arrows.
And the reason why he has such a skill is because he has been practicing riding and shooting for a long time. It was his efforts that paid off!
With a high degree of condensed pen and ink and laying out the technique of description, the poet vividly and vividly and intensively summarized the extraordinary history and outstanding skills of this hero.
The border city is more alarmed, and the number of horsemen is migrated.
Yu Tan came from the north, and Li Ma ascended the high embankment.
Long drive the Xiongnu, left Gu Ling Xianbei.
I heard that there were foreign invasions at the border of the country, and the invaders repeatedly harassed them.
Urgent letters of warning poured in from the north, and heroic teenagers urged their horses to jump up the high embankment.
They followed the army to pound the enemy's nest, determined to pacify the Xiongnu, and then returned to the division, swept away the fresh and humble, and drove the enemy to ride.
These 6 sentences are the third layer.
Structurally, this is a continuation of the war narrative that began with the "Lian Ping Northwest Chi", which explains the reasons for the Northwest Chi and also continues the consequences of the Northwest Chi.
In terms of content, this tells the performance of heroic teenagers in a real, harsh, and extremely urgent war environment. When the national border was violated, he did not hesitate to go to the front. His patriotism was ardent and selfless.
In terms of wording skills, here we use pairs of sentences and cleverly place verbs. The words "Yu" and "Ling" powerfully show his heroic grandeur. Lay out the renderings and carry them forward.
Abandon the blade end, and live in peace?
Parents and disregard, what words and wives!
The names of heroes must not be taken into account for personal gain.
It is difficult to sacrifice one's body to go to the country, and it is difficult to see death as a sudden return!
The young hero rushes to the battlefield, but he does not care about his own safety.
He could no longer care for his parents, let alone his wife and children.
This is because he is one of the heroes, and his personal interests have long been forgotten.
When he relieved the country of crisis, he had already regarded death as a homecoming.
This is the last layer.
The last eight sentences are almost all discussed, but they are not at all empty because of the poet's abundant emotions.
These few words are the monologue of the heroic boy written in the Psalms, and the ideals of the poet himself:
He praised this feeling of giving up his small family for everyone, and dedicated his whole body to the motherland, so the verses were passionate and full of energy.
His emotions rose step by step, and finally he "sacrificed his body to go to the country, and he saw death as a sudden return!" In a word, it is strong and simple, the meaning is very simple but contains tragic determination, and it is even more inspiring to read, making people full of strength.
Although the theme and words of this poem are taken from Han Le Fu, the poetry is far beyond the distance, and it has a great influence on the later generations of border poems and ranger poems.
Evaluation of future generations:
"This allegory is to the Sycophant Ranger, and the truth is also true. Zi Jian's "Self-Examination Table" Yun: "Former Emperor Congwu, the South Pole Red Bank, the east of the Canghai Sea, the west of the Jade Gate, the north out of Xuansai, Fushimi so the use of troops, can be described as wonderful." And the ambition to capture the power of The Bright, although the identity of the Shu Realm, the first hanging Wu Que, the year of Jusheng. In the passage, Yun 'sacrificed his body to go to difficulty, and regarded death as a return', also Zi Jiansuzhi, not a general description. (Qing Ren Zhu Qian, "Justice in Lefu")
"Zijian's "Mingdu", "White Horse", "Beauty" are all extremely beautiful, but the sentences are quite skilled, and the words are more elegant. Looking at the East and West Jingle Province, the natural antiquity is different from the other. (Hu Yinglin's "Poetry and Inner Chapters", vol. 2)
"Zi Jian is not only good at sharp talents, but also the study of RaoZao Group, so his style is unique, not as good as Fa mengde's strong pen, and he is exhausted, and his courage is thicker than that of Zi Huan." (Chen Zuoming's Selected Ancient Poems of Cai Shu Tang, Vol. VI)