Burial of the Flowers, Qing Dynasty: Cao Xueqin
The flowers are flying all over the sky, and there is no one to pity them. The first time I saw this was when I was a kid, and it was the first time I had ever seen a kid in my life.
The daughter of a boudoir cherishes the twilight of spring, and has no place for her sorrows to be released. I'm not going to be able to get away with it, but I'm going to be able to get away with it.
Willow silk and elm pods are so beautiful that it doesn't matter if the peaches and plums fly; the peaches and plums will be able to grow again next year, but who will be in the boudoir next year?
The nest was built in March, but the swallows were too merciless! The next year's flowers can be pecked at, but not the empty nests.
Three hundred and sixty days a year, the winds and the frosts and the swords; how long can you be bright and beautiful, and how hard it is to find you once you are wandering.
Flower blossoms are easy to see and hard to find, the steps in front of the sad kill flower mourners, leaning on the flower hoe tears secretly sprinkled, sprinkled with the empty branches to see the blood marks.
The azalea was silent at dusk, and the hoe returned to cover the door; the green lamp shone on the wall, and the cold rain knocked on the window, but the door was not yet warmed. The first thing you need to do is to get your hands on a new one, and you'll be able to do that. The first thing you need to do is to get the money to pay for it.
Last night there was a sad song outside the court, I know it was the soul of the flower and the soul of the bird.
I wish I had two wings under my arms to fly with the flowers to the end of the sky. I'd like to be able to fly with the flowers to the end of the world, where there is a fragrant hill.
It's not as if I've got a bag full of colorful bones, and a shovelful of clean earth to cover up my style. The quality of the original clean and also clean to go, strong in the dirty slush trapped in the ditch.
When you die, you will be buried, and I don't know when you will die. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do that, but I'm sure I'll be able to do it in a few years.
When the flowers fall in the spring, it is the time for the old face to die; once the spring is over, the old face will die, and the flowers will fall, and the people will die, I don't know!
Interpretation:
The flowers have withered and faded, and the wind is blowing them around. The red color has been withdrawn, the fragrance has disappeared, who has sympathy for it? The soft spider's silk seems to be broken like even, floating in the spring between the trees. Willow flakes scattered in the sky with the wind, stained with embroidered curtains. The maiden in the boudoir, facing the remnants of the spring scenery how sorry. She is full of melancholy, and has no place to send her sorrows.
With an iron hoe in her hand, she opened the curtain and walked into the garden. The garden is full of flowers, how can I bear to step on the flowers to walk around? The frivolous willows and the shallow elms only know how to show off their own fragrance. I don't care about the peach blossoms, nor do I care about the plum blossoms. When the coming year, the earth spring, peach and plum trees and buds. But the next year's boudoir ah, who will be left?
The March swallows are coming to the flowers, and the nests with the scent of flowers have just been built. The swallow between the beams ah, spoiled how many flowers how merciless! I'm not sure how much I'm going to be able to do, but I'm sure I'm going to be able to do a lot more than that. How could you have known that the owner of the house had died long ago, and the old nest had fallen down, leaving the beams empty? What kind of a year is it? The wind is as cold as a knife, and the frost is as sharp as a sword, mercilessly destroying the flower branches.
The bright spring light, colorful flowers, can support how long. Once blown away by the wind, there is no place to find. It's easy to see when the flowers are blooming, but once they fall, it's hard to find them. Standing in front of the steps is full of sadness, sadness I buried this flower people. Holding the flower hoe tightly in my hand, I silently threw teardrops. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do this, but I'm going to be able to do it, and I'm going to be able to do it," he said.
The azalea has wept tears of blood and silence, and a sad dusk is falling. I carried the flower hoe to bear the pain to return, tightly closed the heavy door; green cold light irradiated the four walls, people have just entered the dream world. The light and cold spring rain tapped on the window-panes, and the bedding was still cold and clammy. One wonders what it is that makes me so extraordinarily sad today. Half of it is the love of the beautiful spring, half of it is annoyed at the passing of spring.
I am happy that spring has suddenly arrived, and I am depressed that it has returned in such a hurry. Spring quietly and breathlessly on earth, and then left without a word. Last night, I don't know where outside the yard, there came a sad song. I don't know if it was the soul of the flower, or the spirit of the bird? Whether it is the soul of the flower or the spirit of the bird, it is just as difficult to stay. Ask the bird, the bird is silent, ask the flower, the flower bowed its head and shy.
I wish with all my heart that I could have a pair of wings today. I would like to be able to follow the flowers and fly to the end of the earth and sky. Even if you fly to the end of heaven and earth, where is the soul mound where the fragrant flowers are buried? Why don't you use this embroidered incense bag to collect your delicate bones? And then pile up a pile of clean soil to bury your great style. May your noble body be born clean and die clean. Let it not be stained with a trace of filth, and be abandoned in that filthy river gorge.
Flower, you die today, I'll bury you. Who knows when my life will suddenly be over? When I bury the flowers today, people will laugh at my infatuation. When I die, who will bury me? If you don't believe me, please look at the fading spring colors, the flowers are gradually falling. That is the time when the maiden in her bosom will die of old age. Once spring fades, the maiden's hair turns gray like silk. The flowers are fading and the people are dying, and the flowers and the people don't know each other!
Expanded:
Biography of the author:
Cao Xueqin (ca. May 28, 1715 [54th year of the Kangxi reign] - ca. February 12, 1763 [28th year of the Qianlong reign]) was a novelist of the Qing dynasty. His name was Zhan (沾), and his characters were Meng Ruan (梦阮), Xueqin (雪芹), also known as Qinpu (芹圃) and Qinxi (芹溪). His ancestral home was Fengrun in Hebei Province, and he later moved to Shenyang, Liaoning Province. His ancestors were originally Han Chinese, and he was later a "baoyi" of the Zhengbai Banner in Manchuria.
Appreciation:
Daiyu buried flowers in the twenty-third, Jia Baoyu in the grand view garden qinfang gate bridge under the peach blossom secretly read the western wing, is reading to the red into the array, only to see a gust of wind blew, peach blossom fell full of his body full of books are, Baoyu want to shake will be down, and I'm afraid of trampling the footsteps, so the pocket of petals shaking to the pool, so that they let them with the flow of water out of the gate to go.
It is stumbling on how to dispose of the flowers on the ground, shoulder hoe hanging bag, hand broom Daiyu came, will sweep the flowers in the bag, sent to the monstrous corner of the flower mound buried, and then staged a *** read the West Wing scene.
After that, Jia Zheng called Bao Yu for a day, Dai Yu worried for him, after dinner, heard Bao Yu back, will go to Yihongyuan to visit, is to see Bao Hairpin Bao Yu into the yard together, so stop elsewhere for a while and then to the Yihongyuan, I did not expect the clearing house will be mistook for someone else, the door is not open, just in the uncertainty of the time, and then heard the sound of Bao Hairpin Bao Yu two people laughing, Dai Yu which can stand the gas, go back to the night had not been I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to sleep well.
The next morning and Baoyu meet, Baoyu said: "good sister, you can tell me yesterday did not? I was told to hang on to my heart all night." Daiyu suspected that Baoyu was annoyed because she snitched so refused to open the door to match, angry and aggrieved, they secretly came to the burial of flowers chanting "funeral flowers chant".
Cao Xueqin's comment on Jia Baoyu is "love is not love," Daiyu is "love love," meaning that Baoyu will be emotionally invested in the emotionless, i.e., love all things, while Daiyu will be emotionally invested in the love of people.
The first stanza of Burial of Flowers is about the scene of late spring. Flowers withered in a hurry, the wind blew into a rain of flowers in the sky, faded out of the delicate red color, faded away the intoxicating aroma, who is going to pity them? Soft spider silk fluttering in the spring in front of the Taipa, when the wind is blown away? And the fluttering willow flakes into the embroidered curtains, is begging for the mercy of the boudoir?
Since ancient times, the flower is a symbol of women, to flower metaphor, to people metaphor flower, poetry often use this technique. In the Dream of the Red Chamber, flowers and people are also corresponding, peony corresponds to Baochai, hibiscus corresponds to Daiyu, begonia corresponds to Xiangyun, apricot corresponds to Tanchun, the old plum corresponds to Li danwei, and the flower corresponds to Xiangling, peach blossom corresponds to the attacker, and the Qingwen is known as the "hibiscus fairy".
The flowers in the poem refer to the daughters of the Grand View Garden, and the fading of the flowers signals their passing. The world treats their passing as it treats the flowers, and who will cherish the dying red face? This is a tragedy of the times, women's lives are but a flash in the pan, after the flowers have blossomed, they will quickly fall, let those who have appreciated them trampled on the soul and colorful spirit of the soul will not exist, leaving only a wisp of dust.
"Who pity" implies a reply, the world spring breeze do not know how to pity the falling flowers, their passing are cold-eyed, ignore, know how to pity the falling flowers only Daiyu, claiming to be Jiangdong flower master Baoyu do not understand, will be red to pay with the relentless water, do not know flow out of the Grand View Garden will be spoiled, and even more tragic than being trampled on. The people trampled on more miserable.
The softness of the swimmer, the weakness of the swimmer, one can not help but think of Daiyu's life, born in the family of poetry and books, lost his mother at an early age, after the death of his father, more and more no one to rely on, a lonely girl like a duckweed living in the house of Jia's life of the weak, not just as under the eaves of the fluttering swimmers it is at any time may be chopped off by the wind. Only by the love of the mother of Jia and the love of the Baoyu sustained life, how to withstand the wind and rain day and night.
"Falling flowers," "wandering silk," "falling flotsam," the same drifting, the same sadness, the same fate, the same and the flower under the flower undertaker.
The second section turns to people. Twilight spring is a season of sadness, snap your fingers, red face aging, flowers withered, there is nothing to do, but regret. Daiyu is already sentimental, coupled with the misunderstanding of Baoyu, but also full of melancholy and despair. Many versions of the "nowhere to tell" as "no release" or "no place".
The third stanza turns back to the scenery. Willow leaves and elm pods only know to show off their own fragrance, but do not care about the peach blossoms, plum blossoms flying, and so on the coming spring back to the earth, the peach and plum and bud spitting stamen, but the boudoir but no former flower undertaker. Read here, can not help but sprout on the willow pods of disgust, just heaven and earth is not benevolent, the world is merciless, why should we go to blame the willow pods? In this world, the majority of people are only concerned about their own to be able to Fangfei hundred years, which cares about the death of others.
There are quite a lot of icing on the cake, and it is hard to find those who send charcoal in the snow. This stanza uses two layers of contrasts: the first two lines contrast the fragrance of willow and elm pods with the peach and plum blossoms, and the last two lines contrast people with peaches and plums, in an interlocking sequence.
The fourth stanza turns to swallows. The previous section has already said that the peach and plum is not as good as the willow and elm pods, people are not as good as the peach and plum, the sadness has been extreme, so the perspective plant turned to the beams between the swallows. Swallow nest fragrance, this is a happy thing, Daiyu is annoyed with the swallows heartless, this section of the wonderful is here. This section of the false writing of the swallows, the actual writing of the flowers, the swallows nest has been fragrant, since it is the result of the flowers nesting, how can not let the flowers of Daiyu hate.
Emotions are generated by the scenery, and the scenery is generated by the emotions. Daiyu thought of herself next year, answering the question of the previous section, and regaining the sadness of the previous article.
The fifth section is about the situation of flowers. Three hundred and sixty days a year, the wind and frost mercilessly destroy the flower branches, the colorful and gorgeous can have a few moments? Once drifted down will be turned into dust, no longer nowhere to find. Wind like a knife, snow like a sword, and finally with a "forced" word, especially cruel and merciless. Such days are discouraged, not to mention the 360 days a year, day after day, year after year, day after day, year after year.
This section is written in the flower, actually write people, Daiyu living in Jiafu, trapped in isolation, this line is a reflection of the pain and suffering she suffered. Because of the pervasiveness of the wind and frost sword, so that she step by step to pay attention, always vigilant, even so, Daiyu still can not escape the sword of fate, and ultimately died of wounds and bruises.
The sixth section is about the person who buries the flowers. Daiyu alone, hand flower hoe, crying while burying, read infinite sadness, the last sentence "sprinkled on the flower branches see blood marks" is the words of the heart. Many versions of the "flower branch" is mistaken for "empty branch", the so-called "flower color people's tears" (interpretation: the color of the flower is tear-dyed), do not have to sprinkle on the "empty branch" to see blood. The "empty branch" is not necessary to see the traces of blood after sprinkling.
This Japan is the Candle Blossom Festival, the other girls in the Grand View Garden are celebrating, and Daiyu avoid others, alone to the flower mound before the silent tears, which has been sad, but also blood tears, heartbreaking. Want to think of when e Huang female Ying crying in Jiuyi, blood and tears sprinkled on top of the bamboo, so there is a bamboo, and then in the dashing between the Xiang Xiang threw himself to death, the number of Xiang Lady. Daiyu Xiaoxiang consort, but also cried tears of blood, stained red branches, think to Daiyu death, the yard is also all the bamboo.
The seventh section turns to the scenery. The sun has dusk, the cuckoo is silent, green lamps on the wall, cold rain knocking window, the first sleeper, not warm quilt, all is Daiyu's imagination, such a bleak situation, I am afraid that only in the imagination. Legend has it that at the end of the Zhou Dynasty, the monarch of Shu looked to the emperor, after the death of the country is very sad, after the death of the soul into a cuckoo bird, grief is dripping blood.
Here, Daiyu compares herself to a cuckoo, which corresponds to the blood and tears of the previous section, and also sighs at the misery of her fate. Waiting for the light is weak so green, cold heart so rain cold, how can sleep in this situation? Daiyu from the feelings of the scene, from the scene to see the feelings, pass the feelings into the scene, from the scene to realize the feelings, the scene repeatedly, the cycle is endless.
The eighth section is Daiyu's self-answer. A short four sentences, three questions and three answers, very concise, but written in colloquial language, fresh and natural, unadorned, plain as words, wonderful. This section finally jumped out in front of the sad and tragic atmosphere, slightly sad, more is Daiyu's vivacious, let a little bit of respite.
The ninth section is about illusion. After pitying the spring and annoying the spring, Daiyu recalled last night's events, the so-called sad song is just their own heart in a deep murmur, flowers which have souls, birds which have elves, how can Daiyu hear its sad song? In the court outside the sad song is only their own lonely soul. The soul of the flower and the soul of the bird are difficult to retain, their own soul and how to retain it? Ask the birds, the birds are silent, ask the flowers, the flowers bowed their heads and shy.
Though they are speechless, they have already given the answer; it is they who sing the sad song, and it is they who are unable to keep it.
The tenth stanza is about wishes. In the first two lines, I want to give birth to two wings and fly out of the Grand View Garden with the flowers that confine me to the end of the sky with no worries. In the last two lines, the writing style is suddenly changed, a fall, but it is a pity that at the end of the day, where there is a mound to bury flowers, where there is a grave to bury themselves. In the darkness of pain Daiyu finally thought of escaping, want to escape from the sea of bitterness to fly to the carefree how is it possible? Can only use the end of the cloudy sky without incense mound to contain themselves.
The eleventh section is about death. This section is an indictment of the "wind, sword and frost", is rather buried in the ground rather than follow the current, the struggle and resistance to the same stream of dirt. A weak little girl to die to defend their own true rate of purity, from dishonor, enough to pay high tribute to her.
Since the previous stanza, the passion has risen all the way to its peak, and the tone is very sad. "The quality of this clean to also clean to go" (interpretation: let it ice and jade clean to also ice and jade clean to go) is Daiyu's life, really a "out of the silt and not dye, Maundy League and not demon" (interpretation: the lotus flower from the silt from the accumulation of the mud but not polluted, after the washing of water but not demonic) of the hibiscus. does not look demonic) of the hibiscus.
The twelfth section of the funeral flowers buried slaves. Flowers fall down still have a flower undertaker to collect to the bag, cover to the clean earth, the flower undertaker will have who will collect the burial when he dies? People are not as good as flowers, this is destiny. "Demented" is the generalization of Daiyu's life, because of dementia, in front of the stained nao chastity, because of dementia, with tears to return the grace, to death.
The thirteenth section of the flower fell dead. This section is the answer to the previous section, I do not know when I will lose my body? The flowers are falling in the spring, that is, when the red face is old and dead. I'm not sure who I'm going to bury in the next year. By then, the flowers will have fallen and the people will have died, so I don't know anything else, so why ask?
Burial of Flowers is an important chapter in the Dream of the Red Chamber that shapes the image of Daiyu, and it is a masterpiece in the poetry of the Red Chamber. This combination of poetry and writing in other novels such as "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", "Water Margin" is not uncommon, but the combination of such a close rather than stacked work is unprecedented. Without the Eulogy for the Daughter of Hibiscus and the Burial of Flowers, the images of Daiyu and Qingwen would have been greatly reduced.
Writing Background:
1. Love Expression
When reading The West Wing with Daiyu, Baoyu said that she was like Zhang Sheng, who was "sentimental and sickly," and that Daiyu was like Cui Yingying, who was "a beautiful woman with a beautiful face," which was the most straightforward expression of love in that era. The most straightforward expression of love in that era.
2, aggrieved
Hindered by the etiquette of the time, but also fear that Baoyu see themselves as too "light", so Daiyu was "red-eyed".
The dignified young lady, who dares to confess love to them? At that time, confession of love on the one hand is certainly like each other, on the other hand, may also be disrespectful to each other. Therefore, Daiyu was a bit aggrieved, suspecting that Baoyu used "obscene words and songs" to "bully" himself.
Daiyu, after all, is to understand Baoyu's, listening to Baoyu's confession, the heart is after all like. So Baoyu just swore, Daiyu "broke into tears for a smile", but also immediately quoted the "West Wing" in the words, said Baoyu "seedling but not show, is a silver pewter gun head. Daiyu likewise quotes from The West Wing, which is tantamount to accepting Baoyu's confession of love. Through *** read "the west wing", Baodai love a step forward, "hazy degree" has been reduced.
3, helpless
In the "funeral of flowers", there is this sentence, I now bury flowers, people laugh at stupid, other years buried Nong know who. I'm not sure who I'm burying in the next year," he said. "The flowers are falling in the spring, and that's when my daughter will die of old age. Once the spring is over, the red face grows old, and the flowers fall and the people die without knowing. It can be seen that she is a flower on behalf of their own, the burial of flowers is also another kind of love for their own and the reality of helplessness.
4. Burying flowers for self-compassion
In the movie "Dream of Red Mansions", Daiyu sings the lyrics of "Peony Pavilion" when she hears a little girl from Lixiangyuan: "Around the green embankment, brushing the willows, and passing through the path of flowers". Listen to where the flute of grief, the wind sends the sound. People say that the Grand View Garden is like spring in all seasons, but in my eyes it is just a city of sadness. The winds of the past, the red into a formation, peony Xie, peony fear, begonia shock, willow with sadness, peach blossom hate, the flowers and people generally suffer from bullying.
I have an inch of heart, who **** song, seven strings who know the sound? I only sympathize, pity the same life, do not teach you, into the sludge by the ravages, and pack up the soul of the peach and plum, since the incense grave buried in the fall of the British. The singing of the paragraph, a good interpretation of the original Daiyu buried flowers of the reasons and purposes: to have similar encounters with women is "sympathy, pity for the same life", the lack of their own insights *** Ming knower, and therefore buried flowers to self-compassion.
Thought value:
This poem is not all sadness and sorrow, which still has a kind of depression and injustice. "Willow silk and elm pods are self-flattering, regardless of the peach drift and plum fly" (interpretation: frivolous willow flakes, shallow elm money, only know to show off their own flattery. I don't care about the peach blossoms and the plum blossoms), there is resentment against the world's coolness and the warmth of human feelings.
"Three hundred and sixty days a year, the wind, knife, frost and sword are severely forced" (interpretation: three hundred and sixty days a year ah, what kind of days! Knife-like cold wind, sword-like frost, mercilessly destroyed the branches of the flowers) is not an indictment of the cold and merciless reality of the long-term persecution of her.
"I wish I had wings under my arms to fly with the flowers to the end of the sky. At the end of the sky, where is the fragrant mound? If you don't have a brocade bag to collect the colorful bones, a cup of pure earth to cover up the wind and flow. The quality of the original clean also clean to go, strong in the dirty slush trapped in the ditch"
Interpretation: I sincerely hope that ah, now I can give birth to a pair of wings. I wish I could have a pair of wings to follow the flowers to the end of heaven and earth. Even if I fly to the end of heaven and earth, where is the soul mound where the fragrant flowers are buried? Why don't you use this embroidered incense bag to collect your delicate bones? And then heap up a pile of clean soil to bury you in this great style.
May your noble body, clean birth, clean death. Let it not be stained with a trace of filth and be abandoned in that filthy river gorge.
It is the kind of unwillingness to be humiliated and defiled, the lonely and proud character that is not willing to bow down and submit when one fantasizes about freedom and happiness but cannot get it. These are its ideological values.
Baidu Encyclopedia - Burying Flowers (Poem in Dream of Red Mansions)