Appointment
Song ● Zhao Shixiu
It rains in every house at the time of the yellow plum season,
Frogs are everywhere in the grassy pond.
It's the middle of the night when I don't have an appointment,
Idlely knocking on a chessboard and dropping the lanterns.
Poetry Notes
①Appointment: to invite guests to meet.
②Yellow Plum Season: In the fourth and fifth months of the lunar calendar, the plums of Jiangnan are yellow and ripe, and most of them are cloudy and rainy, so it is called "Yellow Plum Season" as the rainy season in Jiangnan.
③Rain in every house: every house catches rain. It describes that there is a lot of rain everywhere.
④Frogs everywhere: there are frogs jumping and singing everywhere.
⑤有约：即邀约友人。
⑥落灯花：Olden times, when an oil lamp was used for lighting, the center of the lamp was burned out, and when it fell, it seemed to be a small shining flower.
Author's biography
Zhao Shixiu (1170--1219) was a poet of the Song Dynasty, whose name was Zizhi, Lingxiu, and Tianle, and who was a native of Yongjia (present-day Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province), and who was known as the "Four Spirits of Yongjia" along with Xu Zhao, Xu Gui, and Weng Zhi. He was also known as "Ghost Talent". There are Zhao Shixiu Collection, two volumes, and Tianle Hall Collection, one volume, which has been lost. Only "Qingyuanzhai ji" has been handed down.
The general idea of the poem
When the plums are yellow, every house is covered in smoke and rain.
From the grassy ponds far and near came the sound of frogs.
The invited guests said they were coming but had not yet arrived, and the time flew past midnight.
I gently tapped the table with a chess piece in my hand and waited for the guest, only to see the lanterns fall at intervals ......
Poetry Appreciation
The first two lines describe the setting and the season. "Yellow plum", "rain", "pond", and "the sound of frogs" write the scene of a summer night during the plum rain season in Jiangnan: The sound of rain is constant and the sound of frogs. Read to make people as if they were there, as if the rain is floating around, the frogs are calling around. This seems to show a very "lively" environment, in fact, the poet to contrast its "silence".
The last two lines point out the character and the matter. The master waited patiently and a little anxiously, nothing to do, "idle knocking" chess, quietly watching the flickering lanterns. In the third line, "I have an appointment, but I don't come in the middle of the night", "I have an appointment" points out that the poet had an appointment with a guest, and "in the middle of the night" shows how long the wait has been. "explains the waiting time is long, was looking forward to is about the guest's knocking, but heard only a burst of rain and frogs, compared to show the author's anxious mood. The fourth line "idle knocking chess" is a detail description, the poet asked the guest to wait for a long time, the wick is very long, the poet boredom, subconsciously black and white chess pieces on the chessboard gently knocking, and Duk Duk knocking the sound of chess and will be the lamps are shocked down. This gesture seems to be idle, but in fact reflects the poet's inner anxiety.
Through the rendering of the thought-provoking environment and the detailed action of "knocking on the chessboard", the poem not only describes the scene of the poet waiting for the guest to visit on a rainy night, but also writes out the disappointment that the guest has not yet arrived, which can be said to be a perfect combination of form and spirit. The whole poem has a strong flavor of life, but also free from the habit of carving, clear and readable.
Innovative reading
What kind of mood is created in the poem Appointment of a Guest, and what kind of mood is expressed by the poet?
Let's see - a summer night in Jiangnan, plum rain, frogs chirping, the poet asked a friend to play chess, however, after half the night, the guest did not come, the poet idle knock chess, quietly waiting ...... At this time, the poet's mood how? I see that the main is not or not at all what agitation and boredom of the mood, but more likely to be a leisurely, light and quiet comfortable state of mind. Perhaps there was a moment of anxiety (how could this anxiety last until "half past midnight"?), but now, the poet is overwhelmed by the river. But now, the poet was in front of the Jiangnan summer night of the feelings of the scene infected: sentimental rain, happy wow, flashing lights, crisp chess pieces knocking sound ...... This is a lively and cool, both heavy and floating picture. Perhaps the poet has forgotten that he is waiting for his friend, and is completely immersed in the inner agitation and silence. One should be grateful to the friend for missing his appointment, allowing the poet to enjoy such a wonderful sleepless night alone.
"Idlely knocking on the chess piece and dropping the lamplight" is a detailed description, boredom with the chess piece gently knocking on the chessboard, shaking down the lamplight.
Fall: make ...... fall.
Lampflower: the flower-like substance formed when the wick burns out.
The last sentence, which is actually a scene, is meant to be lyrical, showing the author's peaceful state of mind at this time. Although the guests have not yet come, but still not in a hurry, very leisurely and elegant alone to play chess, saw the shock fall of the lamp ash, like a flower. Fully embodies the author's elegant mood.