Interpretation of the Imagery of Mid-Autumn Sorrow in Ancient Poems Author: Shen Hong
Image is an important category in ancient poetry. From an artistic point of view, classical poetry consists of images that are regular and purposeful composed of a combination of. The so-called image refers to the image of meaning and expression. It is an "alloy" that combines image and emotional connotation. In Pound's words, "an 'image' is something that presents a complex of reason and emotion in an instant." "Liu Xie once said: "A craftsman who shines alone can see the image far away: this is the first skill of controlling the text and the main purpose of the article." It can be seen that the important position of image in literary creation. For ancient Chinese literati, imagery was the soul of their art. Throughout the development history of ancient Chinese literature, there are many images that can express "autumn sorrow", such as autumn wind, autumn rain, autumn frost, autumn moon, decaying grass, dead wood, dead lotus, fallen leaves, swan geese, etc. The traditional image of "Wu Tong" is even more important. They appear one after another and have rich aesthetic and cultural connotations. Below, the author only interprets the sadness contained in the image of phoenix trees in ancient poems.
1. The pain of widowhood
Wutong, a common tree species, has green trunks and green leaves, and sparse branches. According to legend, the phoenix tree is a dioecious plant. The phoenix tree is male and the tung tree is female. They live and die together. Therefore, Chinese people usually use the phoenix tree to symbolize the everlasting and loyal love between men and women. The ancient Yuefu's "Peacock Flies Southeast" uses this symbolic meaning: "The two families asked to be buried together, and they were buried together next to Huashan Mountain. Pines and cypresses were planted to the east and west, and sycamores were planted to the left and right. The branches covered each other, and the leaves communicated with each other. There were two flying birds in the middle. It's called Yuanyang. "However, the sycamore leaves fall early. "When a leaf falls from the sycamore tree, the whole world knows autumn." The ancients firmly believed that "man and nature are one, and things and ourselves are connected." From things to people, seeing the falling leaves will naturally associate it with the end of life. Therefore, the ancients often used the half-dead or fallen leaves of the phoenix tree to symbolize the loss of love. The use of Wutong to symbolize widowhood can be traced back to Meicheng's "Seven Hairs": "The Longmen paulownia is a hundred feet high without branches. In the middle, there are stagnations of round fungi, and the roots are sparse to separate them. There is a peak of Qianren above, and below it is The stream of a hundred feet is turbulent and indifferent, and its roots are half dead and half alive." Later generations extended the association and produced many famous poems. In his eulogy for his beloved wife, He Zhu wrote: "Everything has gone wrong after we have passed through Changmen again. Why come together and return differently? After the parasol tree is half dead and the frost clears, the white-headed mandarin duck flies away without its companion." ("Half-Dead Tong") The half-dead sycamore tree after clear frost symbolizes the pain of widowhood. The author and his wife once lived in Suzhou, and later his wife died there. When He Zhu was about to leave Suzhou, he felt that things had changed and people had changed. He was full of bitterness and had nowhere to talk. He could only lament: "You and I came here together, why can't we leave together?" What? "After experiencing the clear frost, the sycamore tree in front of the window has become a half-dead sycamore tree with withered branches and leaves. The white-headed mandarin duck flying with two wings is now only a solitary one. It has also experienced the pain of losing its companion! How lonely and desolate the half left behind must be! Because "Wu Tong treats each other old, and Mandarin ducks will both die." (Meng Jiao's "Fierce Women's Exercises") Li Qingzhao sighed after his family was broken up and his family was destroyed: "The fragrance is broken and the wine is full of evil feelings. The west wind blows the sycamores and the sycamores fall, and the sycamores fall, but the autumn colors are still there, and the loneliness is still there." ("Remembering Qin'e") That scene The autumn wind mercilessly blew away the yellow and huge leaves of the sycamore tree. The sound of wind and falling leaves made the poet feel heavier and sadder. The refrain "Wu Tong falls" further emphasizes the impact of fallen leaves on the poet's spirit and emotions. At this time, the fallen leaves were like hammers forged with sorrow, hitting her heart hard one after another; the sound of wind was like sharp steel needles piercing into her weak soul after injury. There is both the pain of the country being destroyed and the death of the family, and the sorrow of leaving one's hometown. The countless bitterness all surged into my heart.
2. The pain of separation
The sadness of separation is an eternal theme in literary works. Ancient people often used different images to express the desolation and sadness of separation. Wutong is one of the most frequently used carriers.
1. Thoughts on leaving others
Seeking official positions and traveling far away is a life that most ancient literati have to experience. In this way, they have to live far away from the people they love. Many works expressing longing for others were produced.
"The horse cannot come, the silver candle is dark, it is useless to teach people to stand up and make all the shadows of the parasol trees. Who will accompany me, facing the Luan Mirror."
However, among the many trees, poets only love the sycamore tree because it is a symbol of noble character.