Short Song
Author: Cao Cao
Singing while drinking, what is life like?
Like morning dew, it will be more painful every day.
Generosity should be treated with generosity, and worries will be unforgettable.
How to relieve worries? It’s hard to have Du Kang.
Qingqing Zijin, my heart is leisurely.
But for the sake of your Majesty, I still ponder it.
Yo yo, the deer roars, eating apples in the wild.
I have a guest who plays the drum, harp and sheng.
It is as clear as the moon, when can you stop?
Worry comes from it and cannot be cut off.
The more unfamiliar you are, the more you cross the border, the more useless you are.
Qi Kuo talks about Yan, thinking about old kindness.
The moon and stars are sparse, and the black magpie flies south.
Walking around the tree three times, where is the branch to lean on?
The mountains never get too high and the water never gets too deep.
The Duke of Zhou vomits food, and the world returns to its heart.
You should sing loudly in front of the wine, life is short and the days and months fly by.
Just like the morning dew, it is fleeting and there are too many lost days!
The singing at the banquet was passionate and generous, and melancholy filled my heart for a long time.
What can you do to relieve your depression? Only binge drinking can provide relief.
Those students wearing green collars (the attire of bachelors in the Zhou Dynasty), you make me yearn for you day and night.
It is because of you that I have been singing "Zi Jin" in a low voice.
Under the sunshine, the deer chirped happily and ate leisurely on the green slope.
Once talented people from all over the world come to my house, I will play the harp and the sheng to entertain the guests.
The bright moon hanging in the sky, you are running and never stop;
The sorrow and anger I have stored in my heart suddenly spurt out and form a long river.
Guests from far away came to visit me one by one along the field roads.
They reunited after a long absence to talk and feast, vying to tell the story of their past friendship.
The bright moon rises, the stars twinkle, and a group of nesting magpies fly south.
They flew around the tree three times without folding their wings. Where can they find shelter?
The mountains are majestic only if they do not abandon the earth and rocks, and the sea is majestic only if it does not abandon the trickle of water. (It is a metaphor for employing people based on their ability. The more the better.)
Only by treating talented people with courtesy like the Duke of Zhou (When Duke Zhou sees a talented person, he spits out the food he is chewing and receives him immediately. "Historical Records" records Zhou Gong said to himself: "I wash my hair three times, I eat three times, I am afraid of losing the sage in the world.") Only then can the people of the world turn to me.
Appreciation of Cao Cao's "Stepping out of Xiamen and Viewing the Sea"
To the east is Jieshi ① to view the sea. How can the water be dull? The mountains and islands are standing tall. There are many trees and lush grass. The autumn wind is bleak, and the waves are rising. The movement of the sun and the moon can be seen within it; the brilliant stars can be seen within it. Fortunately, it is even a song to express one's ambition⑥.
Notes ① Jieshi: The name of the mountain, located in the southwest of Laoting County, Hebei Province today. It is also said that Jieshi Mountain at that time has now sunk into the sea. Cao Cao's route to attack Wuhuan was through Lulongsai (the road started from Ji County in today's Jin, passed through Xifengkou, and ended at Lengkou in the east) directly into Liucheng. On his way back to the army, he passed through Jieshi Mountain, so he planned to climb there. ②He: How. Dandan: A majestic and peaceful look. ③Mountain Island: Refers to Jieshi Mountain. Jieshi Mountain at that time was on the seaside. Lazhi (sǒngchìshu): tall and straight. ④Desolate: the sound of autumn wind. ⑤Xinghan: Tianhe. ⑥Xingjin's second sentence: It was added when the musicians joined together and has no actual meaning. There are four poems in "Stepping out of Xiamen", each of which has these two sentences at the end. Fortunately, fortunately. Extremely, extremely.
Appreciation
"Stepping out of Xiamen", also known as "Longxi Journey", belongs to the ancient Yuefu "Xiangru Ge·Se Diaoqu". "Xiamen" was originally the city gate at the west end of the north of Luoyang. It was called Xiamen in the Han Dynasty and Daxiamen in the Wei and Jin Dynasties. There are only two sentences left in the ancient saying: "The city and the people in the dynasty have changed, and the tombs of thousands of years old have been leveled" (see Li Shan's note in "Selected Works"). "Yuefu Poetry Anthology" also contains an ancient poem "The Evil Path Passes Through the Empty House", which describes the story of ascending to immortality and attaining the Tao. This chapter of Cao Cao's "Song Book·Yue Zhi" is included in "Daqu" and is titled "Jieshi Steps Out of Xiamen Xing".
Judging from the content of the poem, it has nothing to do with the meaning of the title. It can be seen that it is just a reference to ancient inscriptions to describe current events. The poem begins with the word "Yan" (prelude), and is divided into four interpretations (chapters): "Viewing the Sea", "October in Winter", "Different Soils", and "The Turtle Lives Longevity". It should be on the way back to the army after the victory in the northern expedition to Wuhuan in the twelfth year of Jian'an (207).
At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, when warlords were vying for power in the Central Plains, the Wuhuan people living in the western Liaoning area became powerful. They went south to attack cities and plunder territory, becoming a serious border trouble in the Hebei area. In the tenth year of Jian'an (205), Cao Cao destroyed the foundation of Yuan Shao's rule in Hebei. Yuan Shao vomited blood and died. His sons Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang fled to Wuhuan and colluded with Wuhuan nobles to invade the fortress and cause harm many times. At that time, Cao Cao was in a disadvantageous situation of being forced between the north and the south: Liu Biao and Liu Bei were entrenched in Jingxiang in the south, and the Yuan brothers and Wuhuan were in the north. In order to get rid of the passive situation, Cao Cao adopted the advice of counselor Guo Jia and led the northern expedition in the summer of the twelfth year of Jian'an. It lasted from May to the end of May. In autumn and July, there was a flood and the road near the sea was blocked. Later, he accepted Tian Chou's suggestion and resolutely changed the route. Passing through Xu Wushan, exiting Lulong Fortress and heading straight towards Liucheng, they won the battle. In September, he returned to the army victoriously and passed through Jieshi and other places. He borrowed the old title of Yuefu's "Stepping out of Xiamen Xing" and wrote this famous poem. The poem describes the local customs and scenery in the Heshuo area, expresses personal ambitions, and reflects the poet's ambitious and dominating heroic spirit.
As for Cao Cao's march to Jieshi in the east, it was mostly thought that it happened when he went to conquer Wuhuan in the north. In fact, this view is inconsistent with historical facts and is unbelievable. We used the records in "Three Kingdoms", "Wudi Ji" and "Tian Chou Biography" to verify that Cao Cao boarded Jieshi on his way back from the northern expedition to Wuhuan. Because there was a flood when he went, the road near the sea was blocked, so he had to change his route. Take the Xu Wushan path to Liaoxi. "In September, Gongyin returned from Liucheng, and on the eleventh day he arrived at Yishui." He should have "visited the Jieshi" and "viewed the sea" in September or early October of this year (207). As for where Jieshi Mountain is located today, there is still controversy in academic circles. Some people think that the mountain has sunk into the sea in Laoting County, Hebei Province today, or it is Jieshi Mountain in the north of Changli County, Hebei Province today. In any case, when Cao Cao ascended, it should be a higher rocky mountain near the sea.
"To the east is the Jieshi to view the sea. Where is the water, the mountains and islands are standing there", the first two sentences point out the location of "viewing the sea": the poet climbed to the top of the Jieshi, facing the sea from a high position, with a limited view , with a panoramic view of the magnificent scenery of the sea. The following ten descriptions are roughly expanded from this. "Where the water is, the mountains and islands are standing tall" is the general impression I get when looking at the sea, a bit like the thick lines of a painting. "Dandan" describes the vastness of the sea; "he" refers to how beautiful it is. Today's word "how" is a word of admiration. "Dan Dan" adds sighing beauty, and you can imagine the vastness of the sea. In this "roaming" sea, the first thing that catches the eye is the abrupt and towering mountain islands. They are dotted on the flat sea, making the sea look magical and spectacular. These two sentences describe the general outline of the sea view, which will be described in depth below.
"The trees are thick and the grass is luxuriant. The autumn wind is bleak and the flood waves are rising." The first two sentences specifically describe the mountain island of Changzhi: Although the autumn wind is bleak and the grass and trees are falling, the island is lush with trees. , the grass is rich and abundant, giving people a sense of vitality. The last two sentences are a further description of the sentence "How is the water so calm": If you look carefully, you will see that the sea surface in the bleak autumn wind is actually a huge wave, turbulent and ups and downs. Although it is a typical autumn environment here, there is no trace of desolate and sad autumn mood. In the history of Chinese literature, due to various reasons such as the writer's world view and situation, since Song Yu's "Nine Bian" was the forerunner of the tragic autumn literature, how many poets and poets shed tears in the autumn wind, and were moved by the scene when they saw fallen leaves! However, Cao Cao was able to face the bleak autumn wind and describe the vastness and magnificence of the sea: in the bleak autumn wind, the sea was turbulent and vast, reaching the sky; the mountain islands were towering and straight, with lush vegetation, without any sentimental sentiment. This new realm and new style reflect his "martyr's" mind of "an old man who is still in trouble but aims for a thousand miles".
“The movement of the sun and the moon can be seen from within; the brilliant stars can be seen from within.
"The previous description is observed from the level of the sea. These four sentences are related to the boundless universe, and the momentum and power of the sea are revealed to the readers: the vast sea is connected with the sky, The sky is blurry; in front of this majestic sea, the sun, moon, stars, and the Milky Way all seem small, and their movements seem to be freely absorbed by the sea. The sea described by the poet here is in front of us. The real scene is blended with his own imagination and exaggeration, showing a majestic atmosphere of swallowing up the universe, with the momentum of "the five mountains rising into a square inch". This "covering and swallowing atmosphere" is the scene in the poet's "eyes" and the feelings in his "chest". The artistic realm formed by blending (see the comments of Zhongxing in Volume 7 of "The Return of Ancient Poems") is the voice of the heart. If the poet does not have grand political ambitions, ambitions to make achievements, and optimism about the future, then it is no matter what. It is impossible to write such a magnificent poetic scene. In the past, some people said that Cao Cao's poems were "always domineering" (Shen De's subtext), referring to works such as "Guan Cang Hai". "Domineering" is understood as the ambition to unify China, so this kind of artistic appreciation is still advisable.
"Fortunately, singing to celebrate ambition." "This is a cliché when joining music. It has nothing to do with the content of the poem, so there is no need to elaborate. In the poem "Viewing the Sea", literally, the sea water, mountains and islands, vegetation, autumn wind, and even the sun, moon and stars are all before our eyes. Scenery, such a poem purely about natural scenery, seems to have never been seen by Cao Cao before in the history of Chinese literature. It not only describes the scenery throughout the text, but also has a unique style. It can be called the earliest masterpiece of Chinese landscape poetry, and is especially loved by literary historians. . It is worth pointing out that when the objective natural scenery is reflected in the poet's mind, it must go through the poet's subjective filtering - understanding, integration, selection, and emphasis, and then form an artistic product. This product is not only a reflection of the objective world, but also the poet's subjectivity. Condensation of spirit. This poem about the sea in autumn can wash away the sentimental mood of autumn, and write it in a majestic and majestic way. This poem is closely related to Cao Cao's magnanimity, character and even aesthetic taste. Therefore, even if It is purely a depiction of scenery. Even if it is purely a depiction of scenery, it cannot be a purely objective photographic production.
In addition, Cao Cao has more than 20 poems in existence, although he uses them all. The title of Yuefu is old, but the content is completely new. Shen Deqian pointed out: “The use of ancient Yuefu to write about current affairs began with Cao Gong. "(Volume 5 of "The Source of Ancient Poetry") This is also a bold breakthrough in the history of Chinese literature. This new style that attaches great importance to reflecting real life and is not bound by old songs and ancient lyrics has greatly promoted the development of the spirit of realism in Chinese literature. Cao Cao's achievements are worthy of recognition and praise.