The beautiful branches only unite in Yaotai

——Appreciation of poems about plum blossoms in the Ming Dynasty

Wang Chuanxue

The glory of poems about plum blossoms in the Song Dynasty Later, it became common in the Ming Dynasty. However, due to the efforts of some poets, there are still some excellent works of praising plum blossoms.

Among the poems about plum blossoms in the Ming Dynasty, Gao Qi’s "Plum Blossom Poems" is the first to be praised:

The qiong branches only unite in Yaotai,

Who goes to the south of the Yangtze River everywhere plant.

A noble man lies in the snow-covered mountains,

A beauty comes under the moonlit forest.

In the cold, the sparse shadows are scattered on the bamboos,

In the spring, the lingering fragrance is covered by the desert moss.

Since I left, there is no good song to sing.

The east wind will never bloom again.

Gao Qi was a famous poet in the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties, and praising plum blossoms was an important theme in his poetry. This poem describes that the plum blossom has the spirit of immortality and comes to the world to live in the deep mountains covered with heavy snow. Only under the forest springs with the clear breeze and bright moon can you see its beautiful and moving appearance. How noble and noble are the plum blossoms under the moon! In the poem, snow and plum blossoms are regarded as matching beauties, creating an image of a solitary and reclusive plum blossom. The plum blossoms grow with the snow, which brings out the strength and nobility of the plum blossoms; the snow serves as a foil for the plum blossoms, which also brings out the beauty and sentimentality of the plum blossoms. "In the cold, the shadows are scattered on the bamboos, and in the spring, the lingering fragrance is covered with moss." The poet integrated his life experience and changes in mentality into the image of plum blossoms, giving the plum blossoms new emotional connotations, which are specifically expressed as the anger and the sense of chaos and fear in the lonely high school. Friendship with old friends. He broke the repetitive and monotonous pattern of chanting plum blossoms since the two Song Dynasties and opened up a new world for the development of plum blossom poems. Gao Qi's plum blossom poem's new changes to tradition are mainly reflected in its strong subject color, complex imagery and profound philosophical thoughts.

Liu Ji, who together with Song Lian and Gao Qi is known as one of the "Three Great Masters of Poetry and Prose in the Early Ming Dynasty", also wrote a poem "Inscribed on Plum Blossoms":

The peach can be purple and the apricot can be red;

My face is covered with dust and I am afraid of the evening breeze.

It's like fighting at the bottom of the Luofu Mountain stream,

A branch of cold moonlight.

Liu Ji was a military strategist, politician, and writer in the late Yuan and early Ming Dynasty, and the founding father of the Ming Dynasty. In his poem, he compared plum blossoms with peach blossoms and apricot blossoms, satirizing the weakness of peach blossoms and apricot blossoms, highlighting the nobility and elegance of plum blossoms, and expressing his praise for plum blossoms.

Let’s look at "Painting Plum" by Fang Xiaoru, a poet of the Ming Dynasty:

The light snow has just begun to disappear and the moon is half over the pond.

Two or three branches can be seen in the distance by the fence.

The fragrance spreads to the heart of heaven,

No words are known about ordinary plants and trees.

Yao Guangxiao, the "prime minister in black" of Zhu Di, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, said, "Killing filial children will eliminate the seeds of learning in the world." But Zhu Di didn't care about this, he didn't even listen to the words of his most trusted military advisor, and still killed Fang Xiaoru and punished the "ten tribes". Reading the history of the Ming Dynasty often makes people cry. Fang Xiaoru's "Painting Plum Blossoms" describes the beautiful plum blossoms when the light snow has first subsided, and depicts the quiet, pure beauty and pleasant fragrance of plum blossoms. "The fragrance spreads to the heart of heaven", which expresses the poet's love and praise for plum blossoms and expresses his noble sentiments.

Let’s look at No. 23 of the Ming Dynasty poet Tang Yin’s “Twenty-Four Inscriptions on Paintings”:

The snow is pressing down on the river and the village is freezing,

The gardens are full of jade. Save.

I need to sell some wine to clear the air.

There are also sparse plum blossoms inviting visitors to see.

Tang Bohu, a talented man from the south of the Yangtze River, was good at poetry, calligraphy and painting. His painting poem describes the severe winter when the snow is heavy on the river village and the cold is biting. The plum blossoms in the garden are in full bloom in the cold, as crystal clear as the trees full of jade. The poet had a sudden thought: These frozen jade must be poured out with wine! There are also some plum blossoms that are not frozen, as if calling guests to come and watch. The poet described the plum blossoms in the cold weather very vividly, giving people a sense of crystal clear and clean beauty.

"Early Spring" by Chen Jiru, a poet of the Ming Dynasty, is full of life:

The spring breeze is weak and the wicker branches are slanting,

The new grass is just a touch of sand.

I want to borrow a hoe from the master,

to sweep away the remaining snow to plant plum blossoms.

The poet first writes about the sceneries of early spring: the weak spring breeze, leaning wicker branches, slightly green new grass, and a touch of barren sand, which seems to lack the necessary vitality. Then he changed his mind and wrote that he wanted to borrow a hoe from the master to sweep away the remaining snow and plant plum blossoms to welcome the arrival of spring. The fresh breath of life expressed in the poem is exciting.

The Ming Dynasty poet Chen Daofu's "Two Poems on Painted Plum Blossoms" No. 2, reading the poem is like seeing the painting:

The plum blossoms are proud to dominate the crowd,

After the snow, they are looking for me to laugh at busy.

Fold a hanging bamboo stick,

There will be a fragrance along the way when you return.

The plum blossoms described by the poet bloomed triumphantly before the others. People saw me chasing plum blossoms after snow and couldn’t help but laugh at me for being too busy. I broke off a branch of plum blossom and hung it on the bamboo stick. The fragrance of plum blossom accompanied me all the way back. When reading this poem, imagine the painter's plum painting, as if you are in front of your eyes and smell the fragrance of plum blossoms.

"Plum Blossoms Fall" by Xue Xuan, a poet of the Ming Dynasty, is full of interest:

There are two plum trees outside the eaves, and the wind blew last night in front of the court.

I don’t know where the flute was playing, and it sounded like a hit.

Xue Xuan was a great scholar in the Ming Dynasty. He associated the opening of plum blossoms with the sound of the flute, as if it was the sound of the flute and the sound of the wind that caused the plum blossoms to bloom. The poems are novel and unique, and very interesting.

Let’s look at "Plum Blossoms in Bloom in Zhenshi Garden" by Wang Hao, a poet of the Ming Dynasty:

Sit among the flowers as the sun sets late,

Thousands and ten thousand branches of fragrant snow.

There are no good sentences since the beginning of spring.

The stick quinoa suddenly became a poem.

Wang Hao was a famous figure in the Ming Dynasty. He was erudite and discerning, clear in his study of classics, careful in his conduct, and clean in his articles. He is good at calligraphy and collects many books. He was the pioneer and model of stylistic changes between Hongzhi and Zhengde. Dissatisfied with the monopoly power of the eunuch Liu Jin, he resigned and returned to his hometown. This poem was written by the poet when he saw the plum blossoms blooming in Zhenshi Garden, his seclusion place. The poet sat among the flowers and saw thousands of plum blossoms blooming in the sunset. The fragrance overflowed in a sea of ??flowers. He was immediately inspired to write this poem. It expresses the poet's elegant taste of loving and praising plum blossoms.

Ming Dynasty poet Li Rihua's "Ding Maoxinzheng Three Days Writing about Plum Blossoms" is full of festive joy:

Tankou powder ribs are smiling,

The spring breeze blows into happiness. .

The wine drinker was so excited that

poems were poured down from the sky.

Li Rihua, who was an official to the imperial servant Shaoqing, was indifferent in nature, had no dissatisfaction with others, was good at calligraphy and painting, and was good at connoisseurship. He was known as a gentleman of natural history in the world. This poem was written three days after the Spring Festival. The plum blossoms bloomed with smiles in the spring breeze. The drinkers saw this beautiful scenery and became wildly interested. They started writing poems, and the poems seemed to fall from the sky. The poem is written in the spirit of spring and full of festive atmosphere.

Let’s look at the Ming Dynasty painter Xu Wei’s “Inscription on Plum Blossoms”:

I have never seen a plum blossom chart,

I can pick it up easily because of God.

If you don’t believe it, just look at the thousands of trees.

When the east wind blows, it becomes spring.

Xu Wei is a painter and a poet. He is good at poetry, calligraphy and painting. This poem is the poet's inscription for his "Mo Mei" painting. When the poet paints plum blossoms, he has never referred to it, or has never seen a "plum blossom spectrum". The plum blossoms he painted are all easy to pick, but they have both spirit and shape and their own charm. If you don’t believe it, just look at the thousands of trees. They are still bare in winter, but when the east wind comes, they are stained with spring green.

Humiliation occurs.

Judging from this poem, it seems to tell people not to stick to some rules and regulations, but to be diligent in practice and bold in innovation. The phrase "spring becomes spring when the east wind blows" was originally used to describe an "eclectic" creative method that advocates the laws of nature. But now, it is also used to describe the vibrant and lively scene of spring. It is a hymn to spring.