When I talk about CI in the late Tang and Five Dynasties, I start with Wen Tingyun, Wei Zhuang and Hua Jian Ji. So where should we start to talk about poetry? The most ancient collection of poems in China is the book of songs, 300 poems. However, the 300 poems in the book of songs have been classified into the category of scriptures rather than the level of poetry and prose. What the poem expresses is the feeling in people's heart. Therefore, the preface of the book of songs says that "emotion moves in the middle and forms in words", which means that you have a kind of emotion in your heart. You express it with words, which is poetry. People are born with a poetic touch in their heart《 The style of the book of songs is a four character sentence
Off the dove, on the Bank of the river.
My fair lady is a gentleman.
Why is the earliest form of Chinese poetry four character one sentence? Because our language is monosyllabic, each font occupies a separate square, unlike English. It is single and monosyllabic, and its pronunciation is only one syllable. We say "flower" and "flower" is Hua; And English is flowers, which has a lot of syllable ups and downs. Chinese poetry is also characterized by its single tone.
Therefore, the formal characteristics of our poetry are related to the characteristics of our language. This kind of single tone language is not a sentence; Two words, you can say "you come", "I go", this is a sentence, but there is no rhythm or rhythm, such a single sentence, not good. In Chinese language, there is only one single tone, but there are rhythmic syllables. Then the simplest and earliest one is the four character one sentence poem, which is formed naturally, not in the prescribed style. Because four words and one sentence, there is a pause - "Guanguan / dove, in the river / Island, gentle / fair / lady, gentleman / Haoyu". Therefore, the four character one sentence style of the book of songs is not defined reluctantly, but is formed according to the characteristics of our language and the natural needs of our human voice and speech. But four words a sentence, every two words a stop, always two two, two two, two two, two two, this is too monotonous. Therefore, this style has not been universally inherited. Nowadays, poetry is composed of five character poems or seven character poems, and few people write four character poems. In addition to Cao Cao and Tao Yuanming, there are many good four character poems. Generally, today's poets write poems with five or seven characters instead of four.
Sao style and Chu style
In early Chinese poetry, there was another style, Sao style and Chu style. Generally speaking, the book of songs is produced by the culture of the Yellow River Valley, with simple folk customs, so its syllables are relatively simple. But in the south of China, the custom of Chu is different from that of the Yellow River Valley in the north. The northern folk customs are simple, so its syllable is "Er Er Er" -- Guan / ju Jiu, in the river / Island. But the songs of Chu, such as Lisao by Qu Yuan:
The Miao nationality of emperor Gaoyang, I have said Boyong.
The photo was taken in mengzou, but Geng yinwu came down.
It is a long sentence with six words in front, six words in back, and a word "Xi" in the middle. For another example, he said:
The sun and the moon are not flooded, and spring and autumn are in the same order.
I'm afraid of the beauty's twilight.
There are six characters in the front, six characters in the back and one "Xi" in the middle. This style was not inherited by later poets because it was too long to read. However, this style was inherited by later Fu Writers.
In addition to the autobiographical poem Lisao written by Qu Yuan, there are many poems of offering sacrifices to ghosts and gods in Chu Ci, which is called Jiuge. Its number is "Nine", but it's actually eleven songs《 What is the style of nine songs? There is a poem called shaosiming. Shaosiming is an immortal in charge of fate. The poem says that the gods are coming:
If you don't speak when you enter, if you don't say goodbye when you leave, if you take the wind back, you will carry the cloud flag.
Sad not sad, happy not happy new acquaintance.
Shaosiming in songs of Chu is a witch as a medium, which makes mortals communicate with ghosts and gods. It is said that "Le Mo Le Xi" is "new acquaintance" and "Bei Mo Bei Xi" is "separation". In the poem style of Lisao by Qu Yuan, there are six words: "the sun and the moon suddenly do not submerge", and then there are six words: "Xi", "spring and Autumn" and "only the scattered plants" and "Xi", "fear of beauty's Twilight". So Lisao has six characters, one "Xi" and six more. This sentence is too long, so later generations seldom use this genre. However, at that time, Chu people made sorcery songs, such as shaosiming in songs of Chu, which was not like Qu Yuan's long sentences, but short sentences: "if you don't speak when you enter, if you don't speak when you leave, if you take the wind back, you will carry the cloud flag.". He divided the six characters into three parts, one "Xi" in the middle and three words below; Three words below, another "Xi", three words below. During the battle between Chu and Han, Xiang Yu wrote a song:
It's hard to pull up the mountain, but it's not so good.
What can I do if I can't die? What can I do if I can't.
It is the style of the songs of the Chu Dynasty, which is characterized by "pulling up the mountain with great strength and outstanding spirit" and "the unfavourable time makes Zhui never die". Liu Bang also wrote a song, which is called the song of gale
The wind rises strongly, flies with clouds.
Back home in the sea of Vega,
How can you defend the four directions!
These examples are all poetic styles. The style of Lisao is called Sao style. Xiang Yu's "cuxia song" and Liu Bang's "Dafeng song" are both styles of Chu songs. This style has not been continued, and few poems are written in this style.
Five character Poetry: a new style that can be inherited
The style of the book of songs has not been inherited because it is too simple《 The style of Lisao has not been inherited because it is too complicated. The style of Chu songs has not been inherited, because there is a new style, Yuefu Poetry.
What is Yuefu poem? Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty set up an official office in charge of music and poetry in the dynasty. People went all over the country to collect and record poems or Ballads from all over the country. After collecting them, they asked the musicians in the Yuefu to compose them into songs. Therefore, Yuefu is a government organ that collects ballads and sings with music. The songs collected by Yuefu are a new genre. At that time, the musicians and musicians in the Yuefu were officially called "Xie LV Du Wei"“ "Duwei" is an official post. Xie LV Duwei is the official who is in charge of the coordination of melody, "Lv" is the melody, "Xie" is the coordination. He wants to match these lyrics with music. At that time, Li Yannian also made a song:
There are beautiful women in the north, peerless and independent.
Once you look at the city, then you look at the country.
It's better not to know a beautiful city or a beautiful country than a beautiful woman.
Li Yannian's song is called "Beauty Song"“ In the north, there are five words, "beautiful woman", five words, "peerless and independent", five words, "one look at the city and then look at the country". They are all five words, "better not know the city and the country", eight words, "beautiful woman is hard to get", five words. This poem is mainly a five character sentence. How can it suddenly become eight characters in the middle? Because in singing, can add some foil words. Therefore, the three words "better not know" can be cancelled, that is, "beautiful city and beautiful country are hard to get". The main body of this sentence is still five words, but if it has three words, it becomes eight words. These eight words can be disconnected by a pause, "it's better not to know the city or the country than to have a beautiful woman.".
Starting from the Yuefu of Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty, the poem is mainly composed of five characters. It is not a four character sentence in the book of songs, not a long sentence in Lisao. This is a new style. This is the beginning of five character. But this kind of poem, we call it Yuefu, is the lyrics to sing with music. Later, the style of the lyrics was inherited by the literati. Therefore, from the Han Dynasty to the Wei, Jin, southern and Northern Dynasties, the five character poems were mainly five character poems. It was only after the establishment of the five character poem that the Chinese style of poetry found a form that could be inherited and used habitually, that is, the five character poem. How come there were seven character poems later? Seven character poem is to add two words to five characters. But why? How to add? The Chinese language is a single tone with a rhythm. The book of songs is too simple and Lisao is too complex. The pause of five characters is 23, 23 and 23. There is a change in the repetition. This is the most suitable rhythm for our language. Flat tone, flat tone and flat tone are naturally formed, so the five character style is accepted by all. The rhythm of seven characters is two two three. For example, Du Fu said: "outside the sword / suddenly spread / collect Jibei, first smell / tears / full of clothes. But I look at my wife, where I am worried, and I am full of poems and books, and I am full of joy and lust. " Seven words, two two three. Another well-known seven character poem is Li Shangyin's: "it's hard to meet each other / it's hard to say goodbye, the east wind / powerlessness / flowers are incomplete. Spring silkworm / to death / silk, wax torch / ashes / tears dry It's also the rhythm of two two three. Therefore, it adds a pause to the rhythm of the five character poem, which is two two three.
In a word, with the establishment of five character poetry, Chinese poetry has found a poetry style that we all use together and have inherited for thousands of years. The earliest and most beautiful group of five character poems is Nineteen Ancient Poems. This is why I chose Nineteen Ancient Poems as my topic. If we don't talk about poetry, we have to start from the Nineteen Ancient Poems, just as we start from Wen Tingyun and Wei Zhuang in huajianji. Because we have not inherited the styles of the book of songs and Lisao, we do not have to start from the book of songs and Lisao, but from the Nineteen Ancient Poems.
