Lu You warned his son before his death (verse):

Before his death, Lu You warned his son (verse): Wang Shibei set the day of the Central Plains, and he never forgot to tell Nai Weng during family sacrifices. It means: On the day when the Song Dynasty army regains the lost land in the Central Plains, don’t forget to tell me when you hold family sacrifices!

"Shi'er", written by Lu You in the Song Dynasty, is the poet's final work. It expresses the poet's deep and strong patriotic passion that he would never forget to "defeat the Central Plains in the north" and unify the motherland until his death.

Original poem:

"Shi'er" Song Dynasty: Lu You

After death, I know that everything is in vain, but I am not as sad as Jiuzhou.

Wang Shibei set the Central Plains Day, and he never forgot to tell Nai Weng about family sacrifices.

Interpretation:

I originally knew that there would be nothing after death, but I was just sad that I could not see the country being unified. When the Song Dynasty army regains the lost land in the Central Plains, don't forget to tell me when you hold family sacrifices!

About the author:

Lu You (1125-1210), with the alias Wuguan and his nickname Fangweng. Han nationality, native of Shanyin, Yuezhou (now Shaoxing, Zhejiang), and a famous poet in the Southern Song Dynasty.

Extended information:

Creative background:

This poem was written in 1210 AD (the third year of Jiading reign of Emperor Ning Zong) when the eighty-five-year-old Lu You fell ill. Since then, this poem has been Lu You's final work. It is not only the poet's last testament, but also the poet's last call for resistance. It expresses the poet's helplessness and hope for regaining the lost ground.

Appreciation:

The first sentence is "After death, you know that everything will be empty" (interpretation: I originally knew that after death, there will be nothing). "Yuanzhi" means knowing from the beginning; "everything is empty" means that after death, everything will be free of worries. But then the meaning of the second sentence changed: "But I am sad that I have not seen the unity of the country" (explanation: I am just sad that I have not seen the reunification of the country). There is only one thing that I can't let go of, that is, the lost country has not yet been recovered, and I have not seen the motherland with my own eyes. unified.

The third line of the poem "Wang Shibei set the Central Plains Day" (interpretation: the day when the Song Dynasty army regained the lost land in the Central Plains) shows that although the poet is sad, he is not desperate. He firmly believed that one day the Song Dynasty's army would be able to pacify the Central Plains and regain the lost territory. With this sentence, the mood of the poem changes from sadness to excitement.

In conclusion, "There is no hope of suing Naiweng for family sacrifices" (interpretation: Don't forget to tell me when you hold family sacrifices), the mood changed again, but I was helpless that I could no longer see the reunification of the motherland while I was alive. One day, I had to place my hope on future generations. So I told my son affectionately not to forget to tell him the good news of "Beiding Central Plains" during family sacrifices.

This poem is Lu You's last work. When he was dying, he still could not forget the territory and people of the Central Plains occupied by the Jurchen nobles, and eagerly looked forward to the reunification of the motherland. Therefore, he specially wrote this poem as a will to earnestly warn his son. From here we can understand how persistent, deep, warm and sincere the poet's patriotic passion is!

No wonder that since the Southern Song Dynasty, everyone who has read this poem has been moved by it. Especially when foreign enemies invade or the motherland is divided, it has aroused countless people's screams.

This poem uses twists and turns to express the poet's complex thoughts and emotions when he was dying, including the endless resentment that the great cause of fighting against Jin Dynasty was not achieved, and the firm belief that the sacred cause will be successful. The whole poem has elements of sadness, but the tone is passionate. The language of the poem is natural, without the slightest refinement. It is all a natural expression of true feelings, but it is more beautiful and touching than a poem that is deliberately crafted.

Baidu Encyclopedia - Shi'er (Poetry by Lu You in Song Dynasty)