There is an ancient poem about the preferences of nobles and farmers for the weather (dry season). Who knows?

Li Yue

Mulberry leaves and leafless smoke come from the soil, and flute pipes welcome Longshui Temple.

Watching songs and dances in Zhumen, I am afraid that the spring sounds will swallow the strings.

This poem is about watching and praying for rain. Through the comparison of two different life scenes and different thoughts and feelings on the day of drought, the sharp class contradictions in feudal society are deeply exposed. The famous folk song "The Sun Burning Like Fire" in Water Margin is very close to this poem in theme and technique, but they are also different. The language of folk songs is lively and pungent, and the way of comparison is straightforward; The language of this poem is subtle and tortuous, and the contrast is euphemistic.

The first sentence is drought, which is the reason for praying for rain. The ballad "Water Margin" is about summer drought, so "the scorching sun is scorching, and the wild rice in Tian He is half burnt". This poem firmly grasps the characteristics of spring drought. "Mulberry without leaves" refers to the destruction of sericulture by spring drought, and "primary smoke" refers to the serious impact of spring drought on agriculture. Because all the crops are dead, you can only see "dirt"; There are no leaves on the tree, only strips can be seen. So the first sentence describing the drought is vivid and true. Longwang Temple is an ancient place to pray for rain. Bai Juyi once described the scene of praying for the blessing of the dragon god: "The village said that dragons did it because of floods and beasts, droughts and diseases. At home, dolphins pour sake and they pray to compete with witches at night. " (Black Dragon Pool) The so-called "race" is a ceremony to greet dragons and entertain gods. The second sentence of this poem, "Xiao Guan Ying Long", is just such a game scene. In the flute, people perform all kinds of entertainment programs, which looks really lively. However, people who pray for rain just smile, but they are very anxious inside. Although it is not clear here that "the farmer's heart is like soup", the meaning is all there. Compared with cheerful folk songs, this poem shows implicit characteristics.

The last two sentences of the poem are suddenly put aside, and writing another scene seems to be off topic, but in fact it is intrinsically related to the topic. If the first two sentences are about "watching and praying for rain", the last two sentences can be said to be feelings of watching and praying for rain. Before and after the two scenes, form a set of contrast. In front of the water temple are countless little people, who follow the flute and meet the dragon god; There are also several big families enjoying orchestral music and dancing. One side is afraid that it won't rain; On the one hand, it is "still afraid of spring sounds." Fear of not raining is due to the livelihood problem of life and death: "I am still afraid of the sound of spring", but I am afraid that the silk and bamboo are wet and hoarse. In this way, one side is deeply worried and unhappy, and the other side is carefree and carefree. The subtext of this contrast can be said to be: the world is so uneven ... Although the author has explained this, it still gives readers a broad association space. The contrast of this poem is not as clear as "the farmer's heart is like soup, and the prince and grandson shake it". Therefore, its satire is more tortuous and euphemistic, and more intriguing.