Ma Zhiyuan's poems

Appreciation of Ma Zhiyuan's "Tian Jing Sha·Autumn Thoughts"

Withered vines and old trees, dim crows, small bridges and flowing water, people's homes,

Westerly wind and thin horses on the ancient road. The sun sets in the west, and the heartbroken people are at the end of the world.

Ma Zhiyuan (about 1250-1324) was born in Dadu (now Beijing). When he was young, he was keen on fame, but his official career was not satisfactory, and he later lived in seclusion in Hangzhou. He worked in Zaju, and together with Guan Hanqing, Bai Renfu and Zheng Guangzu, he was known as the four masters of Yuan opera. Representative works include "Lü Dongbin Three Drunks in Yueyang Tower", "Autumn in the Han Palace", etc. His Sanqu is heroic and elegant, and he is praised as "the first among the Yuan people". This song "Heaven Pure Sand." "Autumn Thoughts" is the most famous. "Central Plains Phonology" by Deqing of Yuan Dynasty. "Xiao Ling Ding Ge" said this song is "the ancestor of Qiu Si". Wang Guowei's "Human Words" commented: "Liao Liao's poems are deeply in the wonderful realm of quatrains of the Tang Dynasty. None of the poets of the Yuan Dynasty could do this." "Gu Quhuo Tan" also praised him for "straightforward the present and the past" , "People in the Ming Dynasty loved to imitate this piece of music, but it never felt so natural, so I thought it was unattainable."

The title of this piece of music is "Autumn Thoughts", and it is a sad work about autumn. . It is an ancient tradition in the Chinese literary world that Qiushi is susceptible to illness. It has continued since Qu Yuan's "Li Sao" until now. "Le Ji" says: "When the human heart moves, things make it happen." It means that external objects make people's inner feelings move. So what is it that can make external objects move? "Poetry" says: "Qi is an animal, and things are touching, so it shakes the temperament and forms various dances and chants." He believes that this kind of thing that can make things move and move your heart is 'qi'. So what is anger? The ancients believed that there are two qi, Yin and Yang, in the universe, and it is their movement that creates everything in the world and the four seasons of dawn and dusk. For example: Yang Qi is strongest in summer, so the vegetation is lush. But when it reaches its peak, it begins to decline, and the Yin Qi gradually grows, slowly arriving in autumn and winter. In autumn and winter, the Yin Qi is the strongest, so the vegetation declines. When the yin reaches its extreme, it turns into yang. When yang is born, all things grow, so a hundred flowers bloom in spring. Because the four seasons are warm and cold, the natural scenery is also different, and people's hearts are moved by these changes. The sprouting of vegetation in spring reminds people of beauty, so it arouses a liking for it. The dying of vegetation in autumn is reminiscent of aging and the end of life. Therefore it makes people feel sad and sad. In "Li Sao", Qu Yuan sighed: "The sun and the moon are suddenly not flooded, and spring and autumn are the order of the times. But the scattered vegetation is afraid of the beauty's twilight." Song Yu said in "Nine Bian": "It's sad, the autumn Because of anger! The grass and trees are swaying and decaying..." Lu Ji's "Wen Fu" says: "Sadness comes from falling leaves in autumn, and joy from spring." Although they are in different times, their lives are different. The thoughts and feelings are the same.

Looking at his scenery again: "It's dusk again, and the day is coming to an end. The setting sun hangs on the top of the mountain as if it's about to set, and I reluctantly complete the day's mission. The scenery in front of me is really desolate, The vine is a withered vine, no longer alive. The tree is a thousand-year-old tree, and the rustling west wind is blowing it towards the old road. The horse is a weak and thin horse, facing the people at the end of the world. How can such a bleak scenery make me sad? Look at the small bridge, the flowing water, and the people. They are so peaceful and warm, but my hometown and relatives are still so far away from me. Okay? The weather is getting colder. Have they bought a quilt? If all this is so worrying, why don't I go back earlier? Is the so-called fame close to me? How long is the road to the capital? I am so confused in such a twilight, and in such a bleak season. Should I continue to pursue fame? Or should I serve my elderly parents? I can only wander on the long ancient road with sadness... "Such a desolate scenery makes people look sad. In addition, the tranquility and warmth of the small bridge, flowing water, and people's homes serve as contrasts, making the melancholy more profound and the sadness even more poignant. This is the beauty of describing scenery!

Look at his word choice again: "Withered, old, faint, ancient, thin. The next word makes me feel very sad, and I can no longer write it into a sentence. As for the finished article, it can make people burst into tears. The most amazing thing. The clever thing about the word "thin" placed before the horse is that it describes the thinness of the person but not the person. The thinness of the horse brings out the thinness of the person and the hardship of the person's journey in pursuit of fame. Poverty. People feel the pain even more when they read it, and they feel their heart even more when they sing it.