The word "want" in "apply for it to win it over" means accusation.
Source: Li Sao by Qu Yuan in Pre-Qin Dynasty
Although I am good at trimming my hair, I am embarrassed by it and I am eager to change it.
This is both a pity for Yu and a petition for it.
For the ideal cherished in my heart, I will not regret it a thousand times.
Interpretation of vernacular:
Although I like cleaning and am strict with myself, I was fired sooner or later.
They attacked me for wearing wormwood and accused me of collecting Isatis indigotica.
This is what I pursue in my heart, and I won't regret it even if I die many times.
Extended data creation background:
Qu Yuan is rich in knowledge and has lofty ideals. He advocated amending the law internally and employing people externally. The die-hards in the aristocratic group of Chu constantly attacked and excluded Qu Yuan, making it impossible to realize his political ideal of fighting for it all his life. He used poetry to pour out his sad thoughts and lingering emotions.
As for the creation background of Li Sao, one of the focuses of debate is whether Li Sao was written when Qu Yuan was alienated by Chu Huaiwang or when Qu Yuan was exiled. According to Records of Historical Records and Biographies of Qu Yuan, the young and promising Qu Yuan was slandered by his colleague Shangguan Doctor and was alienated by Chu Huaiwang. He wrote Li Sao with sadness and meditation. The preface to Historical Records Taishi Gong said: "Qu Yuan was demoted and wrote Li Sao." It is also said in Baoren An Shu: "Qu Yuan was exiled, but he was endowed with Li Sao." Sima Qian's account of the same incident is obviously contradictory.
Due to the lack of reliable historical materials, finding evidence from Lisao itself is a good way to solve this problem. There is such a line in the poem: "If we are different, I will die far away." Self-neglect refers to a positive attitude, not being released. Others suspect that it was written after Qu Yuan was exiled, because there is a sentence in the poem "Qu Yuan and Zheng Xi in southern Hunan", but this is not credible. Because the second half of Li Sao is full of travel in the poet's imagination, it is not true to "send a message to the south of Hunan".
In a word, The Biography of Qu Yuan in Historical Records is credible, that is, Li Sao was written by Qu Yuan when he was alienated by Chu Huaiwang, and it was a political lyric poem written by Qu Yuan according to the political reality of Chu State and his own grievances. However, The Preface of Historical Records Taishi Gong and To Ren An Shu are lyrical words, or they may be disloyal to historical facts when writing.