Liu Xie, a famous literary critic in China's Southern and Northern Dynasties, commented: "At the beginning of Jian 'an, five words went up into the sky, and Wen Di wanted to win the festival, and Wang Xu wanted to win Liu, looking for the road and fighting for it; And pity the wind and moon, pay homage to the pool garden, describe elegance and elegance, tell a hearty banquet, generous, upright and brilliant; "It's one thing to put forward a point of view, not to seek subtle cleverness, to drive away words and appearances, but to make it clear." (1) From this perspective, "generosity" and "willingness" are the common style characteristics of Jian 'an literati. Zhong Rong's evaluation of Cao Zhi's poems in Shi Pin mainly means that this kind of "generosity" and "backbone" is particularly prominent in Cao Zhi's poems. The "generosity" and "backbone" of his poems are embodied in:
(1) The "worry about life" that draws lessons from mistakes and sympathizes with people's livelihood. Jian 'an writers were born in troubled times and suffered from displacement. They have either spent half their lives in the army, or they have experienced hardships, and they have a lot of feelings about life and profound experiences. Therefore, feeling uneasy and sympathizing with the people's suffering has become the same content in Jian 'an's poem The Voice of Generosity. Cao Zhi was born in troubled times and grew up in the army. He also fought with his father in the south and the north. Until the ninth year of Jian 'an, Cao Cao destroyed his greatest enemy, Yuan Shao, and occupied Yecheng as a base. Cao Zhicai leads a stable and comfortable life. It can be said that Cao Zhi knew something about the chaotic reality at that time. Farewell to Shi Ying is a masterpiece of the poet's sense of time and disorder. This poem depicts the profound disaster brought by war to society and people, and expresses the poet's deep sympathy.
"Worrying about life" is manifested as worrying about life and lamenting inner bitterness: "If the wind blows the dust suddenly in this life" (Journey to the Land), "If you live in this life, there will be hope in the morning and evening" (Wang Biao for a white horse). Like most Jian 'an poets, Cao Zhi hopes to realize the value of life by making contributions, and the short life like "morning dew", especially the strong contrast between ideal and reality, always torments the poet's sensitive mind and stimulates the poet's pursuit of fame. After experiencing the hardships of life, the poet fell into deep depression, sadness, fear and resentment. Especially after Cao Cao's death in the 25th year of Jian 'an, Cao Zhi has been attacked and persecuted by Cao Pi and his son. Cao Zhi always feels that he is "lighter than a feather, and slander is more important than Mount Tai" (Huang Chu's six-year order), and he is always on tenterhooks and worried about his life. The great change of life situation directly affects the poet's creative style. Cao Zhi's poetry has also developed from optimism, openness and elegance in the early stage to deep Tibetan music and grief and indignation in the later stage. However, the "generous" and "arrogant" styles have always been full of aggression.
In Cao Zhi's later poems, metaphor is used more, which indirectly and vividly expresses his inner anguish and indignation, so it is obscure and profound. For example, in Xu Jie, a flying canopy is used to describe a person's wandering life, and in Seven Steps Poetry, a bean basket is used to describe cannibalism. Both "Planting Ge Nan Xia Shan" and "Pulling Clothes in the Boudoir" are allegories in the tone of hating and missing women, expressing their resentment, anger and helplessness. "Lonely soul old city, Lingshu sent the capital. Those who survived suddenly recovered, died and failed "("Give the White Horse to Wang Biao "). In the face of cannibalism, where will you go? The poet is sad, afraid and angry, and the flood of feelings rushes up like a fountain. "I don't care about the stones, which makes my heart sad." "Can you fall in love in a hurry without suffering?" (White Horse Wang Biao) The difficult experience and complicated mentality add to the gloom of this poem. Therefore, Cao Zhi's later poems are more about "worrying about life" and resentment.
(2) The "generous voice" of making contributions and persistent pursuit. Years of war have brought social chaos and the general demand for political thinking. "Making meritorious deeds worthy of the world, keeping the merit of the stone" has become "the life goal that the literati of that era dreamed of" (3), and Cao Zhi's pursuit of fame and profit is even more serious. Cao Zhi has been your father all his life, caring for the country and the people, and he is ambitious-Loyal to Serve the Country and Benefit the People (with Yang Dezu); Because Cao Zhi was influenced by his father Cao Cao since he was a child, he made a big wish that "the emperor will help ascend to heaven, and there will be no more soldiers in the four seas" ("Give RoyceWong to Rockett"). Although Cao Zhi is outstanding in literature, he is not willing to be just a writer. "His first wish is to make political achievements and establish a' great cause of governing the country'. Secondly, he made some achievements in theory, and finally became a writer, "taking calligraphy as merit and words as a gentleman" (4). Therefore, it is an important content of Cao Zhi's early poems to talk about the poet's lofty ideals of making contributions. White Horse Piece is Cao Zhi's early masterpiece. The poem depicts a young ranger with heroic spirit, superb martial arts and death. In this ideal figure, the poet's ambition of "making meritorious service to serve the country" (Guo Maoqian's Yuefu Poetry, Volume 63) is poured into his poem, which is full of heroism. After reading the whole poem and hiding your thoughts, do you have an awe-inspiring intuitive feeling? Do you feel a strong patriotic passion that inspires people to make continuous progress? " The style of writing is mainly qi, clear and muddy "(Cao Pi's Classic Papers). The "Qi" surging in Cao Zhi's early poems is this kind of masculinity, awe-inspiring righteousness, and his "generosity" is positive, radiant and high-spirited, which constitutes the "backbone" of Cao Zhi's poems. The "Jian 'an Style" advocated by later generations refers to this spirit.
"Cao Zhi's poems in his later period were cultivated by his painful life, so he was more generous." (5) Despite repeated persecution, Cao Zhi did not lose heart, and his lofty ideal of "making contributions through the ages and leaving his name in the world" (sharing a book with Yang Dezu) never changed; Although worried and cynical, there are also "more generous voices" and "extremely high emotions". The poem that best represents his life's ideal career is his Yuefu poem "Autumn Record", which was written during Ming Taizu's reign: "I tried to show my diligence, but I lost to a wise king. With this Wang Zuocai, he is generous and unique. " "Confucius deleted poetry books and Wang divided poetry books." I am a fool, covered with flowers. "At that time, Cao Zhi people went through various life changes when they reached middle age. He changed from a handsome son to a sullen governor. Therefore, the ideological pursuit expressed in the poem can especially reflect the poet's lifelong philosophy of "being healthy and constantly striving for self-improvement". At the same time, it fully shows Cao Zhi's ambition of assisting Mingjun and establishing achievements to realize the realm of "Three Immortals". Despite his worries, Cao Zhi's pursuit of fame is persistent. He inherited Qu Yuan's persistent spirit of adhering to his ideals, being loyal to his heart and dying. " ..... But Wang Chenzhi became flesh and blood, and his sincere love not only sympathized with the death of the Han Dynasty, but also hurt the chaos of the Wei Dynasty. He felt things and pointed to them, and he wanted to swallow them again. "(6) This is precisely the point.
In Cao Zhi's later poems, when he poured out his anguish and anger that his ambition could not be rewarded, he also ran through the anger of "generosity without group". "May light economy, pity zai no cabinet! Seclusion is not my ambition, I am willing to go to the national disaster. " ("Miscellaneous Poems") reveals a sad charm that you know you can't do it, and shapes a sad and tragic "backbone". As people have commented, "(Zhi) is not decadent under oppression, does not give up the ideal of heroic career, and is always generous, so his poems are full of strong feelings, full of vigor and high backbone." (7)
Second, adopt Hua Mao with affection and latitude.
Cao Zhi has profound classical literature accomplishment and progressive literary concept. "There must be cola in the streets and alleys, and the songs that hit the iron shaft should be elegant, and the thoughts of ordinary people should not be easily abandoned." (Book and Yang Dezu). It was Cao Zhi who developed the plain Yuefu folk song into a five-character poem, written by a scholar who adopted Hua Mao. Mainly manifested in:
(1) From narration to lyricism, the theme of five-character poems has been expanded. Yuefu folk songs are good at narration. Jian 'an poets inherited their narrative-oriented characteristics, and at the same time they were lyrical, which was particularly prominent in Cao Zhi's poems.
First of all, Cao Zhi's poems are distinctive and lyrical. No matter what you write, readers can see the poet's unique image-the lyric hero "I". His early poems "White Horse" and "Exposed Story" expressed his lofty sentiments and made people feel excited, cheerful and confident. His Seven Wounded Poems and Beauty Essays describe his resentment and abandonment of his wife, which makes people appreciate his inner anguish and sorrow. Wang Biao, the Prince Charming, and Fu Liangxing on Mount Tai, which expose the reality and resist persecution, make people feel his anguish, anxiety, resentment and resentment. His later poems are particularly emotional, some sad and touching, and some passionate. It is precisely because he is "interested in writing" that he consciously creates poems, thus greatly enhancing the touching power of literati's five-character poems.
Secondly, Cao Zhi expanded the scope of five-character poems, and more fully expressed the poet's complex feelings of love and hate. For example, the theme of "looking for a husband and thinking about a woman" is the same, and "Miscellaneous Poems" (slightly cloudy and sunny scenery) starts from something, which evokes the poet's association with her husband and dissatisfied men and women who have not returned for many years, and then directly expresses their feelings; Miscellaneous Poems (There is a Weaver Girl in the Northwest) creates an image of a homesick woman who is always full of troubles. Through delicate carving, it conveys the tenderness, chaotic mind and endless loneliness and sadness of the homesick woman Gracford. "There is a Wan Li Guest at the Door" uses extensive lines to outline the pattern of finding a husband that a servant can't live in peace. Due to the author's long-term relocation, hard life, emotional unity and emotional integration with her husband, the poet no longer uses metaphors to express her husband's anger and resentment, but directly uses refined and personalized language, thus showing the poet's hidden resistance.
(2) "From simplicity to beauty" makes the five-character poems and words rich and colorful, and their quality is commensurate. The language of folk songs in Han Yuefu is simple and straightforward, and most of the works of Jian 'an poets are like this. Cao Zhi's poetry, on the basis of maintaining its simple and natural characteristics, has processed and refined the language, which makes his poetry present the characteristics of refined language and gorgeous words.
Cao Zhi's poems pay attention to the choice of words, refined words and melody, and "express complex thoughts and feelings in the most refined and wonderful language". "I flew more than a hundred feet, and I was near the Imperial Wood Pavilion, looking at Zhou from a distance and seeing the plain sooner or later." (miscellaneous poems). The passionate and heroic language shows the poet's tragic spirit. "Everyone abandons the old love, so you can't live." Send pine as a female radish and treat people like duckweed. "(Boudoir Love), whispering softly, pouring out one's inner sadness." The moon is clear and the scenery is clear, and the line is uneven. Qiu Lan was occupied by Nagano, and Zhu Hua was occupied by green land. "("the poem of the public banquet "). Beautiful language depicts the gorgeous autumn colors of the West Garden, while the words "North" and "Mao" describe the colorful images to the extreme, which are both exquisite and not inferior to the Tang Dynasty.
Cao Zhi's poems also pay great attention to rhythm, which enhances the harmony of poetic language. For example, poems such as Wandering the North Coast, Sleeping in Xiaoxiang (Miscellaneous Poems), Lonely Soul Flying to Old Town, Coffin Sending to the Capital (Wang Biao as a White Horse) are flat and harmonious, with sonorous tones, which are palatable to read and tired to listen to, laying a solid foundation for the melody of five-character poems. In addition, Cao Zhi's poems often use double-rhyme polyphony, such as "Soft strips are full of Ran Ran, falling leaves are fluttering" ("Beauty") and "The bright moon shines on tall buildings, and the time is falling" ("Seven Sorrow"). It is the use of rhyming words such as "Ran Ran", "Dancing" and "Wandering" that makes Cao Zhi's poems harmonious and full of artistic conception.
(3) Pay attention to writing skills and enrich the artistic expression of five-character poems. Chen Siqi began to work (9). Cao Zhi's poems are good at inspiring the spirit, often highlighting and exaggerating the atmosphere in the first two sentences of a poem, so that readers can feel the poet's emotional tone from the beginning. This is due to Cao Zhi's efforts to exercise epigrams. For example, the opening sentence of "Journey to Noda's Yellowbird" uses "how much the tree hates Taiwan, and the sea waves" to render the sinister environment; "There are different atmospheres in all directions, and there are different storms thousands of miles away." The opening sentence of Fu Liangxing on Mount Tai describes the different climates in different places, which sets off the sufferings of coastal people and has the effect of grabbing voices.
Cao Zhi's poems also use a lot of writing skills such as metaphor, exaggeration, symbol and foil, which greatly enhances the artistic expression of literati's five-character poems.
To sum up, we think that Zhong Rong's evaluation of Cao Zhishi's "extremely high personality, words adopted by Huamao" is quite pertinent and appropriate. It is precisely because of this that Cao Zhicai is worthy of the reputation of "the first man in Jian 'an". In other words, it is precisely because of Cao Zhi and Yuefu's five-character poems that they really embarked on the road of elegance and showed the prosperity of poetry in the future.