Classical Poetry Selection -- Poems on Missing Family

Author: Fei Zenggang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-04-01
Features: Emotions are universal, but poetry that expresses emotions is not something everyone can write. Throughout a person's life journey, fathers, mothers, siblings, husbands, wives, and children often accompany them, sharing the joys and sorrows of life, facing its storms and sunshine together, and building the foundation of their dreams and careers. The selected poems in "Poems of Cherishing Family" express the thoughts and emotions that arise among parents and children, siblings, and spouses as they endure these experiences together. The love expressed in these poems, especially the love between parents and children and between spouses, is the most natural and fundamental expression of human nature. It forms one of the enduring themes in literature. Since the "Book of Songs" over two thousand years ago, the tradition of poems expressing family love has flowed through China, moving the hearts of generations with its purity and sanctity. Reading these poems immerses one in the warmth of love and purifies the soul. At the same time, we should recognize that when poets express their feelings for their loved ones, they also reflect their thoughts on society. In these poems, we see poets exposing and critiquing unjust social realities, showing concern for the fate of the nation and the suffering of the people. The greater the poet, the more they can blend the expression of familial love with reflections on social issues, demonstrating their broad-mindedness and lofty emotions. I believe this is one of the significant characteristics of ancient Chinese poems of cherishing family. However, it must be acknowledged that due to the long-standing influence of feudal ideology, even the most outstanding poets could not avoid expressing certain teachings of feudal moral ethics in their works, which clash with today's social realities and people's thoughts and emotions. This is something to be mindful of when reading these works.