Essential Ancient Chinese Poems for Middle School Students: Recommended by the Ministry of Education's New Curriculum Standards for Chinese Language

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Publishing Time: 2004-01-01
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"Su Shi's 'Shui Diao Ge Tou'"
On the Mid-Autumn Festival of Bing Chen, I drank until dawn.
Intoxicated, I composed this poem, also missing Ziyou.
How often does the bright moon appear?
I raise my cup and ask the blue sky.
I do not know what year it is in the celestial palace tonight.
I wish to ride the wind back to my homeland,
Yet I fear the jade towers and jade palaces,
Too cold at high altitudes.
Dancing under the clear shadow,
How can it compare to being in the human world!
Turning the red pavilion,
Lowering the elegant door,
It illuminates the sleepless night.
It should not have grievances,
Why must the full moon always appear at parting times?
People have joys and sorrows, separations and reunions,
The moon has its dark and bright phases,
This has always been incomplete in ancient times.
But may we live long,
A thousand miles apart, sharing the bright moon.
[Notes]
① "Shui Diao Ge Tou": A poetic form name. "Shui Diao" was a large-scale dance tune in the Tang Dynasty, with "Ge Tou" meaning the head of the tune. The poetic form "Shui Diao Ge Tou" was created by taking the head of the Tang Dynasty's "Shui Diao" dance tune and forming a new melody, hence the name.
② Bing Chen: A sexagenary cycle year, corresponding to the ninth year of Emperor Shenzong's Xining era (1076) in the Song Dynasty. At that time, Su Shi was in Mi County.
③ Reaching dawn: Until the day breaks.
④ Ziyou: Refers to Su Shi's younger brother Su Zhe. Su Zhe, styled Ziyou.
⑤ Jade towers and jade palaces: White jade-like high towers and palaces, referring to the moon palace.
⑥ Lowering: Shining down under the moonlight.
⑦ Long toward: Sometimes written as "inclined toward."
⑧ Chánjiān: Meaning beautiful in color, here referring to the moonlight.
[Explanation]
Su Shi's poem was written on the Mid-Autumn Festival. At that time, he was in Mi County and politically extremely disgraced, with seven years having passed since he last met his younger brother Su Zhe. His mood was deeply depressed. This poem expresses his concern for the court and his longing for his brother. The entire poem has a whimsical and unrestrained tone, a robust style, and reflects his desire for fantasy while still loving the mortal world, his sorrow for separation yet his acceptance of fate, revealing his transcendence of worldly thoughts and his love for human life. It is a famous piece in ancient poetry. Especially the lines "But may we live long, a thousand miles apart, sharing the bright moon" reveal people's hope for family reunion and sharing in joy. They are expressed clearly and beautifully, hence earning the heartfelt admiration of countless readers throughout history.
"Lu You's 'You Shan Xian'"
Do not laugh at the muddled New Year's wine of the farmer,
In a bountiful year, there is enough chicken and pork to entertain guests.
Mountains and rivers alternate, making one doubt if there is a path,
Willows are shaded, flowers are bright, and another village appears.
The flute and drum follow the spring sacrifice,
Simple attire preserves the ancient customs.
If from now on I may leisurely ride the moon,
With a cane, I will knock on the door at night without fail.
[Notes]
① You Shan Xian: Located in the area around Jianhu Lake in Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province.
② New Year's wine: Brewed in the twelfth lunar month.
③ Chicken and pork: Originally referring to chicken and pork, here generalizing to dishes.
④ Spring sacrifice: The day after the spring equinox to worship the earth and grain gods.
⑤ Leisurely ride the moon: Strolling under the moonlight.
⑥ Without fail: At any moment.
[Explanation]
Lu You (1125–12lO), styled Wuguan, styled Fangweng, from Shanyin (now Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province), was a famous patriotic poet and lyricist of the Southern Song Dynasty. He wrote works such as "Weinan Collection" and "Jianan Poetry Collection." His poetry inherited the fine traditions of Qu Yuan, Tao Yuanming, Du Fu, and Su Shi, with many expressing patriotic aspirations and a heroic and unrestrained style. This poem was written when the author was living leisurely in Shanyin and visited a farmer in You Shan Xian. The first couplet depicts the joyous scene of a Jiangnan farmer holding a banquet for guests after a bountiful harvest; the second couplet portrays the beautiful scenery of You Shan Xian, with mountains and rivers alternating and willows and flowers shining; the third couplet shifts from depicting the scenery to describing the kind and simple customs of the people; the last couplet shows the poet's attachment to You Shan Xian. The entire poem blends scenery with emotion, with natural scenery and sincere sentiment. Especially the couplet "Mountains and rivers alternate, making one doubt if there is a path, willows are shaded, flowers are bright, and another village appears" is full of philosophy and is deeply thought-provoking, becoming a famous line passed down through the ages.
"Xin Qiji's 'Pozhen Zi'"
In drunkenness, I pick up a lamp to look at swords,
Returning from a dream, the horns sound across the camps.
Dividing the land into eight hundred miles, the generals' meat is roasted,
Fifty strings play the sound of the frontier.
The autumn battlefield is marked.
Horses like the Dulu are swift,
Arrows like thunder, strings shocking.
To fulfill the king's duty and achieve a name before and after death,
Alas, only white hair remains.
[Notes]
① Chen Tongfu: Chen Liang (1143–1194), styled Tongfu, a famous patriotic scholar and poet of the Southern Song Dynasty.
② Eight hundred miles: Refers to a cow, see "Shishuo Xinyu · Tai Xi." Generals' subordinates. Roasted meat.
③ Fifty strings: Refers to the se. Playing: Playing.
④ Dulu: A type of spirited and fast horse.
⑤ Alas: Regrettably.
[Explanation]
Xin Qiji (1140–1274), styled You'an, styled Jiaxuan, from Licheng (now Jinan City, Shandong Province), was a famous patriotic lyricist of the Southern Song Dynasty. He wrote "Jiaxuan Short and Long Verses," with over 600 surviving lyrics. His lyrics cover a wide range of themes, with profound meaning and a heroic style. This lyric is titled "A Heroic Poem," depicting the poet's past life in the heroic and tense camp life of the resistance forces, expressing his frustration after retirement and his unfulfilled ambitions. The upper and lower sections are seamlessly integrated, from "picking up a lamp to look at swords," to camping and picnicking in the wild, to marking troops on the battlefield, to galloping across the plains, and finally achieving glory. Layer upon layer, it flows smoothly. The final line "Alas, only white hair remains" returns from the past to the present, lamenting his advanced age and his inability to return to the battlefield. The entire lyric has a high tone and a magnificent momentum, with a unique composition.
"Wen Tianxiang's 'Guo Lingding Yang'"
Through hardships, I rose to fame by mastering one classic,
Four years of warfare have fallen into desolation.
Mountains and rivers are broken like drifting fluff,
My life is like floating reeds beaten by rain.
At the Hongkong Beach, I spoke of Hongkong,
In the Lingding Ocean, I sighed at Lingding.
Since ancient times, who has not died?
Keep the red heart to illuminate the annals.
Keep the red heart to illuminate the annals.
[Notes]
① Lingding Ocean: A sea name, located outside the Pearl River estuary in Guangdong Province.
② Rising through one classic: Raising to fame by mastering one classic. Classic: A classic text.
③ Four years: Four years.
④ Hongkong Beach: A dangerous shoal in the Ganjiang River, located in Wannian County, Jiangxi Province.
⑤ Annals: Refers to historical records. In ancient times, bamboo slips were used for writing, and the bamboo green was roasted to make sweat, making them dry and easy to write on and free from insect damage.
[Explanation]
Wen Tianxiang (1236–1283), styled Luchang, styled Songrui, styled Wenshan, from Luling, Jizhou (now Jiujiang City, Jiangxi Province), was a famous minister and poet of the Southern Song Dynasty who resisted the Yuan. He wrote "Complete Collection of Mr. Wenshan." His poems often express a noble spirit of unwavering courage and are deeply moving. This poem was written when the author was captured and passed through the Lingding Ocean. The first couplet narrates his life and the experience of resisting the Yuan forces; the second couplet uses two metaphors to link his ups and downs with the rise and fall of the nation; the third couplet cleverly uses two place names to narrate his two failures; the last couplet expresses his unwavering belief in upholding justice and dying without yielding, becoming a famous line that illuminates the ages. The entire poem is concise in language, majestic in momentum, tragic in tone, and deeply moving.