From the highest to the moon of tomorrow, from the closest to the farthest, husbands and wives

This post was last edited by yinkuilin6868 on 2016-7-8 15:46. Li Ye: a female poet and Taoist priestess from the Tang Dynasty. Zi Jilan was from Wucheng (present-day Wuxing, Zhejiang). He interacted with Lu Yu, Liu Changqing, Jiaoran, and others. Was once summoned to the palace. Later, due to the poem written by the rebel general Zhu Ci, he was killed by Emperor Dezong. More than a dozen of her poems have survived to this day; most of them were written as gifts or to express her feelings. Later generations compiled her poems along with those of Xue Tao into two volumes titled \"The Collection of Poems by Xue Tao and Li Ye\". This poem has a profound philosophical meaning. Since the initial character “Zhi” appears eight times in the poem, it is titled “Eight Zhis,” which is quite unique among literati poems. This poem covers everything from distant and near places, east and west, to shallow and deep streams; it then moves on to the high heavens and the sun and moon, and finally to spouses who are close or distant to each other, expressing all the helplessness and despair inherent in life. The entire poem consists of twenty-four characters, yet it depicts the cycle of life from its peak to its decline, revealing the truth of existence. The first sentence, “From nearest to farthest, east and west,” expresses a simple yet profound truth. East and west are two relative directions; every location on Earth, except at the North and South Poles, has these two directions. If two objects are not oriented north-south, they must differ in east-west direction. Therefore, when it comes to “things,” if the distance is short, it can be zero; this is what is meant by “extremely close.” If two objects moving east-west are in opposite directions, or even at infinity, they still remain one in the east and one in the west; thus, the term “east and west” can refer to great distances, even to the ‘farthest’ possible distances. This unity of “closest and farthest” in “east and west” is common sense, yet it possesses profound dialectics. “\"From the deepest to the shallowest streams,\" streams are different from rivers, lakes, and seas; one can see the bottom of the water at a glance. \"Shallowness\" is a reality, and it is one of the characteristics that define a stream. Yet, it gives the illusion of being deep, especially in streams with slow currents that are almost like clear ponds; these streams can reflect clouds and birds, as well as the stars and moon, creating a blend of light from above and below, making it difficult to determine their depth – hence they can also be considered deep. While the previous sentence discusses the principle of the relative proximity or distance of things, this one addresses the contradictory unity between phenomenon and essence, which falls under different categories of dialectics. At the same time, logically, this sentence makes it easier to associate it with human nature and social realities. In general, these two lines serve as a poetic device that adds emphasis to the final line of the entire poem. ““To the highest point, to the moon of tomorrow,” for those who observe from a distance can see more clearly; being in a higher position allows one to see further and understand things more plainly. The sun and moon are too high to measure ； Out of reach – it’s a simple truth. This third sentence is perhaps the most superficial. “\"Height\" depends on the relative distance between the celestial body and Earth, and the Sun and Moon are not the same. “\"Brightness\" refers to the intensity of light emitted by celestial bodies; the moon relies on the light from the sun, so the two are quite different. However, the idea of the sun and moon shining together is a human perception, while their appearance side by side is an established convention; using this in poetry is also impeccable. This casually uttered sentence also has its merits in terms of the structure of the entire poem. Too many aphorisms can make it difficult for readers to understand, which is not necessarily a good thing. Interposing an ordinary sentence between the aphorisms serves to relieve mental strain, enabling a renewed focus that adds color to the entire poem. The poet wrote this line presumably to lead in to the next one. Although the first three sentences fall under three different categories, they relate to the dialectics of physics; only the last sentence deals specifically with human relationships, and it constitutes the core of the entire poem – \"those who are closest as well as those who are farthest apart, husbands and wives.\" Since spouses are not blood relatives, when together they form one entity, but when separated they become strangers to one another; in some cases, they even avoid contact throughout their lives. Some contemporary scholars attempt to classify relationships based on people’s spatial needs. And a “spousal relationship” falls within the category of “intimate spaces,” especially during times of affection and romance. From a physical and interest-based perspective, spouses are the ones who are closest to each other in the world; therefore, indeed, there are no closer \"relatives\" than spouses. However, things in the world are often complex; while deep affection between spouses does exist, there are also many couples who live together but have different thoughts and goals. Even between spouses, there is privacy, conflicts, and cases of falling out with each other. As the saying goes, \"The deeper the love, the deeper the hate.\" The psychological distance between spouses who do not love each other is the hardest to bridge, which is why their relationship becomes extremely distant. In feudal society, due to the principle that the husband was the head of the family, the unequal status of men and women led to disharmonious relationships between spouses ； Parents’ orders and matchmakers’ suggestions lead to marriages without love, and a woman’s fate is often tragic. These are the social roots of what is known as \"extreme estrangement\". If the first two lines of the poem are remarkable for their philosophical depth and poetic charm, then the beauty of the final line lies in its critical portrayal of human nature, which is extremely sharp and incisive. Unlike ordinary poems that emphasize a structured progression of elements such as introduction, development, transition, and conclusion, this poem uses simple language; it is as plain and straightforward as the poems of Wang Fanzhi, a Buddhist poet from the Tang dynasty, yet it possesses a remarkable beauty hidden within its simplicity. The first three lines of the poem serve as a preamble; they exist to set the stage for the last line. Layers of clouds over the peaks; it is only after the first three lines that the peaks are depicted in the final line. “The phrase \"from closest relatives to strangers, even spouses\" carries a sense of having experienced much in life; it is far more profound than ordinary love poems and expressions, and can be considered an ultimate truth about love. Husbands and wives can vow to face life and death together, or they can become mortal enemies. There are complex feelings of love and hate involved, along with many reflections; ordinary young girls cannot express them, as one must have experienced much in life before they can offer guidance. Perhaps it was by seeing through all this that Li Ye preferred to indulge his emotions. Therefore, even after a thousand years, it still resonates with people.