There are 3 famous couplets in history, and no one has been able to come up with the next couplet so far
The ancients believed that meeting friends through poetry and reading poetry was a way for literati to exchange ideas and show their talents. History has also left some unique couplets, which have become the swan song of the ages, allowing future generations to reverie infinitely. In this article, we will trace three great couplet stories in detail, revealing the origins of these swan songs.
ii.The Loneliness, Indifference, and Emptiness of a Widow: The Widow's Swan Song.
In Chuzhou, there is a daughter of an official eunuch's family, known as Bai Jasmine, who is both talented and beautiful. White Jasmine was born with white wrists like snow and hair like clouds, writing poems and paintings, and being proficient in piano, chess, calligraphy and painting. She is arrogant by nature, very difficult and disgusting with suitors, and she refuses to marry the good son who trembles in the city, the good son who trembles, and the good son who trembles.
During a spring outing, Jasmine met the young Yu Tianze. They fell in love at first sight and soon got married. Jasmine married the handsome man she liked, and the two fell in love with each other and sang and danced together every day.
But the good times didn't last long, and Yu Tianze was killed by bandits on his way to work. When Bai Jasmine heard the news, she was very sad and washed her face with tears all day long. For a while, she lost hope in life and stayed alone in the house.
At this time, Bai Jasmine's best friend, childhood sweetheart Lin Ling'er, came to visit and encouraged her to cheer up. Lin Linger encouraged her to fight for her happiness and persuaded her to find another soulmate. After listening to Lin Ling'er's words, Bai Jasmine finally mustered up the courage to return to her old business and find another soulmate.
White Jasmine is not only sensitive and timid by nature, but also afraid that the world will laugh at her unhappiness, so she has an idea: she carved it on the glass of the bedroom window"Lonely windows are empty"Eight big characters, and said that as long as there is a person who has never met with talents, she can be worthy of the other half of the stake, she will remarry. This move really stirred up a thousand waves, and all the literati and artists flocked to exchange the next couplet for the heart of Bai Jasmine.
The door of Bai Jasmine's room was once full of talented people and scholars. They either use pen and inkstone to write couplets, or oral teaching, each showing their magical powers, witty words. However, the first half of White Jasmine's couplet is ingenious, and the second half is difficult to say right. A month later, the scribe who had come to write the couplet could not find the couplet, so he left in frustration.
Seeing this, Bai Jasmine's friend Lin Linger repeatedly persuaded Bai Jasmine to slander the groom and not to use couplets to elect the groom, so as not to be widowed for the rest of his life. Bai Jasmine shook her head and said that she could see a person's knowledge and feelings in eight characters, and she would never remarry in a daze. Lin Ling'er had no choice but to worry.
Three months have passed, and no one has yet been able to write the beautiful song "White Jasmine". How many talented and beautiful women have written such verses, but they still haven't been able to come up with the next couplet. The door of White Jasmine's house was already cold. Lin Linger saw Bai Jasmine's strong will, but she couldn't convince her, so she could only visit her occasionally and accompany her through her lonely time.
A year has passed, but no one can match the couplets of White Jasmine. Alone under the cold window, looking at the eight big characters on the glass, she fell into deep thought. Maybe I'm destined to be a widow for the rest of my life, she thought. Years of loneliness opened her eyes and made her realize that blindly striving for perfection is futile. I have lived for so many years, and I should be content.
This spring, Lin Linger came to visit Bai Jasmine again, and the two looked at each other and smiled, with an indescribable sweetness. White Jasmine thought: Maybe I am destined to guard this lonely window, to guard this widow's empty life. She smiled slightly, and the smile relaxed her.
iii.Lotus image: The monk's swan song.
During the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, the great writer Tang Bohu closed his pen and did not write. One day, with two glasses of wine, he decided to go to a nearby temple to rest and relieve his boredom. When he arrived at the temple, it was getting late, and Tang Bohu met a respected old Zen monk.
Tang Bohu reported his home, and the two sides hit it off at first sight. The Zen monk warmly invited Tang Bohu to live in the temple, and the two chatted until late at night. Tang Bohu saw that the Zen monk was knowledgeable and talked extraordinary, so he took out a pen and inkstone and wrote a farewell poem with the Zen monk.
They found some beautiful verses, and then they found even better verses, and every word in the next poem was a pearl. Tang Bohu was very happy and praised the Zen monk for his profound knowledge. Before leaving, he picked up a brush and drew a bamboo for the Zen monk with ink, and wrote on the bamboo"Draw a picture of a lotus monk"couplet. It was getting late, and Tang Bohu left in a hurry, leaving behind an unfinished couplet.
When he woke up the next day, the Zen monk admired the ink and bamboo painting, and remembered the height of Tang Bohu, and couldn't help but increase this regret. He was thinking about the artistic conception of the first sentence, when he suddenly came to inspiration and tried to write a few second sentences. But after trying a few times, he felt that the artistic conception was not good, and there was no taste of the first sentence.
After thinking about it, the Zen monk finally realized that the beauty of this poem cannot be compared. He hung the couplet in honor of the abbot. After that, this unfinished couplet spread, and many literati and writers came to visit the abbot, but they were unable to complete the next couplet.
One day, a young scholar came to the temple and copied an unfinished poem. When he returned to his study, he pondered the meaning of the couplet and felt that he could come up with the next couplet. The young scholar spent the whole day behind closed doors, but could not find a suitable couplet.
Three months have passed, and the scholar is exhausted, but he is still trying. At this time, his friend came to him and persuaded him to give up this impossible dream - the old monk couldn't even compare to the next link, how could he do it on his own? Only then did the scholar muster up the courage to untie this knot.
Although the Zen monk did not know how to pronounce the next couplet, he realized the true meaning of life and no longer waited for the Zen monk, but lived every day happily. And ** finally understood that many mysteries in the world cannot be forced, and only the state of mind is the most important.
iv.Smoke in Liutang: The swan song of talented and beautiful women.
During the Qianlong period, the imperial examination was held every year. Gao Pan and Chen Boyang, two young talents, stood out and became champions. The examiner saw that the two of them had different fames, and it was difficult to distinguish between them, and they were in a dilemma for a while.
After Qianlong learned of this, he decided to question the two in person to see their knowledge and level. So, Qianlong quietly came to the examination room and wrote by hand"Yantang willow"Eight big words, let the two answer the next link. Whoever gets it right is on the list.
Gao Pan thought for a moment, and then asked Qianlong to leave the examination room. Chen Boyang struggled to find the next line of poetry. He bumped his head and couldn't find the right answer. As soon as the deadline passed, Chen Boyang could only hold his breath and leave.
He couldn't answer the next sentence in full, which embarrassed the civil and military officials present. Qianlong instead announced Gao Pan as the champion and Chen Boyang as the role model. The ministers were puzzled and asked why.
Qianlong explained that Gao Pan realized that Shanglian was absolutely not right with Shanglian, so he stayed, which was very insightful. Chen Boyang was slightly inferior, he wanted to correct the couplet, but his efforts were in vain.
In fact, Qianlong verses"Smoke lock pond willow"The first sentence of the word has a wide meaning, as does the rhyme. The capital of each word is conjunct with the five elements, which increases the difficulty of the task. Gao Pan's judgment is very strong, and he is able to get out of trouble without making a fool of himself. Chen Boyang, on the other hand, is limited to his own opinions, and his skills are not pressing.
After the story spread, many writers tried to reconcile it, but without success. Some people are highly skilled, and after trying a few times, they know that it is difficult to fight, and they admired Gao Pan's insight at that time. Some are arrogant, and after a few days, they know that they are not as good as Chen Boyang, and they can't help sighing.
There are also careerists who want to gain recognition by writing a reckless couplet. It can be seen that their cultural level is not as good as Gao Pan. The supreme couplet of this poem has become a swan song for the ages, testing the knowledge and realm of future generations. Gao Pan's decisive retreat became a model for many literati in later generations.
Three. For thousands of years, literati have recited poems and displayed their talents. But these three couplets that have been passed down through the ages have become the object of posterity because of their incomparability. We don't have to be obsessed with the lower link, but we can learn a positive attitude towards life from it. Because the true meaning of life does not lie in fame and external achievements, but in the sublimation of the soul. The stories of these three poems remind us to cherish the present moment and the possibility of the next life.