In the bright starry sky of poetry, Li Bai and Du Fu are like two dazzling stars, known as "poet immortal" and "poet saint" respectively. Their poems flow like a clear spring, nourishing the hearts of countless readers. However, in this starry world of poetry, there is also a poet whose poems are full of deep emotions and unique charms, and are known as "poetry prisoners". He is the Tang Dynasty poet Meng Jiao.
Meng Jiao, whose name is Dongye, was born in 751 A.D., a native of Wukang, Huzhou (now Deqing County, Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province), and his ancestral home is Pingchang, Shandong Province (now Linyi County, Dezhou City). He was born in a poor family of officials, and his father, Meng Tingjue, was the lieutenant of Kunshan County. Due to his poor family, Meng Jiao has shown a withdrawn personality since he was a child and rarely interacts with people. His early life was full of hardships, but that didn't stop him from thirsting for knowledge. He was intelligent and studied hard from an early age, and despite the difficulties of life, he always maintained his love for literature.
In his youth, Meng Jiao chose a different path. He lived in seclusion in Songshan, Henan Province, and although this seclusion was full of hardships, it also provided him with the opportunity to get in touch with nature and cultivate his keen perception of natural scenery. He once wrote "Twelve Questions on Song Mountain: The Jade Girl's Window": "The jade girl cannot be sought, and the sky is empty and cloudy." Every day the rain blooms, and the door of the cave never closes. The poem depicts the beautiful scenery of the Jade Maiden's window, but his loneliness and loneliness are also revealed between the lines.
In middle age, Meng Jiao began to enter the society and tried various professions. He once wrote poems for Lu Yu's newly opened mountain house in Shangrao, Xinzhou, and also sang harmony with Wei Yingwu, a poet from Suzhou. However, his life was always unstable, and he did not seem to have any other commendable career other than writing poetry. It was not until he was forty-one years old that he began his career as a tribute to his hometown in Huzhou. However, his road to the imperial examination was not smooth, and he failed to rank in the Jinshi twice, until the twelfth year of Zhenyuan (796), when he was forty-six years old, finally became a Jinshi. Since then, he has served as the lieutenant of Liyang County and the water and land transfer in Henan, but he has never been able to stretch his ambitions.
Meng Jiao's later life was not satisfactory, he was busy with official duties and often neglected his health, and finally resigned and went into hiding. In the ninth year of Yuanhe (814), he went to Xingyuan Mansion as a staff officer under the recommendation of his friend Zheng Yuqing and tried to evaluate Dali. However, while traveling to Ruxiang County, he suddenly fell seriously ill and died soon after at the age of 64. His death caused the mourning of the majority of poets and literati, and Zhang Ji even privately called him "Mr. Zhenyao" to express his admiration and nostalgia for him.
Meng Jiao's poetry style is unique and distinctive, full of cold and deep qualities. In his works, he often reveals a pessimistic and lonely mood, as well as the struggle and helplessness of life. This expression of emotion gives his poems a unique charm, allowing people to deeply feel his inner world when reading.
Meng Jiao's poetry is known for its simplicity and nature, and he is good at using concise and bright language to express his deep perception of life and thinking about human nature. For example, in "Fifteen Songs of Autumn Huai", "I know how long the night is, and look up to the stars of the audience." The moon is full of three or five, and the toad and rabbit are missing. It depicts the loneliness and loneliness of the autumn night in simple language, revealing the poet's inner anguish and helplessness.
Among Meng Jiao's poems, he is most praised for his deep concern for the lives of the people at the bottom. He is not only a poet immersed in his own world, but also a social observer with a broad vision and deep compassion. Through his poems, he allows us to see the suffering life of the people at the bottom in the midst of war, poverty, hunger and cold, as well as their indomitable spirit.
The Wanderer's Yin is a masterpiece of Meng Jiao, in which he expresses his deep gratitude for his mother's love in simple language: "The line in the mother's hand, the wanderer's shirt." Before leaving, I am afraid that I will return late. Whoever says an inch is careless, and he will be rewarded with three springs. In this poem, Meng Jiao depicts the scene of his mother sewing clothes for her wanderer with delicate brushstrokes, expressing his infinite gratitude for his mother's love. At the same time, he also used this allegory to express his sympathy and concern for the difficult life of the people at the bottom.
"After Dengke" shows his joy after becoming a sergeant: "In the past, it was not enough to boast, but now there is no end to it." The spring breeze is proud, and you can see all the Chang'an flowers in one day. The poem is full of anticipation and confidence for the future, showing his optimistic spirit.
In addition, Meng Jiao's works such as "Wounded Spring" and "Song of the People in the Cold Land" also show the living difficulties of the people at the bottom and the injustice of society from different angles. Through his poems, he allows us to see the displacement of people during the war, and the suffering and struggle under the gap between the rich and the poor. This kind of attention and depiction of the lives of the people at the bottom makes Meng Jiao's poetry have profound social significance and historical value.
Meng Jiao's poems are emotionally sincere, often stemming from his keen grasp of the details of life. In "The Wanderer's Song", he affectionately expresses the greatness and selflessness of maternal love through the details of his mother's sewing of clothes for her wandering son. This meticulous observation and authentic expression of life makes his poems more intimate and easy to resonate with readers.
At the same time, Meng Jiao's poems are also full of deep thoughts on life. In "Wounded Spring", he lamented the transience and impermanence of life through the passing of spring: "I am sad and know how long the night is, and look up to the stars." The moon is full of three or five, and the toad and rabbit are missing. This emotion about the impermanence of life makes his poems have a profound philosophy and wisdom of life.
Meng Jiao's poems also often incorporate the depiction of natural scenes, and express his thoughts and feelings about life through the symbols and metaphors of natural scenes. In "Fifteen Songs of Autumn Huai", he reveals the poet's inner anguish and helplessness by depicting the loneliness and loneliness of the autumn night. In "The Wanderer's Song", he depicts the blossoming flowers of spring, implying the warmth and nourishment of maternal love. This lyrical and allegorical writing technique makes his poems more vivid and artistic.
In general, Meng Jiao's poetry has become a bright pearl in the treasure house of Tang Dynasty poetry with its simple and natural language, sincere emotions, profound thinking and unique artistic style. His poems not only express his unique perceptions and thoughts on life, society and nature, but also provide us with an important window to observe and understand the society, culture and history of the Tang Dynasty. By reading Meng Jiao's poems, we can have a deeper understanding of the social landscape and humanistic spirit of the Tang Dynasty, and we can also draw wisdom and strength from them to provide guidance and inspiration for our life path.