In the silence of the night, a soft cat meow sounded like a whisper, breaking the silence of the night. Their voices, like the notes in a poem, float between the ancient poems and songs. Those chapters that have been passed down through the ages are not only a portrayal of the landscape, the wind and the moon and the feelings of the family and country, but also a deep affection with pets. Today, let's walk into the inner world of those ancient poets and explore the beautiful relationship between them and the cats.
Bai Juyi's poem "Cat" depicts the cat's posture in concise language: "The cat comes to the poor alley, and the poor alley is uninhabited. Cats come to poor alleys, and there are poor men in poor alleys. In this poem, the poet uses cats as metaphors for people, and hints at his loneliness and open-mindedness with the loneliness and freedom of cats. At the same time, he also expressed deep sympathy for the poor people.
And Lu You, a talented poet, is also an out-and-out "cat slave". In his "Gift to the Cat: Part II", he wrote: "Wrapped in salt to welcome the little civet slave, and protect the mountain house with thousands of books." He traded salt for a kitten and gave it the responsibility of guarding the study. The poem reveals gratitude and love for the kitten, and also reveals the cherishing and pursuit of knowledge. And in "The Fourth of November Wind and Rain (Part 1)", he wrote: "The brook firewood is soft and warm, and I don't go out with the raccoon slaves. "It's stormy outside, and the poet and the kitten are at home safely. This tranquility and warmth are enough to make people feel the deep emotions between people and pets.
In "Begging Cat", Huang Tingjian depicts the scene of mice bullying cats with humorous brushstrokes: "I heard that the civet slaves will count their sons, buy fish and wear willows to hire cicadas. He vividly depicts "buying fish and wearing willows and hiring cicadas", showing the poet's deep feelings for cats. This kind of humor and witty brushstrokes make people laugh and make people love these cute cats even more. And Tang Heng of the Yuan Dynasty wrote in the poem "Cat": "Finding a raccoon dog is too affectionate, and the cicada hugs her lips a little." The peony frame warms the spring day, and the mint fragrance is drunk and sunny. He uses the image of a cat as a medium to express his yearning and pursuit of a leisurely life. The scene depicted in the poem of cats sleeping peacefully in the warm sun and indulging in the fragrance of flowers makes people feel a peaceful and beautiful atmosphere.
In the Ming Dynasty, Liu Ji's poem "Begging Cat" showed the value of cats from a different perspective: "Zhao people suffer from mice, and begging cats are in Zhongshan." The cats given by Zhongshan people are good at catching mice and chickens. For more than a month, the rats are exhausted and the chickens are exhausted. Cats come to be poor and know that it is harmless, and dogs will have a period of peace. He took the story of Zhao Ren's begging cat as an example to express his appreciation for the cat's ability to catch mice. At the same time, it also implies that people should pay attention to balance and moderation while pursuing practicality. This kind of symbolic meaning enriches the connotation and artistic conception of the poem, and also makes people cherish and love these lovely animals even more.
And Wen Zhengming's "Begging Cat" is a poem full of philosophy: "Cherish the begging fox from the king, the girl has already done it first." Since the fate of the night bed to think of high pillows, to the mountain to protect the old books. Through the act of begging for a cat, he expressed his respect for knowledge and love for life. He expects the kitten to be able to guard the books at home, and at the same time, he hopes that he can have a peaceful reading environment. The "little fox" here is not only a cat, but also a symbol of the poet's pursuit of knowledge and yearning for life.
As loyal companions of human beings, cats have accompanied people through one good time after another since ancient times. The love between these ancient poets and cats not only makes us feel the deep affection between humans and animals, but also makes us cherish every moment with pets even more.