In the last article, it was mentioned that in ancient Chinese poetry, when wutong trees and night rain are presented together, they often represent the sorrowful feelings of separation or death. If not associated with wutong trees, listening to the rain is originally an elegant matter for poets. During the Tang and Song dynasties, there were quite a few poets who were good at writing about listening to the rain.
The poet who could turn listening to the rain into the most elegant affair should be Bai Juyi, a poet from the Tang dynasty. Many people know that Bai Juyi wrote a poem inviting his friend Liu Shijiu to drink wine: "Green ants on newly brewed wine, red clay little stove. As evening comes, snow is expected, can you have a cup?" In fact, Bai Juyi also wrote a poetic letter (《Rain Letter Inviting Zhang Siye to Stay Overnight》) inviting a friend to stay overnight at his house and listen to the rain together. The poem goes like this:
After summer, clothes fragrant and moist, meeting autumn, fresh bamboo mats.
Slanting flower stone pillows, lying down reciting pearls of verse.
Muddy paths are not for traveling, gloomy weather is good for sleeping.
Can you come and stay overnight? Listen to the rain and sleep side by side.
At the end of summer and beginning of autumn, wearing refreshed clothes, lying on newly changed pillows, Bai Juyi's mood was good, and his poetic inspiration surged. However, due to muddy roads and gloomy weather, he couldn't go out to enjoy the mountains and waters. Therefore, he came up with the idea of writing a letter to invite this Mr. Zhang, who was the vice-principal of the Imperial Academy, to stay overnight at his house, so as to share the same room and listen to the rain together while lying down. Obviously, in Bai Juyi's view, listening to the rain was an elegant matter that could be shared with friends.
The most creative listener of rain should be Li Shangyin, a poet from the Tang dynasty. In Chapter 40 of "Dream of the Red Chamber", Lin Daiyu said she didn't like Li Yishan's (Li Shangyin) poems except for one line: "Retaining withered lotus to hear the sound of rain." In fact, Lin Daiyu (or perhaps Cao Xueqin) had a memory error. Li Shangyin's original work was titled "Staying at Luo Family Pavilion and Missing Cui Yong and Cui Gun," the full poem reads as follows:
Bamboo grove clean, water clear, thoughts stretch far beyond the city walls.
Autumn clouds linger, frost flies late, retaining withered lotus to hear the sound of rain.
One difference between "withered" and "residual" lies in just one word. Lin Daiyu, who regarded love as life, actually didn't like the first master of love poetry in Chinese literary history, Li Shangyin, which is surprising. Perhaps, this is Lin Daiyu's art of speaking, aiming to express her admiration for this line of Li Shangyin's poem.
The most leisurely and carefree listener of rain should be Meng Haoran from the prosperous Tang dynasty. Meng Haoran's poem "Spring Dawn" is well-known by all. The last two lines, "Night brings sounds of wind and rain, how many flowers have fallen," convey such information: the previous night, the poet unintentionally heard the sounds of wind and rain. After waking up naturally the next day, he recalled the sounds of wind and rain from the night before, caring about how many flowers had fallen.
The most romantic listener of rain should be Wei Zhuang from the late Tang dynasty and Five Dynasties period. Wei Zhuang has a poem [Bodhisattva Savage], written as follows:
All say the south of the Yangtze River is good, travelers should grow old there. Spring water bluer than the sky, listening to the rain while sleeping on a painted boat.
People at the furnace look like the moon, their wrists white as snow. Not yet old, do not return home, returning home will break your heart.
Most people listen to the rain at night, Wei Zhuang listens during the day; most people listen indoors, Wei Zhuang listens in a boat; most people don't care much about the place where they listen to the rain, Wei Zhuang listens in the south of the Yangtze River; most people just listen to the rain, Wei Zhuang links the sound of rain to beautiful women in the south of the Yangtze River. However, some say that the two good lines "Spring water bluer than the sky, listening to the rain while sleeping on a painted boat" might have been written by Wen Tingyun, and Wei Zhuang wasn't the original creator.
The listener of rain with the most compassionate heart should be none other than Du Fu, the Sage Poet. Du Fu's poem "Joyful Rain on a Spring Night" says:
Good rain knows its time, occurs when spring arrives.
With the wind quietly enters the night, gently nourishes all things without a sound.
Country paths covered in clouds, black, only the fire on river boats shines bright.
Looking at dawn's red wet spots, flowers heavy in the city of brocade.
Although there is no word "listen" in the poem, we can clearly feel that Du Fu was attentively listening. He not only heard the sound of rain entering the night with the wind but also heard the sound of rain nourishing plants. Listening carefully and attentively is because Du Fu knew the needs of the land, plants, and people, and he held gratitude towards the spring rain.
The most dedicated and passionate listener of rain should be Jiang Jie from the end of the Song dynasty. Jiang Jie has a poem [Yu Meiren] "Listening to the Rain", the full poem reads as follows:
Young, listening to the rain on the song tower, red candles dimming the silk tent. In adulthood, listening to the rain in a guest boat, vast river, low clouds, broken geese calling in the west wind.
Now, listening to the rain under the monk's hut, hair already streaked with gray. Joys and sorrows, partings and reunions, all without emotion, letting the drops fall until dawn.
Jiang Jie listened to the rain not once or twice, but throughout his entire life. The changes in three scenes of listening to the rain—youth, adulthood, and old age—reflect the ups and downs of the poet's life, the rise and fall of the country, and joys and sorrows, making those who read this poem deeply moved in their hearts.
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