Song of Water-Swimming

Mao Zedong

June 1956

Only drank the water of Changsha, and ate Wuchang fish again. I crossed the Yangtze River for 10,000 miles, and looked at the Chutian sky. I don't care if the wind blows and the waves beat me, it's better than walking leisurely, I have a wide margin today. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do that, but I'm going to be able to do it, and I'm going to be able to do it!

The wind and boom are moving, the turtle and snake are quiet, and a grand plan is being made. A bridge over the north and south, the moat into the road. More Xijiang stone wall, cut off the Wushan clouds and rain, high gorges out of the Pinghu Lake. The goddess should be unhurt, when the world is shocked.

Notes

Background On June 1, 1956, Mao Zedong swam across the Yangtze River from Wuchang to Hankou. On June 3, he swam across the Yangtze River for the second time, crossing the Yangtze River Bridge from Hanyang to Wuchang. On June 4, he swam across the Yangtze River for the third time, also from Hanyang to Wuchang.

The Song of Songs in Water was originally a tune, and the song is the opening part of the tune.

When Sun Hao of Wu Kingdom of the Three Kingdoms wanted to move the capital from Nanjing to Wuchang, a folk song said, "I'd rather drink the water of Jianye than eat the fish of Wuchang", which means that I opposed to moving the capital.

The son on the river said the Analects of Confucius - Zihan chapter "the passing of time, do not give up day and night!" Refers to time flying by like a river.

Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge, the bridge for the Yangtze River, the first bridge built by the Chinese themselves, is one of the major projects of the fifties, started in 1955, was completed and opened to traffic in 57 years. It was under construction at that time, so it was "Hongtu".

The moat of the Yangtze River was called the moat by Kong Fan of the Chen Dynasty during the Southern and Northern Dynasties, as shown in the Southern History of China - Kong Fan's Biography.

The Xijiang Shibi refers to a barrage on the western side of the Yangtze River, or to the planned Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze.

Wushan Yunyu Wushan has the Goddess Peak.

Appreciation

Mao Zedong's lifelong love of swimming is well known to the world, and the words "to Changsha" in the 1925 poem "Qinyuanchun. Changsha" in 1925, "to the mid-stream to hit the water, the waves curbed the flying boat," is the poet's youthful courage to forge ahead and cut through the waves of the artistic portrayal. Mao Zedong also has a special affection for the Yangtze River, and his busy schedule can hardly eliminate the charm of the Yangtze River for him. He compared the vastness of the Yangtze River to the best natural swimming pool, and he swam in it many times. This is Mao Zedong's 1956 poem on the Yangtze River when he was swimming in Wuhan.

The first line, "Only when I drank the water of Changsha, I ate the fish of Wuchang", is a rehash of an old ballad, which is a running couplet, narrated in an unflinching manner. The first to write about the whereabouts and mood of the tour. Here, the two adverbs "only" and "again" are coherent, which is not only the coherence of time and spatial conversion, but also conveys an excited and light mood of touring around; "drinking" and "eating" are the same as the two adverbs. ", "food" two details of life, seem to reflect the interest; "water", "fish" two characteristics of Xianghu Lake scenery, write is as kind as The two specialties of Xianghu Lake, "water" and "fish", are written with affection. The folk song of the Three Kingdoms, "I'd rather drink the water of Jianye than eat the fish of Wuchang," reflects a feudalistic and conservative concept of settling down. Mao Zedong slightly changed it, contrary to the original intention, and it reads kindly and naturally, and is full of interest. Ten words, not only a vivid account of the poet's own southern tour from Changsha to Wuhan whereabouts, but also revealed in the day-to-day management of the full of pride, expressed the socialist motherland unlimited deep feelings.

Next, it will be a robust pen, turn to write swimming. "Miles of the Yangtze River across, the very sight of Chutian Shu", which is both the swimming of a specific environment, unprecedented feat and heroic will to describe, but also a kind of spiritual presentation. The two lines of words, ten thousand miles of the river and sky, up and down the reflection, crossing the longitudinal eye, the scene is blended. The more you write about the size of the Yangtze River, the more you show that the lyricist defies the grandeur of the moat.

Then three sentences, the strong feeling of swimming: "regardless of the wind and waves, it is better to walk like an idle family, today to get a wide margin." Here to make up a large river scene, leading to a novel metaphor, in the static and dynamic environment of the two strong contrast, with three layers of progressive argument, soundly expressed in the mid-stream waves ahead of the ambition and luxury. The first two sentences are about the calmness and composure when swimming, and the last sentence is about the joy after getting "free". This is the pleasure of being free from the constraints, the fulfillment of longing, the ease of leaning back and forth, and the joy of mastering the wind and waves. Chen Yi's "Winter Nights Miscellaneous Songs. The Yangtze River" said: "Someone male ancient and modern, swimming across the Yangtze River, the cloud this get a wide margin, the universe is reckless." It is this word that provides the footnote. "Today, the loss of wide margins" is the emotional tone of the last piece, is to swim in the sub-summary. It is on this basis that the concluding line of the first piece is introduced: "The son on the river said: the dead are like the sif!" Mao Zedong had deep roots in classical literature, so he was able to master and utilize the many expressive techniques of classical poetry very skillfully in his writing. He was not only able to incorporate ancient poems or other rhymes into poems, but also to incorporate prose into words. In the above two lines, Mao Zedong saw the passing water of the Yangtze River while he was swimming and associated it with the words of Confucius, which he extracted word for word from the Analects of Confucius. The first two lines are Mao Zedong's interpretation of the words of Confucius when he saw the passing water of the Yangtze River while he was swimming, which he associated with the words of Confucius. Here are both the lament of the passage of time, and the nostalgia for the great years; both the historical retrospective, but also to the laws of nature; both the perception of life, but also to the world of life's thinking; both the feelings of longing, but also only to strive for the future, urging people to move forward the trumpet. In short, the wonderful use of these two words of Confucius, so appropriate and natural, without axe traces, not only deepen the mood of the words, but also more meaningful, which is also very rare in the poetry of the ancients.

The second part of the word is back to the real scene in front of us, and naturally unfolds the construction of the Yangtze River. "The mast is moving, the tortoise and the snake are quiet, and a grand plan is emerging." The first three lines, with the word "wind", followed by the pulse of the previous piece, focusing on the scenery on both sides of the river: will be on the wind is blowing thousands of sails flying, on both sides of the river is the turtle and the snake two mountains quietly looking at each other, and then turn to write the Chinese people in the wind and waves on the river, began to implement the comprehensive transformation of the Yangtze River's grand plan. A "dynamic" a "static", reflecting each other. A "rise" is towering, initiating a new idea, fully expresses today's Chinese people to build the motherland, change the mountains and rivers of the heroic spirit. The following scene in front of us caused by the future scene of the outlook: "a bridge flying north and south, the moat into the road. More Xijiang stone wall, cut off Wushan clouds and rain, high gorges out of the Pinghu Lake." In the first two lines, the most prominent bridge construction in front of us, writing part of the ambition is being put into practice. "Fly" and "change" are realistic, but also expected. Just two strokes, not only wrote the bridge construction speed, and will see the bridge over the sky of the majestic image, but also wrote a bridge through the north and south of the Yangtze River of historical significance. Wu Shu. Lu wu biography>> remembered Wu forget Sun Hao, want to move the capital of Wuchang, Lu Kai wrote a letter of advice to block, quoting the nursery rhyme cloud: rather drink Jianye water, not eat Wuchang fish. I would rather die in Jianye than live in Wuchang. The original meaning is to express the importance of relocation. Mao Zedong's words were adapted from the first two lines of the nursery rhyme, meaning that he only left Changsha and came to Wuchang. Only used to say the name of the trail; and there is the great motherland everywhere is a famous city, scenery and splendor is also everywhere lovely meaning.