Good rain knows the season, and spring will happen.
From "Spring Night Happy Rain" by Du Fu, a poet of the Tang Dynasty
Good rain knows the season, and spring will happen.
Sneak into the night with the wind, moisturizing things silently.
The wild paths are all dark with clouds, but the river boats are only bright with fire.
Looking at the red and wet place at dawn, the flowers are heavy on the official city.
Appreciation
This is a masterpiece that depicts a rainy scene on a spring night and expresses joy. At the beginning, use the word "good" to praise "rain". In life, "good" is often used to praise those who do good things. Nowadays, praising rain with "good" has evoked associations with people who do good things. Next, the rain is personified, saying that it "knows the season" and knows how to meet objective needs. Isn't it? Spring is the season when all things sprout and grow. When it needs rain, it starts to rain. Look how "good" it is! The second couplet further expresses the "goodness" of rain. The reason why rain is "good" is that it is timely and "moistens things". The rain in spring is usually accompanied by gentle breeze and gently moisturizes all things. However there are exceptions. Sometimes, it will be accompanied by cold winds and change from rain to snow.
Sometimes it rains violently with strong winds. Although this rain falls in spring, it is not a typical spring rain. It will only damage things but not "moisten them." Naturally, it will not make people "happy" and it is impossible to get "good" reviews. Therefore, the "knowing the season" in the first couplet alone is not enough to fully express the "goodness" of rain. When the second couplet wrote the typical spring rain - the drizzle accompanied by the gentle breeze, the word "good" was finally implemented. "Sneaking into the night with the wind, moistening things silently." This still uses anthropomorphic techniques. The combination of "diving into the night" and "silent" not only indicates that the rain is the drizzle accompanying the gentle wind, but also indicates that the rain intends to "moisten things" and has no intention of "please". If you want to "please", it will come during the day and create a little momentum so that people can see and hear it clearly. Only because it intends to "moisten things" and has no intention of seeking "good things", it chooses a time that does not hinder people's work and labor to come quietly, silently and carefully at night when people are sleeping soundly. If the rain is so "good", I hope it rains enough and lasts all night. If it only rains for a while and then the clouds clear and the sky clears, then the "moistening" is not very complete. The poet grasped this and wrote the third couplet. On a less gloomy night, the path is easier to see than the fields, and the river is easier to distinguish than the shore. What about now? Looking around, "the wild paths are all dark with clouds, but the lights on the river boats are bright." Only the lights on the boats are bright. In addition, even the river surface could not be seen, and the path could not be discerned clearly. The sky was full of dark clouds, and the ground was as dark as clouds. OK! It looks like it will definitely rain until dawn. The last couplet describes an imaginary situation. When such "good rain" falls for one night, all things will be moistened and prosperous. One of the flowers of all things, the flower that best represents the beauty of spring, it blooms with rain and is so red. Wait until early tomorrow morning to check it out! The entire Jinguan City (Chengdu) is full of mixed peanut trees, which are "red and wet". The blossoms are bright red and heavy, forming a sea of ??flowers. So, what about the seedlings in the field? What about the woods on the mountain? What about everything? Pu Qilong said: "It is easy to write about rain at night, but it is difficult to write about spring." This poem "happy rain on a spring night" not only expresses the night and spring, but also writes the noble character of typical spring rain, that is, "good rain" , showing all the noble personality of the poet's "good people". The poet hopes for such "good rain" and loves their "good rain". Therefore, although the word "happiness" in the title does not appear in the poem, "the meaning of 'happiness' bursts out from the cracks" (Pu Qilong's "Reading Du Xinjie"). When the poet was looking forward to the spring rain to "moisten things", the rain started to fall, so as soon as it came up, he shouted "good" with joy.
What was written in the second couplet was obviously heard. The poet listened carefully and heard that the rain was falling continuously on the spring night, just to "moisten things" without asking anyone to know, so he was naturally "happy" and couldn't sleep. Because the rain "moistened everything silently", I couldn't really hear it, and I was afraid it would stop, so I went out to see it. What is written in the third couplet is clearly seen. Seeing that the rain is getting heavy, I can't help but imagine the beautiful scenery of spring filling the city after dawn. How vividly his infinite joy was expressed! Li You, a poet of the mid-Tang Dynasty, wrote a poem "Watching and Praying for Rain": "The leafless soil of mulberry leaves produces smoke, and the flute welcomes the dragon water in front of the temple. Watching singing and dancing in several places in the Zhumen, I am afraid that the spring yin will swallow the orchestra."
"Compared with those who watch singing and dancing in wealthy families, isn't Du Fu's joy for the spring rain "moistening things" a very noble emotion?