Author: Lao Tan, Source: Tang Poetry and Song Poetry (ID: tsgsc8)
In recent days, the news of Wang Leehom’s divorce has been full of storms in the city. His ex-wife’s open letter was like a sharp dagger, mercilessly cutting open the dirty heart of the “high-quality idol”.
In people’s impression, Wang Leehom is always so sunny and handsome, and his musical talent is equally amazing. Now the collapse of idols can only illustrate one point,
Only time will test a person’s qualities.
The Tang Dynasty dates back more than 1300 years. At that time, the poets who wrote the poems with great painstaking efforts and the feelings expressed by their works experienced the wind and frost of the years, so they became precious and shining.
There was a poet in the Tang Dynasty who happened to be surnamed Wang, who loved poetry, music, and his wife.
This person is Wang Wei, and there is reason to believe that only such a poet can his reputation be passed down for thousands of years.
01
Wang Wei is a genius, and he is the kind of all-rounder.
Speaking of talents from ancient to modern times, everyone always thinks of Su Shi first. Dongpo is good at poetry, writing, calligraphy, and painting, and is known as the “Four Exceptions”. Compared with Wang Wei, there is one more must, that is, music.
For Wang Weizhi’s painting, Dongpo has already admired the five bodies to the ground, he once made a long poem, and the last sentence is as follows:
Mahabhara is like an immortal and a long-term fan.
The two sons of Wuguan are both handsome, and Yu Wei is also infinite.
“Yu Wei also has no words”, this sentence means, “For Wang Wei, I Su Shi especially respect, and I can’t even say a word that has any objections.” ”
If Wang Wei’s paintings can leave Dongpo speechless, his musical achievements are completely crushed.
Wang Wei knew how to write articles at the age of nine and was familiar with musical notation. At the age of fifteen, he left his hometown alone and went to Chang’an to pay respects to the powerful people of the imperial court.
Tang Ruizong’s fourth son was named Li Fan, who was usually a vassal and elegant man, and liked to befriend literati the most. Speaking of Li Fan, you may not know, when it comes to his title “King of Qi”, you all know something about it.
Qi Wang is a good learner, loves Confucianism, and loves music. Li Guinian, the most outstanding musician in ancient China, was once the guest of King Qi. There is Du Fu’s poetry as evidence:
It is common in the Qi King’s mansion, and Cui Jiutang has heard it several times before.
It is the good scenery of Jiangnan, and it is the time to fall flowers.
Qi Wang, who loves Confucians and music, can be imagined, and also attaches great importance to Wang Wei, who has both talent and appearance. Hearing that Wang Wei was preparing to participate in the imperial examination, King Qi planned to help him.
King Qi instructed Wang Weidao: Copy a few of the proud poems you wrote, compose a popular pipa music, and then send it to the Ninth Princess Mansion with me, so that you can do it.
Listening to King Qi’s suggestion, although Wang Wei did not know why, he gladly complied.
When everything was ready, King Qi took Wang Wei to the Ninth Princess’s mansion. King Qi invited the princess to listen to the song, and many female ladies sat around Wang Wei like a moon, and Wang Wei played solo with a pipa.
The princess listened mesmerized. As soon as the song ended, the Ninth Princess noticed at a glance the young musician wearing a splendid robe and extraordinary grace.
The Ninth Princess then asked Wang Wei, “What song are you playing?” ”
“It’s called ‘Yulun Robe’.”
Wang Wei finished answering, and then showed his poem scroll. The more the princess looked at it, the more joyful she became: “These are all poems that I recite on weekdays, and I thought they were written by the ancients, but I really didn’t expect that it was written by you.” ”
Because of her admiration for his poetic talent, the princess respectfully invited Wang Wei to sit in the upper seat, and hearing that he was preparing for the imperial examination, the princess said: “If you can win the first place in this exam, it will be a great honor for us.” The princess then strongly recommended Wang Wei to the emperor.
In 721, Wang Wei won the championship in one fell swoop and won the championship examination, when he was only twenty-one years old.
In a sense, it was the great glory that music brought him. Wang Wei’s first official position in his life was Tailecheng, or was it related to music.
02
In 2004, the 15th Taiwan Golden Melody Awards. With the announcement of the list of winners, the slovenly Wang Leehom walked up to the stage and choked up to deliver his acceptance speech: “Music is my life, thank you for affirming my life.” ”
Leehom Wang’s love for music and his musical talent are obvious to all. But compared with Wang Wei more than a thousand years ago, he may be slightly inferior.
A certain aristocrat in Chang’an collected a picture of the teaching workshop, but unfortunately, he could not understand what was painted in the picture, so the guest gave this “According to the Music Map” to Wang Wei to see.
Wang Wei glanced at it and said very firmly: “This picture shows the scene of the first beat of the third stack of “Neon Clothes Plume Song”. ”
The guests did not believe it, holding pictures and comparing them with the performance. The contrast was not tight, and the man was surprised to find that the musician’s performance was almost exactly the same as the content of the painting.
Wang Leehom’s acceptance speech in the past may have an exaggerated element. For Wang Wei, music really manipulates his political life.
In the year of Zhong Zhuangyuan, Wang Wei could be described as proud. Tragically, in the same 721 AD, his subordinate Yellow Lion Dance committed a taboo and was reported by the people, and Wang Wei could not get rid of his involvement and was demoted to Jeju.
Today, we may not understand, what is wrong with the yellow lion dance? Frankly speaking, if Wang Wei had lived a few years earlier and lived in the early years of the Sui Dynasty, he would not have committed such a big sin.
According to historical records, in the early days of the Sui Dynasty, officials and people at all levels were free to wear yellow robes. The imperial uniform of Emperor Wen of Sui was no different from that of the people, and he only added thirteen rings to his belt to distinguish him.
Time came to the Tang Dynasty, and the situation was reversed. Red yellow (that is, ochre) became the exclusive property of the emperor, and “the forbidden house shall not use red yellow as a clothing ornament”, according to the law at the time.
Not to mention the flat-headed people, after the Anshi Rebellion was calmed, when Emperor Taishang Tang Xuanzong was welcomed back to Chang’an from Shu, he also had to “release the yellow robe and wear the purple robe”.
For the Emperor Taishang to do so, Wang Wei’s demotion to the official is almost a certainty.
Ancient ladies, that is, people who performed songs and dances. In other words, it’s just as much about music. I have to say that Wang Wei’s political career is music for success and music for defeat.
03
The impact of the “Anshi Rebellion” on the Great Tang Dynasty did not just change the color of Li Longji’s clothes. This calamity has greatly damaged the vitality of the entire Chinese land.
The thousands of people living in the Great Tang Dynasty also suffered from it. Those great poets who have been famous for eternity, such as Du Fu, have even been captured by the rebels, and it is really hard to imagine how miserable they are.
Before Wang Wei, who saw through the ups and downs of officialdom, had long lost interest in being an official, and he yearned for a life of seclusion. God didn’t give him a chance.
In the fifteenth year of Tianbao, when Wang Wei was more than fifty years old, the rebels of An Lushan captured Tongguan and captured Liangjing. Hearing that the rebels were coming, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang fled to Sichuan, and Wang Wei was unfortunately captured by the rebels before he could follow the emperor.
When we talk about poets in ancient China today, we must first talk about Li Bai and Du Fu, in fact, returning to the poetry scene of Chang’an, the officially recognized Wang Wei is undoubtedly the first poet.
An Lushan also cherished Wang Wei’s talent, so he forced him to go to Luoyang to become an official for the puppet imperial court. Wang Wei took medicine to make himself diarrhea and lied that he was dumb. However, in front of An Lushan, all his efforts were useless. Wang Wei was eventually detained in Luoyang Pushi Temple.
An Lushan occupied the emperor’s palace and held a banquet in Ningbichi, and the rebels found it boring, so they gathered the musicians of Liyuan to play for them.
In ancient times, the status was not high, but there was no lack of righteous people in Liyuan, and there was a Legong named Lei Haiqing, who did not want to submit to the rebels, he picked up the pipa in his hand and threw it at An Lushan’s head. An Lushan was so angry that he actually executed Lei Hai Qingling.
Wang Wei, who was imprisoned, was deeply saddened to hear the news, and he secretly wrote a poem:
Ten thousand households are sad and have wild smoke, and hundreds of officials will rise to the sky again.
In the autumn locust leaves fell into the palace, Ning Bichi played the orchestra.
After eight years, the Anshi Rebellion finally calmed down. After the smoke dissipated, the emperor of the Li family began to discuss merit and reward, and also prepared to settle accounts after the autumn.
Wang Wei worked as an official in the “occupied areas” and was supposed to be a liquidated “speculator.” Because of this poem, Emperor Suzong opened his net and did not punish him. ——Wang Wei’s fate is once again related to the people and music.
The emperor even promoted him to an official and awarded Wang Wei the crown prince Zhongyun. The older he was, the higher Wang Wei’s official position rose, and near the year of Huajia, Wang Wei paid tribute to Shangshu Youcheng.
This was also the highest point of his career in the palace sea, and Wang Wei finally achieved the position of prime minister, but he was not happy.
04
Some later scholars believed that “Ning Bi Chi” was not written by Wang Wei, because this poem was written in general, and it was not worthy of the talent of the poet.
It is likely that the poem was forged by Wang Wei’s younger brother Wang Jin and later presented to Emperor Suzong. At that time, Wang Jin was already a minister of the imperial court, and in order to protect his brother, he asked to be removed from his official position.
The depth of Wang Wei’s brothers’ feelings can be seen from this. Go back 30 years, when Wang Wei was still a seventeen-year-old boy, and he came to Chang’an alone to work hard, without family. During the Chongyang Festival that year, he specially wrote a poem for his brothers in his hometown, talking about his longing:
Alone in a foreign land as a stranger, every festive season to think of family.
The remote brothers ascended to the heights, and there was one less person everywhere.
In addition to his deep love with brothers, Wang Wei is also a filial son. According to the Old Book of Tang, after his mother’s death, Wang Wei was heartbroken, “the wood was destroyed and the bones were erected, and he was invincible”, because of the grief and wounds, he was so emaciated that he was almost incompetent for mourning.
In addition, Wang Wei also loves his wife. Even though he held the position of prime minister, after the death of his wife, Wang Wei did not remarry, and he lived a celibate life for thirty years. ——That alone is enough to put today’s stars to shame.
At the age of sixty, Wang Wei’s younger brother was working as an official in a foreign country, and Wang Wei realized that his time was numbered, and he wrote a letter to the emperor, hoping to exchange his official position for his brother’s return to Chang’an. As an older brother, Wang Wei knew his younger brother’s political ambitions.
In July of that year, on his deathbed, Wang Wei suddenly became energetic, he asked for paper and pens, wrote a letter to Wang Jin who was far away, threw down the pen and Wang Wei died.
Not long ago, the emperor had just approved Wang Wei’s request, and Wang Jin was on his way home. Until the last moment of their lives, the two brothers still did not see each other.
Resources:
1, Liu Xian et al.: “The Old Book of Tang”
2, Xin Wenfang: “The Legend of Tang Caizi”
3, poetic culture: “Laughing to death!” Brushed 1400 years of the Tang poets’ circle of friends”
4, Wu Yugui: “General History of Chinese Customs: Sui and Tang Dynasties Scroll”
5, Li Xiaorun: “No Poetry, No Tang: The Merry and Lonely Behind Tang Poems”
-Author-
Old talk, always talking, always boastful people, there is no other merit.