Flowers are everywhere in Spring City. What does it mean to eat cold food when the willow branches are slanting?

In Chang 'an in late spring, catkins are flying all over the sky, and the east wind blows the willow branches in the imperial garden at the Cold Food Festival.

The whole poem "Cold Food" Han Yi

In late spring, Chang 'an city is full of songs and dances, and countless flowers fall. The east wind of the Cold Food Festival blows on the willow trees in the royal garden.

As night fell, the palace was busy lighting candles, and smoke drifted to the house of the prince and the marquis.

At the end of spring, Liu Xufei is everywhere in Chang 'an, and the east wind blows willow branches in the imperial garden at the Cold Food Festival.

As night fell, the palace was busy handing out candles, and smoke curled into the homes of princes and nobles.

Appreciate the opening sentence "Spring City is full of flowers". "Spring City" refers to Chang 'an, the capital of spring. "Flying flowers", that is, petals fall in succession, indicating the late spring season. "Everywhere" constitutes affirmation with double negation, and then writes the charming spring scenery of the whole Chang 'an Liu Xufei. The second sentence, "Cold food, east wind and willow slanting", is about the scenery of the palace garden. "Imperial willow" refers to the willow in the imperial garden. At that time, it was a custom to break the willow door during the Cold Food Festival, and on Qingming Day, the emperor also issued a decree to give the fire of elm willow as a gift to the recent minister to show his favor. Therefore, the poet deliberately cut out the "imperial willow" fluttering in the wind in the infinite spring.

The first two sentences of the poem are written during the day, and the last two sentences are written at night: "When the sun sets, candles are passed in the Han Palace, and light smoke is scattered into the Wuhou House." Sunset is evening. "Han Palace" refers to the imperial palace in the Tang Dynasty. "Five Hou" generally refers to five eunuchs who were sealed on the same day in the Eastern Han Dynasty. Here, the Han Dynasty is used as a metaphor for the Tang Dynasty, alluding to eunuchs who have been favored by the emperor since the middle Tang Dynasty. Every family can't make a fire on the Cold Food Festival, but the palace is an exception. Before dark, the palace was busy distributing candles. In addition to the palace, your near minister can also get this favor.

The poem vividly depicts a picture of candles passing by at night with "passing" and "scattering", which makes people see the light of candles and smell the faint smoke. It is a long-standing custom in China to ban fire from cold food, but powerful ministers can make an exception and place candles. The poet made a euphemistic satire on this corrupt political phenomenon. This poem is good at selecting typical themes, quoting appropriate allusions and satirizing eunuch spoil and autocratic corruption. Although the style of writing is exquisite, readers can still understand the theme of the poem under the hint of historical allusions and the confirmation of the social situation in the middle Tang Dynasty.

About the author: Han Yi, born and died in an unknown year, was a poet in the Tang Dynasty. The word Junping was born in Nanyang (now Nanyang, Henan). He is one of the "Top Ten Talents in Dali". Tianbao was admitted as a scholar in 13 (754). Baoying once worked in Hou Mufu, our minister in Ziqing, and then returned to Korea and lived in Chang 'an for ten years. When Jian 'an was in middle age, he was appreciated for writing "Cold Food" and was promoted to be a book saint in China. Nine times out of ten, Han Yi's poems were sent off or sung, and were widely read at that time.