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Prompt: Reflect on the verse: 'Where are the nights... with a fierce sun fragment' in 'Remembering the Forest'
Sample essay on interpreting the verse: 'Where are the nights... with a fierce sun fragment' in 'Remembering the Forest'
Response:
In the most vibrant years of the New Poetry movement, The Lu emerged as a brilliant morning star, shining brightly. To this day, The Lu is connected with readers through his most renowned poem: the poem 'Remembering the Forest.' Under its title, the author placed a small line: 'The words of the tiger in the zoo.' Throughout the work, readers comprehend that the poem is the resentful confessions of a tiger facing the current harsh and helpless life, yearning for the days of dominance and grandeur. The poem discreetly reveals the patriotic heart of our people during that time. However, the success of the poem also lies in the beautifully depicted scenes - the scenes of the mountainous forest in the painful memories of the tiger 'remembering the forest.' A notable example is the picturesque description in the following verse:
'Where are the golden nights by the stream
I stand intoxicated with prey, sipping moonlight melting.
Where are the rainy days changing the four directions
I silently admire our mountains and valleys renewing.
Where are the dawn, green trees bathed in sunlight
Birds singing as our sleep blooms.
Where are the tranquil evenings, bloodstained after the forest
I await death, the fierce sun fragment.'
(Remembering the Forest - The Lu)
The verse is part of a series of memories of the intense days in the majestic and imposing green forest ruled by the majestic tiger. Amidst the fierce and splendid mountainous scenes, it stands as the solitary sovereign. The verse constructs four exquisite forest scenes: moonlit nights, rainforest scenes, dawn, and sunset. Each scene is portrayed in two lines of poetry, the first describing the forest scene and the second depicting the tiger's image against that majestic backdrop.
'Where are the golden nights by the stream
I stand intoxicated with prey, sipping moonlight melting.'
The phrase 'Golden night' metaphorically represents moonlit nights illuminating everything as if dipped in gold, with moonlight resembling melting gold in the air. Standing by the stream in the moonlit night allows one to fully appreciate the vibrant colors of nature. The clear water reflects the golden color of the moon, creating a strange and sparkling beauty. Facing this scene, the tiger is 'intoxicated with prey,' not only by a satisfying meal but also by 'sipping moonlight melting.' It is a romantic image, as if fully embracing the beauty of the universe.
As serene as the image of the peaceful moonlit night is, the torrential rainforest scene is equally intense:
'Where are the rainy days changing the four directions
I silently admire our mountains and valleys renewing.'
A relentless downpour, shrouded in mist, shakes and reverberates through the mountains and forests, terrorizing the feeble creatures. But for the tiger, it's a different story. It not only faces the might of heaven and earth without fear but also considers it a pleasure: 'I silently admire our ever-changing mountains.' The quiet fascination in the phrase 'silently admire' holds the dominating strength of a strong and resolute nature. It takes the calmness of a sovereign to control the fierceness of the ancient forest. The image of the tiger appears truly extraordinary and mighty.
The tightly stretched verse quickly dissolves into the joyful cries of dawn:
'Where are the dawn, green trees bathed in sunlight
Birds singing as our sleep blooms.'
After the rain, the sky brightens with a fresher dawn. The tiger further asserts its position. At night, it stays awake with the universe. On rainy days, it 'silently admires' the ever-changing mountains. When everything awakens, it is immersed in a deep sleep. The image of the sovereign of the forest, free and unrestrained, able to control and dominate others, and no one can dominate it.
Most intense, most enchanting is the scene of the forest at the moment of sunset:
'Where are the tranquil evenings, bloodstained after the forest
I await death, the fierce sun fragment.'
The forest painting glows in shades of red, the color of blood, the color of sunlight. During dusk, the sunlight turns into a dazzling red, the same time the sun is setting. But in the eyes of the tiger, that blazing light is the blood of the sun, and the sun is gradually fading in the fierce death. The tiger is seizing power from the universe to reign.
