What does "The road is long and long, I will search up and down" mean

Meaning: The road ahead is long and far, and I will pursue my ideal up and down.

From: Qu Yuan's "Li Sao" in the Warring States Period

Excerpts from the original text:

The road is long and long, and I will search up and down.

The remaining horses are drinking in the salty pond, and the remaining bridles are like fusang.

Broken like a tree to brush against the sun, chatting leisurely to meet the sheep.

Wangshu in the front is the leader, and Feilian is the messenger behind.

Interpretation:

The road ahead is long and far, and I will pursue my ideal up and down.

Let my horse drink from the salty pond and tie its reins to the hibiscus tree.

If I fold down the wooden branches to block the sun, I can wander leisurely for the time being.

Ask Wangshu in front to be the pioneer, and let Feilian in the back follow closely.

Extended information

This poem centers on the poet's self-narration of his life experience, experiences, and aspirations. The first half of the chapter repeatedly expresses the poet's concern for the fate of Chu State and people's lives, expresses the desire to reform politics, and the will to adhere to ideals and never compromise with evil forces despite disasters; The statement of wanting to die after achieving and failing reflects the poet's thoughts and feelings of loving the country and the people.

The poem expresses his indomitable fighting spirit in pursuing truth and light, upholding justice and ideals; at the same time, it profoundly exposes the corrupt and dark nature of the Chu aristocratic group headed by Chu Jun, and criticizes them for confusing right and wrong. , forming cliques for personal gain, slandering talented people, and evil crimes that harm the country.

Qu Yuan was the first great patriotic poet in Chinese history, the founder of Chinese romantic literature, the founder and representative writer of "Chu Ci", and pioneered the tradition of "vanilla beauty", known as He is the "ancestor of Ci Fu" and "the ancestor of Chinese poetry". The emergence of Qu Yuan's works marks that Chinese poetry has entered a new era from collective singing to individual originality. His main works include "Li Sao", "Nine Songs", "Nine Chapters", "Tianwen", etc.

The symbolic technique of Qu Yuan's "Vanilla Beauty" inherits and develops the pictorial technique of "The Book of Songs". Qu Yuan's creation shows the liberation of emotions to a considerable extent, thus creating a new, vibrant and Powerful poetic style.

Due to the need for this kind of emotional expression, we cannot be satisfied with plain writing techniques, but need to borrow a lot of mythological materials from the Chu region and use gorgeous fantasy to greatly expand the realm of poetry and show its magnificence. characteristics.