| Origin of Red Beans | Poems of Red Beans |
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| Wei Wang(Red Bean) |
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| "A red berry grows in the south country - |
| The boughs are full of them when spring arrives. |
| Gather some, I pray, and fill your packets - |
| These are the best forget - me - not!" |
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| Appreciating Wang Wei's poem |
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1. Began with red beans nicknamed love peas, the poem makes us feel the lovesickness from the beans, endlessly.
The following sentence is a question without immediate response, although we know more than several branches will grow due to the warm weather and abundant spring rain.
The last two sentences combine red beans and lovesickness together to encourage more gathering.
"You" is the object of the poet's lovesickness, but the poet encourages his friend to collect the red beans as many as possible because they are the best representatives of longing and yearning. The subtlety of this poem lies in the metaphor of red beans as yearning, triggering the readers'
emotional resonance. |
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2. Many famous poems in Tang dynasty were circulated widely after being set to music. This poem was one of opera singers' favorites. It is said that the popular singer Lee Ku Nien often sang the poem for audience in Jiangnan area after the Tianbao Rebellion. The fruits of red beans are round and sparkLing; making them perfect for decorations.
Our ancestors used to use red beans as a gift of love. It is said that a lady in the past waited for her husband who fought and died in the front line. Her lovesickness for her husband made her death. The place of her burial grew a tree and people called the seeds of the trees love peas. The lovesickness refers not only the one between men and women, but also between friends. Subtitle of the poem "To Lee Ku Nien on the river" obviously indicates memories for an old friend. |
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| Round and big red beans grow in Lingnan where you settle down now. With every approaching lunar New Year, how many new branches and leaves will the tall and lush plant grow? I hope you collect this crystal lovely thing as many as you can, because this red bean, also known as love pea, can best convey the feelings of lovesick people. |
