元日
王安石
爆竹声中一岁除，
春风送暖入屠苏。
千门万户曈曈日，
总把新桃换旧符。
On the spring festival
Composed by Wang anshi
Translated by yang zhiming
As the firecrackers are lit on this day,
Another year forever goes away,
While we are enjoying the Tusu wine,
A warm breeze of spring is back to stay.
As the morning sun darts his ray,
On every household-front door’s display,
The new couplets are beautifully shining
With the old ones certainly taken away.
I assume this piece should be composed when Prime minister Wang was conducting his reform. One could see his feeling of joy between the lines—when a new year is here ,people are enjoying themselves with a special liquor (which is believed to be able to ward off evil) under the rising sun. And every household has taken on a new look. This could be considered as the result of the reform. And the last line tells a natural law that the old is to be replaced by the new . The whole world changes according to this law.
标签： 元日王安石
