A Study On The Image Of "Shadow" In Southern Dynasty Poetry

"Shadow" is an important emerging image in southern Dynasty poetry.From the pre-Qin period to the Wei,Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties,the "shadow" image experienced a process of development from germination to prosperity.In the Southern Dynasty,there were more than 300 poems involving "shadow" images.From the initial manifestation of Liu and Song to the development of the Southern Qi Dynasty,and to the peak of writing in Liang and Chen Dynasties,the "shadow" image showed a prosperous trend in terms of quantity,type,emotional connotation and expression techniques.The prosperity of "shadow" images in the Southern Dynasty has both the deep social and cultural reasons and the inevitable reasons for the development of literature.First of all,the turbulent political environment made the literati’s mentality turn from birth to self,seeking spiritual asylum from "shadow";Buddhist culture in the Southern Dynasty influenced the poetic concept.Buddhist scholars frequently introduced "shadow" into poetry as a Buddhist term,and showed their understanding of the void of life through the metaphor in Buddhism;the poets of the Southern Dynasty paid attention to the shadow of nature,the shadow of architecture and the shadow of singing girls because of their love for mountains and waters and their emphasis on pleasure.Secondly,literary creation pursues new changes,and the poetry theme pays more attention to the reality;the creation techniques are meticulous and exquisite;and the objects are as beautiful as they look;the improvement of the aesthetic level and the innovation of the way of observation made the images of shadow from its initial appearance to prosperity in the Southern Dynasty.The emotional connotation of the "shadow" image is getting richer in the Southern Dynasty.With the help of the loneliness and nihility of “shadow”,poets expressed the bitterness of homesickness and the resentment of lovesickness in boudoir;through the ethereal charm of “shadow”,the beauty of women and the pleasure of feasting are expressed,with the help of the ever-changing “shadow”to show the beauty of natural landscape and garden architecture.It expresses the life consciousness that the impermanence of life is all illusory through the metaphor of “shadow versus emptiness” in the Buddhist scriptures.At the same time,it expresses the poet’s capture of the moment with the help of “shadow”,which is also true and illusory.The poets of the Southern Dynasty constructed the image with unique aesthetic feeling through superb artistic techniques.First of all,the poets of the Southern Dynasty used the combination of movement and stillness,personification and synaesthesia to depict three-dimensional and vivid "shadow" images.Secondly,the poets used a calm and careful perspective to create an illusory and hazy aesthetic mood through symmetrical and close-up composition;the combination of monochrome and multi-color is used to endow the“shadow”with beautiful dreamlike beauty;through the distance from the "shadow" and strangeness,the effect of separation is produced,so as to create the poetic artistic conception of the coexistence of the virtual and the real.Thirdly,the poets of the Southern Dynasty were good at using "shadow" with water,the moon and candle to produce three typical image types: "shadow in water","shadow of the moon" and "shadow of candles".The "shadow" images and forms in the Southern poetry are more and more varied,which reflects the progress of the aesthetic level and observation ability of the Southern poets;the emotional connotation not only inherited the "sad shadow" mode before the Southern Dynasty,but also endowed the poets with the "shadow" feast,pleasure and the Buddhist color.Inspired and guided by the poets of the Southern Dynasty,the image of shadow had an important impact on the later literature in terms of emotional content and artistic techniques.