Hot Wavelength

Chapter 68: The Story and Postscript of the Collected Verse

"Explosive Wavelength" has come to an end. Spanning millions of years, from heaven to earth, thank you for your hard work and perseverance! Everyone is tired, let's open our eyes and return to reality. No matter what the circumstances, we must face them with courage.

In the postscript, Brother Xian no longer intends to hold up the "Mirror of a Thousand Autumns" to reflect the past and present and look to the future.

Let's talk about something lighter. Why did Brother Xian add ancient Chinese poems as "closing poems" to a novel that basically has no Chinese people or events, and even one poem for each chapter!
This is so jarring, it's like putting a Chinese couplet on the entrance of a world-renowned science museum – it just doesn't fit in at all.

The practice of compiling verses originated in the Wei and Jin dynasties. People at that time would take a line from different poems in ancient masterpieces such as the Book of Songs and compile them into a new poem, hence the name. In the Song dynasty, Wang Anshi compiled verses from Tang dynasty poets, thus formalizing this literary form, which was deeply loved by literati. Su Shi and others have produced excellent works of this style that have been passed down through the ages.

Wen Tianxiang was fond of collecting verses, and he especially admired Du Fu. While in prison, he collected more than 200 verses from Du Fu's poems, using the collected new poems to express his feelings for his country and people, which became a well-known story.

During the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, the legacy of Tang and Song poets was abundant, and poems composed of collected verses were particularly favored. Many excerpts from operas used these poems to conclude the performance; for example, in Tang Xianzu's "The Peony Pavilion," act 55 uses 54 collected verses.

Brother Xian didn't initially intend to create a "combined-line poem" at the end of the novel; he simply wanted to include a line of poetry each from Du Fu and Bai Juyi at the end.

Even in death, they become stars, never to be extinguished.
One wave dies, another rises.

Because these two lines of poetry fit the content and theme of "Explosive Wavelength" so perfectly, it's as if Brother Xian commissioned Bai Sima and Du Shisheng to create them for him.

Later, I thought, two lines aren't enough to make a poem, so why not compose a seven-character quatrain? And then what happened? You see, Brother Xian compiled eight lines, which became the final seven-character regulated verse at the end of the novel:

Reading books has given me a mirror for a thousand autumns. - Su Shi, Song Dynasty
Returning from afar, my eyes are brighter than ever. (Ming, Youpu)

The mortal world outside one's body can be changed at will. — Tang Dynasty, Lü Yan

Iron chains at the edge of the clouds guide travelers. (Ming Dynasty, Gu Lin)

The rising tide pushes the previous wave forward; Ming Dynasty, Deng Yunxiao

The painter, though seemingly heartless, perceives emotion within. — Xu Wei, Ming Dynasty

"Death becomes the stars, never to be extinguished," - Du Fu, Tang Dynasty
One wave dies, another rises. —Bai Juyi, Tang Dynasty
It's a seven-character quatrain, so be it. Anyway, placing it at the end and having it recited by the Chinese poet Li Xiaoxuan's "Prince on a White Horse" doesn't seem out of place.

One day, Brother Xian suddenly had a whimsical thought: Could ancient Chinese poetry really describe and "predict" cutting-edge modern technology?

For example, alchemy versus cloning, ascension versus spaceflight, mirage versus the wisdom of the desert, and rope versus superluminal waves?
Brother Xian immediately rejected this absurd idea. Even if some of the poems were somewhat related, how could they possibly correspond one-to-one with the modern technology that the ancients had never seen or even imagined?
So, Brother Xian picked a few scientific terms that he thought were absolutely impossible, making things difficult for the ancients, and also for himself. He should first describe what a "resonant wave" is.

This actually exists:
The path through the clear water is difficult to fathom, as described by the Song Dynasty monk Shaotan.

The origins and development of positive and negative changes are numerous. (Qing Dynasty, Tian Wen)

Main frequency? Variable frequency? And several other types! This is a complete blunder.

How about a "space elevator"? This actually exists:
The shadows of distant mountains are like those of the Tang Dynasty poet Zhou Pu.
A crimson staircase rises from the jade palace. (Tang Dynasty, Huang Tao)

People in ancient times didn't have telescopes. They knew Mars existed, but they probably wouldn't have written about it in their poems.
He actually wrote it; as the old master Su Dongpo wrote in his poem:
"Beneath the Martian rock, the stone cliffs stand tall." Not only was it written, but the poem itself is titled "Martian Rock."

what?
Can a poem (or classical Chinese poetry) be found to fully express the "Saturn's ring marker" experiment proposed in Brother Xian's novel? Brother Xian made a bet with himself: if he could compile such a poem, he would compile one for each chapter of the novel.

Scattered haze, initially resembling meteorites, Song Dynasty, Zhao Fan
The differences between them are significant, ranging from small to large. (Song Dynasty, Chen Pu)

Who can tell when the locomotive wheels are turning? (Song Dynasty, by the monk Zhengjue)

A sheet of ice emerges from the forge. (Ming, Duozheng)

From the formation of Saturn's rings, to the different speeds during their formation, to the formation of a whole from a sheet of ice, the description is incredibly accurate, especially the line "who can tell when the wheels are turning?" It's absolutely brilliant.

When Saturn's rings rotate, it's impossible to distinguish the rotational speed of a particular part, which is why Xuan Ge designed the marked point experiment.

Brother Xian, unconvinced, insisted on adding an extra question: Could you describe the Great Pyramid of Giza near Cairo? The three pyramids are not only enormous, but archaeologists say their arrangement corresponds to the constellation Orion in the sky. This one also has:
Luo Dai's Ancient Pagoda Remains, Ming Dynasty, Liu Xiao
A mind that holds the stars is an astronomical instrument. —Sang Yue (Ming Dynasty)

Furthermore, ancient descriptions of Cretaceous soil layers mark the beginning of the Cenozoic era in geology:
The same price for soil in the Cretaceous region, Song Dynasty, Fan Chengda

A lofty standard now emerges from the towering dome. — Guo Zhiqi (Ming Dynasty)
Okay, Brother Xian completely admits defeat, so we have the "East meets West" poem that is completely unrelated and just a collection of verses.

During the novel's update process, what Brother Xian didn't expect was that many readers were just as "crazy" as he was, saying that the style was unique and complemented each other perfectly. This even led to readers scrambling to find the original poems and echoing each other's sentiments, creating a unique and phenomenal scene. Haha!
During the creative process, in less than half a month, Brother Xian wrote more than 30 poems in one go! The problem is that Brother Xian suddenly realized that when he was compiling the poems, he had defaulted to using the "New Rhyme of Chinese" which rhymes in Mandarin, instead of the "Pingshui Rhyme" used by Tang and Song poets.

Using modern rhymes would be disrespectful to the ancients, fail to capture the original poem's meaning, and invite ridicule from poetry connoisseurs, who might say things like, "There was no paper in the Qin Dynasty" or "There were no chairs with backs in the Han Dynasty."

Then should we use the Pingshui rhyme scheme? No, that won't work either. Words that rhymed in ancient times, such as "来" and "灰" (both belonging to the tenth rhyme group), don't rhyme with modern readers, which would be too difficult for most book lovers.

You're so clever, you must have come up with a perfect solution for Brother Xian. Yes, we just need to take the intersection of the two rhymes.

However, the Pingshui rhyme scheme has 106 rhyme groups, and each group has very few rhyming characters to begin with. After removing rare characters and characters that don't rhyme today, the number of usable characters in each rhyme group is pitifully small.

For example, the four characters “东、庚、青、蒸” do not rhyme with each other in the Pingshui rhyme scheme. The most absurd example is “东” and “冬”; “生” and “升” are homophones in modern times, but have different rhymes in ancient times.

After much deliberation, Brother Xian decided to avoid offending either side and chose the most difficult path. The 69 poems in the book, which are all composed of collected verses, all use the Pingshui rhyme scheme and also conform to today's rhyme scheme.

The Pingshui rhyme is also called the "narrow rhyme". It is inherently "narrow". The intersection of the even narrower Pingshui rhyme and the new rhyme, which was "invented" by Brother Xian, should probably be called the "pure narrow rhyme". The official name could be: New Pingshui Rhyme.

All this rambling is simply to ease the sadness of parting with my fellow book lovers.

最后揭秘一下小说封面中暗藏的“秘密”，左上角的“142857”、三座金字塔和12个“1”加3个“0”，分别代表10进制、2进制和3进制；右上角的10T、19.19.19.0.0.19.0.0和1.0.0.T.0.1.T.0.0表示20进位制。

Michael and Tesla looked at each other through the mirror, as if it were a dialogue across time and space.

Michael: "What do you want?"

Tesla: "I want to be resurrected, and I want the life symbol behind you." (Michael had the ancient Egyptian symbol of life, represented by a knotted rope, printed behind him.)

Michael: "How long have you been waiting?"

Tesla: "6300 million years plus 200 million years, you humans are really slow at evolving. 6300 million years is the symbol I have engraved on my chest." (The robot has the symbol of the Atto shield, a Mayan Long Count calendar unit of time, engraved on its chest.)

"Explosive Wavelength" is finished; it's time to say goodbye.

The characters in the novel all have their own destinies, but what about the future of Brother Xian, the book lovers, and the emerging humans that Brother Xian mentions in his novels but has no right to represent?
Like the Venusians 6500 million years ago, let us wait with hope, for everything is yet to be completed.

Brother Xian and his fellow book lovers enjoy the poems of Li Bai and Du Fu, while the French appreciate the novels of Victor Hugo and Alexandre Dumas, whose masterpieces have been adapted for the stage and screen time and time again.

In May 2024, at the Cannes Film Festival, the nth adaptation of "The Count of Monte Cristo" was released, with the screenwriter designing a different ending than previous versions.

Mercedes receives a letter from Edmund Dantès, the last sentence of which serves as the ending of the entire film. The author remarked that this sentence is strikingly similar to the values ​​conveyed in "Firewave".

The secret to the continuous existence of the new human race, besides faith, wisdom, courage, and resilience, lies in another key factor, which perfectly encapsulates this statement, regardless of the predicament or despair one faces.

Brother Xian gave it to a fellow book lover, and the Count of Monte Cristo said:
"All human wisdom is contained in these two words: wait and hope!"

&
The acrostic poem in the story of the collected verses:
This place was a gathering place for ancient sages, by Liu Ban of the Song Dynasty.
Wait and see the sky darken. (Qing, He Wu Zou)
When will the clouds and water meet again? (Song Dynasty, Bai Yuchan)

His arrival was like a sudden visit from a distinguished guest. (Song Dynasty, Lü Tao)

The inscription, though barely surviving the erosion of the earth, is attributed to Dong Sigao of the Song Dynasty.

A single word recorded here is worth a thousand pieces of gold. — Sun Qifeng, Qing Dynasty

A poor traveler's letter is hard to come by; Song Dynasty, Song Xiang
The traces of past sages remain to this day. — Chen Gongyin, Qing Dynasty
His face has been sent through a poem. — Liu Qi, Song Dynasty
Perhaps one could try reciting a poem in this style. (Qing, Hongli)

"Do not inquire about past lives once you have appeared," by Jiang Shiquan (Qing Dynasty).

The author's profound insights can be seen throughout the ages. —Weng Fanggang, Qing Dynasty
The painting, now revisited amidst withered petals, is from the Yuan Dynasty, by Zhang Yong.
The bright moon in my arms, sought in my dreams. — Hu Yinglin (Ming Dynasty)
Where silence reigns and thoughts vanish, beyond words; Song Dynasty, Wang Zhi
Looking afar, one understands the hearts of people across the world. (Tang Dynasty, Qiu Wei)

&
Waiting for the future, remembering the past;

Face reality, but remain hopeful!

(End of this chapter)