Mr. Dongpo, a famous Dongpo layman, was a famous poet, politician and writer in the Song Dynasty. There are many descriptions about his life and story. This paper comments on Mr. Lin Yutang's Biography of Su Dongpo.
introduce
Many biographical works of Mr. Lin Yutang before his death are well known and talked about by Chinese people. This biography of Su Dongpo describes the life of Dongpo lay man in detail, which is a classic and is meaningful after reading it. However, although it is the translation of later generations, the essence is still there. I hope you can have a look at it when you are free and get familiar with the feelings of the ancients.
Comments: Su Dongpo, as one of the eight masters in Tang and Song Dynasties, has many biographies and ballads about Su Dongpo. However, Mr. Lin Yutang's Biography of Su Dongpo is a set of books, which is relatively neat and objectively reproduces the ancestor style of this literary giant and is worth savoring.
About Su Dongpo
Mr Dongpo is famous in the history of China? Eight masters in Tang and Song Dynasties? One, his famous poems are loved by later generations and admired by countless people. As Mr. Lin Yutang described in his book: Dongpo's charming magic. Just like magic in women, beauty and fragrance in flowers, it is easy to feel but difficult to explain. Dongpo's main divine power is to shine the divine power of genius, which makes people wonder whether we should admire his fearless spirit or protect him from others. He has a moral power. This kind of power beyond human control ran strongly on him from his birth until death shut his mouth and interrupted his laughter. He waved his pen like a child's game. From his works, we can not only hear the vibration of human emotional mystery, but also rejoice, joy, dreamlike awakening and obedient tolerance. He claims to have a bad temper, and whenever something bad happens, he feels? If the fly is eating, it will spit it out quickly. ?
Su Dongpo was born in 1036 and died in the year of Jingguoyuan (11kloc-0/). In Su Dongpo's youth, there were a number of wise ministers in the government and in the government above the imperial court, such as the famous Sima Guang, Fu Bi and Ouyang Xiu. During this period, there was Wang Anshi, a famous event in history that led to the demise of the Song Dynasty. Looking back at this period of history, future generations may praise or depreciate, but objectively speaking. Mr. Dongpo lived in an era when civil servants were in power, and both the imperial court and the people paid more attention to the spread of local culture. Therefore, Mr. Dongpo's efforts and contributions in that era are the inevitable product of that era. Although his life was bumpy, his influence on later generations was of special significance. As Mr. Lin Yutang described in the article: Dongpo, a native of Su Like, has had such an experience all his life, and he has also become a topic of whispering and admiration among literati. Especially after death, is a natural thing. If compared with similar people in the west, Li Bai is a meteor in the literary world. After a spectacular and amazing flash, it burned itself out, similar to Shelley and Byron. On the other hand, Du Fuxiang Milton. He is both a devout philosopher and a kind elder. He is knowledgeable and rich in writing, and writes rich feelings with simple pen and ink. Su Dongpo is always full of youthful vitality. In terms of characters, it is quite like Hugo of France; He has touching characteristics, such as the vast life in Britain. Su Dongpo's era is doomed to be full of hardships, and his humanity has become more gentle and kind, not bitter. Today, the reason why we look back at him and admire him is precisely because he has suffered from human suffering.
Chapter Comments: China's literary giants are doomed to a bumpy life. The charm of Dongpo lay man lies in his painstaking efforts in his life and his writing style is quite different from that of westerners. Later generations can try to guess the poet's mood when studying Dongpo's works, but the result is often similar to that of the gods. As a modern literary work, it pays attention to the combination of reality and fiction, but it is difficult to reproduce the charm and sage like style of the ancients. This is one of the reasons why later generations admire Su, and it is also the essence of Mr. Dongpo's literary works.
Su Dongpo's childhood and youth
Su Dongpo was born in Meizhou (now Meishan, Sichuan). I remember when I was studying in Sichuan, one of my classmates was from Meishan. Maybe he doesn't like reading very much. At that time, I asked him who the famous ancients were in Meishan. He only talked about people who only knew Su Dongpo, but he was not very familiar with his life. I only know a few famous quotations from Mr. Dongpo. Looking back today, with the passage of time, there may be many young people who only know their own names, but their life experiences are still unknown. It should be said that Mr. Yutang's Biography of Su Dongpo is a very good book, which expounds Mr. Dongpo's life in detail. However, in some places, I don't quite agree with Mr. Yutang's evaluation of individual characters, but on the whole, it is still very practical and objective, and I still have aftertaste after reading it today.
Back to the topic, there was a brother in front of Su Dongpo who died at birth. After he was born, he became the eldest son of the family. Under him, there is a younger brother, Susie Yusuzhe, whose father is Su Xun, who later called it a memorial service? Susan? .
The Su family is finally a well-off family, with its own land, perhaps richer than the middle class. When Su Dongpo was born, his grandfather was still alive at the age of 63. When the old man was young, he was tall, handsome, strong and generous. The book once said: the old man can't read, but his character is extraordinary. His grandfather doesn't store food like other people's homes, but exchanges rice for food, and keeps as many as 30 to 40 thousand stones in his warehouse. Later, in the famine year, when the harvest was not good, his grandfather opened a warehouse to provide food relief, first to his close relatives, then to his family, then to his tenant farmers, and finally to the poor in the same village. At this time, the neighboring farmers understood the reason for his stationing grain and admired his grandfather's little influence on Su Dongpo, but Mr. Dongpo's wine tasting was influenced by it.
Speaking of Mr. Dongpo's father, Su Xun, he is taciturn by nature and his political ambition has never been revealed. The fame and literary fame he pursues are all in his two sons. Father didn't study hard until he was 27, and finally achieved something. Between the ages of eight and ten, Su Dongpo's father went to Beijing to take the exam, but he failed again and went to Jianghuai area, where his mother supervised him at home. The book I am teaching my son to read now is Biography of Fan Pang. Xiao Dongpo asked his mother:? Mom, if I grow up to be like Fan Pang, will you? Mom replied:? If you can be Fan Pang, can't I be Fan Pang's mother? ? According to written records, Su Dongpo entered school at the age of six and was able to write amazing poems at the age of ten. For example, The Story of a Mouse describes a sly mouse that falls into an urn and plays dead. When Weng fell to the ground, he fled quickly. In Song Dynasty, in Su Dongpo's childhood, under the wise rule of the emperor, literature and art were strongly rewarded, so school teachers also attached great importance to the cultivation and guidance of students. When Su Dongpo was eleven years old, he entered a middle school and carefully prepared for the imperial examination. In order to prepare for the exam, students must read classics, history and poems, and classic ancient books must be familiar enough to recite. It is in this environment that Su Dongpo and his younger brother Su Zhe. Old saying:? I am familiar with 300 Tang poems, and I can recite them even if I can't write them. This kind of study really has a great influence on Dongpo. In addition, my father always insisted on the simple style of the article and urged him to restrain the gorgeous habits that were popular at that time; Later, young students went to Beijing to catch the exam. When Ouyang Xiu served as the minister of the Ministry of Rites and the examiner of the Ministry of Rites, he was determined to launch a movement to reform the style of writing, and all students who showed off their rhetoric were not admitted.
It is in this environment that it is suitable for young people with literary talent to develop.
Zhang Comment: Of course, Mr. Lin Yutang's evaluation of Dongpo's father is more objective, although he evaluates the previous paragraph from his own standpoint. In my opinion, if a person wants to grow up, he must have a learning environment and atmosphere. Without the tradition of Su Jia's studious study and his father's pursuit and influence on literature, Dongpo lay man could not have grown into a famous poet later. Including his brother's eagerness to learn, also played a positive role in promoting him. Therefore, the objective evaluation of Mr. Dongpo's childhood is also suitable. The influence of family atmosphere, social state, acquired efforts, especially the indirect influence of his father, plays a very key role in his later growth.
Su Dongpo's heyday
Even if Su Dongpo is brilliant, he will rise from a lower level in his official career. In the sixth year of Jiayou (i.e. 106 1 year), the court appointed him as the judge of Dali, who signed the book and had the right to countersign the memorial.
At this time, Mr. Dongpo wrote a famous article in his letter to his younger brother:
Everyone in life knows what to plan, so it should be like flying in the snow.
If you accidentally left a toe melon in the mud, Hong Fei wouldn't count.
This seven-line poem became the masterpiece of Dongpo's poetry. This time in Fengxiang is the most leisure time for Mr. Dongpo. Because there are not many official duties, he is proud of having time to travel around. Although some so-called officials have been offended, at this time, because the official is on the road, besides working, he is also leisurely.
But a few years later, Wang Anshi's political reform in 1069 forced great changes in the imperial court. The reason is that Wang Anshi is headstrong, although the original intention of the reform is good. I won't repeat the content of Wang Anshi's political reform here, because I have published a blog post about Wang Anshi's political reform before. Regarding Wang Anshi's political reform, Su Dongpo once told the emperor that the people must never be intimidated by authority and make them obey. He mentioned that there were rumors that corporal punishment would be resumed.
What I remember from childhood and what I heard from my elders are all Taiwan Province's so-called suggestions, which are often discussed with the world. Public discussion and protests in Taiwan Province followed. The public discussion began, and so did the protests in Taiwan Province. Today, the debate is boiling and the complaint is handed in. It is also clear where the public discussion is.
Comments: Su Dongpo, in his prime of life, not only began to emerge politically, but also reached perfection in poetry and literature. Objectively speaking, Su Dongpo's political career has just begun, because in Wang Anshi and other imperial courts? Always changing factions? Out of revenge for Confucian scholars in the imperial court and Song Yingzong's esteem for Wang Anshi, Su Dongpo, despite his literary achievements, failed to show his ambition in his political career, and his political views were different from Wang Anshi's.
Su Dongpo's sophistication
As Mr. Lin Yutang described: The loveliest thing about Su Dongpo is that he lives alone as an independent and free farmer.
108 1 year, Su Dongpo really started farming. He began to work in a field in Dongpo, claiming to be? Dongpo lay man? . In the preface to Dongpo's Eight Poems, he said: In the second year of Huang, I was tired, so my old friend Ma Zhengqing mourned for the lack of food and invited dozens of acres of camps for the county to make him dedicated.
Su Dongpo once said:? No one is lax and enlightened. ? Liberation or Buddhism and Taoism all begin with the self-discipline of this heart. During his stay in Huangzhou, Mr. Dongpo began to specialize in Buddhism and Taoism, and his later works were also stained with Buddhism and Taoism. He devoted himself to exploring the mysteries of the soul. He asked himself, how can people get inner peace? There are Indian yoga and Taoist immortal cultivation methods, which provide people with accurate mental control methods, ensure emotional stability and promote physical health. Even, of course, in the distant future, even the elixir of life was discovered. What about immortality? He is fascinated by the art of seeking eternal life. The immortality of life and spirit should be completely separated, because no matter how you look at the body, the body is just a stinking bag. If the spirit is cultivated properly, sooner or later, it will leave this smelly bag and fly high to the spiritual world. The immortality of the body, to say the least, includes at least one goal that can be cultivated, that is, delaying aging and prolonging life.
1084, Su Dongpo became an official again. At the party where his neighbors and friends saw him off, he wrote a famous sentence:
Back and forth, where am I going? Life flies, waiting for the autumn wind, waiting for the clear waves in the water, waiting for the willow in front of the hall. You should remember that I didn't cut the soft ke. It is said that the elders in the south of the Yangtze River are all exposed to the sun and rain.
1086 (the first year of Yuan You, Song Zhezong), Mr. Dongpo was favored by the Queen Mother Regent (the emperor was only 9 years old and was represented by his grandmother). Within eight months after he arrived in Beijing, the court promoted him three times. According to the ancient system, official positions were divided into nine grades. In this short time, he rose from the seventh grade, passed the sixth grade, jumped to the fourth grade, and finally stopped at the third grade of Hanlin bachelor's degree to draft an imperial edict for the emperor, at the age of 49. When Su Dongpo was a bachelor of Hanlin, he planned to write about 800 letters, all of which were sonorous, decent, humble and concise. The texts of ancient imperial edicts often quote classics and are full of examples and metaphors. This kind of writing is easy for Mr. Dongpo to write. For example, the content of the imperial edict demeaning Lv Huiqing was not decided by Mr Dongpo, but the wording of the imperial edict was his handwriting. Su Dongpo wrote to the traitor. Beginning with a bosom friend, * * * deceives you. Happy is happy, angry is enemies. ?
After Sima Guang's death in September of the same year, it coincided with the fasting day when the gods were sent to the ancestral temple. According to the ancient calendar, all court officials had to go to the ancestral temple to fast, but they didn't have time to mourn the late Prime Minister. Cheng Yi and Cheng Yi, the masters of Neo-Confucianism who happened to be in charge of this matter, told Su Dongpo and other officials who came to pay their respects. Haven't you read The Analects? ? If you cry every day, you won't sing. ? Su Dongpo immediately replied:? The Analects of Confucius didn't say, sing that day, don't cry. ? Su Dongpo was very angry. Despite Cheng Yi's opposition, he led everyone into the door. Everyone stood in front of the coffin and saluted. Before leaving, they wiped their eyes with sleeves according to the custom. Su Dongpo saw that Sima Guang's son didn't come out to receive guests, and only asked others did he know that Cheng Yi had banned it, saying that it was not marked in ancient times. So Su Dongpo said in front of all the officials: Yichuan can be described as an uncle and grandson. ? Everyone burst into laughter, Cheng Yi flushed. This comment can be said to hit the nail on the head.
At this time, Mr. Dongpo's fame reached its peak. He was revered by all scholars and friends and held a high position in the court. He suffered a lot because he insisted on his own opinions, so he was more admired. In this respect, his friends are far behind. After Sima Guang's death, no one could match him among the soldiers at that time, although he was not suitable to be a prime minister. However, it is generally acknowledged that in terms of personality, he stands out from the crowd in the whole officialdom.
Comments: Mr. Dongpo has reached a very high position in middle-aged and elderly people, both in official position and literary attainments, which can only be shown by superb and perfect. Although he did not make great achievements in politics, he made a leap in literature during this period, that is, the appearance of Su Ci. Objectively speaking, Mr. Dongpo's poetry is a milestone in the development of Song Ci. The word is Ke Yan? At that time, it was a solid tradition, and Su Shi successfully transformed this ethos. He broke through the old frame of writing about love and parting between men and women since the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties, expanded the theme of poetry and improved the artistic conception of poetry. He can use words to express the themes that poets have been using, such as nostalgia, nostalgia, travel, reasoning and so on. , so that the word can get rid of the state of being just the lyrics of music and become a new poetic style that can develop independently. In addition, in his political career as an official, he successfully solved the project of supplying water to Hangzhou from six small reservoirs, which is also a milestone in Mr. Dongpo's political career.
Su Dongpo's exile years
In 10, Zhang Chun became prime minister, and he operated on Su Dongpo for the first time. Mr Dongpo was the first person to be demoted to the south of Dayuling in Guangdong. He was dismissed from office, deprived of his official position and transferred to Yingzhou Prefecture. It's not that he doesn't know this situation, but that the second persecution will reach this level.
Shortly after the death of Empress Dowager Cixi, he was framed and exiled to Lingnan (near Huizhou, Guangdong) for the second time. In ancient times, Lingnan was a remote place with a small population. He stayed there for several years. Although life is hard, you can get pleasure from it. He wrote in a letter to a friend: He has been acclimatized for half a year, and he has no worries, because he has been very happy in his life in Zhihu. During this period, Mr. Dongpo also wrote at least five or six wine poems, such as "The Postscript of Dong Gao Zi Biography". A satrap in the East gave wine as a gift. He has just finished reading the biography of Dong Gaozi, who was famous for his heavy drinking in the Han Dynasty. He wrote and described his drinking habits over and over again, and occasionally added two pieces of happiness in life. The number of unintelligent writers will inevitably increase to four or five, or they will write endlessly.
Su Dongpo has lost his position of power and is disliked by those in power. When he was in his prime, his ambition to be king in Yaoshun and change the fate of the empire was no longer his spirit. Now he is only a Huizhou native, and his business is also the business of his neighbors Zhai Xiucai and Mrs. Lin, who makes wine and always gives him wine on credit. His friends are Taoist Wu Fugu, Lu and Luo Fu. He also has many friends among literati, satrap and county magistrate.
Comments: It is precisely because of the ups and downs of officialdom that this literary genius was created. Just like a poem he wrote when he settled in Changzhou in his later years:? I feel that I have nothing to do in my life. Are you happy to smell good words when you come back from the mountain temple, and are you happy to hear wild flowers and birds? .
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Comprehensive comments: What did Mr. Lin Yutang appreciate? Can there be two in the world? Su Dongpo, like a shining superstar, shines in the historical starry sky of China for thousands of years. His life has been full of troubles, but his human nature has become more gentle and kind, and he has not become bitter. We love Su Dongpo because he has suffered a lot in life. There is a proverb in China, that is, what do you want? Final verdict? . Life is like a dream, and how a play is performed can only be judged at the end. Dongpo's life is full of hope and lofty spirit. Man's life is the life of the soul, and this kind of power forms man's occupational character. This kind of character is innate, and its form is expressed through the experience in life, as he said in an inscription: Expensive spirit does not follow the shape, does not rely on strength, does not stay alive, and does not die with death. Therefore, the sky is a star, the earth is a river prison, the secluded is a ghost, and the bright is a person. This truth is normal, and there is no blame. ?