The Original Preface of Su Dongpo's Biography-Lin Yutang I wrote Su Dongpo's Biography for nothing but writing. For many years, I have kept the idea of making a biography for him in my mind. 1936, I went to America with my family. In addition to a set of basic books on Chinese studies, I also brought some rare ancient books written by Su Dongpo or related to him, which I don't care about in my spare time. At that time, I hoped to write a book to introduce him or translate some of his poems into English. Even if I can't, I hope he can stay with me when I am abroad. The works written by a charming, creative, fair, open-minded and unique person are listed on the bookshelf, which is really a tonic for the soul. Now I can write this book, and I feel very happy. This reason alone is enough. ? Distinctive personality is always a mystery. There is one Su Dongpo in the world, but there can't be a second one. The definition of personality can only satisfy the experts who define it. From the life and personality of a versatile and colorful character, it is not difficult to pick out a set of characteristics that readers like. I can say that Su Dongpo is a hopeless optimist, a great humanist, a friend of the people, a great writer, a great calligrapher, an innovative painter, an experimenter in brewing wine, an engineer, a puritan hater, a yogi, a Buddhist, a great Confucian politician, the secretary of the emperor, Brewmaster, a kind judge and a political opponent. But this is not enough to tell the whole story of Su Dongpo. Speaking of Su Dongpo, China people always smile warmly and kindly. This conclusion may best illustrate his characteristics. Su Dongpo is more versatile than other poets in China, with a sense of change and humor, and superior intelligence, but he has an innocent child in his mind-a mixture equal to what Jesus called the wisdom of a snake and the gentleness of a dove. Admittedly, this kind of mixing is very rare, and only a few people in the world have both. Here's one! Throughout his life, he was completely natural and loyal to himself. He is not good at political sophistry and calculation by nature; His impromptu poems or works, criticizing an unpleasant thing, are all natural outpouring of the mind, based on instinct and reckless impulse, just like what he called "the sound of spring birds and autumn insects", or it can be compared to "an ape sings a crane unintentionally, but I don't know if a pedestrian walks down". He has always been involved in the political whirlpool, but he has always been above politics. Without calculation and goal, he sang, wrote and commented all the way, just trying to express his feelings, regardless of the consequences. Because of this, today's readers appreciate his works, admire his use of his mind in the course of the incident, and reserve the right to speak for himself from beginning to end. His works exude a lively personality, sometimes naughty, sometimes solemn, depending on the occasion, but always sincere and sincere, not deceiving others. He has no other reason to write, but loves to write. We appreciate his works today for no other reason than because he writes beautifully and richly, from his innocent heart. ? I analyzed why every generation in China has sincerely worshipped Su Dongpo for 1000 years. Now let me talk about the second reason, which is similar to the first point, but in a different way. Su Dongpo has charm. Just like the amorous feelings of women, the beauty and fragrance of flowers are easy to feel, but it is difficult to distinguish the ingredients. Su Dongpo has great charm of outstanding talents and always teaches his wife or the person who loves him the most to worry-I don't know whether to admire his fearless courage or to stop him from getting hurt. Obviously, there is a strength of character in his heart, and no one can stop it. This power existed from the moment he was born, so let nature take its course until death forced him to shut up and stop laughing. He waved his pen like a toy. He can be eccentric or solemn, naughty or serious-very serious, and we can hear a group of piano sounds reflecting all human emotions such as joy, joy, disillusionment and depression from his pen tip. He is always happy to play with a group of people. He said that he was impatient by nature, and when he met something that was not pleasing to the eye, he was "like a fly eating, but he spit it out again." He didn't like the works of a poet, so he said, "It was that JD.COM pedant who got drunk after drinking private liquor and eating dead beef.". ? He plays jokes on his friends and enemies. Once, at a grand court ceremony, he mocked a Neo-Confucianism in front of all the ministers, and his words hurt each other, which made him suffer a lot in the future. But what others don't understand most is that he can be angry about things, but he can't hate others. He hates evil, but he is not interested in people who do evil, but he just doesn't like it. Resentment is a sign of incompetence. He never knew what incompetence was, so he never had a personal grudge. Generally speaking, we get the impression that he has been playing the piano and singing all his life and enjoys it. He always smiles and accepts the arrival of sadness and misfortune. It is this kind of amorous feelings that my humble work describes, which is why he has become the favorite writer of many China literati. ? This is the story of a poet, painter and friend of the people. He felt strongly, thought clearly, wrote beautifully and acted bravely, and never changed his direction because of his own interests or the direction of public opinion. He doesn't know how to take care of his own interests, but he is very concerned about the welfare of his compatriots. He is kind and generous. He never saves a penny, but he feels as rich as an emperor. He is stubborn, talkative, witty, outspoken and aboveboard; Versatile, curious, deep, playful, romantic and elegant works, being a father, a brother, a husband and a Confucian demeanor, but being a Taoist at heart, he hates all hypocrisy and deception. His talent and knowledge are far higher than others, so there is no need to be jealous. He is too great to be gentle and kind. He is pure and sincere and never likes to put on airs; Every time he puts on the shackles of his official position. He compared himself to a wild deer on a saddle. Living in an era of frequent disputes, he is bound to become a petrel in the political storm, an enemy of stupid and selfish bureaucrats, and a fighter in the eyes of the anti-oppression people. Every emperor worshipped him privately, and every queen mother became his friend, but Su Dongpo was demoted, arrested and lived in humiliation. ? Su Dongpo's best quote, the best description of himself, is lobbying his younger brother. "I can accompany the jade emperor, I can accompany a beggar in British Columbia. There are no bad people in the world before me. " ? No wonder he lived a happy and carefree life like a whirlwind. ? Su Dongpo's story is basically a story of the soul. He is a Buddhist in metaphysics, knowing that life is a temporary expression of another thing and an eternal soul hidden in a short body, but he can't accept the theory that life is a burden and misfortune-not necessarily. At least he cherishes every moment of his life. His thoughts are Indian, but his temper is entirely China's. Buddhism's belief in destroying life, Confucianism's philosophy of life and Taoism's belief in simplifying life have melted into a new alloy in the melting pot of his heart and feelings. The biggest category of life is only "one hundred years and thirty thousand days", but it is long enough; If he can't find the elixir of life, every moment of earthly life will still be beautiful. His body is bound to die, but he will become the star in the sky and the rain on the earth, shining, nourishing and supporting all life in the afterlife. In this big life, he is just a small molecule with immortal vitality for a while. It doesn't matter which molecule he is. After all, life is eternal and beautiful, and he lives happily. This is the mystery of genius Lotte Su Dongpo. ? There are not many long notes in this book, but the dialogues in the book are traceable. Try to quote the original words, but it is not very good. All the materials are from Chinese, and footnotes are of little use to most American readers. The general source of information can be found in the bibliography. In order to prevent readers from confusing China's name, I omit unimportant names, and sometimes I only mention my last name. China scholars have four or five names, and only one name should be used from beginning to end. When translating China's names into English, I removed the bad "hs" and used "sh" more reasonably. I translated some poems into English, some of which involved too many anecdotes and seemed grotesque and poetic. I'm afraid that if I don't lengthen my notes, the meaning will be unclear, so I have to rewrite them into English prose.
Biography of Su Dongpo by Lin Yutang. The book tells that Su Dongpo is a hopeless optimist, a great humanist, a friend of the people, a great writer, a great calligrapher, an innovative painter, an experimenter in brewing, an engineer, a puritan hater, a yogi, a Buddhist, a scholar, a politician, the secretary of the emperor, Brewmaster, a kind judge and a politician. Astronaut, poet, clown. But this is not enough to tell the whole story of Su Dongpo. Su Dongpo is more versatile than other poets in China, rich in sense of variety and sense of humor, with superior intelligence, but with a naive childlike innocence-this mixture is equal to what Jesus called the wisdom of snakes and the gentleness of pigeons.
reference data
Biography of Su Dongpo. 360 Encyclopedia [reference time 2018-1-15]