Translation of Xie Lingyun
Xie Lingyun was a native of Yangxia, Chen County. His grandfather Xie Xuan was a chariot and cavalry general in the Jin Dynasty. His father, Xie Wanghuan, was not smart since he was a child. He worked as a secretary and died very early. Xie Lingyun was extremely intelligent when he was very young. Xie Xuan valued him very much and said to those close to him: "I gave birth to Xie Wanghuan. How could Xie Wanghuan give birth to Lingyun!"
Xie Lingyun has been urinating since he was a child. He loves reading and is well-read in classics and history. His articles are very beautiful. Almost no one in Jiangnan can catch up with him. His uncle Xie Hun especially likes him. Xie Lingyun inherited his grandfather's title and was named Kang Le Gong, enjoying the tax treatment of two thousand households. Citing precedent, Xie Lingyun was awarded the position of Yuanwai Sanqi Shilang by the imperial court. Xie Lingyun did not take up the post, but he accepted the official position of Sima Xing, the Grand Sima Xing of King Lang Ya, to join the army. Xie Lingyun had an extravagant temperament and loved luxury. The decoration of his car was bright and beautiful, and his clothes and playthings all changed from the old style. The world imitated his appearance and changed accordingly. People called him Xie Kangle. Liu Yi, the general of the Fu army, guarded Gushu and used him as a secretary to join the army. Liu Yi guarded Jiangling and asked him to serve as a guard and a lieutenant. After Liu Yi was killed, the great ancestor Liu Yu used him as a Taiwei to join the army. After returning to the capital, he worked as a secretary, but was dismissed due to some affairs.
When Emperor Wu Liu Yu conquered the Yao family of the Later Qin due to his affairs, General Liu Daolian stayed in the capital, and Xie Lingyun was used to consult and join the army. Then he was transferred to Zhongshu Shilang, and then became the Crown Prince's Zhongjun Consultant and Huangmen Shilang. Xie Lingyun was ordered to go to Pengcheng as an envoy to express his condolences to the ancestor Liu Jun and wrote "Zheng Fu".
When he came back, he was still appointed as the Minister of Huangmen of the Song Dynasty, and then promoted to the position of Zhonglang of the Prime Minister. The prince Zuo Weishuai was dismissed from his official position because he executed his disciples without authorization. When Liu Yu, Emperor Wu of the Song Dynasty, became emperor, Duke Xie Lingyun was demoted to a marquis, enjoying the tax treatment of 500 households. He was also appointed as a regular servant of the Sanqi, and was transferred to the prince's left guard commander. Xie Lingyun has an extreme nature and often violates etiquette and laws. The court only regarded him as a person with some literary talent, rather than a knowledgeable and talented politician. However, he himself believes that he is capable of participating in national affairs. Now that he is not appreciated, he often feels aggrieved. Luling King Liu Yizhen was fond of literature when he was young and had a good relationship with Xie Lingyun. When the young emperor was the emperor, power was in the hands of ministers, and Xie Lingyun was there to sow discord and slander those in power. Situ Xu Xianzhi and others were afraid of him and asked him to go out as the prefect of Yongjia. There are many famous mountains and beautiful waters in Yongjia County. He has always liked to travel. Because he was excluded, he traveled as much as he wanted. He visited almost every county. Every time he went out, he often stayed there for ten days. Common people He paid no attention to the lawsuit. No matter where he went, Xie Lingyun would recite poems and compose poems to express his feelings and thoughts. He served in the county for only one year before he resigned due to illness. His cousins ??Xie Hui, Xie Yao, Xie Hongwei and others wrote letters to dissuade him. Xie Lingyun didn't listen at all.
Both Xie Lingyun’s grandfather and father are buried in Boning County, where his family’s old house and villa are located. So he took the initiative to change his native place to Kuaiji County and built houses and manors there. His residence overlooked the surrounding beautiful water in the front and the towering mountains in the back, giving it an extremely deep and quiet atmosphere. He and the hermits Wang Hongzhi, Kong Chunzhi and others were free and indulgent, taking pleasure in this, and often planned to spend the rest of their lives here. Every one of his poems was spread to the capital, and no matter how high or low they were, they copied it. Overnight, the officials and the people became familiar with it. People from far and near admired him very much, and his reputation shocked the capital.
When Emperor Wen became emperor, Xu Xianzhi and others were killed. Xie Lingyun was transferred to secretary supervisor. He was summoned twice, but Xie Lingyun ignored him. Emperor Wen sent Fan Tai, the Guanglu doctor, to write a letter to Xie Lingyun to praise him, and he was summoned to take office. Emperor Wen asked him to sort out the books of the Secretary Province and fill in the missing parts. Since there was no complete history book in the Jin Dynasty, he asked Xie Lingyun to write a "Book of Jin". He wrote a rough outline, but in the end the book did not written. Soon he was promoted to the rank of servant, and was summoned every morning and evening. He was very favored by Emperor Wen. Xie Lingyun's articles and calligraphy were unparalleled at that time. Every time he composed, he copied it by hand. Emperor Wen called his articles and ink writing the second treasure. Since he was a celebrity, Xie Lingyun felt that he should participate in government affairs. When he was first summoned, he promised himself this way. However, after the summons, Emperor Wen only regarded him as a scholar. Every time he drank with Emperor Wen, Emperor Wen only asked him to talk about poetry. Wang Tanshou, Wang Hua, Yin Jingren and others were always under him in reputation and title, but at the same time they were favored. Xie Lingyun was dissatisfied and often excused himself from going to court because he was sick. He only built ponds, planted flowers and trees, and transplanted trees. Just pruning bamboo and playing with herbs, he drove endless people to work for the country.
When traveling out of the city, sometimes I would walk 1,600 to 70 miles a day, and I would often not come back for ten days. I would neither write to ask for instructions nor ask for leave. Emperor Wen did not want to hurt the minister and hinted that he should resign voluntarily. Xie Lingyun then stated that he was ill, and Emperor Wen asked him to take a vacation and return to the East. Before he left, he wrote another memorial to persuade Emperor Wen to make an expedition to the north. The article said:
For more than a hundred years since the fall of the Central Plains, the people have fallen into the hands of the enemy and have been ruled by foreigners. The late emperor was wise and holy, and sympathized with the suffering of the people of the Central Plains. He hoped to pacify Hebei, unify China, and bring order to the Central Plains. , the survivors returned to China. However, fortunes changed, his great cause was not accomplished, and his ideals were not realized, so the late emperor passed away with hatred. Moreover, not long after the late emperor was buried, the enemy came to invade. Who among those who are loyal and righteous would not want to rise up and avenge the country? However, the ministers who were in power during the Young Emperor's time were mediocre in talent and only caused chaos in the court. They did not care about the late emperor's instructions. So the border town fell into the hands of the enemy, no one was willing to come to help, the loyal people who served the country were captured by the enemy, and the great rivers and mountains in the Yellow River Basin finally fell into the hands of the enemy. These fallen territories were all opened up by the late emperor. After falling to the enemy, this is a shame for the country. It should be scrubbed and now it should be ready to do the job. Moreover, the people in the enemy-occupied areas were poor and miserable, and the enemy's wealth was endless and endless. If the people did not pay taxes on time, they would be massacred. If he cannot save his life, the whole family will be implicated, the whole family will suffer, and the villagers will also be miserable. These are indeed things that make kind-hearted people extremely sad and indignant.
People say that the enemy in the west is abandoning his roots and sending troops to Longwai. The enemy in the east is advancing north. Our army can take the opportunity to cover up the attack. After the enemy in the west returns, our army can occupy Guanzhong and surround Xianyang. When the enemy comes back, The road has been cut off. Even if we want to send troops to support, we can only attack our army near the big city from a distance in order to respond internally and externally. But at this time, our army has the protection of deep mountains and dangerous passes, and its foundation is already solid. Even if the enemy wants to reinforce, it will only abandon his lair, but it will not save themselves. The enemy outside is exhausted, but the enemy inside is empty and undefended. There is no more appropriate time than this to show off your strength. At this time, if you are in a stalemate with the enemy, something unexpected may happen and you will encounter a new enemy. , is different from the initial timing. If you don’t seize this good opportunity, it will be difficult to achieve great success. Even if there are many troops and sufficient food, the possibility of victory may not be available. Throughout ancient history, annexation of the weak was used as an opportunity to unify, and all the heroes of ancient and modern times were no exception. Wasn't it that the time and the human resources were rare at that time, and the rise and fall could be determined at that time. Therefore, the ancients said: "Only when you see natural disasters coming to your enemy and see many contradictions in him can you take action against him." When Wei was strong and conquered Jingzhou and Jizhou, it was just taking advantage of the weakness of Liu Biao and Yuan Shao; The prosperity of the Jin State and the elimination of Wu and Shu also took advantage of the absence of Zhuge Liang and Lu Xun. These are all previous examples and are clearly written in history books. After the Yao family of the Later Qin Dynasty was pacified, everyone in the world believed that the Hu people would be wiped out. We should aim directly at the sliding platform, sweep through the enemy's cities, make the enemy terrified, and then pacify the north within a day. However, the fall of Chang'an and the fall of Tongguan allowed the enemy to save their lives and extend their survival time. From then to now, it has been twelve years, reaching the first century period, so I have the above views. Moreover, Wuhu replaces each other very quickly, and their final period will be next year. They attack each other, and we should take advantage of them. Bian Zhuangzi's situation of stabbing the tiger is just like today's situation. The people in the north look up to the emperor's kindness, just like a hungry person looking for water and food. The people in the south look up to our court for a long, long time. The hope for the people to see the light of day again does indeed lie with Your Majesty. If you don’t take advantage of this opportunity, it will be gone in the future. Although the country's savings are indeed not much today, doing great things requires a strong and prosperous country. It is easy not to look for opportunities, but it is more difficult to seize opportunities. Nowadays, there are more weapons and combat equipment, and the military strength has expanded, far more than before. As for the results of sending troops to win, they can get more than one million household registrations in Jizhou and sufficient land rent and taxes. The wealth of Jizhou is clearly stated in "Yu Gong". The foundation established by the sages is still there. There is abundant water there, and the plains are covered with mulberry, millet, wheat, and millet. It is clear that there is abundant material and human resources. If you plan carefully for the country, the harvest will be far greater than the cost of sending troops to the north!
Because of the loss of Guanzhong, some people think that even if Hebei gets it, it cannot be defended. But the situations in the East and the West are different from the inside out.
Kansai is a place where many ethnic groups live together, and there are many kinds of ethnic groups. During the Western Han Dynasty, the country stationed troops to dominate and built a peak fire tower in Ganquan Palace. Moreover, the troops guarding far away now will encounter the problem of the replacement of the old with the new? Hebei is full of Han people, and there is no mixing of foreign races. The mountains and mountains can serve as barriers, and the three checkpoints can serve as gates. If our cavalry advances north, the aliens in the desert will flee. If we guard it tightly, Jizhou will be like a mountain. Just as solid. When Longxi was attacked by the Huns, Chao Cuo proposed a defensive strategy to defend against the enemy. When the Huns invaded the Han Dynasty, Jia Yi made an impassioned speech. This is a distant precedent. Emperor Wu of the Jin Dynasty was only a moderately talented king. When Sun Hao encountered a good opportunity to abuse the people, it was considered a blessing from God. Moreover, because of the suggestions of Yang Hu, Du Yu and others, Xun Yi was abandoned due to the plans of Jia Chong and others. He was able to achieve great success and unify the world. Moreover, the emperor is wise and wise, the people of the world are grateful and virtuous, the civil and military skills are impressive, and the reputation of Willow is spread far and wide. In addition, the prime ministers are wise, the princes are talented, the feudal princes are hard-working, the dynasty has many tiger generals, and more importantly, the people in distant places. Admiring the emperor's kindness, what enemy can't be eliminated, let alone the vicious Xianbei Wei bandits, now they are just hanging on to their last breath? My Majesty, I hope that the Emperor will consider this matter carefully and make a decision quickly. I am just a humble and ignorant person, running around in caves like a mouse. I just hope to see the peaceful world and the grand occasion of Mount Tai's Zen Buddhism reappear. Although I don't have the writing skills of Sima Xiangru, I can save Sima Tan from the regret of not being able to see Feng Chan alive. If the emperor adopts my suggestion, even if he asks me to resign immediately and go home, I won't have any complaints at all. I have stated this view to the Emperor for a long time, but because I was afraid of offending the Emperor, I was granted leave by the Emperor's grace and was able to leave the court temporarily. I have been suffering from diabetes for ten years, and I am often worried about my sudden death. I have always had this wish, so I risked my life to enlighten the emperor.
Xie Lingyun returned to the East due to illness, but he continued to play, drink, gather and compose poems as usual. Day and night, he was impeached again by Fu Long, the censor Zhongcheng, and was therefore removed from all official positions. This was the fifth year of Yuanjia (428) ).
Xie Lingyun returned to the East and became friends with his brothers Xie Huilian, He Changyu from Donghai, Xun Yong from Yingchuan, and Yang from Taishan... because they admired each other's articles. They traveled together in the mountains and rivers, and people at that time called them the "Four Friends". Xie Huilian was smart and talented when he was a child, but had a frivolous personality. His father Xie Fanming always despised him. Xie Lingyun left Yongjia and returned to Shining. At that time, Xie Fanming was the prefect of Kuaiji. They all admire each other very much. At that time, He Changyu was teaching Xie Huilian to study, and he was also here. Xie Lingyun believed that He Changyu's literary talent was unparalleled in the world. He said to Xie Fangming: "Xie Huilian is so smart and talented, but my respected uncle treats him as a child. He Changyu is today's Wang Can, but he Treat him as an inferior guest. Since my respected uncle cannot treat guests with respect, he should let He Changyu go with me." So Xie Lingyun and He Changyu left in the same carriage. Xun Yong, whose courtesy name was Daoyong, was an official and a knight. Yang..Zi Yao.., served as an official in Linchuan Internal History, and was highly appreciated by Liu Dan, King of Sikong Jingling. Liu Dan was killed after his rebellion failed. The level of He Changyu's articles is second only to Xie Huilian's, while Xun Yong and Yang... are not as good as them. Linchuan King Liu Yiqing recruited literati, and He Changyu was promoted from the Minister of the Kingdom to the Pingxi Ji Office to join the army. He Changyu once wrote to his family friend He Xu in Jiangling. Lu Zhan, one of Liu Yi's subordinate officials in Qingzhou Mansion, said in rhyme poetry: "Lu Zhan dyed his hair on the temples and wanted to have his son-in-law as a side wife. The green hair (black hair) will not fade away for a long time, and the stars (white hair) will come back." There are five or six such writings. head. So the frivolous young people expanded this. All the scholar-bureaucrats at that time were described, and jokes and ugly words were added, so this kind of poetry became very popular. Liu Yiqing was furious and asked Emperor Wen to appoint He Changyu as the magistrate of Zengcheng County under Guangzhou. When Liu Yiqing died, people from the imperial court came to express their condolences at his home. He Xu said to Yuan Shu: "He Changyu can be transferred back now." Yuan Shu said: "The country has just died of a sage from the clan. You should not think about the exiled people." Luling Wang Liushao guarded Xunyang and asked He Changyu to join the army as Nan Zhonglang and take charge of secretarial work. When He Changyu passed Banqiao, he encountered a strong wind and was swept into the water and drowned.
With the capital of his grandfather and father, Xie Lingyun had a rich family fortune and many servants, including hundreds of disciples and old officials of his ancestors. He dug mountains and dug lakes endlessly; he climbed mountains and ridges, always going to the deepest and most dangerous places. No matter how dangerous the rocks were, there was no place he could not reach. He wears wooden shoes every time he climbs mountains. When he goes up the mountain, he removes the front teeth and when he goes down, he removes the back teeth.
Once, he cut down trees to open a road from the mountain peak south of Shining, all the way to Linhai County. Hundreds of people followed him. Linhai Prefecture King was greatly frightened, thinking that there were rebellious mountain people, but he soon felt relieved when he found out that it was Xie Lingyun. Xie Lingyun invited Wang to play together, but Wang did not agree. Xie Lingyun's poem presented to Wang... said: "It is difficult for a king to be in a dangerous land, but it is difficult for a traveler to travel through the mountains." He also had many followers in Kuaiji, and he always alerted the county officials. Meng Kai, the prefect of Kuaiji, believed in Buddhism and was sincere and conscientious. Xie Lingyun looked down upon him and said to him: "To become an immortal, you should be a scholar with spiritual energy. You will ascend to heaven before I thank Lingyun, and you will become a Buddha after I thank Lingyun." Meng Kai hated Xie Lingyun's words very much.
There is Huihei Lake in the east city of Kuaiji, and Xie Lingyun requested that the water from the lake be drained to make rice fields. Emperor Wen asked the local governor to carry out this order. The lake was very close to the city and produced many aquatic products. Meng Kai did not agree with this. Since Xie Lingyun could not return to Heihu Lake, he wanted to use Shanpishanhuang Lake in Shining County as a paddy field, but Meng Kai disagreed. Xie Lingyun believed that Meng Kai did not want to do things that benefit the people, but only considered that digging lakes would harm animals. Xie Lingyun hurt Meng Kai in his remarks, so he and Meng Kai formed a deep hatred. Meng Kai took advantage of Xie Lingyun's unruly behavior and harassed the people. He wrote a memorial saying that Xie Lingyun wanted to rebel, and he himself used the soldiers of the county to defend himself. When Xie Lingyun heard about this, he immediately rode to the capital and wrote a letter saying: Your Majesty, it has been three years since I came home with an illness. My place of residence is not in the city, far away from the rest of the world, and I stay in a remote mountain cave. Contact with the outside world was almost cut off. I was quietly taking care of my life and wanted to live out the rest of my life. Suddenly, on the 28th of last month, I learned what Meng Kai, the prefect of Kuaiji, said on the 27th: There has been a lot of public opinion recently, but there is nothing wrong with me here. It’s just that the people are uneasy. Now I take some precautions. I was very surprised after seeing this. I didn’t know what caused it, so I hurried back to the capital to join the emperor. When I passed through Shanyin City, Meng Kai was very tightly guarded. There were rows of cavalry and infantry, holding long spears. With broadswords, they cut off the streets and alleys, and they scouted east and west, making a lot of noise. I don’t know why I committed a serious crime and made him take such precautions. I only have worries and fears all day long. I was lucky enough to be the emperor's courtier and received the emperor's grace. If my crime is obvious or there is evidence of treason in the article, I am willing to be sentenced to death by the relevant departments in order to standardize the country's laws. Even if there is no place for me to stand in the whole world. How cruel it is to only use rumors as evidence of my crime now! Since ancient times, sages have been slandered, but there are reasons for slander. Either he is not afraid of death and values ??loyalty, or he forms a party and gathers people, or he dominates the village, or he is a swordsman and a chivalrous man, doing whatever he wants. I have never heard of people who follow the rules, want to rebel, or live in seclusion, who plan to murder the emperor. Nowadays, people are trying to make up rumors out of thin air. Since ancient times, there is no more cruel frame-up than this. It’s not that I cherish my life, I just can’t stand the injustice involved. I asked myself that I had nothing to do to the Emperor, but I was full of grievances and had nowhere to complain. So I went to the emperor even though I was sick and asked you to judge. I hope that the emperor will judge the merits, so that even if I die, it will be as if I am alive. I was worried and scared all day long, which led to the onset of old illnesses. I was in a daze and didn't know how to express myself. "
Emperor Wen knew that he had been wronged, so he did not find him guilty. He just didn't want him to return to the east, but asked him to be the internal history of Linchuan, and increased his salary to two thousand dan. After Xie Lingyun took office, it remained the same. It was no different than when he was the governor of Yongjia, so he was impeached again by the relevant officials. Situ sent Zheng Wangsheng, an official of King Linchuan, to arrest Xie Lingyun. Instead, Xie Lingyun captured Zheng Wangsheng and rebelled, so he resolutely rebelled. Zifang Fen, Qin Emperor Lu Liansha, was originally from Jianghai, a gentleman with a sense of loyalty. "In the end, he was still caught up and arrested, and was sent to Tingwei for conviction. Tingwei reported that Xie Lingyun led his troops to rebel and should be punished with death. Emperor Wen still cherished his talents and only wanted to remove him from his official position. Liu Yi, King of Pengcheng Kang insisted that he should not be spared, so Emperor Wen issued an edict saying: "Xie Lingyun's crime is serious and he should be sentenced to death. But since his grandfather Xie Xuan had made great contributions to the south of the Yangtze River, his descendants should be forgiven and Xie Lingyun could be exempted from the death penalty and exiled to Guangzhou. ”
After that, Zong Qisheng, the general of Qin County, walked to Tukou and passed Taoxu Village. He saw six or seven people talking randomly on the road below. He suspected that they were not good people.
He came back and told the county magistrate. The magistrate sent troops to accompany Zong Qi to cover up the attack, so he fought with those people, captured them all, and threw them into prison. One of them, named Zhao Mingqin, was from Shanyin County. He said: "Xue Daoshuang, a native of this village, and I worked with Xie Lingyun. In early September last year, Xue Daoshuang told me through Cheng Guo, a native of the same village: "Xie, who used to be an internal historian in Linchuan and now breaks the law and rushes into the army in Guangzhou, gave us money and asked us to buy bows, arrows, knives, guns, shields and other weapons. Xue Daoshuang made friends with the athletes and warriors in the village and robbed Xie at Sanjiangkou. If he succeeded, everyone would have equal credit. "So they gathered everyone to rob Xie, but they failed. Everyone was very hungry when they came back, so they had to rob him along the way." Xie Lingyun was arrested in accordance with the law, and Emperor Wen issued an edict ordering him to be sentenced to death in Guangzhou and executed on the spot. Xie Lingyun wrote a poem when he was dying: "Gong Sheng has no remaining life, and Li Ye has an end. Ji Zhengyi is pressed for justice, and Huo's life is also dead. The frost leaves are desolate, and the wind is full of bewilderment. The encounter is unexpectedly geometric, and it is not necessary to shorten it. Compassion. I have endured this pain for a long time before I sent my heart to myself. I hate that my ambition as a gentleman will not be forgotten." The Gong Sheng and Li Ye mentioned in his poem are like the Zifang and Lu Lian mentioned in the previous poem. It was the tenth year of Yuanjia (433), and he was forty-nine. The articles he wrote were widely circulated in society. His son Xie Feng died early.