Original works:
Twelve miscellaneous poems, the first part
Tao Yuanming [Wei and Jin Dynasties]
Life without a base is like the dust of the road.
Life blowing in the wind, the body has gone through hardships, and it is not what it used to be.
When the world is brothers, why do brothers of their own brothers want to date each other?
When you meet a pleasure, you should be happy, and you should invite your neighbors to drink.
Once the youth is gone, it will never come again, and you will never see the arrival of the next day.
It's time for people to encourage themselves when they reach middle age. Time goes by and waits for no one.
Vernacular translation:
Life is like a rootless tree, a rootless flower, and dust floating in the wind on the road.
Living in blowing in the wind, life has gone through hardships, and people are no longer what they used to be.
Everyone who comes into this world should be brothers, why should it be just flesh and blood?
Enjoy yourself when you are happy, and invite your neighbors to drink with you if you have wine.
Once the beautiful youth is over, you will never come back, and you will never see the next day.
We should encourage ourselves to work hard in our prime. Time goes by and waits for no one.
Comment on words and phrases:
Pedicel (d‖): Guadang, fruit nose and the connection between flowers and branches are all called pedicels. Mo: The Tao of things refers to Tao in general here.
This: refers to this body. Extraordinary body: it is not a permanent body, that is, it is no longer a mature body.
Landing: Just born.
Barrel: a vessel for holding wine. Neighbor: Close neighbor.
Prime of life: prime of life.
Timely: In the prime of life.
Appreciation of works:
"Life without Roots" four sentences "Nineteen Ancient Poems" "Life is a lifetime, and elections suddenly drift away", lamenting the impermanence of life. Pedicle, that is, the part where flowers and fruits are connected with branches and stems. Life in this world is like a rootless tree, a rootless flower, without landing or roots, just like dust floating in the wind on the road. Because fate is unpredictable and life is uncertain, all kinds of encounters and changes are constantly changing people, and everyone is no longer the original self. Although the language of these four poems is ordinary, they are full of surprises. Comparing life to a rootless tree and a rootless flower is a metaphor, and comparing it to a stranger in the dust is also a metaphor. It is a comparison between China and the outside image, which directly writes the poet's profound life experience and reveals his deepest sorrow. Although Tao Yuanming's ambition is "to be ambitious and escape all over the world", he was born around the Jin, Song and Yi Dynasties when politics was dark, wars were frequent, the country was restless, and people were in poverty. Forced by his livelihood, he retired several times and lived in contradiction and pain. Finally, at the age of forty-one, he resigned and returned to the field, no longer being an official. Such a world and such an experience made him feel uncertain and uncertain about life. Although his reclusive poems show his broad-minded and detached ambition and his peaceful and diluted feelings, in his heart, there is an disillusioned loss and an illusory despair of life.
"Since we are brothers, why should we eat each other?" Inheriting the past, since everyone is not the original self, why care about blood relationship and blood relationship? Everyone who comes into this world should be a brother. This meaning comes from The Analects of Confucius: "Xia Zi said:' A gentleman treats others with courtesy. All men are brothers within the four seas. Why don't gentlemen have brothers? This is also an ideal desire of Tao Yuanming for peace and fraternity during the war years. "Just have fun, and it's better to fight for wine." Rich experience often makes people have a deeper understanding of the tragedy of life, and the growth of age often makes it more difficult for people to find the joy and excitement of life, especially Tao Yuanming, who is in the dark period of politics. This is clearly stated in his poem: "As time goes by, my heart goes away little by little. I often worry that there is no entertainment for recreation. " (Miscellaneous Poem V) But after all, he didn't completely give up the ideal of a better life. He turned to nature outside the officialdom to seek beauty, and turned to rural life outside his official career to seek spiritual pleasure, which was plain, peaceful, clear and simple. "Drinking and blind date" is a portrayal of this kind of happiness. In Tao Yuanming's poems, there is a description of this scene, such as: "Call each other when you pass the door, and consider it when you have wine." ("Two Movements") "As soon as the sun goes in and out, the pot slurry will be cooked in the neighborhood." ("Spring Back to Tian She at the Age of Ten") This is a timely carpe diem of Tao Yuanming's style. "The days are short and the nights are long, so why not take a candle tour"; "It is better to drink wine and put on tens of thousands of sous"; "Why don't you be ambitious, follow the main road first" ("Nineteen Ancient Poems") has obvious differences and embodies a higher spiritual realm.
"absolute beauty will never look back" is often quoted to encourage young people to seize opportunities, cherish time, study hard and make continuous progress. Today, it is not unreasonable for ordinary readers to understand these four poems. But Tao Yuanming's original intention is quite different from this, which is to encourage people to eat, drink and be merry in time. Since life is so short, life is so unpredictable, society is so dark, and happiness is so hard to find, don't miss the little happiness that you can occasionally find in life, seize it in time and enjoy it. This idea of "eating, drinking and having fun" must be examined under the specific historical conditions at that time. In essence, it marks an awakening, that is, people rediscover, think, grasp and pursue their own life, meaning and destiny under the condition of doubting and denying the old traditional standards and belief values. Tao Yuanming found pure beauty in nature, simple interpersonal relationship in rural life and self-worth in rural labor.
This poem laments the uncertainty of fate at the beginning, which makes people feel confused and sad to read. Then, it aroused a little bit, and the poet persistently sought friendship, joy and a glimmer of hope in life. The last one is impassioned and makes people excited. The language of the whole poem is unpretentious, the metaphor is ordinary, and the quality is rough as jade, but the connotation is extremely rich, undulating and thought-provoking.
Creative background:
Tao Yuanming has twelve Miscellaneous Poems, and this is the first one. Mr. Yao Yao believes that the first eight poems were written when Tao Yuanming was fifty years old (4 14), that is, eight years after he resigned. This is a group of poems with mixed feelings, and it is No matter what you meet (Shan Li's Notes on Selected Works). It can be said that lamenting the impermanence of life and feeling the shortness of life are the keynote of this group of essays.
About the author:
Tao Yuanming (about 365 ~ 427), with a clear word, changed his name to Qian in his later years, and his word was profound and clear. Mr. Wu Liu, nicknamed Mr. Jingjie, is called Mr. Jingjie. Xunyang Chaisang (now Jiujiang, Jiangxi) was born. An outstanding poet, lyricist and essayist at the end of Eastern Jin Dynasty and the beginning of Liu Song Dynasty. Known as "the Sect of Hermit Poets" and "the originator of pastoral poetry". He is the first literary master in Jiangxi. He served as Jiangzhou Wine Sacrifice, Jianwei Army, Zhenjun, and Pengze County Order, and the last official position was Pengze County Order. He left his post for more than 80 days and retired to the countryside. He is the first pastoral poet in China, and is known as the "School of Ancient and Modern Hermit Poetry", with a collection of Tao Yuanming.