In the autumn season, the poet walked out of the hut leisurely with a flower basket in his hand. Pieces of chrysanthemums were blooming quietly under the fence in the courtyard. When I came to the fence on the east side of the courtyard, I bent down and picked the chrysanthemums one by one. The fragrance of chrysanthemums is elegant and assails the nose. The poet slowly raises his head from time to time and has a panoramic view of Nanshan Mountain in the distance.
From "Drinking·Part 5" by Tao Yuanming of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the original text is as follows:
The house is in a human environment, without the noise of cars and horses.
How can you do this? The mind is far away from itself.
Picking chrysanthemums under the eastern fence, you can leisurely see Nanshan Mountain.
The mountain air is getting better day by day, and the birds are flying back and forth.
There is a true meaning in this, but I have forgotten to explain it.
The translation is as follows:
Living in the human world, there is no noise of carriages and horses.
Ask me why I can do this. As long as you are ambitious, you will naturally feel that the place you are in is secluded.
While picking chrysanthemums under the eastern fence, Nanshan Mountain in the distance came into view.
The atmosphere in the mountains and the scenery in the evening are very good. There are birds flying back with their companions.
This contains the true meaning of life. I want to identify it, but I don’t know how to express it.
Extended information:
Creative background
This poem was written approximately in the twelfth year after the poet returned to his fields, that is, in AD 417, during the On the eve of the fall of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. The author had a lot of emotions and used drinking wine to express his emotions.
Appreciation of the work
"The house is in a human environment, without the noise of carriages and horses." At the beginning of the poem, the author says that although he lives in the human world, he is not disturbed by worldly contacts. Why is there no trouble in this place without the noise of cars and horses? Because "the heart is far away from itself", as long as the heart can be far away from the shackles of the world, then even in a noisy environment, it will be like living in a secluded place. Tao Yuanming was full of ideals of making achievements in his early years, and he became an official several times just to realize his ambition of helping the times and benefiting the world.
The word "afar" in "I ask you what I can do?" means being far away from the officialdom. To put it further, it is far away from the secular world and transcending the world. Rejecting the socially recognized value scale and asking where the author established the basis of his life involves Tao Yuanming's philosophical thoughts. This philosophy can be called "natural philosophy". It not only includes the self-cultivation and self-feeding, frugal and ascetic lifestyle, but also deepens the unity and harmony of human life and nature.
The word "leisurely" in "Picking chrysanthemums under the eastern fence and seeing the Nanshan Mountain leisurely" describes the author's tranquil and leisurely state of mind, with no desire for life. The action of "picking chrysanthemums" is not an ordinary action. It contains the poet's detachment from the world and his love for nature. It is not good to change "see" to "look". The word "see" shows that the poet did not see the mountain intentionally, but accidentally saw the mountain when he was picking chrysanthemums.
Baidu Encyclopedia - Drinking and making a house in a human environment