Huanxi Sand
Author: Su Shi
Visit Qishui Qingquan Temple, the temple is adjacent to Lanxi River, and the stream flows west1.
At the foot of the mountain, the orchid buds are soaked in the stream, and the sandy road among the pines is clear of mud.2. Xiaoxiaomuyuzigui cries 3.
Who said there is no less in life? The running water in front of the door can still be west 4! Stop singing yellow chicken with gray hair 5.
『Translation』
At the foot of the mountain, young orchid shoots flow into the stream,
The path between the pine forests is clear of sand and mud,
In the evening The cuckoos were singing in the drizzle.
Who says you can’t stay young forever?
The water running in front of the door can still run to the west!
Don’t worry about gray hair and sing about yellow chicken.
Notes
1. Qishui, the name of the county, is now Xishui Town, Hubei Province. At that time, I traveled with the doctor Pang Anshi (also known as Anchang), and I saw "Shu Qingquan Temple Ci" in the third volume of "Dongpo's Inscriptions and Postscripts".
2. Bai Juyi's "Luo Bin, March 3rd": "The sand road is moist and has no mud."
3. Xiao Xiao Muyu, Bai Juyi's "Send to Yin Xielu Poems" self-note: "The lyrics of Wu Erniang's song in the south of the Yangtze River say, 'Xiao Xiao Muyu Lang will not return'." Zigui, a cuckoo bird, is said to be the ancient Shu emperor Du Yu It is transformed into the soul of Du Yu, also known as "Du Yu". It has a sad and shrill sound, which is often used in poems to express the thoughts of traveling.
4. This sentence should be realistic. But "in front of the door" and so on, there are also origins. "Old Book of Tang" Volume 19 "The Biography of Yi Xing" by Fang Ji said that there was an old monk in Guoji Temple in Tiantai Mountain who knew how to make fortunes. He said: "The water in front of the door is flowing to the west, and the disciples are also coming." The group went in to ask for help. , "But the fruits in front of the door flow westward."
5. Bai Juyi's "Drunken Song": "Who knows how to make you understand the song? Listen to the singing of the yellow rooster and the day. The yellow rooster crows to remind you of the dawn, and the day reminds you of the new year. The waist is red. The ribbon is not yet stable, and the beauty in the mirror has been lost." Here the meaning is used instead, which means don’t hurt yourself with gray hair and lament aging.
Appreciation
This poem was written in the spring of the fifth year of Yuanfeng (1082). At that time, Su Shi was demoted to Huangzhou (now Huanggang, Hubei) because of the "Wutai Poetry Case" Deputy envoy of regiment training. This was a major blow to Su Shi's political career, but this poem showed an optimistic spirit in the face of adversity.
The top column describes the natural scenery. The first two sentences describe the early spring, when orchid grass begins to grow by the stream, and the paths along the stream are clean and mud-free, creating a scene full of vitality. But it ends with the sad cry of cuckoos in the dusk rain. The sound of Zigui reminded pedestrians to "go back", which gave the scenery a somewhat sad color.
Xia Qian changed his writing style. He no longer fell into the melancholy brought about by Zigui's cry, but picked up his strokes. As the saying goes, "Flowers bloom again, and people are no longer young." The passage of time is like water flowing eastward and cannot be saved. However, there are always surprises in the world. "The water flowing in front of the door can still reach the west" is not only a real scene in front of you, but also a hidden Buddhist allusion. Water flowing in the east can also flow back to the west, so why should we mourn in vain for our old age? It seems simple, but it is worth recalling. The first volume of "Ci Jie" said: "Po Gong's rhyme is high, so his simple words are also extraordinary."
The whole poem is filled with an upward attitude towards life, but the sub-guidance at the end of the sentence The cry faintly reflects the poet's situation, and also shows the value of the optimistic attitude in the poem. Therefore, Chen Tingzhuo's "Bai Yuzhai Ci Hua" said: "The more sad, the more heroic, the more loyal, which makes me fascinated."
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