Verses about the philosophy of life
1. Life is like a journey against the odds, and I am also a traveler. ——Song Su Shi's "Linjiang Immortal: Send Money to Mu Fu"
Translation: Life is like a hurried and short journey. You and I are both passers-by, stopping at different inns for a while. I packed my bags and rushed to the next stop. Stop and go, stop and go.
2. Life is full of love and obsession, and this hatred has nothing to do with the wind and the moon. ——Ouyang Xiu, Song Dynasty, "Yulou Chun·Zun Qian plans to return to the date"
Translation: Feelings are originally a person's business. Since ancient times, there has never been a shortage of people who are deeply in love and crazy about love. What does this have to do with romance?
3. Once upon a time, everything was difficult to overcome, except for Wushan, it was not a cloud.
Looking back lazily at Huacong, I am half destined to practice Taoism and half destined to be a king.
——Tang Yuanzhen's "Five Poems on Lisi, No. 4"
Translation:
Having seen the rough sea, rivers elsewhere are not worth mentioning. ;
In addition to the beautiful scenery of Wushan, the clouds elsewhere pale in comparison.
I am too lazy to look back when I pass by the flowers;
This is partly because of the asceticism of the monks, and partly because of the you I once had.
4. Today’s people cannot see the moon in ancient times, but today’s moon once illuminated the ancients. ——"Tang Dynasty" Li Bai's "Ask the Moon about Wine·Old Friend Jia Chun Lingyu"
Translation: People nowadays cannot see the moon of the past, but the moon of the past once shone on the people of the past.
5. At that time, people did not know the Ling Yun tree, and they waited until the Ling Yun tree reached its peak. ——"Little Pine" by Du Xunhe of the Tang Dynasty
Translation: People in the world don't know that this tree will one day reach the sky. They don't recognize its majesty until it has grown to towering into the clouds.
6. The sunset is infinitely better, but it’s almost dusk. ——"Le Youyuan" by Li Shangyin of the Tang Dynasty
Translation: How beautiful the sunset is, but it is a pity that it is already dusk.
7. Plum blossoms are less white than snow, but snow is less fragrant than plum blossoms. ——Lu Meipo of the Song Dynasty, "Snow Plum Part 1"
Translation: To be fair, the plum blossoms make the snowflakes crystal clear and white, but the snowflakes also lose the fragrance of the plum blossoms.
8. Things in the world are as short as spring dreams, and human feelings are as thin as autumn clouds. ——Zhu Dunru, Song Dynasty, "Moon over the Xijiang River: Things are as short as a spring dream"
Translation:
Life is short and fleeting like a spring dream.
Human feelings are indifferent, just like the cool clouds in autumn.
9. People in the world need gold to make friends. Without too much gold, friendship will not be deep. ——Tang Zhangwei's "Inscription on the Master of Chang'an Wall"
Translation: Most of the friendships between worldly people rely on gold. If gold is not used enough, the friendship will naturally not be deep.
10. Don’t laugh at the poor and praise the rich, what will happen if you are reduced to withered bones? ——Tang Bai Juyi's "Five Poems of Fangyan·Part 4"
Translation: Don't look down on those who are poor, and don't flatter those who are rich. After death, they will turn into withered bones, so what?
11. Peach plums and spring breeze, a glass of wine, and ten years of rain in the rivers and lakes. ——Song Dynasty Huang Tingjian's "Send Huang Jifu"
Translation: Back then, the spring breeze was ten miles away, and the peaches and plums were fragrant. I once drank a glass of fine wine with you. In the blink of an eye, ten years have passed, and now the world is in a state of decline. I often miss you while facing the lonely lamp and listening to the autumn rain.