Inscribed on the Zen Temple behind the Poshan Temple
Tang Chang Jian
Entering the ancient temple early in the morning (2), the first sun shines on the high forest (3).
The winding path leads to a secluded place ⑷, and the Zen room is deep with flowers and trees ⑸.
The light of the mountain is pleasing to the birds⑹, and the shadow of the pond is empty of the human heart⑺.
All the sounds are silent, except for the sound of the chime [qìng].
Notes on the work
⑴Poshan Temple: Also known as Xingchan Temple, it is located on Yushan Mountain in the northwest of Changshu City, Jiangsu Province. It was built by Ni Deguang, the governor of Chenzhou, a native of Qiyi in the Southern Dynasties.
⑵ Early morning: morning. Enter: enter. Ancient temple: refers to the broken mountain temple.
⑶The first day: the morning sun. Shine: shine. Gaolin: woods. Buddhists call the gathering place of monks a "jungle", which means praising the Zen monastery.
⑷Bamboo Path: One is called "winding path", and the other is called "one path". Tong: One word is "encounter". You: quiet.
⑸ Zen room: a place where monks live and practice.
⑹Yue: form and action, here is the use of verb to make...happy.
⑺The shadow of the pool is empty and the heart is empty: the shadow of the pool: the reflection in the clear pool water. Empty: form moves, here is the use of verb, making...empty. This sentence means that the water in the pool is clear and empty, and the reflection in the pool makes people disappear all their common thoughts.
⑻ Wan Lai (lài) This is all silent: all kinds of sounds. Lai, the sound coming from the holes, here refers to all the sounds in nature. This: here. That is in Houchanyuan. Du: One word means "all".
⑼ Danyu Zhongqing sound: Danyu, only left, one is "Weiyu", and the other is "Weiwen". Zhongqing (qìng): a percussion instrument used to gather monks in Buddhist temples. Qing is an ancient percussion instrument made of jade, stone or metal. [1-3]
Translation of the work
In the morning, when I strolled to this ancient temple, the rising sun shone on the jungle.
The winding path leads to a quiet place. The place where monks sing sutras and worship Buddha is hidden among flowers and trees.
The clarity of the mountain light makes the birds happy, and the reflection of the deep pool eliminates all worldly thoughts in people's hearts.
Everything is silent, the surroundings and the whole world are so pure, only one or two slow bells are heard occasionally, as if coming from outside the sky
Creative background editor
Poshan is located in today's Changshu, Jiangsu Province. The temple refers to Xingfu Temple. It was rebuilt from the alms house of Ni Deguang, the governor of Chenzhou during the Southern Qi Dynasty. It was already an ancient temple in the Tang Dynasty. The poem expresses the impression of the Zen courtyard after visiting the temple in the early morning. The writing style is simple, the description is clear, the interest is profound, the artistic conception is blended, and the art is quite complete. It is a unique masterpiece among the landscape poems of the Tang Dynasty.
Literary Appreciation
This poem is included in Volume 144 of "Complete Poems of the Tang Dynasty" and was selected into "Three Hundred Tang Poems". The following is the appreciation of this poem by Mr. Ni Qixin, a former professor at Peking University.
This poem is about a Buddhist temple and Zen courtyard, and expresses the author's reclusive mind of forgetting the world and focusing on the mountains and rivers. The poet climbed Poshan Mountain in the early morning and entered Xingfu Temple. The rising sun illuminated the woods on the mountain. Buddhists call the place where monks gather as a "forest", so "high forest" also means to praise the Zen monastery, and the scene of the illuminated mountain and forest shows the feeling of praising the Buddha. Then, the poet walked through the bamboo path in the temple and walked to the deep backyard. He found that the Zen room where he chanted sutras and worshiped Buddha was deep in the flowers and woods in the backyard. Such a quiet and beautiful environment made the poet marvel, be intoxicated and appreciate it with forgetfulness. He raised his eyes and saw the green hills behind the temple glowing with sunshine, and saw the birds flying and singing freely. When he walked to the clear pool, he saw the sky, the earth and his figure in the water, clear and empty, and the world in his heart Distracting thoughts were instantly cleared away. Buddhism is the empty door. Buddhism says that after a monk meditates, "even if he resumes eating and drinking, he will taste the joy of Zen" ("Vimalakirti Sutra: Convenient Products"), and his spirit will be extremely pure and joyful. At this moment, in this scene and in this situation, the poet seems to have realized the mystery of Zen Buddhism, getting rid of all the troubles of the world, and being as free and carefree as a bird. It seems that all other sounds in nature and the human world have been silenced, and there is only the sound of bells and chimes. This melodious and loud Buddhist sound guides people into a pure and joyful state. Obviously, the poet appreciates the beautiful and unique residence of this Zen courtyard, appreciates the artistic conception of this empty world and forgets the worldly world, and expresses his feelings of being secluded from the world.
This is a five-character poem, but the style of writing is similar to the ancient style, the language is simple, and the meter is flexible. It uses flowing water pairs in the first couplet, but not in the second couplet, which is due to the need of creative attainments. This poem has been highly praised since the Tang Dynasty, mainly because of its beautiful and interesting conception. The poem begins with a morning visit to the mountain temple and ends with a praising detachment. It depicts the scenery and expresses emotions simply, but the meaning is implicit. This euphemistic and implicit conception is just like what Yin Fan of the Tang Dynasty said when commenting on the artistic characteristics of Chang Jian's poetry: "Building poetry is like starting out in a village, but looking for wild paths, hundreds of miles away, before returning to the main road. Therefore, its purpose is far away, and its prosperity is remote. , good sentences come all the time, just about the meaning." ("He Yue Ying Ling Collection") pointed out incisively that the characteristic of Chang Jian's poems is that they are ingenious in conception, and are good at guiding readers into the beautiful scenery in the ordinary, and then understand the purpose of the poem, rather than relying on it. The description and rhetoric are astonishing. Therefore, the best lines in poems often seem to appear suddenly in front of readers, which is amazing. And its beautiful sentences, like the conception of the poem, are crafted with intention and the beauty lies beyond the words. Ouyang Xiu of the Song Dynasty was very fond of the two sentences "Zhu Jing" and said, "If you want to imitate his words and make a couplet, you can't do it for a long time, but you know that it is difficult for the creator to do it."
Later, he stayed in a mountain studio in Qingzhou and experienced the artistic conception and interest of the two lines "Bamboo Path" in person. He even wanted to write such a poem, but he still "couldn't get a word" (see "Inscribed on Qingzhou Mountain House") ). Ouyang Xiu's experience vividly illustrates that the advantage of the two sentences "Bamboo Path" is not to describe the exquisite scenery and make people feel like they are there, but to arouse the intimate aftertaste of those who have experienced the scene. Therefore, it is difficult to create the meaning. Similarly, the two sentences "mountain light", which Yin Fan praised as "police policy", not only create warning words, but also have a deeper meaning and are intended to make people think. Precisely because the poet focuses on conceiving and creating ideas, the words he creates do not seek to be similar in form, but contain more metaphors, focusing on expressing the meaning, fascinating and thought-provoking.
Most of the landscape poems in the prosperous Tang Dynasty sing about seclusion, and they all have a leisurely and comfortable mood, but each has its own unique style and achievements. Chang Jian's poem is about enlightenment while traveling. It has the popular sentiment of the landscape poetry of the prosperous Tang Dynasty, but its style is elegant and clear. In terms of art, it is different from Wang Wei's sublime and Meng Haoran's plainness. It is indeed unique. Unique.
Comments from famous experts
Ouyang Xiu of the Song Dynasty commented on this poem's jawline couplet: "If you want to make a couplet that imitates his words, you will not be able to do it for a long time, because you know that it is difficult for the creator to work."
Qing Dynasty poet Wu Jingxu's "Poetry of the Past Dynasties" called this poem "perfect": "The word 'morning' came out with a split-second sentence, and the second sentence said, 'The first sun shines on the high forest', which is powerful. Bamboos and flowers and trees all come from The "Gaolin" is brought out and reflected in the "First Sun". Although it is not dark and deep, it cannot be obtained. At this time, the voice, sound, image, and all kinds of things are destroyed. There is only one temple, and those who enter the temple are absorbed in the light and shadow. . Buddha nature, human nature, and bird nature are neither moving nor still, so the conclusion is that "everything is still and quiet". The reason why people in the past were so beautiful and energetic from the beginning to the end is always "morning." "Two words cannot be perfected"
About the author
Chang Jian, a poet of the Tang Dynasty. A native of Chang'an, he was a Jinshi in the fifteenth year of Kaiyuan (727). Tianbao was appointed Xuyiwei in his middle age. Later he lived in seclusion in Xishan, Ezhu. He spent his whole life in despair, being arrogant and self-sufficient, and having no connections with the nobles. There is a literary exchange with Wang Changling. His poetic conception is clear and distinct, his language is refined and natural, and he has unique artistic attainments. Yin Fan's "Heyue Yingling Collection" first listed Chang Jian's poems, commenting: "Jian's poems are like starting out to open a village, but looking for wild paths, hundreds of miles away, before returning to the main road. Therefore, its purpose is far away, and its prosperity is remote; good Sentences come from time to time, but only about the meaning." They also cited sentences such as "The dew on the pine tree is slightly moonlit, and the clear light is still for the king" ("The Hidden Place of Su Wang Changling"), and called it a "warning strategy"; he especially praised "The Tomb of General Diao Wang" and considered it. He is better at expressing sorrow and resentment than Pan Yue.
His poems take pastoral and landscape as the main themes, and their style is close to that of Wang and Meng. He is good at using concise and concise brushwork to express a quiet and profound artistic conception. Such poems often reveal an "indifferent" attitude. In fact, he was not completely forgetful of reality. He had some emotions, expectations, and accusations. This is especially obvious in the frontier fortress poems that account for a considerable proportion. There is "Chang Jian Ji". The poems mainly describe landscapes and pastoral areas, with exquisite choice of words and far-reaching realms.