Ode to Jing Ke
Dynasty: Wei and Jin
Author: Tao Yuanming
Original text:
Yan Dan Shan Yang Scholars, determined to avenge the strong and win.
Recruit good men and women, and get Jingqing at the end of the year.
A gentleman will die of his confidant and leave Yanjing with his sword;
Su Ji called Guang Mo and generously sent me off.
The male hair refers to the dangerous crown, and the fierce energy rushes into the long tassel.
Drinking on the water, there are four heroes.
The sad building is gradually leaving, and the song Yi sings loudly.
The wind passes away, and a faint cold wave arises.
Shang Yin even shed tears, and the warriors were shocked when Yu played.
I know in my heart that I will never return, and that I will have a name in future generations.
When will you board the car and fly to the Qin court?
It is fierce and fierce, spanning thousands of miles and meandering across thousands of cities.
Things will come when you are in trouble, and the rich master is in a daze.
Unfortunately, his swordsmanship was poor, so he failed to achieve his extraordinary feats.
Although he is gone, his love will remain for thousands of years.
Translation
The prince of Yan likes to adopt retainers in order to avenge Qin.
He recruited talented people everywhere, and at the end of this year he recruited Jing Qing.
A gentleman values ??loyalty and dies for his confidant. Jing Ke is about to bid farewell to Yanjing with his sword.
The white horse roared on the road, and everyone saw him off with great enthusiasm.
Everyone was furious with the same enemy, and their bravery seemed to break their hats.
A grand farewell banquet was held beside Yi Shui, and those present were all the elites among the people.
The sound of building is gradually leaving and the sound of building is generous and solemn, and the sound of singing in the Song Dynasty is so loud that it stops the moving clouds.
A mournful wind blew through the seats, and light ripples appeared on the water.
Everyone who listened to the Shang music was in tears, and Jing Ke was particularly shocked when the Yu music was played.
He knew full well that he would never return, and the name he left behind would last forever.
How could I have been favored when I boarded the chariot and drove away? The chariot sped straight towards the official court of the State of Qin.
The journey of marching forward bravely exceeds thousands of miles, and the journey of zigzag travels through more than a thousand cities.
After turning over the map, a dagger suddenly appeared. King Qin couldn't help but be frightened when he saw it.
What a pity! It's a pity that the swordsmanship was not good enough, and the great feat was not completed in the end.
Although Jing Ke has died long ago, his spirit will always inspire future generations.
Notes
Jing Ke: During the Warring States Period, a Weiguo man avenged Prince Dan of Yan. In the name of delivering a map, he hid a dagger and stabbed the King of Qin, but was killed.
Yan Dan: The prince of Yan King Xi during the Warring States Period, named Dan.
Qiangying: Qin.
Jing Qing: refers to Jing Ke.
Jianli: Gao Jianli, a native of Yan State during the Warring States Period, was friendly with Jing Ke and was good at playing Zhu (an ancient musical instrument).
Song meaning: Warrior of Yan State.
Shang sound and Yu sound: Shang sound and Yu sound. Shang's voice is desolate, while Yu's voice is more passionate.
This article was probably written after the Jin and Song dynasties.
The poet sang with great enthusiasm Jing Ke's heroic feat of assassinating the King of Qin, and expressed his indignation against the dark politics in his regret for not accomplishing the extraordinary feat. The writing is vivid, generous and tragic, which is unique among Tao's poems, which are famous for their plainness.
According to the course of the incident, the poem describes the scenes of leaving the capital, having a meal, embarking on the journey, and fighting. It especially focuses on the depiction of the characters' movements, creating an image of a righteous and awe-inspiring hero fighting violence. For example, "Bringing out the sword from Yanjing" describes Jing Ke's heroic posture as a knight with a sword; "The virile hair points to the crown, the fierce energy fills the long tassel", and even uses exaggerated writing to describe Jing Ke's indignation and passionate expression. The four sentences "When to board the carriage" are parallel to each other and concentrated in one breath. They also describe Jing Ke's courageous spirit of marching straight to the Qin State without hesitation. Although the poem does not directly describe the scene of assassinating the King of Qin, from the sentence "The powerful lord is at the camp", we can imagine the power of the tiger that changed the situation when Jing Ke drew his sword to assassinate.
This poem also highlights Jing Ke’s mental outlook through the rendering of the environment and atmosphere. The most typical one is the scene of Yi Shui drinking preserves. In the sizzling autumn wind and the surging Yishui River, the exciting and tragic music echoed. "Sorrowful Building", "High Sound", "Mourning Wind" and "Cold Wave" stimulated each other, expressing extremely strongly that "the heroes are gone" The heroic theme of "I will never return". Zhu Xi said: "Tao Yuanming's poems are generally said to be plain. According to one person's opinion, he was arrogant and unrestrained, but his arrogance was so bold that he was blind to his ears. The one where he showed his true colors was in "Ode to Jing Ke"." This is quite discerning.