Translation of Tao Yuanming's "Poetry of Peach Blossom Spring" in the Wei and Jin Dynasties:
The king of Qin's tyranny disrupted the rules and discipline, and the wise men fled away. Sihao lived in seclusion in Shangshan, and some people came here in hiding. All traces of the past have disappeared, and the road leading here has been abandoned. We call each other to farm together, and when it gets dark we return home to rest. Mulberry and bamboo grow thickly to provide shade, and crops are planted according to solar terms. Spring silkworms spin cocoons to get filaments, and autumn harvests are not taxed.
Barren grass blocks the road and blocks traffic, and chickens and dogs bark at each other in the village. Sacrifices still follow ancient rituals, and there are no new styles of clothes. Children dance and sing love songs, and old people enjoy themselves. The blooming of grass, trees and flowers indicates the arrival of spring, while the decline of grass and trees indicates the arrival of cold. Although there is no calendar to record the time, the seasons change as they pass.
When there is endless joy and ease, why do we need wisdom? The strange trace has been hidden for five hundred years, and once the magical world was opened. Floating and simple, they have different origins, and they are hidden deep and nowhere to be found in a blink of an eye. I would like to ask ordinary people in this world, can they know this miracle outside this world? I would like to ride on the light clouds and fly high to find my soulmate.
Original text:
The Ying family is in chaos, and wise men avoid the world. Huang Qi's Shangshan, the beautiful lady also passed away. The traces of the past are lost and forgotten, and the paths of the past are in ruins. Xiang was ordered to farm and farm, and when the day came, he rested there. Mulberry and bamboo hang down to provide shade, and Shuji is ready for harvest. Silkworms harvest filaments in spring, and the king's taxes are harvested when they ripen in autumn.
The deserted road is full of traffic, and chickens and dogs bark at each other. Zudou is still the old method, and the clothes are not new. Children and children are walking and singing, and class members are enjoying their walks. The grass is strong and harmonious, and the wood is decaying and the wind is fierce. Although there is no calendar, the four seasons form their own years.
If you are happy and happy, why bother with wisdom? The strange trace has been hidden for five hundred years, and once it opened up to the divine world. Simple and thin, it has a different origin, and it is also secluded when it comes back. I would like to ask the traveling alchemist, how can I judge what is outside the hustle and bustle of the city? I would like to whisper in the breeze and hold it high to find my contract.
Extended information
Creative background
This poem was written in the later years of Tao Yuanming, around the third year of Yongchu in the Southern Song Dynasty (422). In June of the second year of Yuanxi (420), Liu Yu deposed Emperor Gong of Jin as King Lingling and changed his reign name to "Yongchu". The following year, Liu Yu adopted conspiracy methods and killed Emperor Gong of Jin with poisoned wine. These things cannot help but stir up waves in Tao Yuanming's thoughts.
Starting from his inherent Confucian concepts, he became dissatisfied with Liu Yu's regime and deepened his hatred of the real society. However, he was unable to change and was unwilling to interfere with this status quo, so he had no choice but to use creation to express his feelings and create a beautiful realm that was opposed to the dirty and dark society to express his political ideals and beautiful tastes. "Poetry in Peach Blossom Spring" was created under this background.
Poem Appreciation
"Poetry of the Peach Blossom Spring" is a five-character poem written by Tao Yuanming and attached to "The Story of the Peach Blossom Spring". The poem and the poem are perfectly combined but independent of each other, and there is no sense of repetition. .
This poem tells the peaceful and peaceful life of the people in the Peach Blossom Spring in the poet's tone. The poet uses his deep feelings about the social reality at that time to break through his personal narrow life world and learn from the political darkness of the real society and the people's Starting from the hardships of life, combined with legendary situations, it depicts an ideal society of freedom and happiness that is opposite to the real society.
"Poems of Peach Blossom Spring" and "Peach Blossom Spring" both describe the same utopian ideal society, but they do not feel repetitive. "Records" is prose, with twists and turns and novel plots, characters, dialogues, detailed descriptions, and full of novelistic color; "Poems" uses simpler language and describes Taoyuan society in more detail.
"Records" uses the experiences of fishermen as clues and writes about what the fishermen saw everywhere. The author's mood and attitude are hidden behind the text, while "Poetry" directly narrates the historical status of Taoyuan by the poet. And directly express his emotions and wishes, the two reflect each other, fully displaying the ideological and aesthetic significance of Peach Blossom Spring.
Other poems about paradise
1. "A Journey to Peachland" - Wang Anshi of the Song Dynasty
The deer in Wangyi Palace are horses, and the Qin people are half dead under the Great Wall. Not only are there merchants on the mountain, but there are also those who grow peaches in Taoyuan.
It has been several springs since I planted peaches, and I picked the flowers and twigs for fuel. The children and grandchildren grew up isolated from the rest of the world. Although there were fathers and sons, there were no rulers or ministers.
The fisherman wanders in the boat and is fascinated by the distance. He meets each other among the flowers and asks each other. Who knew in the world that there was Qin in ancient times? How could I know that there is Jin in the mountains now?
I heard the dust of war blowing in Chang'an, and the spring breeze touched my head with a towel. As soon as Chonghua left, Ning found it again, and the world passed through the Qin Dynasty one after another.
Translation: Wangyi Palace is referring to deer as horses, and most of the Qin people died at the foot of the Great Wall. It is not only Shangshan Sihao who escapes the troubled times, but also the peach growers in the Peach Blossom Spring. I have spent many winters and springs growing peaches here, picking peach blossoms and eating the peach fruits, and the peach branches can be used as firewood. The children and grandchildren live here isolated from the rest of the world. Although there are fathers and sons, they are not distinguished between kings and ministers.
The fishermen were rowing in the boat without knowing the distance. They met each other in the depths of the peach blossoms and asked each other in surprise. How can people in the world remember that there was Qin in ancient times, and how can people in the mountains expect that it is Jin now? I heard that the dust of war was blowing again in Chang'an, and I looked back on the past in the spring breeze with tears on my face. How could Yu Shun be regained once he was gone, and the world suffered many disasters similar to the wars at the end of Qin Dynasty.
Appreciation: Wang Anshi's work is based on Tao Yuanming's work. As a politician, he no longer focuses on the ideal realm, but focuses more on the cruelty of reality. Chaos is difficult to control. Wang Anshi's "Journey to Peach Blossoms" takes advantage of this traditional theme and recreates it based on his own imagination.
The poem depicts the clouds, trees, flowers, bamboos, chickens, dogs, houses, alleys, and fields in the "Peach Blossom Spring" into vivid pictures, showing the people in the Peach Blossom Spring rising at sunrise. A life of working and resting every day is filled with the atmosphere of pastoral life on earth.
The whole poem is written in a smooth and healthy way, calm and elegant, and uses vivid pictures to open up the poetic realm, which fully reflects Wang Wei's characteristic of "paintings in poems".
2. "Wuling Peach Garden as a Gift" - Bao Rong of the Tang Dynasty
The Wuling River leads into the secluded place, and there are chickens and dogs in the Qin family. Who was it that I saw before? The source of water now flows with peaches and flowers.
Translation: After entering the quiet Wulingyuan, there are chickens and dogs everywhere in the village, which are the people from the Qin Dynasty. Who was the first to see this beautiful scene? Today, the water in Wulingyuan still flows, and the peach blossoms have bloomed again.
Appreciation: Wuling cited in this poem is naturally Wulingyuan in Tao Yuanming's famous poem "Peach Blossom Spring". It can be said that the entire poem is derived from it. Wuling's influence on Taoyuan was not only inherited and developed in Tang poetry, but also had a great influence on the creation of landscape and pastoral poems in the early Tang Dynasty. The creation of some "landscape pastoral poems" not only has a more romantic imagination space and brilliant colors, but also produces magical and strange fairy images.
This phenomenon was mainly due to the prevalence of Taoism in the Tang Dynasty society at that time, coupled with the affluent life and prosperous society, which made people pursue the melancholy of the short life deep in their souls. Therefore, many Taoist poets often describe their almost hallucinatory imagination in their works. Bao Rong's "Wuling Taoyuan Sending People" was produced under this background.
Baidu Encyclopedia--Peach Blossom Spring Poems