The original text, translation and annotations of "Drinking (Part 5)" are introduced as follows:
1. Original text
"Drinking (Part 5)" comes from the work of Tao Yuanming of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. The original text is as follows:
Drinking (Part 5)
Eastern Jin Dynasty · Tao Yuanming
The hut is surrounded by people, without the noise of cars and horses.
How can you do this? The mind is far away from itself.
Picking chrysanthemums under the eastern fence, you can leisurely see the Nanshan Mountain.
The mountain air is getting better day by day, and the birds are flying back and forth.
There is a true meaning in this, but I have forgotten to explain it.
2. Translation
Living in the human world, there is no noise of carriages and horses. Ask me why? As long as your mind is high, you will naturally feel that the place you are in is secluded. Picking chrysanthemums under the east fence, leisurely, the Nanshan Mountain in the distance comes into view. The atmosphere in the mountains and the scenery in the evening are very good. There are birds flying back with their companions. This contains the true meaning of life. I want to identify it, but I don’t know how to express it.
3. Notes
Jielu: To build a residence, here it means to live.
The noise of carriages and horses: refers to the noise of worldly interactions.
Jun: refers to the author himself.
He Neng'er: Why is this possible?
Leisurely: a complacent look.
See: see (pronounced jiàn), verb.
Nanshan: generally refers to the mountain peak, and in some cases refers to Lushan Mountain.
Rixi: evening.
Xianyou: intersect, become companions.
Return with each other: Return together.
5. Appreciation
This poem mainly describes the poet's leisurely and contented state of mind after abandoning his official position and returning to the countryside. It reflects Tao Yuanming's determination to abandon the muddy worldly fame and return to nature, reveling in nature, and even The attitude and life experience of entering the realm of "being so proud that you forget your words". This poem is based on the outline of "the heart is far away", and the connotation of "the heart is far away" is revealed in three levels. The first four sentences describe the quiet and forgetful state of being in a "human realm" and spiritually detached from the world. The fourth sentence in the middle describes the materialistic and selfless state of mind of quietly observing the surrounding scenery and immersing in the charm of nature.
The last two sentences go a step further, writing that the "heart" experiences the indescribable true meaning of life in the blurring of things and self. The artistic conception of this poem goes from emptiness and tranquility to forgetfulness of the world, to materialization and selflessness, to triumphant forgetfulness. The words, advanced step by step, are the deepest and most complete embodiment of Tao Yuanming's natural philosophy of life and the poetic style of returning to nature after he retired to seclusion. Wang Guowei said in "Human Words": "In the state of selflessness, I observe things with things, so I don't know who is me and which are things." This poem is the "selfless state" created by Tao Yuanming's "viewing things with things" "Environment" masterpiece.