I have been in a chaotic drunken dream for a long time, wasting this limited time in my life for no reason. One day, I suddenly realized that spring was coming to an end, so I gathered my energy and climbed up Nanshan Mountain to enjoy the spring scenery. While visiting the temple, I accidentally chatted with an eminent monk for a long time. It was rare to get a moment of leisure in this turbulent world.
The original poem "Inscribed on the Wall of Helin Temple"--
I was in a state of drunkenness and dreaming all day long, and suddenly I heard that spring was coming and I was climbing the mountain.
I met a monk while passing the bamboo courtyard and talked to him, so I had half a day's leisure.
Notes--
Qiang: reluctantly. Cause: Because of. Pass: tour, visit. Bamboo courtyard: that is, a temple. Here the word "steal" is used as the word "you" in some poetry versions. Floating life: A quote from "Zhuangzi" "Life is like floating". It means that life is floating and uncertain, like a duckweed without roots, which is not controlled by its own power, so it is called "floating life".
Source - "Inscription on the Wall of Helin Temple" by Li She, a poet of the Tang Dynasty. Extended information
"Inscribed on the Monk's House in Helin Temple" is a seven-character quatrain written by Li She, a famous poet in the Tang Dynasty, written on the wall of Helin Temple in Zhenjiang. After listening to the old monk's lesson, the author understood the concept of treating life, and understood that only by downplaying the utilitarian aspects of life, calming down emotionally and mentally, turning a blind eye to the bleak reality, and being calm about changes, can he forget the past, smile at life, and look forward to the future.
When ordinary people are bored, frustrated in their career, or in a bad mood, they will always be infected and get some comfort when they come to such an elegant and refined environment. Li She, during the reign of Emperor Xianzong of the Tang Dynasty, was granted the title of Tongshiren by the prince, and was later demoted to Sicang, Shaanxi and Sichuan, to join the army. During the reign of Emperor Wenzong, he was called a doctor of Taixue and was exiled to the south for his work.
This is when he was forced to climb Zhenjiangnan Mountain during his exile. From his chat with the monks, he opened the gate of depression and fell into the fresh air, which strengthened his feelings and feelings about reality. Only by understanding can you add a lot of joy to your numb mind. If he sits at home all day long, how can he have the pleasure of "stealing half a day's leisure".
No wonder Su Dongpo, a poet of the Northern Song Dynasty, also liked Li She's poems very much. The place where "meeting monks in the Bamboo Courtyard" became the place he missed most in Nanshan. At the same time, he built the "Su Gong Bamboo Courtyard" to relive the fun of chatting with the monks in the past. “Travel is a mirror,” is a Spanish saying. Mr. Hu Yuzhi specially made an annotation for this famous saying: "People can never see themselves. Only when they compare with people elsewhere can they see their true face."
The meaning is from Get rid of boredom and frustration and go to an elegant and refined place to cultivate your body and mind.
Walking, reading, and taking care of yourself are not only the needs of being a person and writing. Even a very troubled mood will disappear. Of course, it is not just "stealing half a day's leisure" .
I have been in a chaotic drunken dream for a long time, wasting this limited time in my life for no reason. One day, I suddenly realized that spring was coming to an end, so I gathered my energy and climbed up Nanshan Mountain to enjoy the spring scenery. While visiting the monastery, I accidentally chatted with an eminent monk for a long time, and then suddenly I felt that the long-term depression in my heart was completely forgotten. It is rare to get a moment of leisure in this troubled world.
“I’m drunk and dreaming all day long”, this sentence is the poet’s true description of his inner emotions and outer mood when he was exiled. The poet starts from "inhibition" and first expresses his negative and confused inner mood. The word "make mistakes all day long" is modified in front of "drunk dream", which shows the poet's extreme depression and helplessness in facing the experience of exile. In terms of writing, this is a writing method of suppressing first and then raising, which makes a good preparation and pavement for the "raising" below.
"Suddenly hearing the spring, I climbed the mountain with all my strength." This sentence is about the poet who was bored and confused, and suddenly found that the bright spring was about to leave him, so he steeled himself and walked out. Outdoors, I climbed Nanshan Mountain to enjoy the spring scenery to relieve my long-standing sorrow and unhappiness.
We should not only understand the "end of spring" here as the spring in nature is about to pass, but also think of the limited youth of life. The poet was unwilling to remain depressed, wasting his youth, and wasting his life in mediocrity, so he cheered up and "strongly climbed the mountain" after "Suddenly Hearing the End of Spring". For us modern people, this is also a valuable motto that can enlighten our lives.
"Yin", "Yin" should be used as a preposition, meaning "due to"; "Yin" means a temple, a place where monks meditate, learn and practice. What is the poet doing here? Whether he came intentionally or passed by accidentally, he still went in and chatted with the eminent monks in the temple for a long time about Zen and Taoism.
The word "Feng" in "Feng Seng Hua" tells the reader that they met accidentally; "Hua" means talking about Zen and enlightenment with the old monk, chatting, confiding the depression and unhappiness in the heart, and discussing life. Joy, anger, sorrow, and so on. As a Buddhist, the concept of life since ancient times has been to downplay the utility of life, calm emotions and mentality, and face the bleak reality, turning a blind eye to it and not being surprised by changes. No matter how big the troubles and unhappiness are, learn to hide them deep in your heart, so that you can forget the past, smile at life, and look forward to the future.
"Steal half a day's leisure", from this poem we can see that the poet's attitude towards life at that time was still optimistic.
The poet originally had a positive and optimistic mentality, but due to being repeatedly demoted and exiled, he was confused by the reality and external things for a while. It was not until an in-depth chat with the eminent monk of Helin Temple that the poet finally understood The long-standing knot in his heart finally made him wake up from being "drunk and dreaming all day long".
After getting rid of the complicated worldly disturbances, and having the courage to face reality and re-examine life, I realized that I can "steal half a day's leisure in a floating life" and gain the temporary happiness of half a day's leisure. Some versions of this sentence are "Have a free life for half a day again." The author thinks it is better to use the word "steal" because it is more subjective and can better show the poet's calm and optimistic attitude towards life.
Reference material: Tihelin Temple Monk’s House - Baidu Encyclopedia