Original text and appreciation of Qu Yuan's "Nine Songs: Mountain Ghost"

Jiu Ge·Mountain Ghost

—She is the elf in the mountains

If someone comes to the mountains and is picked up by a beetle and a girl.

It is easy to smile at the same time, and I admire you for being so graceful and graceful.

Being led by Shi Lanxi and Du Heng, I lost my thoughts in the fragrant fragrance.

The rest of the place is secluded and the sky is nowhere to be seen, and the road is dangerous and difficult, so I have to come back alone.

The appearance is independent on the mountain, and the clouds are beautiful below.

The sky is dim and the day is dim, and the east wind is carrying the rain of gods.

If you stay in spiritual cultivation, you will forget to return home. When the age is over, who will be the most beautiful one?

Three beautiful things are collected in the mountains, and the rocks are covered with vines and vines.

I resent the young master and forget to return home. You miss me and have no time to spare.

The people in the mountains are as fragrant as duruo, and they drink from stone springs and are shaded by pines and cypresses.

You think of me but I am suspicious.

Thunder fills the rain, and apes chirp at night.

The wind is rustling and the trees are rustling. I miss the young master but I am worried about leaving.

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—Qu Yuan's "Nine Songs: Mountain Ghost"

Influenced by the ghost TV series I watched when I was a child, when the word "ghost" is mentioned, my mind What always emerges is a monster with a green face and fangs. Later, after watching Wang Zuxian's version of "A Chinese Ghost Story", I suddenly felt that ghosts can be so beautiful. The mountain ghost is not a ghost, but she is just as beautiful and affectionate. She wears a lotus root and rides a red leopard in the mountains and forests. She is the freest spirit in the world.

"Mountain Ghost" is my favorite chapter in Qu Yuan's "Nine Songs", and mountain ghost is also one of my favorite mythological images. She has the beauty and dreaminess of a fairy, as well as the wildness and mystery of an elf. According to the most common theory, she is a mountain god. Since she has not been officially canonized by the Emperor of Heaven, she cannot be called a god and can only be called a "mountain ghost". I remember that most of the mountain gods in "Journey to the West" are thin old men with white beards. In comparison, Shangui should be regarded as the most beautiful mountain god.

Gu Chengtian, a native of the Qing Dynasty, believed that the mountain ghost was Yao Ji, the goddess of Wushan Mountain. This view was recognized by Guo Moruo. Guo Moruo's explanation is that the "Yushan" in the sentence "picking three beauties from the mountains" refers to Wushan, because the word "Xi" in "Chu Ci" has the function of the word "Yu". If Yushan is not Wushan, Then the word "yu" is cumbersome. Also, it is worth mentioning that the word "Yu" was pronounced "武" in ancient times. Guo Moruo's explanation was so convincing that the view that "mountain ghost is the goddess of Wushan" was quickly recognized by many people. It's right to think about it carefully. For a great writer like Qu Yuan, how could the works he created leave flaws in calligraphy?

Compared with mountain ghosts, the name of Wushan goddess is much louder. Most people have heard the story of "King Huai of Chu met the goddess in his dream, and the goddess recommended herself to serve as a pillow." Song Yu's "Gaotang Fu" and " The heroine in "Ode to the Goddess" is also the Wushan goddess Yao Ji.

Legend has it that Yao Ji is the daughter of the Emperor of Heaven. She once helped Dayu control the floods, and later turned into a goddess peak to protect the people of Chu. Another theory is that Yao Ji is the daughter of Emperor Yan and the sister of Jingwei (originally known as Nvwa, who turned into a bird after drowning and filled the sea). She died unmarried and was buried at the foot of Wushan Mountain. Her spirit became the spirit that protects Wushan Mountain. .

"The Book of Mountains and Seas·Zhongci Qijing" records: "Two hundred miles to the east is called Guyao Mountain. When the emperor's daughter died, her name was Nv's corpse, and she turned into Yao grass, and her leaves grew into , its yellow color is actually like a dodder hill, which is charming to people. "Dodder hill is a dodder seed, also known as female dill. It is a vine that often clings to other plants.

I have always felt that Yao Ji was unjustly accused, and she did not make any mistakes. Just because of an erotic dream of King Huai of Chu, she suddenly fell from a high-ranking goddess to a *** who "recommends herself as a pillow mat". So much so that "Wushan Yunyu" and "Balcony Door" have become synonymous with the joy between men and women.

There is this passage in Song Yu's "Gaotang Fu": "In the past, the late king tried to visit Gaotang, and he was lazy and slept during the day. He dreamed of a woman who said: 'I am the daughter of Wushan Mountain. I am a guest of Gaotang. I heard that you were visiting Gaotang, and I would like to recommend you to take a pillow. "I was lucky enough to leave and said: "I am in the sun of Wushan, and the sky is full of clouds in the morning, and it is raining in the morning and evening. . '"

This passage describes Yao Ji as bold and unrestrained. When facing King Huai of Chu, her attitude is also humble, not at all like the behavior of a superior god. We all know that this is just wishful thinking of King Huai of Chu. Did he ask for the opinion of the goddess? Obviously, no. Yao Ji's reputation was ruined in this way. And Song Yu was like the paparazzi nowadays. He wrote a piece of tidbits, saying that the goddess and King Huai of Chu were so and so... In addition, Song Yu's writing style was indeed very good. As soon as the news came out, it also This confirmed Yao Ji's "self-recommended pillow mat".

Those who are emperors are always greedy. It is not enough to have beautiful women in the world, even goddesses want to get their hands on them. Personally, I feel that the behavior of King Chu Huai is no different from King Zhou who wrote a poem to blaspheme Nuwa in "The Romance of the Gods". Nuwa could plan to "King Wu conquer Zhou" in anger, but Yao Ji could only bear the blame. , simply more unjust than Dou E!

Because I really love the image of the Wushan Goddess, I unknowingly went off topic and let’s talk about mountain ghosts.

The reason why the mountain ghost is considered to be Yao Ji, in addition to Guo Moruo's explanation, is also due to her dress and living environment. She was "carried away by the vines," and the female radish was Cuscuta, which is also the "Yaocao" transformed by Yao Ji; she "appeared to be independent on the mountain, and the clouds were beautiful and beautiful below. The Qiang day was dark and dark. , the east wind carries the rain of gods and goddesses." This scene is also very consistent with the image of Yao Ji, who "becomes the clouds in the morning and rain in the evening".

I once described Yao Ji like this in my novel: "Her eyebrows are like distant mountains with daisy, her eyes are like autumn water condensed waves, and there is no trace of sadness between her eyebrows and eyes, but there seems to be a layer of locks between them. The misty misty rain is misty and mysterious. The thick three thousand green silk hairs are randomly tied with a hairpin and draped loosely on the back, which makes people think of the sage in the mountains.

This description is also largely influenced by "Mountain Ghost". Although I have no particular preference for the true identity of Mountain Ghost, it cannot be denied that she has long been in my heart. Treat Yao Ji as one person.

The image of the mountain ghost was endowed with strong vitality by Qu Yuan. It is more flexible and vivid than other gods in "Nine Songs", such as Xiang Jun, Xiang Madam, Yunzhong Jun, etc. She has The passion, infatuation, mystery and agility of humans, gods and elves, but what attracts me most is her freedom and romance. She wore Xili, Nuluo, Shilan and Duheng and rode a red leopard in the mountains, followed by her "entourage" Wenli. The mountains are her territory, she can be free and carefree.

Qu Yuan's "Nine Songs" is full of songs for worshiping gods. "Mountain Ghost" is exactly what it says, and it is the mountain ghosts who are worshiped. Her experience was similar to that of Xiang Jun. She had an appointment with her lover and rushed to the destination full of joy, but her lover did not come. She waited patiently in the wind and rain until the sky turned completely dark, and her heart began to feel sad and even despairing.

There is no doubt that mountain ghosts are beautiful. She is surrounded by herbs, with a red leopard as her mount and a raccoon dog as her follower. She is beautiful and majestic at the same time. Women want to please their appearance, and when dating, they always want to appear in front of their lovers with the most beautiful image. The beauty of the mountain ghost is enough to move women, let alone men. It's a pity that her lover is too ignorant, and the beauty's dove has to be let go.

The mountain ghost who could not wait for his lover sighed quietly:

I was walking through the deep bamboo forest without seeing the sun. The road was difficult and dangerous, and I came alone late. Standing alone on the top of a high mountain, watching the vast sea of ??fog and rolling clouds. The day was as dark as night, the east wind danced wildly, and the gods sent down heavy rain. I waited for you so long that I even forgot to go back. Beauty fades, time passes. The road is dangerous, the weather is bad, nothing can stop me from pursuing you.

Shangui's love is so rough, even worse than Xiangjun's. While waiting, Xiang Jun could at least take a look at the beautiful scenery of Dongting and ride his horse to vent his anger. The mountain ghost went through many hardships and dangers to reach the place of rendezvous. Not only did her lover not show up, but God also did not pity her. She waited in the storm, cold and lonely.

I believe in a saying that women are more likely to fall in love than men, and the same is true for goddesses. Mr. Xiang can't wait for Mrs. Xiang, so he can comfort himself and leave openly; Shangui can't wait for his lover, but he still waits hard and forgets to go home.

She collected Ganoderma lucidum, a herb that can prolong life, in the mountains. The rocks were steep and vines were tangled in all directions. As for why she picked Ganoderma lucidum, maybe like Xiangjun, she wanted to give it to her lover. He is as kind as a mountain ghost, but he still has complaints about his lover in his heart.

I miss you so much that I feel so sad that I forget to go back. Do you miss me? Why don't you have time to come to me?

The sky gradually turned dark, thunder rolled in, and the rain became more and more fierce. The apes in the mountains seemed to feel the sadness in the mountain ghost's heart, and began to whimper and scream. In the midst of the storm, the lonely mountain ghost must have felt infinite sadness in his heart. Compared with the bad weather, her lover's failure to make an appointment gave her a much greater blow.

I don’t understand what Qu Yuan’s real intention is, why in those sacrificial folk songs, he portrays the images of deities who are melancholy and sad because they can’t wait for their lovers, in order to welcome the gods. The Chu land where he lived was a country full of myths and legends. The people there believed in and respected the gods. In their hearts, people such as Lord Xiang, Lady Xiang, Lord Yun Zhong, etc. must be as beautiful as mountain ghosts.