Original text and translation of Tao Yuanming's "Return and Come Back"

"Returning with Ci" is a prose by Tao Yuanming, a famous poet in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. The full text describes the author's situation on the way back to his hometown and after arriving home, and envisions his future life in seclusion, thus expressing the author's feelings about the future. At that time, there was a dislike of officialdom and a yearning for rural life. On the other hand, it also reveals the poet's negative thought of "happy to fate". This work represents the highest achievement of the landscape pastoral school. The following is the original text and translation of Tao Yuanming's "Return and Come Back" that I carefully compiled for everyone. You are welcome to refer to it!

Since the eyes and the heart are the servants of the body, are you ridiculed and melancholy and only sad? If you understand the past, you should not remonstrate, but if you know what is coming, you can pursue it. In fact, the lost path is not far away. I feel that what is now is but yesterday was not. The boat is sailing far away, the wind is blowing and the clothes are blowing. I asked Zheng Husband about the way forward, and I hated the faintness of the morning light.

Nai looked at the house and ran with joy. The servants welcome you, and the young children wait for the door. The three paths are deserted, but the pines and chrysanthemums still remain. When I brought my child into the house, there was a bottle full of wine. Use the cup to drink for yourself, look at the courtyard to enjoy your beauty. Leaning against the south window to express your pride, it is easy to rest your knees when looking at your appearance. The garden is filled with sunlight to make it interesting. Although the gate is set up, it is always closed. The old man is encouraged to rest, his head straightened, and he looks far away. The clouds have no intention to come out of Xiu, and the birds know when they are tired of flying. The scenery is blurry and the scenery is about to enter, caressing the lonely pine and wandering around.

Come back and come back, please pay attention and never travel again. The world is against my will, how can I ask for my words again? Love words to please relatives, music on the piano and writing to soothe worries. The peasants told me that spring was coming and that something would happen in Xichou. Or a life-carrying carriage, or a solitary boat. It is both graceful and graceful to find ravines, and also rugged to pass through Qiu. The trees are flourishing and the springs are beginning to trickle. When I get all the good things, I feel grateful for the rest of my life.

That’s it! How long will it take for Yu Xingyu to recover? Are you willing to stay or leave as you please? Why not, what else do you want to do? Wealth and honor are not my wish, and an imperial homeland cannot be expected. If you have a good time, you can go alone, or plant a stick and work hard. Climb Donggao to soothe the whistle, and compose poems near the clear stream. Talking about the multiplication and returning to the end, happy heaven and destiny return to ridicule doubt!

Return to Lai Xi Ci·Translation

Go back, the countryside is going to be deserted, why don’t you go back! Since you think your mind is controlled by your body, why do you feel melancholy and sad alone? Realize that past mistakes are irreversible, and know that things in the future can still be undone. In fact, we have not gone astray too far. We have already realized that today is "yes" and yesterday was "no". The boat floated forward briskly, and the breeze gently blew the clothes. Asking pedestrians about the road ahead, I hate that the morning light is still so weak and blurry.

When I saw the shabby houses in my hometown, I was so happy that I ran forward. The servants came to greet him happily, and the children waited at the door. Although the courtyard paths will be deserted, the pines and chrysanthemums in the garden are still there. I took the child into the inner room, where there were bottles filled with wine. I took the jug and glass and drank by myself. Looking at the branches in the courtyard really made me smile. Leaning against the south window, I expressed my proud feelings, and felt that living in a humble room would make me feel at ease. Walking in the garden every day is a pleasure of its own. Although there is a garden gate, it is often closed. Holding a cane, strolling or resting leisurely anywhere, raise your head and look into the distance from time to time. Clouds and smoke drift naturally from the cave, and birds know how to return when they are tired of flying. As the daylight faded and the sun was about to set, I lingered stroking the lonely pine.

Go back, I want to cut off contact with outsiders. Since the secular world is contrary to my obedience, what else can I ask for when traveling by car? Confidential words among relatives can make people happy, and playing the piano and reading can relieve boredom. The farmers told me that spring has come and I will go to the west to cultivate the fields. Some people drove tarpaulin cars, and some people paddled small boats. Sometimes you enter the valley along the meandering stream, and sometimes you follow the rugged path through the hills. The trees grew prosperously and the springs began to flow. I envy the good times and lament that my life is coming to an end.

Forget it! How long do you have to live between heaven and earth? Why not relax and let life and death pass? Why worry about where you want to go? Seeking wealth and honor is not my wish, and looking for fairyland is not my hope. I just hope for good weather and I go out alone, or stick my walking stick on the edge of the field to remove weeds and cultivate seedlings. Climb the high hill to the east and roar loudly, reciting poems facing the clear flowing water.

As nature changes towards the end of life, there is nothing left to doubt about Lotte and Anming!

Appreciation:

In the first year of Emperor Yixi of Jin'an (405), Tao Yuanming abandoned his official position and returned to his fields, and wrote "Returning to Come". This lyrical poem not only marks the turning point of Yuanming's life, but also represents the pinnacle of creation that expresses the consciousness of retreat in the history of Chinese literature.

The full text describes the author's situation on the way back to his hometown and after arriving home, and imagines his future life in seclusion, thereby expressing the author's disgust for the officialdom at that time and his yearning for rural life. On the other hand, it also reveals the poet's negative thought of "happy to fate".

Yuanming started offering wine to the state in the 18th year of Taiyuan (393) of Emperor Xiaowu of Jin Dynasty, and then served as Peng Zeling in the first year of Yixi. In the past 13 years, he served several times as an official and retired several times. Yuanming had political ambitions, but the political society at that time was extremely dark. In the second year of Emperor Yuanxing's reign (403), the warlord Huan Xuan usurped the Jin Dynasty and called himself Emperor Chu. In the third year of Yuanxing, another warlord Liu Yu launched an army to attack Huan and invaded Jiankang (now Nanjing, Jiangsu), the capital of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. By the first year of Yixi, Liu Yu completely controlled the military and political power of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. At this time, it was only fifteen years since Huanxuan usurped the Jin Dynasty. Along with these usurpations came countless massacres of dissidents and unjust wars. Yuanming loved freedom by nature, but the officialdom at that time was extremely decadent, flattering superiors and arrogant subordinates, doing random things, and losing all shame. An upright scholar had no place in the political society at that time, let alone realizing his ideals and ambitions. After thirteen years of twists and turns, Yuanming finally fully understood this. The fundamental opposition between Yuanming's character and political society destined him to make his final choice - to retire into seclusion.

It is an excellent essay with an orderly ending. The first half of the chapter, from "My family is poor" to "So I asked for it", briefly describes my tortuous experience of becoming an official because of my family's poverty. Among them, "Friends and relatives often persuaded me to become a senior official, and I felt free to take it seriously." and "Peng Ze went home hundreds of miles away. The benefits of the public land were enough to make wine, so he asked for it." They wrote about the real joy he had when he became an official in the past. Yearning shows the frank nature of the poet. From "Ji Shao Ri" to "November of the Year of Yi Si", the second half of the painting describes the reasons why he decided to abandon his official position and return to the fields. "Natural in nature, not the result of hard work" is the fundamental reason for abandoning office. After serving as an official for several times, the poet knew that becoming an official for the sake of "self-service" would mean losing oneself and "deeply ashamed of one's life ambitions". Therefore, "although hunger and cold may cut off", we will never want to "go against ourselves and get sick" again. Although the language is gentle, the will is as strong as gold and stone, and there is no turning back. As for "removing himself from office" due to the death of his sister, it is only a superficial reason. The preface is a reflection on the path of the first half of life. Ci is Yuanming's imagination and yearning for a new life when he left officialdom.

"Come back, I will never return to the countryside!" These two sentences are like a warning to myself, which expresses the profound understanding of life. In the poet's deep consciousness, pastoral is the root of human life and a symbol of free life. The decay of the countryside means the loss of roots and the loss of freedom. Coming back is the call of the countryside. It is also the call of the poet’s nature. "Since you take your heart as a slave, you feel melancholy and sad alone." This means that you make your mind a slave of your body. Since you are the one who suffers, why should you be melancholy and sad alone? Just let the past go. The poet's attitude towards life is solid. "When you understand the past and don't admonish it, you know that you can catch up with what is coming. It's not too far to go astray, and you realize that what you are now is but what you were yesterday was not." The past cannot be undone, but the future can be grasped. It is a mistake to become an official, but it is not too late to return to seclusion. This "enlightenment", "knowledge" and "awareness" show that the poet has grasped himself and gained new life. "The boat is sailing far away, and the wind is fluttering and the clothes are blowing. I asked my husband about the way ahead, and I hated the dim light of the morning." These four sentences describe the poet's imagination of returning home by land and water, day and night. The boat is so light and the wind is blowing through my clothes, I can see that I feel relieved when I abandon my official position. The morning light is dim, and I hate that I can't see the road, but I see that my intention to return home is like an arrow. This is the rush to freedom out of prison. Even Lu Xing asked the pedestrians, that little thing was real and gratifying.

"Looking at the house, I ran with joy. The servants welcomed me, and the children waited for the door." When he saw the door of his house, he ran with joy. The forty-one-year-old poet is still so innocent. The boy servants greeted him happily because the poet regarded him as a "son of man" and "met him well" (Xiao Tong's "Biography of Tao Yuanming").

Let your life always conform to the way of nature, that is, you have realized the meaning of life. This is enough to be happy, this is happiness, and there is no doubt! This is a transcendent state, and at the same time it is down-to-earth.

"Come Back and Come Back" is a lyric poem in the style of poetry. The source of Ci style is "Chu Ci", especially "Li Sao". The realm of "Chu Ci" is the tragic realm of enthusiastic use of the world. The realm of "Returning to Lai Ci" is the transcendent realm of retreating from the world. Traditional Chinese scholars were educated in Confucianism and took active use of the world as their life ideal. In a historical era of extreme political darkness, the ideals of scholars could not be realized, and even their lives were not guaranteed. At this time, abandoning officialdom and returning to seclusion had real meaning. Its meaning is to refuse to cooperate with dark forces and to raise the spirit of independence and freedom. Tao Yuanming was the first person to truly, profoundly and comprehensively express this sense of seclusion through poetry. This is the important significance of "Gui Gu Lai Xi Ci" in the history of Ci and literature.

During the Song Dynasty and the Song Dynasty, "Come Back and Lai Xi Ci" was rediscovered and reunderstood by people. Ouyang Xiu said: "There are no articles in Jin Dynasty, only Tao Yuanming's "Return". Song Xiang said: "Taogong's "Return" is the swan song of articles in the north and south." He evaluated the important position of this poem in the history of literature. Li Gefei said: "The poem "Returning to the Lai Ci" is as smooth as flowing out from the heart, but there is no trace of an axe." Zhu Xi said: "The meaning of the poem is vast and desolate. Although it has the sound of Chu, it does not express the disease of frowning. ” (the above quotation can be found in Tao Shu’s annotated edition) points out the true, natural and harmonious style of this poem. These comments by Song people are in line with reality.

Reading "Come Back and Coming Back" does not give people a sense of relaxation, because behind the poet's seeming carefreeness is a kind of sadness and helplessness. In essence, Tao Yuanming was not a pure hermit who only liked to travel around the mountains and rivers without paying attention to current affairs. Although he said that "his nature loves mountains and hills," deep down he wanted to benefit society. When Mr. Lu Xun talked about Tao Yuanming, he said: "In terms of poetry, in addition to 'Seeing the Nanshan leisurely' that the commentator admired, there are also 'Jingwei holding a small tree will fill the sea, punishing the sky and dancing with the dead, and the strong will will be strong. His expressions like "King Kong's Angry Eyes" prove that he is not in a state of wandering all day and night. We feel the weight of these angry words.

Is the description of the scene in "Returning to the Ci" real or fictional? Mr. Qian Zhongshu said: "The "Preface" says that the "Ci" was written in November, still in mid-winter; if it is a retrospective , directly recorded, are there any words such as "the trees are happy and prosperous", "all good things come at the right time", etc.? There are also "farmers tell me that spring is coming, and there will be something to do in the west", or "planting sticks and working hard" "Waiting for personnel? It is self-explanatory that it was imagined before returning." (See Qian Zhongshu's "Guan Zhui Bian" 1225~1226, Zhonghua Book Company, 1979) In this way, the first major writing feature of this article is. Imagine. The author is not writing about the scene in front of his eyes, but the scene in his imagination and the scene in his heart. So, is there any difference between writing about the scene in the heart and the scene in front of the eyes? The scene in front of the eyes is what the eyes see. The scene comes first and then the text. The text and scene are consistent, and the emphasis is on truth; the scene in the heart is the scene of creation. , Follow what your heart likes, follow your emotions. When you see a scene in your heart, you may not have the scene. If you have a scene, it may not be true. It is just a lyrical expression.

The language of this article is very beautiful. The poems are mainly six-character sentences, with three-character sentences, four-character sentences, seven-character sentences and eight-character sentences in between. They are catchy and have melodious rhythm. The sentence is lined with the words "zhi", "yi", "er", etc., which is soothing and elegant. Sometimes words with overlapping sounds are used, which has a strong sense of music. For example, "The boat is far away and the wind is blowing, and the clothes are blowing", "The trees are blooming and flourishing, and the spring is trickling and starting to flow." Use more dual sentences, whether they are positive or negative, they are just right. The description is combined with lyricism and discussion. Sometimes it depicts scenes, sometimes it is lyrical, and sometimes it is discussion. It has scenery, emotion, reason, and interest.

Finally, although Tao Yuanming retired to the countryside, regardless of whether his approach was positive or negative, he was different from the working people after all. Whether he wrote "Returning to the Garden and Living in the Fields" or "Returning to the Fields", it was actually a phenomenon of that era, and he was not the only one to retreat to the countryside. However, his seclusion created a writer and formed a literary style that will shine brightly in the history of Chinese literature and illuminate for thousands of years.

Ouyang Xiu said: "There are no articles in the Jin Dynasty, only one piece of Tao Yuanming's "Return and Come Back"." Although this is an exaggeration, it can show its status in the history of literature.