"Friends and relatives often persuaded me to become a long-time official, and I was very optimistic about it." The joyful yearning that was once real shows the frankness of the poet's nature. 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 "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 hesitation. 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 his life; the words are Yuanming's imagination and yearning for a new life when he left officialdom.
The text begins with "Go back home", which means "Go home!" He straight to the point expresses his long-cherished ambition, as if taking a deep breath and feeling relaxed and at ease all over. "Will Wuhu not return to the fields?" The rhetorical question indicates that the person has decided to return to the fields.
"Since I regard my heart as a servant, I feel melancholy and alone in sadness! I realize that I have no regrets about the past, and I know that I can pursue those who are coming. I am not far off when I am lost. I feel that what I am today is not what I was yesterday." Review At that time, I worked as an official in order to make a living, which made my spirit enslaved by my body, and I felt painful and sad. Now I have realized that although the mistakes of the past cannot be undone, I still have time to rearrange my future direction. The author quotes Chu Kuang's poem "Wei Zi" in "The Analects of Confucius": "You can't admonish those who have gone by, but you can still pursue those who have come." He adds a few hints to make them similar in form and spirit.
“It’s true that you are not far off the road, and you realize that what you are now is but what you were yesterday was not.” This is a declaration of awakening and determination. He saw through the filth in the officialdom and did not want to join in the evil; he realized that the official career was a lost track, but fortunately he was not far behind and it was not too late to turn back; a feeling of remorse and happiness was beyond words. This paragraph explains the reason for "going back and coming back". It is both logical and emotional, and reads sincerely, showing the changes in thoughts and deep emotions in the calm tone.
"The boat is sailing far away, and the wind is blowing and the clothes are blowing." It is written that the boat is sailing in the wind, as light as flying, and the joy of the mood is also in it. "Asking my husband about the way forward, I hate the faint dawn." I wrote about traveling day and night, hoping to return home. When I ask pedestrians for directions, I see that they have secretly planned the journey and I can't wait. Only in this way do I hate the long distance and feel that the time passes too slowly.
"Hate the faintness of the morning light" is exactly the feeling of turning the long psychological journey back into the slowness of time to express his eagerness to return. "Looking at the house, running with joy" describes the joy and excitement when seeing the house for the first time, which is as innocent as a child.
"Children and servants welcome, children wait for the door." The family welcomes the master's return from office. The master and servant are of the same mind, and the elder and the younger are in agreement, which makes the author feel happy. "The three paths are deserted, but the pines and chrysanthemums are still there. When you bring your children into the house, there are bottles full of wine." While sighing, I felt like I regretted not returning early. I am happy that the pine and chrysanthemums I planted are still intact, and the wine in the bottle is full. The pine and chrysanthemums still exist, which means that the strong and fragrant festival is still there; the wine is filling the bottle, which means that the life's wishes have been fulfilled.
This brings us to: "Introducing the cup to drink for oneself, looking at the courtyard to enjoy one's face. Leaning against the south window to express one's pride, looking at one's appearance and making one's knees rest easily." These four sentences express the joy of drinking and enjoying yourself. A proud and complacent scene.
"Today's cavalry is like riding in knots, and the comfort is no more than Rong's knees." "It's easy to find peace in Rong's knees" is borrowed here to express that he would rather live in poverty than Rong's knees, and is unwilling to go out to be an official. . This is the same as "Three paths lead to wilderness". They are all citations of the same kind of allusions, as if they were picked up at hand, and they naturally fit in with each other. They also appear to be spoken as if they were spoken by themselves, with no signs of use.
"The garden is wading in the sun to make it interesting. Although the door is set up, it is always closed. We help the old people to rest, and sometimes they straighten their heads and look at the sky. The clouds have no intention to come out of the Xiu, and the birds know when they are tired and fly back. The scenery is obscured. The shade is about to come in, and the lonely pine is lingering." These eight sentences describe the feeling and scenery of the garden, which makes you feel relaxed and relaxed. Look at him: he is leaning on a cane, walking and stopping at will; sometimes he raises his head and looks at the scenery in the distance; every white cloud rising from the mountain and flying birds flying into the forest are enough to make people daydream.
"The clouds come out of the Xiu without intention, and the birds know when they are tired of flying", which is both a description of the scene and a lyrical expression; the author is like the clouds coming out of the Xiu, and becoming an official is "unintentional"; and like the flying back. Bird, who was very tired of his official career, finally found his ideal home in the countryside. "
The scenery is about to enter," writes about the setting sun on the mountain, and the vast twilight is approaching; "Caressing the lonely pine and wandering around", it expresses ambition by supporting the object to show that there is such a pine in the lonely and loyal festival.
In this large section, from the living room to the garden, the author writes with a poetic touch layer by layer all kinds of pleasant love affairs and unforgettable scenery, showing a beautiful realm that is completely opposite to the dirty officialdom.
"The loving words of relatives are pleasing to the ear, and the music on the harp and the music on the harp are enough to relieve worries." Listening to family members talk about their intimate words, taking the harp and the music on the harp as a close companion, and keeping the worldly world untainted in your heart, is enough to make you happy and forget about your worries. "Farmers tell me that spring is coming and something will happen in Xichou." The life of working in the countryside has obviously been poeticized in the author's writing, which is more romantic and lyrical than realistic.
"It may be a chariot or a solitary boat. It is both graceful and graceful to find ravines, and also rugged to pass through hills." When I am not writing about farming, I take advantage of pleasure to travel, climb mountains and rivers, and explore secluded places. "Rugged Jingqiu" inherits "or Mingjin Chariot", which refers to land travel; "Yaoyou Xungul" inherits "or Liaozhou", which refers to waterway. The syllables are harmonious and beautiful, and it sounds like you are leisurely and leisurely when reading it.
"The trees are blooming and flourishing, and the springs are trickling and beginning to flow. When all things are good, I feel the rest of my life." Touching the scene brings feelings, and from the prosperity of all things in spring, I feel the endless flow of nature. It reflects the shortness of breath and life, and reveals the idea of ????carpe diem. Although there was a slight sigh, the tone was still peaceful and cheerful.
This paragraph connects the previous and the following, extending the brushstrokes from the living room and garden to the countryside and the mountains and rivers, further developing a secluded world of farming in the spring suburbs and seeking seclusion in the mountains and rivers; and touches the objects to inspire people. , making a transition for the lyrical discussion at the end.
"It's almost over. How long will it take to live in the universe again? You can't stay or leave as you please!" It means that you are between heaven and earth, but it is only a short moment. Why not decide what to do according to your own mind? "What else do you want to do?" This is a question posed to people who are obsessed with wealth and wealth and whose hearts are for physical service.
"Wealth and honor are not my wish, and an imperial homeland cannot be expected." He neither wants to seek glory nor takes medicine to seek immortality; what he longs for is: "to spend the good time alone, or to plant a staff and work hard." . Climb to Donggao and write poems while listening to the clear stream. "On a good day, I can travel alone in the beautiful scenery; weed and cultivate the soil, and work on the mulberry fields; I can climb mountains and whistle, and write poems by the water; this is enough for my lifelong ambitions." Planting a staff and plowing is a metaphor for the story in "The Analects of Confucius: Wei Zi" about the father-in-law of a lotus planter who "planted his staff and plowed"; Deng Gao Shu Xiao seems to be a reference to the story of Sun Deng, a hermit from Sumen Mountain, who roared like a luan and phoenix.
The author uses them to express his own interests. Finally, the full text is concluded with "Liaoyanghua will return to its end, and Yuefu's destiny will return to ridicule", which means that he will adapt to the changes of life and death, let everything take its course, and spend the rest of his life happily knowing his destiny. This is the author's philosophy of life and conclusion of life. Although it is not unavoidable to be negative, it does come from the heart, and contains the painful reflection of retreating from the vulgar and sinister officialdom, and the profound experience of the pros and cons of those who have been there; therefore, it is different from the kind of false hermit who talks about mystical principles and claims to be aloof. .
Extended information
Creative background
In the first year of Yixi (405), Emperor An of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Tao Yuanming abandoned his official position and returned to his fields, and wrote "Returning to Come". Tao Yuanming began to serve as an official at the age of 29. He served as an official for thirteen years. He always hated officialdom and longed for the countryside. When he was 41 years old in the first year of Yixi, he served as an official for the last time. After working for more than 80 days, Peng Zeling resigned and returned home. He never became an official again.
According to "Song Book·Biography of Tao Qian" and Xiao Tong's "Biography of Tao Yuanming", Tao Yuanming returned to seclusion out of dissatisfaction with the decadent reality. At that time, a postal supervisor from the county came to Pengze for inspection, and the officials asked him to greet him with a belt as a sign of respect. He said angrily: "I don't want to bow down to a village boy for five buckets of rice!" He immediately resigned from his post and wrote "Come Back and Come Back" to clarify his aspirations.
Tao 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. During these 13 years, he served several times as an official and retired several times. Tao 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 (404), 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 (405), 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.
Tao Yuanming loved freedom by nature, but the officialdom at that time was extremely corrupt, flattering superiors and arrogant subordinates, doing random things, and losing all integrity. 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, Tao Yuanming finally fully understood this point.
The fundamental opposition between Tao Yuanming's character and political society destined him to make his final decision - to retire into seclusion.
Reference materials Baidu Encyclopedia Return to Lai Xi Ci