Preface
The Yu family is poor and farming is not enough to support themselves. Childish people have too much room, no millet to store in the bottle ①, and no capital for life ②, but no skills can be seen. Many relatives and friends persuaded me to become a senior official ③, but I was pregnant with it ④, and I pursued it in vain ⑤. There will be things going on in all directions ⑥ , the princes regard charity as a virtue ⑦ , and the uncle of the family thinks that the remaining people are poor ⑧ , so he sees it used in Xiaoyi. At that time, the turmoil was not calming down, and he was worried about the long service. Peng Ze went home hundreds of miles away. The benefits of the public land were enough to make wine, so he asked for it. After a few days, I feel a sense of returning home. Why? It is natural in nature and not the result of hard work⒀. Although hunger and cold can cut it off, it goes against one's own will and causes illness⒁. Taste from human affairs, all food and drink self-service. So I felt sad and generous, deeply ashamed of my life ambitions. I still look forward to Yimin, when I gather my clothes and the night passes. Xun Cheng's sister died in Wuchang⒄. She was in love with Jun Ben and resigned from her post. From mid-autumn to winter, I stayed in office for more than eighty days. Because things are going well, the fate chapter is called "Go back and come back". Yisi is also eleven years old.
Text
Come back and come back, the countryside will never return! 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.
Looking at the house, I am happy and running. 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!
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 only hope for good weather when 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!
Notes
①Bottle (bottle): earthenware urn.
②Essential resources: source of living.
③Chief official: This refers to county-level officials with higher status.
④Tuoran: Shumao.
⑤Extremely: None.
⑥Things from all directions: refers to the raising of troops from various places.
⑦ Princes: refers to warlords in various places.
⑧Jiashu: Tao He, served as Taichang Qing.
⑨ Storm: refers to the war at that time.
⑩Pengze: southwest of Pengze in present-day Jiangxi. Home: Yuanming's home was in Chaisang (now southwest of Jiujiang, Jiangxi).
⑾Gongtian: the field for salary.
⑿ Few days: no more than a few days.
⒀ It is not obtained through hard work: it cannot be forced.
⒁Disease: refers to inner pain.
⒂ Yimin: refers to one harvest in public fields. ⒃The clothes passed away at night: pack up and leave overnight.
⒄Cheng’s sister: Yuanming’s sister, married to Cheng.
⒅ Yisi: the first year of Yixi. @These two sentences are from "The Analects of Confucius·Weizi": "Chu Kuang took the song and passed by Confucius and said: 'Feng is here, Phoenix is ??here, how can virtue be diminished? Those who have gone before cannot be admonished, but those who have come can still be pursued. That's it, that's it. However, those who are in politics today are in danger. '" @hengyu: Hengmen, with horizontal wooden doors as the door, indicates that the living room is simple. @三街: Jiang Xu of the Han Dynasty lived in seclusion and opened three paths in the garden. He only interacted with Qiu Zhong and Yang Zhong, both of whom were elusive and unknown people. @眄(Mian): squint. @Trial: Experience. @嫲(西): Mountain cave. @ Planting Stick: Put the stick aside.耔(子): The soil blocks the roots of the seedlings.
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.
Yuanming began to offer 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 as an official several times and went into seclusion 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 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, 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 farewell. 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.
"It's over, how long will it take to live in the inner world? I don't have to leave or stay as I please, why don't I care about what I want to do." Reflecting on the limitation of life, the more precious freedom becomes. You don’t have many years left to live, why not just follow your heart’s wishes and why bother seeking outside things? "Wealth and honor are not my wish, and the Imperial Township cannot be expected." The Imperial Township is the Immortal Township, which refers to the world of immortals in Taoism. In fact, it can also refer to the Western Pure Land in Buddhism. Wealth and fame are not what I want, and the world on the other side is not trustworthy either. From this we can see through Yuan Ming’s philosophy of life. He not only denied secular political society, but also abandoned the religious world beyond. In the Eastern Jin Dynasty, when scholars were enthusiastic about official positions and Buddhism and Laoism were prevalent, his state of mind was not unsophisticated. His attitude towards life is sincere and worldly. He wants to find the meaning of life and realize the value of life in his own life. "I wish I could go there alone, or plant a staff and work hard. I can climb to Donggao to soothe my whistle, and write poems by the clear stream." These four sentences are a concentrated description of the poet's ideal life. When the weather is nice, you go out, when the farm is busy, you cultivate, when you climb high, you scream, when you are near the water, you write poetry. Labor, nature, and humanity constitute the poet's full and fulfilling life. "The talk of multiplication will be exhausted, and the destiny of the happy man will return to ridicule." The last two sentences are a high-level summary of the poet's philosophy of life. "Book of Changes·Xici" says: "Happy Heaven knows destiny, so there is no need to worry." Transformation and destiny both refer to the way of nature. 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, so there is no doubt! This is a realm of transcendence and at the same time 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, "Returning to the Past" was rediscovered and re-recognized 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, there is no complaint or frown. ” (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. (Deng Xiaojun)