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Section 1: Tao Yuanming’s life path and ideological character

The choice between officialdom and seclusion in the early and later periods with Ci Peng Zeling as the boundary, the battle between poverty and wealth

A representative of the Wei and Jin Dynasties who lived in poverty and respected nature. Tao Yuanming (365? ~ 427), also known as Qian, with the courtesy name Yuanliang and the nickname Mr. Wuliu, was born in Chaisang, Xunyang (near today's Jiujiang, Jiangxi).

Tao Yuanming lived in a very complex political environment during the Jin and Song dynasties. His great-grandfather Tao Kan once served as the Grand Sima of the Jin Dynasty; his grandfather served as a prefect, and his father probably had a lower official position and died when Tao Yuanming was young. In a society that values ??family status, the status of the Tao family cannot be compared with that of noble families such as Wang and Xie, but it is different from the humble families. Tao Kan came from a humble background and was ridiculed as a "little man" and regarded as someone with ambitions to usurp the throne. As you can imagine, his descendants were in a rather awkward political situation.

Tao Yuanming spent his youth in the rural village of Chaisang. "He was young and had no sense of customs, and his nature was to love hills and mountains" (Part 1 of "Returning to the Garden and Living in the Fields"). Sutra" ("Drinking" Chapter 16) is a portrayal of life at that time. He often said that he had to work as an official to make a living because his family was poor. This is certainly true, but it does not rule out the motivation of ordinary scholars to make contributions. This news is revealed in "The ambition is fierce and the world is far away, and the Qianhe is thinking far away" (Part 5 of "Miscellaneous Poems"). At the age of 29, Tao Yuanming served as Jiangzhou Jijiujiu, but resigned soon after. Later, Jiangzhou was summoned as chief administrator, but he did not take office.

In the second year of Emperor Long'an of Jin'an (398), Tao Yuanming went to Jiangling and became the governor of Jingzhou and the governor of Jiangzhou, Huan Xuanmu. At that time, Huanxuan controlled the military and political power in the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River, and he was ambitious in trying to usurp the Jin Dynasty. Tao Yuanming once again had the idea of ????returning to seclusion. In "Xin Chou went on leave in July of the year of Xin Chou and returned to Jiangling for a night trip to Tukou" written in the fifth year of Long'an (401), he said: "The poems and books are plain and simple, but the forest and garden have no worldly feelings. How to give up?" From now on, we will go as far as West Jing!" In the winter of this year, my mother, Meng, died, so I went back to Xunyang to live in mourning. After that, the political situation changed drastically. In the first year of Emperor An's Yuanxing (402), Huan Xuan sent his troops eastward to attack the capital in the name of petitioning Sima Yuanxian. In the second year of Yuanxing (403), Huan Xuan usurped the throne and changed the country's name to Chu. In the third year of Yuanxing (404), Liu Yu launched an army to attack Huanxuan, entered Jiankang, and served as general of the town army. He took control of the power of the country and brought a glimmer of hope to the Jin Dynasty. So Tao Yuanming served as the general of the Zhenjun Liu Yu, and on his way to the post, he wrote "The Beginning of the Zhenjun Jingqu Qu Azuo". He has a conflicting mood. On the one hand, he feels that the time has come and hopes to make a difference: "When the time comes, we will meet in peace and quiet on the thoroughfare." On the other hand, he is nostalgic for the pastoral life: "Let's talk and change, and eventually return to work." "Sheng Lu." At this time, Liu Yu was concentrating his efforts on attacking Huan Xuan and the remaining forces, and Tao Yuanming might not be able to do anything in Liu Yu's defense. In the second year, the first year of Yixi of Emperor An (405), he was appointed as General Jianwei and joined the army as Jiangzhou Governor Liu Jingxuan. In August of this year, he asked to be appointed as the magistrate of Pengze County. He stayed in office for more than eighty days, and resigned in November and went into seclusion. The direct reason for resigning the county magistrate this time is recorded in the biography of "Song Book": "The county sent the governor to the post, and the county official said: 'You should tie up your belt and see him.'" Qian sighed and said: "I can't bow down to the countryside for five measures of rice." Villain! "I will leave my post immediately." The "Come Back" speech he wrote when he resigned gave a more profound reason: "Come back, please stay with me for a long time, and stay with me in this world." If you don't agree with me, why don't you ask for it?" Tao Yuanming fully realized that the secular world was contrary to his nature of advocating nature, and he could not change his nature to adapt to the secular world. In addition, he was disappointed with the political situation, so he resolutely resigned and lived in seclusion.

The resignation of Peng Zeling was the dividing line between the two periods of Tao Yuanming's life. Previously, he had been constantly choosing between the two social roles of a bureaucrat and a hermit. When he was in seclusion, he wanted to be a official, and when he was an official, he wanted to be a hermit. He felt very conflicted. Since then, he has strengthened his determination to live in seclusion and has been living a life of seclusion and hard work, but his mood is still not calm: "The sun and the moon throw people away, and ambitions cannot be achieved. Thinking of this is sad and sad, and I can't be still at dawn." ("Miscellaneous Poems") 》Part 2) In his poems, he repeatedly described the joy of seclusion and expressed his determination to live in seclusion, such as "If you enjoy this drink, I can't go back" ("Drinking" 9); It is not inconsistent” (Part 4 of “Drinking”). Although this is his true feeling, it can also be seen as a way for him to strengthen his determination. In the later period, he was not without the opportunity to become an official again, but he refused. At the end of the Jin Dynasty, he was recruited as Zuo Lang, but he failed. Liu Yu usurped the Jin Dynasty and established the Song Dynasty. He was even more tired of politics and expressed his thoughts on this matter implicitly in his poem "Shu Jiu". In his later years, he was poor and sick. "Tan Daoji, the governor of Jiangzhou, went to wait for him, and he lay down barren and exhausted for a while. Daoji said: 'A wise man lives in the world. If there is no way in the world, he will hide, and if there is way, he will come. Today's son will be born in a civilized world. Why do you suffer so much in this world?" He said to him, "How can Qian dare to look for talents? He has no ambition." Daoji gave him some meat and went away." (Xiao Tong's Biography of Tao Yuanming) Emperor Wen of the Song Dynasty died in the fourth year of Yuanjia. He wrote a "Self-Commemoration Essay" before, and at the end of the article he said: "Life is really difficult, how can death be like that? How sad!" This became his final work. After his death, his friends gave him the posthumous title "Mr. Jingjie". His good friend Yan Yanzhi wrote an edict for him, which is an important material for the study of Tao Yuanming. "Song Book", "Jin Book" and "Southern History" all have his biography.

Tao Yuanming's works were not widely circulated during his lifetime.

(Liang) Xiao Tong collected and organized the collection, compiled "Tao Yuanming Collection", and wrote a preface and biography for it. Although the collection of pottery compiled by Xiao Tong has been lost, subsequent collections of pottery include the lost Yangxiu edition of the Northern Qi Dynasty, the Song Xiang edition of the Northern Song Dynasty, the Northern Song Dynasty Seng Siyue edition, as well as some surviving Song Dynasty engravings: such as the ten volumes collected in Jigu Pavilion The original edition and the printed edition of Zengji were all re-edited on this basis. Tao Yuanming's works include 121 poems and 12 poems, essays, praises and narratives. The authenticity of some other works is not yet certain.

Tao Yuanming was familiar with Confucianism and quoted many Confucian classics in his poems, including 37 in The Analects alone. He has the Confucian spirit of joining the world and attaches great importance to personal moral cultivation like the Confucians, but he does not adhere to the chapters and sentences of the Confucian classics, appearing to be loose and unconventional. He said: "If you are good at reading, you don't ask for a deep understanding. Whenever you have an understanding, you happily forget to eat." ("The Biography of Mr. Wu Liu") This is very different from the attitude of Han Confucianism. He praised Confucius, but he also tended to make Confucius into a Taoist. He was deeply influenced by the thoughts of Lao and Zhuang, and 70 of his poems used allusions to "Lao" and "Zhuang" in 77 places; the metaphysics of the Wei and Jin Dynasties also had an influence on him. But people are not addicted to Lao Zhuang and metaphysics. He is a very practical and down-to-earth person. When he was a county official, he would encourage farmers, and when he was a hermit, he insisted on hard work, and empty talk and idle talk interfered with important metaphysics. Home is very different. He lived at the foot of Mount Lu, very close to Huiyuan's Donglin Temple. His friend Liu Yimin had a close relationship with Huiyuan. Words similar to Buddhism can occasionally be seen in Tao Yuanming's poems, but he was by no means a Buddhist and was closely related to Huiyuan. Keep your distance. Buddhism is a kind of understanding of life. Tao Yuanming's understanding of life coincides with Buddhism. However, he seeks pleasure from real life and does not believe in the afterlife, which is very different from Buddhism. Although he is similar to some eminent monks in terms of not being afraid of death, their ideological background is still very different. He faced death with the attitude of "in the midst of the great waves, neither happy nor afraid" ("The God of Shapes and Shadows"), which is very different from the Buddhists' longing for the paradise world. What he thinks about are major questions about the universe, history, and life, such as what is real? Why do virtuous people in history often have no good results? What is the value of life? What kind of life is perfect? How to deal with death? etc. His thoughts not only integrate the thoughts of Confucianism and Taoism, but also come from personal life practice, with unique perspectives, methods and conclusions; and the conclusions of his thinking are put into practice.

Living in poverty and advocating nature are the two main conclusions Tao Yuanming came to when thinking about life, and they are also the two pillars of his life.

"Being poor and enjoying the good life" is Tao Yuanming's code of conduct. His so-called "Tao" focuses on personal moral integrity and embodies Confucianism. For example, "The bandits follow the way, and the bandits are good at Xi Dun" ("Rongmu"). "I will not linger over you if you are a good judge, and I will not repay you with generous gifts. ... Live with benevolence and righteousness in the morning, but what should you ask for after death at night" (Part 4 of "Ode to the Poor Scholar"). He especially praised Yan Hui, Qian Lou, Yuan An, Rong Qiqi and other poor people who were content with poverty and happy with morality. Like them, they should work hard to maintain the purity of moral integrity and never taint themselves in the pursuit of high officials and rich salaries. He did not generally despise being an official, but refused to join in the trend. He hopes to make great achievements and retire after his achievements, just like what Shu Guang said to Shu Shou, "Be content and never be humiliated; know where to stop and never be in danger." He also considers the issue of rich and poor. There is often a conflict between being poor and seeking wealth in his heart, but he can use "Tao" to find a balance: "The rich and the poor are often at war, and the Tao wins without regret." ("Ode to the Poor Scholar") 》Part 5) And those ancient sages who lived in poverty and enjoyed Taoism became his role models: "How can I comfort my heart? I have so many sages in ancient times." ("Indeed of the Poor" Part 2) He was very poor in his later years, and when he reached the age of starvation degree, but has not lost its human principles.

Advocating nature is Tao Yuanming’s deeper philosophical thinking on life. The word "natural" is not found in "The Analects" and "Mencius", and it is a unique category of Lao-Zhuang philosophy. What Lao and Zhuang call "nature" is different from the objective material "nature" in modern times compared to human society. It is a state, non-artificial, inherently so, and natural. Everything in the world exists according to its original appearance and changes according to its own inherent laws, without any external conditions or forces. People should adapt to the state and changes of nature, and be simple and truthful. Tao Yuanming hoped to return to and maintain his original, innocent and unalienated temperament. The so-called "natural nature, not the result of hard work" ("Preface to the Preface to Returning") shows that his nature is natural and cannot stand the constraints of shengmo. The so-called "After being in a cage for a long time, I can return to nature" (Part 1 of "Returning to the Garden and Living in the Fields") expresses the joy of returning to nature and gaining freedom. In "The God of Shape and Shadow", he lets the "god" discern nature to relieve the pain of "shape" and "shadow". "Shape" refers to people's desire for immortality, "shadow" refers to people's desire to be good and famous, and "god" resolves their distress with the meaning of nature. The three shapes, shadows and gods also represent the three contradictory aspects of Tao Yuanming himself. The dialogue between the three reflects the conflicts and reconciliations in his life. Tao Yuanming's thought of advocating nature and the thoughts of adapting and cultivating the truth derived from it have formed a relatively complete and consistent philosophy.

In short, Tao Yuanming's thoughts can be summarized as follows: by eliminating the acquired "false self" that has been infected by the secular world, in order to return to a "true self". Tao Yuanming saw the decay of society, but had no power to change it, so he had no choice but to pursue his own moral perfection. He saw the crisis of society, but could not find the right way to save it, so he had to seek help from the return of human nature.

This may be partially achieved by himself, especially in the poetic environment he created, but it is ineffective as a prescription for healing society.

Tao Yuanming is a representative of the Wei and Jin Dynasties. Romance in the Wei and Jin Dynasties was a kind of personality beauty pursued by scholars in the Wei and Jin Dynasties, or the artistic life they pursued. They used their words, deeds, and poems to make their lives artistic. From a secular perspective, Tao Yuanming's life was very "dry", but from a transcendent perspective, his life was very artistic. His works such as "The Biography of Mr. Wu Liu", "Come Back and Come Back", "Returning to the Garden and Living in the Fields", "Fortune" and other works are all reflections of his artistic life. The process of his requesting and resigning as magistrate of Pengze County, his attitude towards Wang Hong, the governor of Jiangzhou, the story of playing the stringless harp, and the anecdote of using the Ge towel on his head to wet the wine, are also expressions of his artistic life. . And wine is a medium for his artistic life. Tao Yuanming can be said to be an outstanding representative of the Wei and Jin Dynasties.

Section 2 Tao Yuanming’s pastoral poems and others

Classification of themes in Tao Yuanming’s poems New themes in Chinese literature: pastoral poems, nostalgia poems and epic poems, inheritance and development of predecessors, expressed in campaign poems The deep feelings expressed in the depressed gift-reply poems

The themes of Tao's poems can be divided into five categories: pastoral poems, sentimental poems, epic service poems, and gift-reply poems.

Pastoral poetry and landscape poetry are often called together, but they are two different types of subject matter. Pastoral poems will write about rural scenery, but the main body is about rural life, farmers and farming. Landscape poetry mainly writes about natural scenery and the poet's aesthetic appreciation of landscape objects, which is often associated with travel. Strictly speaking, only one of Tao Yuanming's poems, "You Xiechuan", is a landscape poem, and he wrote many pastoral poems. Pastoral poetry is a new theme he added to Chinese literature. It uses his own pastoral life as the content and truly writes about the joys and sorrows of hard work. Tao Yuanming is the first person in the history of Chinese literature.

Some of his pastoral poems express his leisurely and contented state of mind by describing the tranquility of pastoral scenery and the simplicity of pastoral life. Or spring outing, or climbing, or drinking, or reading, or chatting with friends, or reuniting with family, or taking a bath under the eaves, or picking chrysanthemums on the east fence, as well as the new seedlings and sunflowers spreading their wings in the south wind. Seeing the strong mulberry and hemp, everything turns into wonderful poetry. For example, "The mist lingers on the mountains, and the sky is warm and gentle. The wind comes from the south, and it carries new seedlings" ("Shi Yun"). In the morning when I wrote about the mountain village, the morning fog gradually disappeared, and the south wind made the new seedlings grow wings. "Neighbors' songs come from time to time, and protest talks are in the past. Wonderful articles are appreciated by all, and doubts are analyzed together" (Part 1 of "Migration"). He wrote about the situation when his neighbor and he discussed historical papers together. The sincerity of the communication was enviable. Another example is Part 1 of "Returning to the Garden and Living in the Fields":

There is no vulgar charm, and one's nature is to love hills and mountains. I accidentally fell into the dust net and passed away for thirty years. The birds in the pond are nostalgic for the old forest, and the fish in the pond are thinking about the old abyss. Open up the wilderness in the south, stay humble and return to the garden. The square house covers more than ten acres and has eight or nine thatched houses. The elms and willows shade the back eaves, and the peach and plum trees in front of the hall. The warmth is far away from the village, and the smoke in the ruins is still there. Dogs bark in the deep alleys, cocks crow in the mulberry trees. There is no dust in the courtyard, and there is plenty of space in the empty room. After being in a cage for a long time, you can return to nature.

Comparing the two contrasts between modesty and vulgarity, garden field and dusty net, the poet felt extremely happy after returning to the field. The southern fields, thatched cottages, elms and willows, peaches and plums, distant villages, nearby smoke, roosters crowing, and dogs barking are all pleasant to the eyes and ears. All these are full of poetry after Tao Yuanming's enlightenment. "Nuan Nuan is far away from the village, and the smoke in the ruins" is one far away and the other is close. "Dogs bark in the deep alleys, and roosters crow on the tops of mulberry trees." The stillness is written with movement, which has simply reached the realm of transformation.

Some of his pastoral poems focus on the life experience of farming. This is the most distinctive part of his pastoral poems, and it is also the most valuable part. There are agricultural poems in the Book of Songs, which are songs that farmers sing while working. As for the scholar-bureaucrats who personally participated in farming and wrote about their farming experiences in poems, Tao Yuanming was the first. There are very few pastoral poems written after Tao Yuanming that actually describe his own working life. The third part of "Returning to the Garden and Living in the Fields" is a representative work in this regard:

Planting beans at the foot of the southern mountain, the grass is thick and the bean seedlings are sparse. I wake up in the morning to sort out the wasteland and filth, and return with a hoe in the moonlight. The road is narrow, the grass and trees are long, and the evening dew touches my clothes. It's not enough to regret the stain on your clothes, but your wishes are fulfilled.

This is the real feeling of a person who retired from officialdom and worked hard in the countryside. He hoeed in the moonlight and his clothes were stained by the dew in the evening. The real scene was vivid and realistic. Behind the description of farming life, there is an implicit contrast between farming and official life, as well as the pursuit of an ideal life. "Harvesting Early Rice in the West Field in the Mid-September of Gengxu" expresses the philosophy of life:

Life must be in order, and food and clothing must be in order. No one is camping, but they are seeking peace of mind. If you start to practice regular business in spring, your achievements will be considerable. I work hard in the morning and work hard every day. There is frost and dew in the mountains, and the weather is cold first. Isn’t it hard for the Tian family to get rid of this problem? The four bodies are sincere and tired, and common people are suffering from dryness. Wash and rest under the eaves, fight with wine to scatter your face. The feeling of being depressed and drowned in the distance is relevant for thousands of years. I hope it stays like this, Gong Geng is not a sigh.

Tao Yuanming believed that food and clothing are the beginning of life, and nothing can be achieved without labor. The poem describes the hardship of labor and the relief one gets when going home to rest after a day's work, which is very real. "Isn't it hard for the Tian family to quit?" writes the common feelings of farmers. "Four bodies are full of sincerity and tiredness, and common people are no different from suffering from dryness." This describes the special feelings of a scholar who returned from his official career to work in seclusion.

Some of his pastoral poems are about his own poverty and the decline of the countryside.

For example, "Poetry of Resentment in the Chu Dynasty Shows Pang Master Book Deng Zhizhong": "The fire is burning like fire again and again, and the beetles are roaming the middle fields. The wind and rain are coming in all directions, and the silk is not full. I feel hungry in summer, and I can't sleep in the cold night. I think about chickens at night. Ming, and the morning wish for the birds to move. "Returning to the Garden and Living in the Fields" No. 4: "Wandering among the hills and ridges, there are remains of wells and stoves, and the decayed mulberry and bamboo trees are all like this. The poor man told me that there is no way out. "Through these poems, we can vaguely see the face of the countryside amid war and disasters.

There are similarities in content between chanting poems and chanting epic poems, and chanting history is also chanting nostalgia, but it just uses historical facts as a medium. Some of his eulogizing poems are written in the form of group poems, such as "Drinking Drinking", "Imitation of Ancient Times" and "Miscellaneous Poems". The subjects of his epic poems focus on ancient figures, such as "Sanliang", "Er Shu", Jing Ke, and the ancient poor men written in "Ode to the Poor Man"; "Reading the Classic of Mountains and Seas" can also be included in this category A category. These works of eulogy and history clearly inherited the poetry tradition of Ruan Ji and Zuo Si, and also had Tao Yuanming's own characteristics. This is centered around serving as an official and returning to seclusion to show one's character of not collaborating with the rulers. There are reviews of one's own life, such as "Drinking Drinking" Chapter 19; there are criticisms of society, such as "Drinking Drinking" Chapter 20. There is no lack of regret and anger, such as "Ode to Jing Ke". It can be seen from the second part of "Miscellaneous Poems" that Tao Yuanming's sorrow and indignation are deep and wide:

The sun is in the west, and the plain moon is rising in the east ridge. The scenery is thousands of miles away, and the scenery is swinging in the sky. The wind comes and enters the house, and the mat is cold in the night. Qi changes and enlightenment is easy, and sleepless nights will last forever. If you want to be gentle, you wave your cup to persuade Gu Ying. The sun and the moon throw people away, and there is no ambition. Thinking of this makes me sad and sad, and I can't be still at dawn.

This poem is about a sleepless autumn night, using the coldness of the environment to set off the loneliness of his mood, and using the passage of time to elicit the sadness of unfulfilled aspirations. It is a representative work of Tao Yuanming's poems about nostalgia.

Tao Yuanming's service poems were all written during his official career. They have a common theme, which is to lament the hard work of service, express his weariness with officialdom, and repeatedly express his longing for the countryside and his retreat. determination. Lamenting the hardships of military service was originally the most common content in previous military service poems, while the latter two were unique to Tao Yuanming, and these two emotions became stronger as time went by. The helpless feeling of losing freedom has become the keynote of this type of poem. Let’s take a look at the following example sentence: “My eyes are tired of the different rivers, and my mind is longing for my home in the mountains and rivers. Looking at the clouds, I feel ashamed of the tall birds, and facing the water, I feel ashamed of the fish swimming in it.” ("A Zuo, a Sutra for Zhenjun and Joining the Army") "Born of long-term travel and love, How can I be drowned here?" (Part 2 of "Two Poems from the Capital in the Fifth Month of the Year of Gengzi") "It's a good place to stay in the garden with poems and books. How can I leave here and go far away to West Jing. " ("Xin Chou went on leave in the seventh month of the year and returned to Jiangling for a night trip to Tukou") "What did Yi Yu do? I encouraged him to serve here." ("Yi Ji joined the army in March of the year and passed through Qianxi")

Tao Yuanming's poems of gifts and replies clearly show his kindness to his friends. Gift-giving is a traditional theme that has existed since ancient times. It is said that the poems written by Su and Li are good at describing separation. Cao Zhi's "Giving the White Horse to Wang Biao" is famous for expressing anger, and Liu Zhen's "Giving to the Brother" expresses the noble spirit. In terms of character, Ji Kang's "Giving Talents to Enter the Army" shows the free and easy taste. Tao Yuanming's response poems have his own characteristics: with his sincere feelings, homely content, meaningful meaning, and tone that is neither hot nor cold, he has created the image of a kindhearted elder for himself. For example: "The mist stops, the mist rains. The eight watches are dim at the same time, and the smooth road is blocked. I send it quietly to Dongxuan, and the spring mash is caressed alone. Good friends are old and young, and they stand still scratching their heads." ("Stop the Cloud") " The wind blows from the west, and the clouds drift away from the east. The mountains and rivers are thousands of miles away, and it is difficult to talk about it. There are many poor people in the world, so I want to save my old friend. "Pang Joins the Army" is the most profound poem among his poems:

Why should we know each other old? This is the preface. Some guests appreciate my interest and often visit the forest garden. There is no vulgarity in talking about harmony, and it is about the saint. There may be several buckets of wine, so you can enjoy your leisurely drinking. I am a truly secluded layman, and I have no connections between the East and the West. Things are new, people are old, and everything is weak. The love is connected thousands of miles away, and the traces are stuck in the mountains and rivers. Your love body, when will you come?

In the poem, there are memories of joyful gatherings, sadness of parting, and attentive exhortations. The words are serious and affectionate.

In addition to the above five categories of themes, Tao Yuanming also has some works with philosophical themes as the main content, such as "Shadows and Shadows", "Drinking Alone in the Rain", and "Simultaneous Elegy" can also be classified this category. This type of poetry can be regarded as a metaphysical poem, but it is different from the metaphysical poetry popular in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. It is not "the purpose of returning under the pillars, the meaning of the lacquer garden" (Liu Xie's "Wen Xin Diao Long·Chronology"), but Distill the experience in life to the level of philosophy. People in the Wei and Jin Dynasties paid great attention to family status. Some of Tao Yuanming's poems wrote about clan relations or admonished his sons, such as "Mingzi", "Responsibility for Sons", "Gift to the Duke of Changsha", etc. It can be seen that Tao Yuanming also valued the honor and family status of his family.

Section 3: The Art of Tao Poetry and its Origin

Nature: The overall artistic characteristics of Tao Poetry, the poetic scene of daily life, the blending of events, the plainness reveals warning, and the simplicity reveals beauty. The artistic origin of Tao Yuanming's poetry

Nature is not only Tao Yuanming's life interest, but also the overall artistic feature of his poetry. He wrote poems without any intention of praying for praise. When he felt something in life, he resorted to pen and ink, without any pretense or pretense. He said: "I often write articles to amuse myself and express my ambition. I forget my gains and losses and end my life in this way."

"("Mr. Wu Liu's Biography") also said: "After I was drunk, I often wrote a few sentences to amuse myself, so there was a lot of paper and ink. " ("Preface to Drinking") This shows his creative attitude. The voice and rhythm of Tao's poems are soothing and calm, giving people a sense of kindness. Tao's poems mostly use introspective words to candidly record his inner thoughts The subtle waves have no overwhelming momentum, no eloquent power, and no majestic atmosphere, but they slowly penetrate into the readers' hearts like spring rain. His poems do not pursue strong stimulation, strong colors, and twists and turns. The structure is purely natural and spiritual, but because of its noble personality and real and profound life experience, it is infectious as long as it is written exactly as it is. , It is due to lack of intention and clumsiness. " (Volume 5 of "?Xi Poetry Talk")

One of the characteristics of Tao's poetry is also his pioneering work, which is to poeticize daily life and discover important meanings and lasting meanings in daily life. Poetic flavor. Before him, Qu Yuan, Cao Cao, Cao Zhi, Ruan Ji, Lu Ji, etc. all focused on themes related to national politics. Tao Yuanming focused on writing about ordinary life, using commonplace words to write about family affairs, which was full of poetry.

Specifically, Tao Yuanming’s artistic pursuits can be summarized as follows:

1. The integration of emotions, scenes, events, and principles. Tao Yuanming’s description of scenery does not pursue the appearance of objects. The narrative does not pursue twists and turns in the plot, but uses things that everyone can see and ordinary things to express feelings that are higher than the world, and write out principles that others may not be able to understand. Tao's poems focus on writing about the heart. A state of mind that is integrated with the scenery and has a clear understanding of life. He has no intention of imitating mountains and rivers, and does not care about similarities or dissimilarities. He just writes about the world in his own mind. Scenery is due to emotion, and is governed by reason. The new seedlings spreading their wings in the south wind, the moon accompanying him from hoeing, the rising smoke, and the spring swallows returning to their old nests despite the desolation of his courtyard. In mid-summer, the forest in front of the hall is full of pure yin, the clear harp on the bed, the turbid wine in the pot, as well as the green pines, autumn chrysanthemums, solitary clouds and flying birds that often appear in his paintings are no longer ordinary things. They are objective. It also embodies the poet's subjective feelings and personality, which is both concrete and conceptual. Let's look at the fifth chapter of "Drinking":

How can I ask you if the house is in a human environment without the noise of cars and horses. My heart is far away. I am picking chrysanthemums under the eastern fence, and I can see the beautiful scenery of the mountains at night. There is a true meaning in this, and I have forgotten to say it. Understand the relationship between "heart" and "earth", that is, the relationship between the subjective spirit and the objective environment. As long as the "mind is far away", no matter where you are, you will not be disturbed by the hustle and bustle of the world. "Pick chrysanthemums under the eastern fence and see the Nanshan Mountain leisurely." , I occasionally raised my head, and my heart and the mountain met leisurely, and I seemed to be integrated with Nanshan. The mountain atmosphere and the returning birds formed a wonderful scenery in my heart, which contained the true meaning of life. The instant connection with the environment and the joy that leads to the infinite cannot be left to words. Just as the "Qian Jin Pu" said: "If there are chrysanthemums in the fence, I will pick them. If I pick them, I will have no chrysanthemums." I was fooled to see the Nanshan Mountain, and at dusk I saw the beautiful scenery of the mountain, and I went back and forth with it in order to please the nature of the birds. Mountain flowers, people and birds, meet each other by chance, and become organic and innocent. Since there is no name or image, and no explanation can be given, who can identify it? "The third part of "Prepared Elegy" is also a masterpiece that blends scenes and events:

The grass is so vast, and the poplars are also swaying. In the middle of September, the frost sends me out of the suburbs. There are no people on all sides, and the sky is high. The tomb is in a state of chaos. The horse is raising its head to the sky, and the wind is silent. The secluded room has been closed for a thousand years. . Relatives may still be sad, but others have also sung. What's the point of death?

This poem first writes about relatives and friends mourning for themselves, which is highlighted by "weed grass" and "white poplar". A sad atmosphere. Then it is said that everyone is destined to die, and no one can avoid it, and the death of a person does not have much impact on the living people, so there is no need to be too persistent. The last two sentences end with the truth, which governs the whole story. Poetry. Death is a major confusion for people, and this confusion was solved by Tao Yuanming.

The "reason" in Tao's poems is not an abstract philosophical preaching, but something experienced personally in life, which contains life. Tao's poems express his understanding of the universe, history and life, and are the crystallization of exploring their mysteries and meanings, and all of this is expressed in language that is both interesting and rational like aphorisms, achieving the goal of saying everything. And the effect of meaning is endless. For example: "There is a way to live, and food and clothing are the foundation. "("Harvest Early Rice in Xitian in the Mid-September of Gengxu") "We are brothers after landing, so why should we be close by flesh and blood? "(Part 1 of "Miscellaneous Poems") "The energy changes and enlightenment changes, and I know that the night will last forever without sleep. "("Miscellaneous Poems" Part 2) "Be encouraged in time, time waits for no one. (Part 1 of "Miscellaneous Poems") "If you don't know that I exist, you will know that things are valuable." "("Drinking" No. 14) "Life seems to be an illusion, and it will eventually be empty. "("Returning to the Garden and Living in the Fields" Part 4) "The name after my death is like a floating smoke to me. "("Resentful Poems of Chu Tiao Shi Pang Zhubu Deng Zhizhong") "Even the people in the forest are not aware of it, and it is strange that a single tree has many people. " (Part 8 of "Drinking") These poems are simple in words, profound in meaning, and full of inspiration. Pan Deyu, a native of the Qing Dynasty, said that Tao Yuanming "can describe the divine principles of any situation or object" ("Yang Yizhai Poetry Talk"), This is a pertinent theory.

2. There is caution in plainness, and beauty in simplicity.

The predecessors often used "plain and simple" to summarize the style of Tao's poems. However, Tao's poems are not only plain, the advantage of Tao's poems is that they can find warning in the ordinary; Tao's poems are not only simple, but the advantage of Tao's poems is that they can find beauty in simplicity. . The objects described in Tao's poems are often the most ordinary things, such as cottages, chickens and dogs, bean sprouts, mulberry trees, poor alleys, and thorn trees. To be honest, there is nothing strange about them. However, once the poet writes, warnings often appear. Tao's poems seldom use gorgeous words or exaggerated techniques, but only simple and plain descriptions. For example: "Beans are planted at the foot of the southern mountain", "The weather is good today", "Green pines are in the east garden", "Autumn chrysanthemums are beautiful", "Sad wind loves quiet nights", "Spring and Autumn have many beautiful days", all are clear words. However, beauty can be seen in the ordinary. Another example is the third chapter of "Naked Ancient":

In mid-spring, when the rain breaks out, thunder begins to strike in the east. All the stings are hiding in fear, and the grass and trees are growing freely. Pianpian is a new arrival, and they both enter our house. The former nest is still there, and the prime minister has returned to his old residence. Since the separation, the courtyard has become increasingly deserted. My heart is as strong as a rock, how will your love be determined?

Spring is here, and the swallows return to their thatched cottages. Over the past year, his courtyard has become increasingly deserted, but he still persists in living a life of poverty and seclusion. Some friends did not understand my attitude and repeatedly persuaded me to quit my job. But the swallows came gracefully and did not dislike their old nest or me, a poor man. It seems that the swallow is asking the poet: My heart is firm, is your heart as firm as mine? This poem is like a beautiful fairy tale, simple and plain but interesting. There are many similar examples, such as: "The birds are happy to have their support, and I also love my house." (Part 1 of "Reading the Classic of Mountains and Seas") "Even in a flat area, the wind is far away, and the good seedlings also cherish the new." ("Guimao") "Nostalgia for the Ancient Farmhouse in Spring at the Beginning of the Year" Part 2) The two characters "Yi" blend the feelings of things and myself, which is thought-provoking. Another example: "The mountain stream is clear and shallow, and I can wash my feet. When I pour my newly cooked wine, a chicken will attract me. When I enter the room, it is dark, and the thorns and branches replace the bright candles." (Part 5 of "Returning to the Garden and Living in the Fields") A mountain stream, A chicken, a stick of thorn wood, these ordinary things become interesting in life once the poet enlightens them, showing his kindness to his neighbors and the simple customs of the countryside. "There is no sound in my ears, but my eyes are clean" ("Written in the middle of the twelfth month of the year of Guimao"), ten plain words describe the soft beauty of snow. Regarding this characteristic of Tao's poetry, Su Shi summarized it as "quality but solid and beautiful, fat but solid and plump" ("Book with Su Zhe"), which is very insightful.

The language of Tao's poems is not unfinished, it just doesn't show any trace and appears plain and natural. As Yuan Haowen said: "A word is natural and new forever, and the trueness can be seen when the luxury is gone." ("On Poetry") For example: "You should be encouraged in time, time waits for no one." ("Miscellaneous Poems" Part 1) " The sun and the moon throw people away, and their aspirations are not achieved." (Part 2 of "Miscellaneous Poems") "The forest in front of the Ai Ai Hall stores the clear shade in the middle of summer." (Part 1 of "He Guo Zhubu") The word "wai" means "throw". The word "storage", these three verbs are common. They may seem plain but very exciting and cannot be changed.

Regarding the artistic origin of Tao poetry, Zhong Rong's "Poems" said: "Its origin comes from Ying Can, and it also cooperates with Zuo Si Feng." Later, many people opposed this theory, and today many people express their opinions. Agree. Judging from the surviving poems of Ying Chu and the biographical information about Ying Chu, we can see that he is very different from Tao Yuanming. Rather than saying that Tao Yuanming's poems originated from Ying Chu, it is better to say that they originated from the sages of the Han, Wei, and Jin Dynasties. Ying Chu alone was not enough to cover him. If we must be more specific, we can say that Tao's poems originated from "Ancient Poems", and also combined with the legacy of Ruan Ji and the style of Zuo Si. Wei and Jin poetry reached a new peak with him.