The Original Text, Annotations, Translation and Appreciation of Song Lian's Records of Five Rivers (Excerpt)

Song Lian: Records of Five Rivers (Excerpt)

Song Lian

Wuxie, which is located at the border of Wu, Hang and Yue, is the most steep in terrain, with Fuchun in the north, Wu Gou in the south and Puyang in the east. Qi Xie tried to collect herbs and went deep into them, while Song Diao Jingchun and Wu Chuhou also lingered.

Enter from Xikeng Ridge, cross Yulong Bridge, walk 20 steps north and enter Xitan. There is a stream in front, which is cold and treads like ice. From the stream to the front, the path is very small, there are reefs protruding from the pool, and the big urn is covered obliquely. It's the stone that's crawling. If it slips, it will fall. Two miles away, the land is a little barren, and the strange stones are seen from four angles. The mountains are stacked and the lines are lingering, just like magical carvings. There are many monkeys in the mountains, and tourists may be afraid of them, throwing stones and raining. Half a mile ahead, the spring water gushed from the stone sinus, sonorous and clear, and the piano sounded loud. The spring water flows into a small depression in the west, and it is crystal clear. There are several fish, and like a glass bottle, people are sneaking around. The big trees on the left side of the depression are very strange and have picturesque reflections in the water. After 50 steps, we came to Dashi Road. Legend has it that there is a small eagle beak at the corner of the rock. Suddenly there was a thunderstorm at night, and the bird's beak collapsed, which could be heard dozens of miles away. Thirty steps later, hazel shinohara became a forest, and the green light floated to reflect the color of Bi Cheng. The mountain worm ran around the cliff first, and then disappeared in a blink of an eye. At this time, the weather is gloomy and quiet, and it is by no means human, such as rising the ceiling and sitting in the Crystal Palace. ……

Looking for an old way out, winding obliquely to the east, crossing the incense burner peak, the peak is high and steep, and there is a stone incense burner on it, hence the name. There is a peak in the north of the incense burner, which is round and childlike, called Bowl Peak, or Xiaodongou Yandang Peak, also called Yandang Peak. From the geese to the south, when there are white clouds covering the valley, it is called Xuefeng. Standing tall, Jade Girl Mountain. Those who want to stand out from the crowd are named Tianzhu Peak. Other peaks, the stars are connected to each other, and there are 70 famous books. After returning from the cliff to the east, the small bridge spans slightly, and you reach the Tang Mo Ling Zen Dojo of the Third College and Academy. The teacher tasted the dragon here, and the remains still exist.

From the north of the yard, it takes more than 100 steps to get to Dongtan. The waterfall on the pond can be twenty feet high. The waterfall falls angrily and hits the cliff. If Lilian falls from the sky, white light shines and catches people's eyes. At the bottom of the pool, the sound is like rolling thunder, people laugh, and they can't tell at close range, and they can still hear voices in the urn. Ju Renyun: Every day, the wind blows on the 1st, and the trees shake on the four mountains, covered by dark clouds. In the year of drought, dragon throwers cover many exams, such as Xitan. Return to the west from the north, go back to the source of the pool, climb Tieling and reach Zilang Mountain. There are many people in the village, and there are hundreds of acres of flat land that can be cultivated. Next to the Stone River, you can walk for a mile. The place name is Shigu, and the sound of winter and winter is everywhere. After more than ten steps, I arrived at the first pool, which was as dark as a well, throwing pebbles. After more than ten steps, I arrived at the second pool, which was round like a kettle and wide and open at the bottom. The flooded rocks gathered in it, filled it up and then discharged it. Stone wall under the pool 100 feet, the risk cannot be set. Hang vines from its right to the third pond. The pond is deep, with a line and no bottom below. Its shape is long and narrow, the sky is cloudy, and there are often clouds coming out of it. It is suspected that Long Qian is under it, and people always take quietness as a disease. The fourth pool is too salty to go, or a huge pestle is girded with ribbons. Looking down from the cliff, there are maple trees on both sides of the pool, which is probably like the second pool, but it is twice as big. Next to it is the tomb of Liu in the Jin Dynasty. According to legend, the dragon tried to fish in the pond, so he had to swallow the pearl and turn it into a dragonfly. Later generations built a tomb for this stone, or buried the mother of Yunlong, which is far from distinguishing. Next, the fifth pool, Dongtan, was named Yun Jie because of its five levels of water.

Hey! Those who create landscapes are great.

This article is a travelogue written by Song Lian after visiting Wuxie. At the beginning, the article introduces the geographical advantages of Wuxie: Wuxie, the junction of Wuzhou (now Jinhua, Zhejiang), Hangzhou and Yuezhou (now Shaoxing, Zhejiang), the Fuchun River in the north, no mountains in the south and puyang river in the east, and the scenery is famous for its strangeness. Nan Qixie once came here to collect herbs, and Diao Jingchun and Wu Chuhou also visited in the Song Dynasty. The explanation of the latter sentence seems careless, but it implicitly shows that Wuxie has been a tourist attraction since ancient times, which subtly leads to the following detailed description of this scenic spot.

From Xikeng Ridge into the mountain to Dongtan, the fifth pool, bees are circling around and the scenery is endless. How to reproduce the scenery here clearly and hierarchically? The author is not only like a photographer who is good at framing, but also constantly changes the angle with the direction and distance of the journey, shooting quickly or slowly in the mountains and rivers, and matching these shots with voiceovers through detailed narration and clever metaphors.

The streams here are as cold as ice, with strange rocks or protrusions like big urns, which are inverted in turn by the pool, or steep as mountains and peaks. The mountain monkey scatters stones like rain, and the stone spring is silent like a harp. Xiaowa spring water is clear and bright, and it is not hidden at all. There are some fish swimming in it. There are dense hazel trees and bamboo bushes nearby, green as blue; Worms fly around like snakes and don't know where they are in the blink of an eye. Although this natural environment is gloomy and close to the primitive, it also makes people feel like they are in Penglai Fairy Mountain, like sitting in a crystal palace, where fireworks are clean all their lives. On the west beach, the flowing water is silent, and the Ran Ran hangs like a white curtain; Two stone cliffs stand upright, with moss erosion and dripping water. In dry years, it is often a place where villagers pray for rain.

The wonders of Wuxie's landscape are not only these springs and stones, but also many of its peaks are recorded in geography and other books, including 72 peaks, such as incense burner, alms bowl, Yandang, Xuefeng, Jade Girl and Tianzhu, which are towering and undulating. The scenery on the Dongtan is even more beautiful. Waterfalls impact the cliff caves, and the water bubbles stirred up are dazzling like snowflakes. The underwater sound at the bottom of the pool is rolling like thunder, and people can't tell laughter at close range. Climb up along the source of the pool, over Xiangling and Ziluo Mountain, and your eyes will be suddenly enlightened. There are dense bamboo forests, thatched cottages and flat and spacious land. What a paradise! Then along the stone river, past the stone drum, is the first pool. The pool is like a well, throwing stones into the water is like a sound. The second pool is ten steps away. The bottom of the pool is wide and stones are piled in the water. The stone wall under the pool is steep and dangerous. Below is the third pool, unfathomable, different in shape from the first two pools, with a long and narrow rectangle; Whenever the weather is gloomy, clouds are gathering, and there seems to be a dragon lurking. Below is the fourth pool, maple trees on both sides. The pool is like the second pool, but it is much wider than the second pool. Next to Liu's tomb, he died of a dragon. The pool water continues to flow downwards, forming the fifth pool, which is Dongtan. Because the pool water is stacked in turn to form five steps, it is named "Five Drains".

Song Lian's landscape travel notes are meticulous and vivid. This paper also describes the scenery of Wuxie with exquisite brushwork. The author observed in detail, from Shan Ye to the water drops on the moss on the cliff. However, the author does not have a running account, but emphasizes the singularity of the landscape in a detailed narrative. If the water is clear, there is no fish. Although the five-discharge spring water is "clear, it is clear", there are minnows. The pool falls with the mountain, but it overlaps five layers and merges into five pools. These strange sights are indeed blessed by the five venting. In order to better express the characteristics of the scenery, the author uses many clever metaphors to describe shapes and objects, which are vivid. For example, it is very vivid to imitate the sound of water with the sound of the piano and to reciprocate with the twists and turns of the serpentine road. Another example is "If a thousand snows are thrown in the sky, white light shines", which is a unique picture of water bubbles flying in the sun caused by waterfalls hitting cliff holes. These clever metaphors not only highlight the characteristics of the scenery, but also insert descriptive changes into the narrative and avoid the stagnation of writing.