What is history: it is the echo of the past to the future, the reflection of the future on the past. - Hugo
In the starry Northern Song Dynasty literary circle, Ouyang Xiu was a Beidou-like existence of Taishan, who led the poetry reform movement and created a generation of literary styles, which was an immortal beacon in the hearts of many future generations of literary heroes.
Just as the so-called "Maxima is often there and Bole is not often there", the greatness of Ouyang Xiu lies in the fact that he not only has outstanding personal achievements, but also has a broad heart and cherishes talents, and has discovered and recommended many young talents. Among the eight masters of the Tang and Song dynasties, except for Liu Zongyuan and Han Yu of the Tang Dynasty, and except for Ouyang Xiu himself, the other five people had all been recommended by him. Wang Anshi is one of them.
Ouyang Xiu was 14 years older than Wang Anshi, and when Wang Anshi first came out, Ouyang Xiu was already a leader in the literary world. After Wang Anshi entered high school, he had been working as a local official in the early days, while Ouyang Xiu was a Beijing official, so the two did not know each other at first. However, Wang Anshi had always admired Ouyang Xiu's knowledge, and Ouyang Xiu had also heard about Wang Anshi's talent.
(Portrait of Ouyang Xiu)
Finally, at the initiative of Ouyang Xiu, Wang Anshi gladly came to visit. The two great men sat down and said that this was a great meeting, and what they talked about specifically, it is unknown to future generations, but it is obvious that they see each other as they are and appreciate each other. Why? There are poems to prove it.
Talking very happily, the love was deep, Ouyang Xiu took the initiative to give a poem:
Three thousand poems of Hanlin Wind and Moon, two hundred years of official articles.
Old age and self-pity are still there, and later who competes with the Son.
Zhumen song and dance for the new state, green dust whisks the old strings.
Often hate famous do not know each other, meet the wine to stay behind?
(Portrait of Wang Anshi part 1)
This poem is called "Gift to Wang Jiefu", Jiefu is Wang Anshi's character, and "Gifting Wang Jiefu" means a poem written to Wang Anshi. This poem by Ouyang Xiu simply lifted the descendant Wang Anshi into the sky.
"Hanlin" refers to Li Bai, a scholar of Hanlin, and "official" refers to Han Yu, a servant of the official department (disputed, see below), and the first two sentences say that Wang Anshi wrote poems comparable to Li Bai and wrote texts comparable to Han Yu. The third sentence lamented that although he was old, he still had ambitions, and the fourth sentence turned to praise Wang Anshi and questioned: Who else can compete with you in the future?
The meaning of the sixth sentence of the fifth sentence is: Now that officials are corrupt and covet pleasure, you and I do not go with the flow, but still care about the society. The seventh sentence and the eighth sentence once again compliment Wang Anshi: I heard of your name very early but I did not have the honor of meeting you, so why not talk about wine when you meet now?
(Portrait of Ouyang Xiu, part II)
So lifted up by the literary giants, Wang Anshi naturally wanted to write a poem in return, so he took up his pen and wrote a seven-word poem:
The desire to preach morality is still there, and the strength to study articles is exhausted.
If he could spy on Mencius one day, how dare he hope for Han Gong for the rest of his life.
After cutting the clothes out of the most sentient beings, pour out of the wide seat.
Only fear of vain fame because of this, jia chapter is yi yi meng.
The name of this poem is "FengHui Yong Shu See Gift", Yong Shu is the word of Ouyang Xiu, and "Feng Hui Yong Uncle See Gift" means a reply poem written to Ouyang Xiu.
(Portrait of Wang Anshi 2)
The first two sentences say: I still have ambitions to spread the way of Confucius and Mencius, but I really feel powerless to write poetry and composition. The meaning of the third and fourth sentences is: If one day I can understand the mysteries of Mencius's morality, I will be satisfied, how dare I hope to become a generation of literary heroes like Han Yu?
The fifth and sixth sentences are a compliment to Ouyang Xiu: As one of the many juniors who admire you, it is a great honor for me to come to visit you. The seventh and eighth sentences are humble again: I am deeply afraid that you have written poems to praise me so much, and I am afraid that I will waste my name.
Overall, the first four sentences of the poem express their ideals and aspirations, and are a response to the first four sentences of Ouyang Xiu's gift of poetry; the last four sentences of the poem express respect and gratitude for Ouyang Xiu, and are a response to the last four sentences of Ouyang Xiu's gift.
(Ouyang Xiu calligraphy)
Compared with the true feelings and direct lyricism of Ouyang Xiu's poems, Wang Anshi's poem is very interesting, seemingly modest and respectful, but hidden ambitions and differences.
In the poem, Wang Anshi repeatedly emphasized that he was not interested in writing poetry and composition, but in promoting the way of Confucius and Mencius. What is the Way of Confucius and Mencius? Govern the country and the world also! Ouyang Xiu admired Wang Anshi because of his learning, his talent, and his level of writing poetry and composition. However, these are not what Wang Anshi pursues, and his ambition is in politics, not in literature.
Wang Anshi's reply poem implies such a meaning: "You underestimate me!" How could my talent be confined to literature? My ideal is to open up peace for all the worlds. It is true that although Li Baishicai was high, he achieved nothing in his career, and although Han Yu's articles were good, he was only an official in his lifetime, while Wang Anshi's goal was to be an extremely popular courtier, not only to Jun Yao Shun, but also to the welfare of the people. Ouyang Xiu really misread Wang Anshi.
In addition, for Ouyang Xiu's gift poems and Wang Anshi's return poems, there is also an interesting Oolong incident, which is very worth talking about.
(Wang Anshi calligraphy)
The Southern Song Dynasty writer Chen Hu's "Xitang Jiqi Old Continuation" records that in Ouyang Xiu's "Gift to Wang Jiefu", the sentence "two hundred years of official articles" originally meant Xie Shuo. In Wang Anshi's hui poem "Reward Yong Uncle See Gift", there is a sentence of "lifelong An Dare to hope for Han Gong", and it is obvious that Wang Anshi's understanding of "official" refers to Han Yu. Therefore, when Ouyang Xiu saw Wang Anshi's reply poem, he couldn't help but sigh: "Jiefu mistakenly recognized a certain meaning!" As a result, a debate was sparked about who Ouyang Xiu and Wang Anshi used the wrong allusions.
Ouyang Xiu's supporters believed that the "official" here should be Xie Shuo. The reasons are as follows: First, Xie Shuo was once a bureaucrat Shangshu, and Shen Yue once praised Xie Shuo's poem "No such work in two hundred years", which coincides with "two hundred years of official articles"; second, if "official" refers to Han Yu, from his appointment as an official waiter to Ouyang Xiu's writing of "Gift to Wang Jiefu", what is the time for more than two hundred years?
Wang Anshi's supporters believe that the "official" here is more appropriately understood as Han Yu. The reasons are as follows: first, Han Yu was once a servant of the official department and has always been known as the "Han Official's Department"; second, Sun Qiao's Han Yu Book also has the praise of "no such article in two hundred years"; third, "two hundred years of official articles", it is obvious that it is an article, Han Yu is known for writing, and Xie Shuo is mainly famous for poetry.
(Portrait of Han Yu)
The author thinks that since both Han Yu and Xie Shuo had served in the bureaucracy and had both received praise for "no such work/text in two hundred years", neither Ouyang Xiu nor Wang Anshi could be miscalculated. If you have to compete and say which of the two is more accurate, the author is inclined to Wang Anshi. After all, the name of "Han Official's Department" is far better than "Xie Official's Department", the former is "Familiar Classic", the latter is "Secluded Codex", even if Ouyang Xiu had in mind when he wrote poems, "Xie Official's Department", Wang Anshi understood it as "Han Official's Department". It can only be said that Ouyang Xiu reads a lot and dares to use "secluded classics", and Wang Anshi is not bad, and can replace "secluded classics" with "familiar classics" that are more in line with the context.
Ouyang Xiu's "Gift to Wang Jiefu" and Wang Anshi's "Reward yong uncle to see the gift", this old and young, one back and one, two people, two poems, which contain so much learning, there are so many stories hidden behind it. So, from the perspective of historical achievements, talents and abilities, moral character, poetry writing level, and accurate use of dictionaries, do you respect Ouyang Xiu, a literary giant, or do you admire Wang Anshi, a rookie in the political arena?