Speaking of Tao Yuanming, everyone will think of the countryside, think of the retreat, think of the freedom of picking chrysanthemums, and think of the tranquility and indifference of returning. However, these are just ideal peach blossom sources, real reality, but not so utopian.
After Tao Yuanming lived in seclusion, life was not always quiet, and he was not rich, and he often needed to carry his own weight forward.
In the poem "Begging for Food", Tao Yuanming shows the helpless side of pastoral life. Because he had no food to eat, he had to beg for food in order to live. Today, we will take a look at this poem.
In the opening chapter, "Hunger comes and drives me, I don't know what it is", Tao Yuanming feels hungry in his stomach, but he does not know where to go and what to do. It can be seen that at this time, Tao Yuanming was very poor and destitute, and he could not even eat food.
"Travel to Sri", although Tao Yuanming did not know where to go and what to do, he still came to the door of a family after a aimless walk. "Knocking on the door with clumsy words", Tao Yuanming knocked on the door of this family, but he was clumsy in words and did not know how to tell the master's family. Yes, after all, Tao Yuanming is a Qinggao scholar who does not bend his waist for five buckets of rice, how can he be so kind as to ask others for food?
Fortunately, "the master solved the remaining intentions, and the bequeath was not vain", the owner of this household was very understanding, saw Tao Yuanming's embarrassment, and took the initiative to give him some things. Tao Yuanming also felt very fortunate that he had not run in vain.
Not only that, the host family also invited Tao Yuanming to drink together, and the two "talked and talked all day and night, and poured the cup to the end", which can be described as a cup of joy and a thousand cups of hate.
It is precisely because of the sincerity of the master's family that Tao Yuanming felt warm and touched from the heart, and only then did he "feel new and happy, and he gave poetry to words", turning his touching heart into this poem of "Begging for Food".
Next, Tao Yuanming used a historical allusion to once again emphasize his gratitude. "Feeling the drifting mother Hui, ashamed that I am not Han Cai", the famous General Han Xin of the Western Han Dynasty was also poor when he was young, he could not eat, and the drifting mother saw the situation, so he did not try to return the favor to Han Xin to eat, and after Han Xin succeeded, he also knew that he was grateful and gave the drifting mother thousands of gold as a reward. Tao Yuanming felt that the master's favor to himself was like the favor of the drifting mother to Han Xin, but unfortunately, he was not as successful as Han Xin and could not repay it.
At the end of this poem, Tao Yuanming still repeats his gratitude. "He will firmly record the favor of his master in his heart, and he will repay him in the shadows after death.
The Book of Jin records that Tao Yuanming was "simple and noble, and did not engage in private affairs with officials." The county sent the governor to the county, and the official Bai should be tied up to see it, and sighed: "I can't bend my waist for five buckets of rice, fist and fist are evil in the township!" It can be seen that Tao Yuanming did not bend his waist for five buckets of rice, so why did he accept the gift from his master?"
This is because the official gave him five buckets of rice, which was a requirement for him, and Tao Yuanming may have done something against his heart for this; and the gift given to him by the master's family did not require anything from him, but was completely sincere and did not want to return. The "five buckets of rice" are not so much a reward as a bribe.
Pastoral life, in addition to poetry and distance, also has a harsh reality. Fortunately, Tao Yuanming did not bend his waist for the five buckets of rice, and was admired and appreciated by people, so in the midst of difficulties, someone would not hesitate to lend a helping hand.