Author: Dai Ke, Source: Tang Poetry song poetry ancient poems (ID: tsgsc8)
In the year after graduating from college, I returned to my hometown and worked as a substitute teacher in a primary school, with a salary of 1,600 yuan per month, while running to the mountains to herd sheep. At that time, there were five or six sheep in the house, not many, but not many. Before I came back, they were all cared for by Grandma alone.
On weekends, or in the afternoon after school, I would take the sheep to the hillside behind the house for a relaxing time. That kind of pleasure can temporarily suppress the sorrow of failed exams. Gradually, I found that it not only freed me from my sorrows, but also gave me a new attitude towards life. That's when I fell in love with Tao Yuanming.
01
There are actually not many records about Tao Yuanming's years from adolescence to youth. Even his iron fan Xiao Tong did not give clear instructions in the biography. It can be seen that Tao Yuanming's early life is indeed the same as the mystery. As everyone knows, his maternal grandfather was Meng Jia, and his father was also an official, but he died very early. He was only eight years old. Then, at the age of twelve, his stepmother also died. At that time, there should be no one to rely on, only him and his sister.
He later said in a tribute to his sister: "Ci Fei died early, and she was a baby." I'm twenty-six years old and I'm only nine years old. The brothers and sisters grew up on each other, and the process can be imagined. So how was he doing at that time? I think it's similar to what I was in then—helping my family farm, chopping wood, and reading some more books in my free time.
This is why, as soon as I am in this situation, I immediately can't help but think of Tao Yuanming.
Since he was a farmer and had no money, he had to marry a daughter-in-law at will. Tao Yuanming's wife, Zhai Shi, according to Xiao Tong, was poor and happy, industrious and hardworking, and liked to farm like him. In this way, his basic life should be guaranteed. But there are too many people in the family, and often the rice tank bottles are empty. Tao Yuanming could endure hunger without food, and he couldn't stand it without wine. At this time, the elders of the clan also let him go out to be a petty official and subsidize the family. Tao Yuanming agreed and officially stepped into the political arena, this year he was twenty-nine years old.
02
The first job was to sacrifice wine in Jiangzhou, and the specific content was estimated to be similar to that of the liquor supervisor that Su Rui later did. But you can't drink freely and indulge in daily intoxication. Tao Yuanming soon resigned and did not work. Not long after, someone asked to do the main book, and he politely declined.
Regarding this operation, I think it is largely related to the death of his wife. Tao Yuanming said in the poem: Weak crowns are hindered by the world, and the first room loses its bias. At the age of thirty, his beloved wife died of illness. It dealt a major blow to his life. He didn't want to be an official, so he took a few children at home. He has a very interesting poem about the "several", called "The Blame":
The white hair was covered with two sideburns, and the skin was no longer solid.
Although there are five boys, it is always difficult to write and pencil.
Ashu is twenty-eight, lazy and unmatched.
Ah Xuan practiced zhixue, but did not love literature.
Yongduan was thirteen years old, and did not know six and seven.
Tongzi droops nine years old, but forages pears and chestnuts.
Heaven forbid, and into the cup.
Du Fu read the joke and said: Tao Qian avoids the world, and may not be able to reach the Tao. There are sons and fools, why should we hang on to them? Lao Du really thought that Tao Yuanming's children were "waste firewood", in fact, it was just a pleasure in suffering. Or Huang Tingjian's thoughtful understanding - it is a scolding with a spoiled tone.
Several children became "like this", and Tao Yuanming had no one to retire, so he had to come out as an official again.
Tao Yuanming, who re-emerged, held at least three official positions. First as a staff member under Huan Xuan, and later as a member of the army under Liu Yu. In the first year of the Yixuan Dynasty (405 AD), he joined the army under Liu Jingxuan, the son of Liu Jiaozhi.
All three rulers in the last years of the Eastern Jin Dynasty worked under them. If you want to say that the miscellaneous poems he wrote later and the "Yong Jing Ke" were for the sake of loyalty to the king, it would be a big mistake. Tao Yuanming became an official mainly to solve the problem of survival. And job hopping is very frequent.
In August of that year, he went to Pengze County again. According to his own reasons, it was not more than a hundred miles away from his hometown, and he had to do it for the sake of life. This is the first time this has been done as a last resort, and I don't want to guess. Anyway, since then, he has made up his mind completely, and he would rather starve to death than come out to become an official.
Tao Yuanming had only been in office for more than eighty days. One day, Taishou sent an inspector to inspect it. Although this inspector was a petty official, he represented Taishou, so he deliberately set up a score and let the county order personally pick up the driver. Tao Yuanming usually dressed very casually, and the people next to him said: You must wear official clothes to go. He said to himself that he was "unwilling to bend his waist for five buckets of rice", so he dropped his official seal and resigned. Later, many people asked him to be an official, but there was no news, and he had begun to become a peasant.
03
Finally coming back. But this is by no means a simple return to the country. He wrote a comforting "Homecoming Speech".
As soon as I opened my mouth, I asked very interestingly: Return to Xi, the countryside will not return? Now, you say that the countryside is desolate. Probably only the lifelong and diligent peasant family of the grandmother's generation will be questioned by the same soul as Tao Yuanming.
The countryside was deserted, so I came back. When I came back, I saw another picture - the boy waiting at the door, the pine chrysanthemum still existing, and the wine glass was full. Therefore, Tao Yuanming's mood was very pleasant. This pleasure is incomprehensible to those who are passionate about city life.
He said something happy, and eventually returned to the question of the source of life— the source of life is death. Many of Tao Yuanming's poems seem to reveal that he is a little afraid of death, because people who are not afraid of death talk about the topic of death every day. However, his fear of death is not simply afraid of death, but because life is short, so he has to do some things he likes. After all, he was a man who didn't even care about the nobility of his life, so why should he care about the honor after death?
After this, he wrote the biography of Mr. Goyanagi. Mr. Goyanagi is exactly his self-title. Tao Yuanming said that he was good at reading and did not seek much understanding. This method of reading seems to be the disposition of a man of great wisdom.
It is recorded in the Wei Luo that Zhuge Liang was in Jingzhou, studying with Shi Guangyuan, Xu Yuanzhi, and Meng Gongwei, "the three of them were skilled, and Liang looked at his general plans alone." Every morning and evening, calmly hold your knees and scream. And the three people said: "The three people of the Qing Dynasty can go to the Thorn Shi Gun Shouya." The three asked where they were, laughing and saying nothing. ”
Later, both Tao Yuanming and Li Bai greatly agreed with this method of reading. But to do this, I think first of all, we must have a good memory and have the ability to remember, and secondly, we must be good at thinking, quoting and practicing, otherwise it will really become a sloppy flower.
He said that he was dressed in a short brown coat, ate and drank heavily, and had already kept up with Old Master Kong's student Yan Hui. And he is willing to be poor and lowly, and has the pride of Mencius. Perhaps he differed from the saints in that he was born with a bar lover.
In the village or at home, he would use a turban to wet the wine. As a result, many people say that the famous Mr. Goyanagi does not pay attention to hygiene. But he really doesn't pay attention to hygiene. In his own words: "Survival is indescribable, and hygiene is every hardship." ”
Anyway, we can't guess these things, and talking about hygiene is done by those who are "diligent", so I still forget about it. Tao Yuanming's cuteness makes people very kind.
04
A few years ago, when my roommate was brushing vibrato, I overheard a commentary on Tao Yuanming's poems. That's what an old professor said: "Grass is full of beans and seedlings... Plant a ghost field! I would never write poetry if I were planted like this. Later, many students pursued his views on Tao's poetry. But I think that if you have not personally planted the field, after all, you cannot deeply appreciate Tao Yuanming's feelings. Therefore, you may wish to watch his "Return to the Garden":
Plant beans under the south mountain, grass full of beans seedlings are thin.
Morning Xingli is desolate, with the moon lotus hoe return.
The road is narrow and long, and the dew stains my clothes.
The clothes are not enough to be sorry, but the wish is not broken.
- "Part III"
Plant beans under the south mountain, grass full of beans seedlings are thin. Just by looking at the first sentence, some people began to criticize him - because the field was not well planted. But what's next? Morning rise is absurd, bring the moon lotus hoe home! Yes, my fields are not good. But that's because I went out as an official for a few years, and when I came back, the land was deserted. There were too many weeds in the field, and Mr. Tao went into the mountains early in the morning to hoe the ground, and did not return until the evening when he was wearing stars and wearing the moon. Even if the dew wets the clothes, it doesn't matter.
So, this is a diligent "farmer"! He does what he wants, and he must do it well! So, soon there was another one:
Seedlings are planted in Donggao, and the seedlings are full of strangers.
Although there are lotus hoes tired, the turbid wine chats self-catering.
The sun is shining, and the road is dark.
Return to the fireworks, and wait for the cornices.
Ask the king what it is, there will be a hundred years of service.
I hope that the mulberry and the silkworm moon will be spun.
Su Xin is just like this, opening the path to hope for three benefits.
- "Return to the Garden, Tianju • 6"
Look, that's not my nonsense. Mr. Tao's field is now planted in a similar way. Although it is very hard every day, fortunately, you can drink some wine to relieve your fatigue. In the evening, he returned from the dark road in his car, and the children were already guarding the door. His wish at that time, in addition to the good growth of crops, was to make a few close friends. Therefore, this is what Tao Yuanming really feels satisfied.
05
In the second year after Liu Yu's usurpation of the throne, that is, in the second year of Yongchu (421 AD), Tao Yuanming wrote the masterpiece that has been passed down through the ages, "The Record of Peach Blossom Origin".
From the perspective of a fisherman, he entered the paradise and traveled a bit, and after seeing the citizens in the peach blossom garden, the fisherman said: Among them, the people and men are dressed like outsiders.
At that time, I wanted to ask: Since it has been isolated from the world for five or six hundred years, why are the clothes still the same as outsiders?
Later, I gradually understood: the author's Taoyuan is both far from the world and close to the world. Even somewhere in the past, in the South Mountain where he lived in seclusion.
After eating and drinking, the fisherman is about to say goodbye. The villagers and fathers and elders advised: "Don't tell others about this when you go out." The fisherman agreed, but turned his head and told Taishou about it. When Taishou heard about it, he immediately sent someone to follow him to find him. However, even according to the mark just made, there was no trace of Taohuayuan again.
At this point, I was completely impressed by Tao Yuanming's brushwork. Just think: what would happen if TaiShou and his party found it? That will definitely destroy the natural beauty in the peach blossom garden.
Therefore, the mundane things that are too guarded by a line of flies and dogs and are intoxicated with the officialdom will never reach the peach blossom source that will never have a class. And even the fisherman who had already been there once, because of the impure purpose this time, could no longer find the entrance to Taoyuan.
Only those who are truly free from the world and whose hearts are empty can inadvertently reach the holy place where there is no dispute with the world.
And he also issued a sigh at the end: There is no one in the hereafter. This is not true, but it is still true. Because after him, countless people in all the dynasties and dynasties wanted to reach the peach blossom source, but could they really let go of the fame and fortune in their hearts? There may be no one as pure as Tao Yuanming.
But we still love him and pursue it!
Li Bai said: I am drunk and happy, and Tao Ran forgot about the opportunity.
Su Shi said: And Tao Tao, Happy is innocent. When will I go home and be an idler. To a piano, a pot of wine, a stream of clouds.
Tao Ran has become a different kind of posture in the world. As long as we leave the city for a short time, even if we put a sheep in the mountains and watch the sun fall, we can feel the leisure and ease of being in Yunshui.
-Author-
Kong Yao. Pen name Daiko. Love life, love literature, love poetry. A pure and simple literary and artistic youth; a red fan who is difficult to extricate himself; an ethereal ancient poetry writer!