Today we continue reading The Markings of History.
In yesterday's reading, we learned the story of the translator Yan Fu. The harsh childhood years made Yan Fu taste the cold taste of the world. Later, through diligent study and hard reading, he broke a path in a tragic fate, which made people feel very inspiring.
What kind of hobbies and life seals does Chen Yan, a poet who came out of Fuzhou Sanfang and Seven Alleys, have?
Let's start today's co-reading.
Love poetry as fate
Fuzhou Sanfang Seven Lanes are full of celebrities, and celebrity stories are also circulating. The poet Chen Yan has a poetic cloud:
Who knows the five willow lone pine guests
But I live in three lanes and seven alleys
Most of the people who live here are the best in Vanity Fair, but Chen Yan feels that he is independent, like a "five willow lone pine guest".
These two sentences are his and his friend Lin Shu's tribute works, and they are also his most famous masterpieces. Because these fourteen words not only express his personal state of mind, but also include the whole picture of three lanes and seven alleys.
A few years later, these two poems became the symbols of this alley in the vicissitudes of the world.
Inside Wenru Lane, the mottled stone road stretches flatly towards Chen Yan's former residence, just like his poem. Deep in the alley, the first poetry building in Fuzhou was hidden.
Ancient and modern literati have their own study and give it a unique name. Liu Yuxi wrote inscriptions for his "Burrow Room", Li Qingzhao built the "Return Hall" in Qingzhou that year, Zhang Dai had the "No Two Zhai", Gong Zizhen had the "Red Zen Room", liang Qichao had the "Drinking Ice Room"...
Chen Yan's handwriting
In 1905, after chen yan lost his third son Chen Sheng, he moved away from the suburbs of the city with a high incidence of disease, bought a house, and chose to live here.
Chen Yan, who was the "widower", named the mansion "Pi Lou". The attic is not large, the flowers and trees are scattered, and there is a small pond in the courtyard, and the koi in the pool swims leisurely.
There are two small buildings in the courtyard, one of which is the "Smelling Rain Building", which places the engraving of the printed poetry collection; the first is the "Flower Light Pavilion", which is derived from the poem of the hostess of this attic: "Smoke the flowers, smoke me twilight." ”
Chen Yan's wife, Xiao Dao, was a good poet and a worker, and also liked to study evidence, and was a talented woman in the late Qing Dynasty. Talented and beautiful, husband and wife, such a combination in any era will achieve a good story.
Chen Baochen, the "last emperor", was deeply touched by this, and he wrote Chen Yan's joint sentence "Move flowers and plant bamboo just three paths, listen to the rain and see the mountain and the first floor" on rice paper, and dedicate it to the original of the verse. Chen Yan cherished this very much, and hung it on the floor after mounting.
In addition, Chen Baochen also made a joint praise for this mansion: "the ground is small and the flowers are planted frugally, the window is empty and the moon is diligent", a few numbers, depicting the quiet and elegant environment here, and also revealing the otherworldly interest of the owner of the house.
Chen Yan grew up reading, writing, and reciting poems under the guidance of his grandfather, and when he was more than ten years old, he read the classics of traditional Chinese studies such as "Book", "Poems", "Rites", and "Yi", as well as the study of historical exegesis.
When he grew up, he loved poetry even more, founded a poetry school called "Tongguang Body", and put forward the thesis of "taking poetry as history and learning as poetry", which had a profound impact on modern Chinese poetry. With these achievements, Chen Yan won the titles of "Master of poetry" and "Leader of the Min Sect".
"Only one person in six hundred years", although such praise is exaggerated, it is an indisputable fact that there are many peaches and plums. Zheng Zhenduo, Zhu Ziqing, Yu Dafu, Qian Zhongshu and other famous artists were deeply influenced by the "same light body". Even Chen Yan's cook, Zhang Zongyang, later became a poet under the long-term practice.
Zhang Shizhao sighed: "Shi Yi Lao Zi I don't know, and I am proud not to be neighbors with the chef. "Shi Yi is Chen Yan's number.
Qian Zhongshu's father admired this old friend, comparing Chen Yan with the Qing Dynasty scholar Yuan Ming, the owner of the garden, and wrote a poem praising: "In the poem, the chisel is not clear, thin and hard and theosophical bones can be stacked." Its rain and wind are good in time, and the park is vast and follows the garden. ”
At that time, Chen Yan's poetry collection "Poetry of the Stone Relic Room" was all the rage. When he decided to continue the poetry, poets at home and abroad sent works one after another, and finally filled an entire room. Chen Yan's high reputation in the poetry world can be seen from this.
Chen Yan's contribution to modern poetry, in the book "The Pattern of History", writes:
"He has resisted the existing poetic experience that has flowed for thousands of years without complaint and regret, and has become an innovator in classical poetics; he has also let the Fujian people lead the way in the Chinese poetry scene several times in the spring breeze."
Love and food, not to be disappointed
Chen Yan had a life experience of going south and north.
He was born in Fuzhou, and when he was young, he also studied in Fuzhou, and in the year of Li Zhizhi, he went to Taiwan to join Liu Mingchuan's shogunate, and in his year of confusion, he went to Shanghai to serve as the chief writer of qiushi bao, and then went to Wuhan, entered the zhangzhidong shogunate as the chief editor of the official newspaper bureau, and then later served as the chief of the Qing Court Academy in Beijing.
After knowing the destiny of heaven, he taught at Peking University, Xiamen University, Wuxi National College and other universities, and lived in Suzhou in his later years.
Read a thousand kinds of customs, but also taste the flavors of hundreds of places.
Sometimes when poetry friends gather, Chen Yan often shows his hands and shows off his cooking skills.
The poet Lin Han, who was then the president of the Fujian Provincial Council, wrote a poem praising the beautiful environment of the West Garden and the delicacies cooked by his master after Chen Yanjia had eaten enough wine, including the following sentences:
Liquor is about after spring
Osan sat down and listened
In front of the lamp, look at the sideburns light
Takeriyuki cooking wild intentions
In 1907, the 51-year-old Chen Yan lived outside Xuanwu Gate in Beijing, and Shen Yuqing, Chen Baochen, Lin Shu and other Hongru often came over, and everyone tasted poetry and discussed words, talked about political affairs, and narrated nostalgia.
The hospitable Chen Yan will set up a banquet to entertain, so "Chen Family Cuisine" is famous.
At that time, the heads of the Commercial Press, Gao Mengdan and Li Bake, were both from Fuzhou, who had tasted Chen Yan's cooking skills and knew his pen skills, so they invited him to write a cooking textbook.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Chen Yan, who is famous for his poetry, produced a book with a unique style: "Cooking Textbook". It was the only cooking textbook approved by the Ministry of Education in 1915 and later entered the classrooms of normal schools and girls' high schools.
First edition of The Textbook of Cooking
The signature of this textbook is not Chen Yan, but Xiao Xiansuo. Because, Xiao Daoguan called himself the master of Xiao Xiantang.
At the time of the book, Chen Yan had entered the year of Hua Jia, and his wife Xiao Daoguan died of hemorrhagic collapse eight years ago. The signature "Xiao Xianxu" is his nostalgia for his wife, which is also a kind of air greeting.
"The skirt is red and the water is red, and the wash is half black."
"Twelve bamboo poles are illuminated by a shadow, and a thousand words are endowed with seven words and poems."
"The pavilion occupies the air and the ground, and the wind and moon sect lower the four walls."
From Chen Yan's self-written poems, it is not difficult to read a glimpse of his harmonious and elegant life with his wife.
Chen Yan was only eighteen years old when he got married, his family was poor, and Xiao Daoguan, who was born in a rich merchant's family, not only did not dislike it, but accompanied him left and right, and was in the same boat through thick and thin.
When Chen Yan's creation could not be exchanged for copper money, his wife would sell the dowry to supplement the family. On the most serious occasion, in order to help realize his dream of traveling the world, she sent her seven dresses to the pawnshop at the same time.
Xiao Daoguan "all the gifts, in the end", but she has no complaints and no regrets.
This dedication and willingness, onlookers can't help but feel pity and admiration when they read it, not to mention Chen Yan as an authority.
The lantern flowers are full of double red beans
It is difficult to cut the plain book on the pillow
This is a family letter written by Chen Yan to his wife when he was living there, with only a few words, which contains deep affection.
The journey was hard, the lone lamp was cold, and he was alone in the middle of the night facing the lamp flowers on the table, missing his hometown and his wife in his hometown. The lights in front of you are in pairs, like the red beans of acacia. Sending plum blossoms, fish pass rulers, but their own pillow rulers are difficult to cut.
In 1883, Chen Yan's family moved back to Fuzhou from Beijing, passing through Shanghai on the way. On the banks of the Huangpu River, Chen Yan arranged his luggage on the ship with his servants in advance, and when he returned, the boat capsized, and Chen Yan, who did not know the water, floated more than dozens of times, fortunately, he grabbed a bamboo penny, climbed up, and finally turned the danger into a disaster.
At that moment, there was obviously no contact, but Xiao Daoguan, who was thousands of meters away, was inexplicably sad and afraid, so that he cried bitterly and lost his voice, and others could not understand the reason, and could only speak gently and comfortingly.
When Chen Yan returned safely and told the story of the encounter on the way, everyone was surprised by his telepathy with Xiao Daoguan.
Between people, if the affection is deep, it may really be possible to penetrate the spirit.
After Xiao Daoguan's death, Chen Yan composed a three-thousand-word long poem "Three Hundred Rhymes of Xiao Xiantang" to commemorate his beloved wife, which has this sentence:
The bald man is not endowed
Loess I am like a glutton
Xiao Xiantang is ancient
Leave hatred around Sumire
The dead are long gone, but the living are left to mourn. It is always said that life is short and fleeting, and only when the heart is filled with love and regret will you feel that people grow and hate water and water.
Many years later, the artist Chen Hengke painted "Xiao Xiantang Writings" for Chen Yan, engraved with the seal "Xiao Xiantang" and inscribed with verses:
Reading the world, there is a unique Xiao Xiantang.
In his later years, Chen Yan lived in Suzhou, and Fuzhou became the hometown of dreams thousands of miles away. There are too many stories and memories left there, including ancient houses, wives' graves, old friends who sell wine and poetry, iron Buddha temples that have burned incense, and Wushi Mountain that has been climbed...
When a group of Qing Dynasty elders founded the Preparatory Committee and supported Yuan Shikai's restoration, the sober Chen Yan chose to avoid it.
When he learned that he was listed as the head of the Master's Confucianism, he insisted on being removed from the list, maintaining his position and self-esteem, and thus preserving the late festival.
When he learned that Zheng Xiaoxu had intervened in the puppet state of Manchukuo, although he had a friendship with him and admired the poetry and calligraphy of the other party, he still cut off his robe and broke his righteousness, burning the correspondence and singing and poetry.
"Translate the articles of the Westerners who have always deceived us, and publish them in the newspaper to wake up the people of the country."
This is the unique literati style of Chen Yan, who has loved poetry and food all his life.
epilogue
Today, we learn the story of the Republic of China poet Chen Yan.
Chen Yan not only loves poetry, but also has a lot of research on food, so he has written cooking textbooks. In addition to poetry and food, he maintained a literati style and discipline, and did not compromise with the powerful in the turmoil of the times. Such a life, "can also be regarded as a kind of consummation." ”
As one of the "Seventy-Two Martyrs of Huanghuagang", Lin Juemin, what kind of love story and tragic life does he have?