In the first volume of "The Library of Modern Chinese Literature, Qu Qiubai", the first article is "The Chronicle of the Hungry Hometown - Travels in New Russia", in which it is written that Qu Qiubai was preparing to go abroad to Russia, and on the way to say goodbye to his father, he had a longing for his father.
Qu Qiubai wrote in the text: "The sound of the train's engine interrupted my thoughts, but the car was quiet, only looking at the desolate sky outside the window seemed to have some rain, and the "natural" of the clouds and mountains and grasses and trees in front of my eyes like a flying backwards, my heart was full of thoughts, sad and sighing, I don't know how to feel that life is very lonely. Suddenly I saw a small village passing by the side of the road, and I vaguely saw a father, son, mother and daughter eating breakfast together at the door of the hut. I can't help but think of my long parting from my father, the time of reunion, I don't know what year and month, and the family road is like this, which really reminds people of the famous sentence of our Changzhou poet Huang Zhongze:
'On a miserable night of snow and wind, it is better to have children than nothing at this time. ‘”
Because I read the Changzhou poet Huang Zhongze, I turned to his life deeds:
Huang Jingren (1749-1783), poet of the Qing Dynasty. The character Han Yong (字汉镛), the character Zhongze (一字仲則), the number Lu Feizi (鹿菲子), was a native of Yanghu (present-day Changzhou, Jiangsu Province). Four years old and lonely, the family is poor, when he was a teenager, he bore the name of poetry, in order to make a living, he traveled in all directions. In his lifetime, he did not meet with talent, was poor, and was later granted the county clerk, and before he could make up for the official, he died in the middle of poverty and illness, at the age of 35. The poem is famous as one of the "Seven Sons of Villing". The poetics of Li Bai, whose works express the feelings of poverty and loneliness, also have cynical chapters. The seven-word poem is very distinctive. Also a word. He is the author of The Complete Works of Liangdangxuan.
Teenagers are lonely
On the fourth day of the first month of the fourteenth year of Qianlong (1749), Huang Jingren was born in the Gaochun School Bureau. In the eighteenth year of Chaolong (1753), he lost his father, and there were few uncles in the family, so he had to be supervised by his grandmother Lü Ruren.
In the twentieth year of Qianlong (1755), he returned to his ancestral home of Changzhou from Gaochun with his grandfather Huang Dale and lived in the upper reaches of Baiyun Creek.
In the twenty-second year of Qianlong (1757), he took the exam. In the twenty-fifth year of Qianlong (1760), his grandfather Huang Dale died. In the twenty-sixth year of Qianlong (1761), his grandmother Lü Ruren died. In the twenty-eighth year of Qianlong (1763), he began to write poetry. In the twenty-ninth year of Qianlong (1764), his brother Huang Gengling died. In the same year, he participated in the boy examination and ranked first, and was admired by Pan Ke, the prefect of Changzhou, and Wang Zusu of Zhixian county of Wujin County.
Study in Jiangsu and Zhejiang
In the thirtieth year of Qianlong (1765), he was a disciple of the Doctor of Supplement and studied in Yixing and Yili. In the thirty-first year of Qianlong (1766), he befriended Hong Liangji and concentrated on poetry from then on, because his mother was old, and from then on he traveled around to earn a living to support his family. Winter, tour Yangzhou.
In the thirty-second year of Qianlong (1767), when he married his wife Zhao Shi, Shao Qitao was lecturing at Changzhou Longcheng Academy, but unfortunately Huang Jingren did not have a master, so he invited him to study, and Huang Jingren was touched by the grace of his knowledge, so he went to be taught and left soon after. Spring, tour Tongguan Mountain. Autumn, go to Hangzhou, ready to participate in the Jiangning Township examination.
In the summer of the thirty-third year of Qianlong (1768), you Huizhou. Autumn, participate in the Jiangning Township Examination.
In the spring of the thirty-fourth year of Qianlong (1769), he toured Hangzhou and Huizhou. Xia, tour Yangzhou. Autumn, back to Changzhou. In the winter, he visited Wang Taiyue and became Wang Taiyue's guest.
In the spring of the thirty-fifth year of Qianlong (1770), he climbed Hengshan Mountain. Xia, back to Changzhou. In the autumn, he participated in the Jiangning Township Examination, and in the same year Shao Qitao died, and Huang Jingren thought that his confidant was dead and that there was no nostalgia in the world, so he began to swim.
In the spring of the thirty-sixth year of Qianlong (1771), he went to Xiushui to visit Anhui and became the guest of Shen Yefu, the prefect of Taiping. Autumn, participate in the provincial examination. The eldest son, Huang Yisheng, was born. In the winter, he went to Taiping to visit Zhu Yun, a scholar in Anhui Province, and proofread articles in Zhu Jun's curtain.
In the thirty-seventh year of Qianlong (1772), he became Zhu Yun's guest of honor and studied under Zhu Yun. In March, huang Jingren was the youngest in the Taibai Building, wearing a white robe and standing in the shadow of the sun, and after a while he wrote hundreds of words, and the other guests were amazed and put down their pens, so Huang Jingren became famous, and the scholars all competed to imitate his poems. Huang Jingren also visited Huangshan, Baiyue and Jiuhua. Autumn, Tour Anqing, Lu'an. Winter, Youyingzhou, Fengyang. In December, back to Changzhou.
In the spring of the thirty-eighth year of Qianlong (1773), he followed Zhu Yun to Luzhou and Sizhou. Xia, travel to Huizhou, to Hangzhou. Autumn, tour Huizhou. Winter, back to Changzhou.
In the spring of the thirty-ninth year of Qianlong (1774), he toured Yangzhou. Xia, back to Changzhou. Autumn, participate in the Jiangning Township Examination. In winter, you visit Yu Mountain, worship the tomb of Shao Qitao, and then go to Jiangning.
In the forty years of Qianlong (1775), he traveled from Jiangning to Taiping. Xia, lecturing at Shouzhou Zhengyang Academy. Dong, because he felt that his poems did not have the style of a rich man in a quiet and merged place, decided to go north, arrived in Beijing in December, and wrote "Two Dang Xuan Collection" in the same year.
In the forty-first year of Qianlong (1776), he was summoned by the Qianlong Emperor to the East, took the second class, was given two satin horses, and served as a bookmark official of the Wuying Temple, and served as the lord of Bo.
Down and out
In the forty-second year of Qianlong (1777), he took his mother and family to live in Beijing. Autumn, take part in the Suncheongo exam. In the forty-third year of Qianlong (1778), he was employed by Wang Chang, the Shaoqing of Hongxu Temple.
In the autumn of the forty-fourth year of Qianlong (1779), he participated in the Shuntianxiang Examination. In the autumn of the forty-fifth year of Qianlong (1780), he once again participated in the Shuntianxiang Examination. In the same year, he returned his family to Changzhou. Tour Shandong. Winter, to Beijing.
In the autumn of the forty-sixth year of Qianlong (1781), he traveled to Xi'an to visit Bi Yuan, the governor of Shaanxi, who was amazed by his talents, entertained him, and assisted him as a county clerk. Winter, back to Beijing. In the spring of the forty-seventh year of Qianlong (1782), he went to the official department to wait for the appointment of an official.
In March of the forty-eighth year of Qianlong (1783), he was forced by his creditors to leave Beijing with illness, trekked to the Taihang Mountains, and fell ill when he arrived in Xiezhou. On April 25, shen Yefu died in the residence of Shen Yefu, the salt transporter in Hedong, and his friend Hong Liangji served his funeral.
The two poems quoted by Qu Qiubai at the beginning of this article are from Huang Jingren's "Don't Be Old Mother", the original text is as follows:
Pray to the mother river beam, white hair sad to see tears withered eyes.
On the night of the tragic firewood, it is better to have a son than nothing.
Vernacular Translation:
About to go to the river beam, lift the curtain and bid farewell to his mother reluctantly, his face full of sorrow, miserable and sad, wanting to cry without tears.
On this snowy night, unable to fulfill filial piety by the mother's side, but to hide the firewood door and go away miserably, I can't help but sigh: What is the use of adopted sons? It's better not to have one.
Explanation of terms:
Qiān drapery (wéi): Lift the curtain and go out.
River Beam: Bridge, alternative to farewell place.
Dry (kū): Dry.
Miserable: Dark and dark.
Chai Gate: A door woven from tree branches to replace the poor.