Chapter 6 Chapter Five Father and Son Walk
Now the father, son and daughter-in-law are heading to the capital.This time is different from last time.Their literary fame has been achieved, and their future official positions are almost guaranteed.They wanted to move to the capital, so instead of taking the northwest land route, they went down the Yangtze River instead.A total of more than 1,100 miles is to be traveled, of which 700 miles are by water and 400 miles are by land. We start in October and arrive in February of the following year.There was no need to hurry, and there were women accompanying them, so they walked slowly, drinking and playing cards on the boat, enjoying the scenery of the lake and mountains along the way.The wives of the two brothers have never left their hometown. They knew that they were going out with their Jinshi husbands, but they did not expect that there were three contemporary masters of prose in their family, and one of them was a great poet.The two brothers wrote poems along the way—but at that time, literati used to use poems to record a certain scenery or mood, just like we write letters today.Ziyou's bride comes from an ancient historian in Sichuan.Su Dongpo's wife status and age are both older. She is realistic, sensible, and capable, and her sister-in-law and daughter-in-law are easy to get along with her. What's more, the old father who is the head of the family is still around. , she saw that her husband was the most impulsive, wild and talkative among the three men.Ziyou was taller and thinner, not as active as his elder brother. Dongpo's prominent cheekbones and well-proportioned chin made him look handsome and strong.His son, born that year—the eldest grandson of the Su family—was with them, and everything was just right.If the child is born a year earlier, it means that he has indulged himself during the first year of the mother's death, which is a little embarrassing.The Neo Confucianists of the Song Dynasty would not take this kind of unfilial regret very seriously.
They embarked on a boat in Jiazhou, where the Great Buddha is located, and the two young couples embarked on a journey of hope; their hearts were sensitive, enthusiastic, and full of confidence. "The hometown is far away, and the future is boundless."Sichuan is the largest province in China, with an area similar to that of Germany, and is closely related to the history of the Three Kingdoms.They had traveled for a month before reaching the eastern boundary of Sichuan, where the Three Gorges lay, and the town temples on top of the hills reminded them of ancient warriors and Taoist immortals.The two brothers went up the mountain to visit the "Xiandu", where it is said that an ancient immortal once lived there before he attained Taoism.In his early works, there is a poem describing the legendary white deer beside the old fairy, which has already shown his superb spirit.
The Three Gorges of the Yangtze River is magnificent, and the journey is dangerous and exciting. It stretches for 220 miles. The rapids flow in and out of the cliffs. There are large rocks hidden in the water. The boatman must be very dexterous.The gorge swallows many ships and tourists every year, because this is a deep-water river, and if it sinks, it will die.However, the magnificent and eerie scenery of the Three Gorges is unmatched anywhere in China, and few places in the world can match it.Sichuan has always been regarded as an independent kingdom, with high mountains and a long gorge as barriers to the east, and no enemy can attack. This is also the main reason.
Going up the canyon is the most strenuous work for the boatmen. Sixty or seventy boatmen put a long cable on their shoulders and work together to pull a small boat against the current.It is even more dangerous to go down the current. The boat is pushed down by the rapids, and only the extremely high skill of the boatman at the helm can control the direction.This dangerous river is the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River. Qutang Gorge and Wu Gorge are in Sichuan, and Xiling Gorge is in Hubei.Each gorge consists of a series of rapids, with whirlpools and rapids flowing between cliffs rising several hundred feet above the water.
Both danger and excitement begin with Qutang, a pile of rocks, sometimes protruding thirty feet above the water, sometimes half hidden in the water, the river fluctuates with the seasons, and the water level also rises and falls.It was winter, the most difficult season of sailing.Because of the narrow passage, there is a difference of about a hundred feet between high tides in summer and cold, dry winters.Boatmen usually judge the water level according to the pile of stones in the river.These stones are called Yanyudui, because the swirls hit them to form mist beads, which look like women's misty hair.Stone piles are completely submerged in water, creating more dangerous eddies.As the saying goes, "Yanyu is as big as a horse, you can't go down Qutang; Yanyu is as big as an elephant, you can't go up Qutang." But this sentence is not very useful, because the river bed is changeable; The height depends on the height of the hidden stones at the bottom of the water.If there is a sudden storm, the boatman will stay somewhere for a few days until the water level returns to a safe level before leaving.However, everyone is still willing to go to the Three Gorges and take risks for fame and fortune. This is exactly what the Su brothers are doing now.The traveler can only leave everything to the god, and he has nothing to do.Regardless of going up or down, people often pray before entering the gorge, and pray and thank you after leaving the gorge. The gods in the more dangerous areas will never lack wine, food and sacrifices.
Strange to say, the environment of the Three Gorges has produced many strange stories and legends about the immortals on the top of the mountain.There is a "Holy Mother Spring" at the entrance of Qutang Gorge.This is a small crack on the shore, which can release water in response to the sound of people.Passengers yelled "I'm thirsty" when they came to the crack, and the stream would flow out a cup of water, and then stop.Whoever wants a second drink has to order it again.
Sansu prayed for God's blessing, and then went down the river.It is dangerous to have too many boats, so it is stipulated that one boat must go half a mile before the second boat can set off.When high officials go out, soldiers will stand guard at certain intervals, holding red flags in their hands, and when the ships in front pass through the dangerous area safely, they will wave the flags to signal.Su Dongpo described:
Occasionally they would drive past a lonely hut and see a country boy chopping firewood, standing upright.The empty huts proved that they had nothing, and the roof was made of planks, not even tiles.Su Dongpo thought of the toil of life, and his attention was attracted by the carefree gray eagle hovering freely in the sky.He wondered whether fame and fortune were worth sacrificing the liberties of civilized life.The gray eagle then became a symbol of liberation.
Now they entered Wu Gorge, which stretched for fifty miles.Here the peaks are heightened, the cliffs are approaching, and the river narrows.The light of day was replaced by the twilight of eternal dawn.Looking from the boat, there is only a line of blue sky.The sun can only be glimpsed at noon, and a glimmer of moonlight can be glimpsed at night when the moon is at the zenith.There are many strange rocks on both sides of the strait, and the peaks are always hidden in the clouds.The high wind blows the clouds, which are unpredictable, and the towering peaks are constantly changing their shapes, creating a moving spectacle that the artist cannot describe.Among them, Shennv Peak looks like a naked female body. Since a poet described it in a passionate and fantasy article in the third century BC, it has become the most famous peak among the twelve peaks of Wushan Mountain.On the top of the mountain, where the sky and the earth meet, yin and yang are obviously combined into one. Up to now, "cloud and rain in Wushan" is still an implicit adjective for sexual intercourse.The air seems to be full of fairies and fairies playing in the clouds.At this time Su Dongpo's rationalism spoke.Ancient legends are illogical. "People in the world like gods and monsters, and their arguments are naive." He wrote a poem, "Chu's Fu is also false, and the gods are safe."
But the old boatman said that when he was young, he climbed to the top of the mountain, bathed in the mountain pond, and hung his clothes on the branches to dry.There are apes on the mountain, but as soon as they climb to the top, the birds and apes disappear, and there is silence in all fields, only the mountain wind.Tigers and wolves do not go to the top of the mountain, and he is not afraid of anything by himself.There is a special kind of bamboo in the Goddess Temple.The soft bamboo hangs down to the ground, as if worshiping the fairy cloud.The wind blows and shakes the branches, sweeping the stone niches clean forever, just like the servant of the goddess.Su Dongpo was very moved, "It is inherent in the gods, and it is hard to forget the snobbery."Su Dongpo, like everyone else at the time, held an optimistic view of the possibility of encountering and becoming a fairy all his life.
Once entering Wu Gorge, the "divine bird" began to follow the boat.These crows are just making a smart move.A few miles above or below the Goddess Temple, they watch out for incoming boats and track for food along the way. Tourists often tease them.They tossed the pastry in the air, and watched the crow swoop down to catch it, amused.
These places are naturally uninhabited, and they cannot be inhabited. Sansu passed through the "East Rutan", the waves were rough, and the boat was beaten back and forth like a dead leaf in a small whirlpool. Go to the more dangerous "Roar Beach".Ferocious strange rocks line the banks and extend into the heart of the river.Then I went to a place called "Human Fish Urn". It can be seen that many tourists died here, almost like a can of dead fish.It was a boulder that took up four-fifths of the river, turning the Yangtze into a narrow alley and forcing ships to make sharp turns.Any tourist who survives the "human urn" must regard the boatman as his reborn parents.
Walking out of Wu Gorge, I arrived in Zigui soon, and began to see rough and rough houses on the shore.This is a small town with only three or four hundred families living in it, and it is located on the steep slope of the mountain.The residents are poor, but the mesmerizing scenery of the place will definitely be deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. It is not surprising that this semi-civilized village has produced two great poets, a famous queen, and a famous woman in history.Both men and women in the mountains are used to carrying buckets or bamboo baskets on their backs, but most of them are carried by women.Muscles are tired, but they can cultivate a beautiful figure.Unmarried women often wear a high bun with five or six silver needles on both ends, and a palm-sized ivory hair ornament on the back.
But tourists only pass through the Second Gorge, and the most dangerous is still ahead.Thirty years ago there was a landslide, and the sharp rocks fell into the heart of the river, making it impossible for ships to pass.Jiang Yun blocked it for about twenty years, and finally opened a narrow road.Hence the name of the place "New Beach".Su Dongpo's family was held here for three days by the snowstorm.
Native people get a lot of profit from natural disasters.They salvage sunken ships and sell planks to repair other ships, and it has become a business.Tourists are often forced to stop there for a few days, and they can earn money from tourists just like other scenic spots.The rapids here are dangerous, and ships usually have to unload all passengers and cargo, and passengers would rather go on land to protect their health.
Looking from Zigui, the big bull's back at the horizon can be seen faintly, towering over the top of the nearby ridge.Now they came to the area overlooked by Huangniu Mountain.The rocks here are very strange, and the shadow of the mountain stands in the sky, much like a big cow being pulled by a shepherd boy in blue clothes and hat.There is a local saying that describes the face of Da Niu looking down: "The cattle grow up in the morning, and the cattle stay in the evening. Three days and three evenings, the cattle remain the same." The women here have fair complexion and wear headscarves with small black dots on their heads.The scenery is comparable to Wu Gorge, and some people even think it is better than Wu Gorge.This is a common landscape in traditional Chinese painting. Unbelievable monoliths stand on the horizon, like a stone screen designed by the gods, and also like a group of stone giants. Some bow their heads, and some kneel down, praying to the sky.The stone-stacked peaks on the shore make people sigh the magnificence of nature, and sometimes the smooth big cliff is like a giant sword, and the end of the sword stretches straight into the soil.After walking down for a certain distance, before leaving the dangerous area completely, we came to Habapei.Habapei is a big flat stone, which looks like a frog's head, and the water drops flowing into the river, like a crystal curtain spit out of its mouth.The big stone is moss-green, and the back of the tail is covered with small water droplets.There is a stone cave at the end of the tail, and the gurgling sound of the spring can be heard.Some literati went to Beijing to rush for the exam, and specially collected water drops from Wakou, and kept it for grinding ink in the exam.
After Habapei, the charm of natural violence began to disappear, and the drama of wrath of stones and water came to an end.The scenery below Yichang is peaceful and quiet.The setting sun shines on a large area of rice fields, houses and smoke, and the traveler finds himself back in a world where people can live.According to the custom, the passengers all congratulate each other and rejoice that they are still alive.Everyone bought wine and meat to reward the boatman for his hard work, and everyone was happy and grateful.Looking back, it seemed like an unbelievable strange dream.
They disembarked at Jiangling, changed trains and went overland to Beijing. After this journey, the two brothers have written a hundred poems.All collected in the "Southbound" collection.However, many of Su Tungpo's good poems were written overland, with full attention to music, melody and atmosphere, rich in rhythm and varied in form.He wrote several Yuefu poems in Xiangyang, "Wild Eagle Comes" recalls the story of Liu Biao, and "Shangdu Yin" recalls how Meng Wanglao lost his fertile soil due to the incompetence of two subordinates:
