Chapter 7 Two Poems with Master Guo (Part 1)

The forest in front of the amiable hall ① stores clear shade in mid-summer.When Kaifeng came at the right time, he flew back and opened my lapel ②.Take care of the leisure industry ③, lie up and play the book and the piano.There are more vegetables in the garden, but the old grains are still stored today.There is a lot of good in self-improvement, and there is nothing to admire.Pound cornmeal to make fine wine, and I pour the wine myself when it is ripe.Weak children play on my side, learning language without making a sound.This matter is really fun, let's talk about Wanghua Hairpin④.Looking at the white clouds in the distance, how deep is the nostalgia.

① Ai Ai: lush appearance. ② Hui: return to the wind. ③Leisure: non-urgent tasks, such as playing the piano and reading books. ④ Huazan: A luxurious hairpin, which refers to wealth. The title of the poem is "He Guo Master Book", but Guo's name and deeds are unknown, and the "master book" is the subordinate official in charge of books in prefectures and counties.There are different opinions about the year of this poem. Lu Qinli's annotated "Tao Yuanming Collection" is based on his two poems "Mingzi" and "Responsible Son". It is estimated that Tao Yuanming was 44 years old in the fourth year of Yixi (408), which is more credible.Prior to this, Tao Yuanming had been an official several times since he was twenty-nine years old, because "the hometown is poor", "farming and weaving are not enough for self-sufficiency, the childish room is full, and there is no millet storage in the bottle" ("Preface to Returning Words"), The last time he served as Peng Zeling at the age of forty-one (405), he served as an official for more than eighty days, because he did not want to "bend his waist for five buckets of rice to the children in the village, and he resigned immediately" (Xiao Tong's "Tao Yuanming Biography").During these thirteen years, civil strife occurred repeatedly in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, with bloody storms everywhere, corruption in the officialdom, treacherous people's hearts, hypocrisy in the world, and misery everywhere.In such a turbulent and dark age, Tao Yuanming, who was born in a common family and his family was in decline, although he had the grand ambition of "violent aspirations everywhere" and "great help to the common people", the result must be "aspirations that are not fulfilled" (" Miscellaneous Poems II).So, he retired to seek the sun, and began to live in the countryside. "He Guo Master Book" was written two years after he returned home.This song describes the simple and leisurely life in the countryside in summer, showing the relaxed and contented fun after getting rid of the cage of officialdom.

The biggest feature of this poem is its plainness and harmony, and its artistic conception is harmonious, which makes people feel pure, kind, and rich in life.The whole story shows people's familiar and familiar daily life, "the feeling is true, the scene is true, and the matter is true" (Chen Yizeng's "Shipu").Although it is homely, it all flows from the chest one by one, without any trace of affectation, so it makes people feel very cordial.Regardless of scene description, narrative, or lyricism, they all closely follow the word "joy".You see, the summer trees in front of the hall are shaded, and the south wind (kaifeng) is cool, which is the joy of rural scenery; there is no public office, and no noise of cars and horses. The joy of spiritual life; there are more than enough vegetables in the garden, and the grain in previous years is still stored. You can use your own discretion, compared to the hypocritical entertainment in the officialdom, it is more simple and affordable, this is the joy of satisfying hobbies; reunite with your wife, family and children, especially the youngest son who cuddles and plays next to him from time to time, with a babbling look , It's so innocent and cute, it's a family happiness.With this number of music, one can forget about the riches and smoky atmosphere of those officials, which is also the joy of seclusion and tranquility.In short, the scene is a happy scene, and everything is happy, so the joy of taste is self-evident; this constitutes the artistic conception of the blending of scenes and things.The poet is frank in mind, without concealment, without vanity, without exaggeration, and is moved by pure and simple true feelings.We seem to walk into the quiet and secluded village with the pen of the poet, appreciate the comfort of the cool breeze blowing under the shade of trees, listen to the sound of books and the leisurely melody of the piano, and see the well-off and harmonious farmhouses, The drinker enjoying his own discretion and the joy of playing with the father and son, and experience the poet's back-to-basics and self-satisfied mentality...

This poem uses line drawing technique and unpretentious language.The whole poem does not use allusions, does not use algae to paint, neither is extremely romantic, nor is it extravagant. It is only outlined in a light and natural style, but the image is very vivid and vivid.Just as Tang Shunzhi commented: "Tao Pengze did not compare the rhythm and engraved sentences, but he wrote it by hand. It is the first-class poem in the universe. Why? Its true quality is also high." , this kind of "high quality" is not a blurt, but after a lot of tempering, it can be attributed to the natural color after all the glory has been lost.The so-called "one word is natural and new, and the luxury is full of truth" (Yuan Haowen's "On Poetry Quatrains"), only "a master craftsman transports the weight" can there be no traces of chiseling.The natural color is unpretentious, not the poor quality of wood.Look at the description of the scene in the first two sentences, without any fancy words, but with the word "storage", it is like storing a urn of clear spring under the shade of a quiet and cool forest in midsummer, which is easy to grasp, and it is plain and mellow, simple. See the fun.Another example is "Lie up and play the piano", the word "Nong" is also common, but when used here, it subtly expresses the kind of leisurely and carefree fun, and it corresponds to the previous sentence "leisure industry". .In addition, although the whole poem does not use metaphors, it is almost all realistic, but from the imagery point of view, the amiable tree shade, the cool wind, the long white clouds, and then the "nostalgia" at the end (remembering the ancients and not seeking fame and fortune) His noble deeds, and his own aspirations), is there no relationship, no symbolic connection with the poet's innocent character, open mind, and noble integrity?This is exactly the mystery of the artistic transformation of work without work.Therefore, Dongpo commented on Tao's poems as "quality but solidity, and roughness but solidity" ("Book with Su Zhe").Liu Kezhuang said that it is "withered on the outside but creamy on the inside, seemingly light but actually beautiful", which is his insight.