Chapter 44 Responsibility

The white hair is covered by the temples, and the skin is no longer solid.Although there are five men, it is not good to write and write.Ah Shu is twenty-eight, so he has no match for his laziness.Ah Xuan studied anecdotes rather than literature.Yongduan was thirteen years old and didn't know six and seven.Tongzi is nine years old, but he is looking for pears and chestnuts.If the luck is like this, let's get into the cup. This poem was written when Tao Yuanming was about fifty years old.Responsibility refers to rebuking and criticizing the son. The poem first says that I am old: "The white hair is covered by the temples, and the skin is no longer solid." "Being", covering.Said: The gray hair has covered the temples, and the skin is loose and full.These two sentences are well written about the old man, especially the latter sentence is rarely spoken.In the back, it is written that the sons are useless: "Although there are five boys, they are not good at pen and paper." It is always written that the five sons don't like reading and do not seek to make progress.Below it is written: "Ashu is 28 years old, so he is lazy." Ah Shu is the eldest, sixteen years old, and extremely lazy. "Therefore", originally, always.Press, the shape of the word "Pi" is close to the combination of "two" and "eight", and the rhetorical method of character analysis is used here. "Ah Xuan is interested in learning, but not literature." Ah Xuan is the second child, who is about to be fifteen years old, but he doesn't like learning to write articles. "Literature" refers to the art of writing.By the way, the use of "Zhi Xue" to refer to age comes from the words of Confucius "I have five out of ten and I want to learn".There is a pun in the meaning here, and I am not interested in learning when I reach the age of "Zhi Xue". "Yong Duan was thirteen years old, and he didn't know six and seven." Yong and Duan are the names of two children. I can't count them all.By the way, six plus seven equals thirteen, and the clutch of numbers is used here. "Tongzi is nine years old, but he is looking for pears and chestnuts." Tongzi is the fifth child, who is about to be nine years old, and only knows about gluttony, but does not know anything else. "Changing" has the same meaning as the former "xing", both of which mean near.Press, the allusion of "Kong Rong let the pear" is used here. "Book of the Later Han Dynasty Kong Rong Biography" notes Kong Rong's family biography, saying that Kong Rong knew how to make pears when he was four years old.But A Tong is like this at the age of nine, which shows that he is stupid.After counting his sons one by one, the author felt very disappointed and said, "Fate is so lucky, and let's put the thing in the cup." "The thing in the cup" refers to wine.These two sentences mean: If God's will really gave him these unworthy sons, there is no other way, let's drink.

This poem is very interesting to write.As to its meaning, the two great poets of later generations have very different understandings.One is Du Fu.He wrote in "Qian Xing": "Tao Qian avoids the vulgar, and may not be able to reach the Tao... There are virtuous and foolish people, so how can we hold them in our arms." This means that although Tao Yuanming lived in seclusion, he did not enter into the oblivion of gains and losses. He is still so concerned about the quality of his son's character and education.One is Huang Tingjian.He said in "Book of Tao Yuanming's <Responsible Son> Poems": "Looking at Tao Yuanming's poems, I want to see that his brother Qidi (same as Kaiti, meaning harmony and peace) is kind and playful. Ordinary people call Tao Yuanming all It’s unworthy, but Tao Yuanming sighed in poetry, it can be said that a fool can’t talk about dreams.” Du Fu’s opinion is that the poem "Responsible Son" is a criticism of his son for not seeking to make progress, but Huang Tingjian denies it. , it seems that Du Fu's opinion cannot be completely denied.The title of the poem is "Responsible Son", and the poem does have the meaning of reprimanding the masters. The author also has a poem "Ming Zi" and "Yu Zi Yan Deng Shu", which have strict requirements on the masters' learning and conduct.Although Tao Yuanming abandoned his official career, it did not mean that he was out of society, out of civilization, and in giving up his responsibility for the education of his children. He still had all kinds of ordinary feelings, and his concern about whether his children would be successful was one of his normal feelings.Du Fu understood the poem in this sense.However, Du Fu's understanding is too serious and too real.There are criticisms, but the sentences in the poem are humorous. The author is not teaching with a straight face, but with a joking pen, showing a kind and loving expression.It can be said that the son's shortcomings are all exaggerated and caricatured, and some interesting rhetorical techniques are used in the narration. Feeling.It may be said that this is a criticism with a smile, and it is the affection of the old man.From this point of view, Huang Tingjian's experience is quite subtle.

Using poems to describe the mood of children, I first saw Zuo Si's "Poems of Charming Women". Many poets in the Tang Dynasty wrote works in this regard, and Tao Yuanming played a role in fueling the flames.This is of significance that cannot be underestimated for the expansion and dailyization of poetry themes.