Chapter 4 King Mu of Zhou - Ji Man
Ji Man (?—922 BC), the son of King Zhou Zhao.During the reign of King Mu, the king's way was weak. He conquered Quanrong in the west and Xu Rong in the east, and joined the princes in Tushan (now southeast of Huaiyuan, Anhui).
Legend has it that King Mu loved traveling and was a famous traveler in history.Zaofu used to drive 8 horses in his imperial chariot to travel westward all over the world. "Mu Tianzi Biography" records that this tour to the west passed through the current Henan, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Xinjiang, and as far as West Asia.In the state of Queen Mother of the West, she was received grandly by Queen Mother of the West.The Queen Mother of the West held a banquet for King Mu in Yaochi, drank wine and chanted poems, and sang friendship.
Ji Man died of illness in Zhigong, and the temple name was King Mu.
I will return to the East, and rule the Xia.
King Mu of Zhou was a monarch in the middle of the Western Zhou Dynasty, known for his fondness for traveling far away. "Zuo Zhuan" said: "The king of the past Mu wanted to indulge his heart, and when he traveled around the world, there must be ruts and horse tracks. Sacrificial to the father and father, he wrote a poem of prayer to stop the king's heart." ("Zhaogong Twelve Years") "Historical Records Qin Benji" also said: "Zaofu was good at imperialism. Fortunately, King Mu of Zhou got the horses of Wenli, Hualiu, and Er'er. They patrolled the west and forgot to return. For King Mu, drive back to Zhou, travel thousands of miles a day to save chaos." This "Eastern Summer Song" was composed during the Westward Journey. The third volume of "Mu Tianzi Biography" says: "Yichou, the emperor cupped the Queen Mother of the West on the Yaochi. The Queen Mother of the West said to the Son of Heaven: 'White clouds are in the sky, and the mountains and mausoleums come out. The road is far away, and the mountains and rivers are between. Come back.' The Son of Heaven replied, saying: 'I will return to the east land... I will return to the wild.' The Son of Heaven then drove up to Yanshan Mountain. It is recorded on the stone of Yanshan Mountain" and so on.Regarding the Queen Mother of the West, it can also be found in "Erya", "Liezi", and various ancient books before the Qin Dynasty.Although rumors are different, it is not an unfounded work.Queen Mother of the West is the name of a tribe in the matriarchal society stage in the western frontier of China.Its leader is also called Queen Mother of the West.The area is around present-day Xinjiang.The poems between King Mu of Zhou and Queen Mother of the West reflect the friendly exchanges between the two ancient nations, which are very cherished.
"Eastern Summer Song" is also known as "The Ballad of King Mu Answering the Queen Mother of the West".Xia refers to China. "Shuowen": "Xia, the people of China." It is located in the east of the Queen Mother of the West, so it is called Dongxia.Judging from the tone, it is a farewell song.The first two sentences said that he was going back to Dongtu to handle government affairs. "Harmonious governance of the Xias" is the contradictory meaning of stabilizing the Huaxia tribe.It also coincides with what the "Historical Records" said about rescuing King Xu Yan from the chaos. "All people are equal" means peace in the world. "Le Ji" has the saying "cultivate one's body and family, and equalize the world". "I see you", "Gu", return.These two sentences mean: "I will come back to see you when the world is at peace." So, how long will it take to see you again?His prediction is: "After three years, I will return to the wild." That is to say, after three years, I will visit your (and) wilderness again. "Three years" is a stage of governance in ancient times. The so-called year of big competitions is to evaluate the pros and cons of political achievements.There is also a saying that "waiting for three years can make you brave and know the way."It seems that this Emperor Mu is quite confident in governing the world.He plans to spend three years rectifying the politics of Dongxia, and then resume the old tour.
The language of this poem is simple, the tone is firm, and it has the momentum of embracing the whole world.However, from the interesting sentences of "I see you" and "I will return to the wild", doesn't it also reveal the attachment to the Queen Mother of the West, the people and the land?Revisiting this poem, we have reason to be proud of the friendship that existed between the two ancient peoples, and it is not just a nostalgic meditation.
I am the Yellow Bamboo ①, the member Xihan ②, and the Emperor receives the Nine Lines ③.
① 徂: Go.
②□Yuan Xihan: "Selected Works · Xie Huilian Xue Fu" is annotated as "Yuan Xihan" and there are no missing articles.Member: size, refers to the surrounding area.Xihan: closed by severe cold.
③Emperor Receives Nine Lines: The Emperor of Heaven cuts off all roads.Receipt: cancel.Line: road.
④ Baipi: Baiguan.Zhongqing: Shangqing.
5 Huang: Positive, refers to governance.
⑥There is a bright bird: There is a white bird.
This famous elegy of Huangzhu records the long-term thoughts of King Mu of Zhou during his journey through wind and snow. "Mu Tianzi Biography" says: "As for the yellow bamboo, the emperor is resting. It is cold in the middle of the day, and it is windy and snowy in the north. The emperor wrote three chapters of the poem 'I am the yellow bamboo' to mourn the people" and so on.It can be said to be a work with deep worries.The poem is divided into three chapters.The first two chapters are in the form of repeated chapters and repeated sentences, pouring out my worries in a loop.The general idea is: I went to Huangzhu, the severe cold enveloped the surrounding fields, and God cut off all roads.Alas, my princes, officials, and ministers, you must manage my people well, and don't forget them from morning to night.The second chapter is a repetition of the first chapter.It's just that the last sentence "don't forget" is replaced with "don't be poor every day", and officials are told not to let the people suffer from poverty.The method of repeated chants is used to highlight and strengthen the emotional atmosphere, so that it can be vented at a deeper level.
These two chapters of poetry, structurally speaking, have two parts.The first three sentences, lamenting the difficulty of traveling, are one layer.The last four sentences, caring for the people, is another level.The first three sentences have a unique idea.It conceives the wilderness covered by heavy snow as God taking back all the passages in the world, which can be described as an incredible writing.The last four sentences relate the difficulties in front of the people to the difficult livelihood of the people, and require officials to care about the people's health and be diligent in government affairs.The whole poem is pure, elegant and simple, as if it is the embodiment of the writing style of the three generations.The arrangement of rhymes is also very special: it uses the first three and the last two styles, with the word "Xing" and the word "Qing" and the word "forget" in conjunction.The word "poor" in the second chapter belongs to the ninth part according to Duan Yucai's division, and it rhymes with the characters "qing" and "xing" which belong to the tenth part.The use of this odd and even mixed rhyming method makes it more ancient.
The third chapter of this poem is different from the previous ones, it starts with metaphors.The meaning of the first and second sentences is: there is a group of white birds flying in the air calmly.Next, after the third sentence, it changed its writing style and pointed to the trekking crowd.What was his inspiration from the flying bird?He believes that people should continue to migrate and move towards higher and better goals. The following four sentences of "呀我" mean: "Oh, my lords, you have to move when it's not suitable! Living in one place is not very fun. It's better to move to a better place and use rituals and music to educate. Your people." This travel emperor still does not change his active nature, he wants people to be as mobile as he is.Regarding this text, Guo Pu raised doubts when he made notes.The author thinks that there may be a problem of misrepresentation.According to the formula in the first two chapters, it seems to be written: "If there is a bright man, he will fly gracefully. If you don't, you will move. I am a prince, and I live with little happiness. It is better to move up and enjoy the people." "Move" The ancient pronunciation of the character is in fourteen parts, and it rhymes with the word "Min" in twelve parts.The main idea of the poem is: "The white bird flies freely, and walks away if it doesn't fit. Alas, my princes, it's rarely fun to live in one place all the time. It's better to move to a good place and use the courtesy. Please teach and educate your people." The meaning should be smoother.There is one more point worth studying.In the third sentence "□ don't move", I think this "□" is also added by later generations.Together with the "□" in the previous "□member Xihan", it was added by later generations according to the four-character convention in each sentence.According to the quotations in "Selected Works of Zhaoming", there are no missing texts in "Yuan".The author should deliberately short and long his article, in order to increase its sparse and elegant atmosphere.
