Tao Yuanming (365? ~ 427), cheerful personality, speaking of the name Qian, the characters are clear, and his real name is Mr. Wuliu, a native of Chaisang, Xunyang (now near Jiujiang, Jiangxi). His friends respectfully call him surname, and he is called Mr. Jie and Mr. Jing Jie. He used to be the magistrate of Pengze County, because he was called Tao Pengze and Ling Tao. He is the most outstanding poet in the Eastern Jin Dynasty and one of the great poets in the history of China literature. He lived in the Jin and Song Dynasties. His life is roughly divided into three periods.
(A), family study period
This period is from Tao Yuanming's birth to 29 years old. The main content of his life here is reading at home. ?
Tao Yuanming was born in a ruined bureaucratic landlord family. Great-great-grandfather Tao Kan, a military commander, worked as a county magistrate in Changsha, but because he was lonely and poor in his early years, he was ridiculed as a "villain" and a "dog in the stream" (see Biography of the Book of Jin and Tao Kan), and he was also regarded as a person with ambitions to usurp the throne. Grandpa Tao Maoguan went to Wuchang House. Grandfather Meng Jia is a long history of Huan Wen, the general of the Western Expedition, and a famous soldier in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Father Tao Yi was an official and died when Tao Yuanming was young. Tao Yuanming reveres his ancestors, especially his great-grandfather and grandfather. He said: "When I was in the Jin Dynasty, the industry merged with Changsha. Huan Huan Changsha Yi Xun Yi De. The son of heaven conquered me and recruited the south China. When the work is finished, I'll quit my job, and I won't be coquettish. It's called the heart, it's nearby and ready to use! " ("Destiny") This is to praise the merits of great-grandfather and teach future generations. He praised grandpa: "I don't agree with you, I don't boast, I have never been happy." If you drink heavily, the more you drink, the less you will screw up. As for pride, I am willing to send it far away, no one. He said that his father was: "I am indifferent, but I am happy. "(Destiny) They have a certain influence on the formation of Tao Yuanming's thought and personality.
Due to the early death of his father and the war, his family's fortune fell, and Tao Yuanming. Tao Yuanming spent his youth in Chaisang village. Self-proclaimed: "Less and poor, every family has disadvantages, and things drift." ("My son and I are so thin") "My family is poor in the weak years." Yan Yanzhi, a good friend, also said that he was "small and poor, with no servants and concubines, and had a good job, so he didn't give it to him" (Historical Records of Zheng Tao). His "poverty" is not necessarily like a farmer, but his family is not very rich. Here, he devoted himself to the study of classical literature. Boasting: "It is rare for a teenager to swim the Six Classics." ("Drinking" Part 16) "I don't know much about piano and calligraphy. I love quiet. When something is opened, you will be so happy that you forget to eat. " ("Yan Zi et al.") "I have lived in seclusion for 30 years and have nothing to do with dust. Poetry and books are well received, and the forest garden has no secular feelings. " ("Xin Chou's Night Tour in Jiangling in July") Jin Shu said that he was "not interested, knowledgeable and good at writing, outstanding and bold, and complacent". Tao Yuanming seems to be a bookworm who is detached from the "secular" and forgets the "secular".
In fact, Tao Yuanming did not completely forget the "common things" and "common things". He has the ambition to make achievements. Once said: "When I was young, I was strong and strong, and I swam alone with a sword." ("Antique" Part 8) "When I was young, I was happy without music. I am eager to escape from the four seas. I am in Philip Burkart. " The actions of "touching the sword" and "traveling" are a reflection of his mentality of wanting to make a difference, and the sentence "dream" is his generous words with lofty aspirations. The "fierce ambition" he said refers to what he said in "Feeling the Scholar Never Meets Fu": "Heaven's life, learn from the sage's suicide note, be loyal to the filial piety, be loyal to the hometown, be sincere and show, and not seek praise." This shows at least three wishes: first, loyalty to the monarch and filial piety; second, promoting faithfulness; and third, sincerity. The purpose of these three ambitions is to be a good official who is "of great benefit to the general public" (Fu for those who feel dissatisfied).
(B), the formal and hidden period
During this period, Tao Yuanming served as a national sacrifice at the age of 29, and in the first year of Jin 'an Diyi and Sima (405), he resigned from the Pengze County Order. He won four official positions here and held five.
1, Zhou Renxian a toast-Tao Yuanming's first official career
Tao Yuanming is a "poor man" who helps his family and even realizes his "ambition" of "helping the world". At the age of 29, he left his study and was recruited to offer wine in Jiangzhou. Song Shu originally said that he was "poor in his hometown and began to offer wine to the state; I can't stand this job and I will return to China in a few days. " For the post of offering wine, researchers think it is a higher position than the current one. There are many differences among researchers about the "unbearable official position". One is that Tao Yuanming disdains to learn from the Taoist priests of the Five Dou (see Qi's Chronicle of Tao Yuanming), and the other is that Tao Yuanming's official position is not because (see Yuan Xingpei's Chronicle of Tao Yuanming). After Tao Yuanming's Return to Hometown, he was called the national master book, but left without saying goodbye.
2. Entering Huan Xuan-Tao Yuanming's second career.
Shortly after Tao Yuanming made a toast, that is, when he was 30 years old, his wife died (he married Zhai's family at about 33 years old), which was the misfortune of his family. At this time, national affairs are also worse. Sima Changming, Emperor Xiaowu of Jin Dynasty, granted Wang Sima Daozi exclusive rights in the 20th year of Taiyuan (395). Emperor Wu Zhuo trusted Wang Gong and Yin Zhong. And let them occupy an important position inside and outside the home to prevent them from getting in the way. Tao Zi also took Wang Guobao and his subordinate brother Wang Xu as his confidants. So the circle of friends competed. Huan Xuan, the son of Huan Wen, a powerful minister in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, became more and more powerful in troubled times. In 398, in the second year of the reign of Emperor Long 'an of Jin 'an, Huan Xuan, 30, was appointed as Jiangzhou secretariat and promoted to leader. In the fourth year of Longan (400), Huan Xuan was the secretariat of Jingzhou, and the military power was in Du Jing, Si, Yong, Qin, Liang, Yi and Ning. With Jingzhou as the center, he owned two-thirds of the country's territory and once gained great prestige. Many literati entered his military curtain to show their great ambitions. Tao Yuanming entered Huan Xuan around this time.
When Tao Yuanming entered the Huan Xuan screen, and what position he occupied behind the scenes, due to the lack of historical materials, it is still difficult to determine. But he worked in Huan Xuan for four years (400) and in Long 'an for five years (40 1). These are his three poems: two poems by Gengzi in mid-May, and a night tour of Jiangling in July by Xin Chou. The first two "Gengzi Nian" were four years of Longan (400). Tao Yuanming was ordered by Huan Xuan to go to Kyoto for health. After completing the mission, I returned to Huan Xuan, passed through Xunyang, and went home to visit relatives. I was unable to sail because of the headwind, and stayed in Guiling for a period of time. The mission of Beijing, according to Kuaiqinli, is to please Sun En for Huan Xuan (see Chronicle of Tao Yuanming's Deeds and Poems), which can be prepared, not judged. Since he was appointed to Beijing, it serves to show Tao Yuanming's trust in Huan Xuan. The latter one, Xin Chou Sui, is the fifth year of Long 'an (40 1), which describes the scene that Tao Yuanming returned from home to work in Huan Xuan, Jiangling (Jingzhou Zhisuo) because of the expiration of his holiday. This winter, Tao Yuanming's mother died of Montessori's illness, so he quit his job as a shogunate in Huan Xuan. He ended his second official career about two or three years ago and stayed at home in mourning.
Tao Yuanming entered Huan Xuan for three reasons: first, he had the motivation to be an official; Second, he has illusions about the discipline of Jinshi and Huan Xuan. Third, his grandfather Meng Jia made friends with Huan Xuan's father Huan Wen. It is against reason and history to think that Tao Yuanming entered the screen to help Huan Xuan usurp Jin. Tao Yuanming had been dead for two years when Huan Xuan usurped Jin in December (403) of the second year of Emperor Yuan Xing. He is not a fortune-teller. It is impossible to know that Huan Xuan was going to usurp the throne and set up his own house two years ago. Otherwise, Tao Yuanming's third official career would be puzzling.
3. Ren Zhenjun and Jianwei joined the army-Tao Yuanming's third official career.
Both Book of Song Dynasty and Book of Jin said that Tao Yuanming "rejoined the town army and joined the army". From this perspective, Tao Yuanming's appointment as a town army and Jianwei's joining the army are two coherent things.
Tao Yuanming has a poem "When the true gentleman joined the army, it was written by Qu 'a", which describes his passing by Qu 'a when he first became the true gentleman. "The town army joins the army" means that the general of the town army joins the army. According to the twenty-six notes of Selected Works, the general of the town army quoted the Book of Jin and said, "Song Wudi is the general of the town army." Researchers often say this. Song Wudi is Emperor Wu of Song. In February of the third year of Yuan Xing (404), Emperor Wu of Song led a public conquest of Huan Xuan; In March, he joined Jiankang as a general of Zhenjun, a secretariat of Xuzhou, and a general of Yang, Xu, Yan, Yu, Qing, Ji, You and Bazhou. In April, defeated the Huan Xuan army in Xunyang Muluozhou, entered Xunyang, and joined Jiangzhou Army; In May, Huan Xuan's army was defeated again in troubled times. Huan Xuan was defeated, fled to the west, tried to enter Shu, and was killed on the way. (See History as a Mirror 1 10) After Liu Yu defeated the Huan Xuan army in April (404), Tao Yuanming "initiated" Liu Yu, the general of the town army, to join the army. He resigned after working for a year at most.
After Tao Yuanming resigned from the town army and joined the army, he did not go home immediately, but joined the army as Jianwei. He has a poem entitled "March, when I was three years old, Jianwei made a trip to Qianxi", which describes the scene that Ren Jianwei was ordered to go to Kyoto and pass through Qianxi during his military service. "B is four years old" refers to the first year of Andi Yixi (405), and "Jianwei joined the army" refers to General Jianwei joining the army. This general Jianwei should be Liu. In April of the third year of Liu Yuanxing's reign (404), he moved to be the general of Jianwei and the secretariat of Jiangzhou, guarding Xunyang; At the end of March in the first year of Yixi (405), he resigned from this post and was appointed as the secretariat of Xuancheng. With Liu's departure, Tao Yuanming also resigned from Jianwei's post and joined the army to return home. ?
4. Ren Pengze county magistrate-the fourth official of Tao Yuanming.
Tao Yuanming's last official career was in August of the first year of Yixi (405), and he was appointed as Pengze county magistrate. He explained his position in the preface of "Back to Xi Ci". He said that "the rest of the family are poor and farming is not self-sufficient", so he took up his post under the persuasion of "relatives and friends" and the recommendation of Tao Kui, then "uncle" of Tai Changqing. After taking office, he deeply felt that "nature is nature, not overcorrected; Although hunger and cold cut, but it is against their own diseases. ..... I feel disappointed and deeply ashamed of my ambition in life, and I met with "Cheng Shimei lost his life in Wuchang, and his feelings are based on the monarch", so I "resigned myself". In this way, Tao Yuanming, who was in office for more than 80 days from the Mid-Autumn Festival to the winter, resigned from the Pengze County Order on 1 1, ending his career and returning to his hometown. The reason why Tao Yuanming resigned this time is this: "The county sent Du You to the county, and the official must see him. Qian sighed and said, "I can't give in to the villagers for five buckets of rice!" " On the same day, she was dismissed from her post and assigned to "come back". "(see also Xiao Tong's Biography of Tao Yuanming and The Book of Jin). Some people think this is a rumor, but they might as well be prepared.
(3) The pastoral period of seclusion
During this period, Tao Yuanming said goodbye to Peng Ze and died in Yuanjia, Liu Yilong, Song Wendi (427). During this period, he was asked to write at the end of Yixi, and the main contents of his life were seclusion, farming, reading and writing.
For Tao Yuanming, it was a pleasure to retire from the countryside, but in the third year (408) after he returned to the field, the "89 Hut" was destroyed by a sudden fire, and he had to temporarily live on the boat: "It was a long summer wind, and the forest was burned to death. A house is empty in front of the boat. " One year after the fire, I moved from Chaisang to Nancun, and my life became increasingly difficult, so that I often got help from my friends. Tao Yuanming is addicted to alcohol, but his family is poor and he can't get it. Know it when you are old, or buy wine to recruit it. If you make a drink, you will get drunk. (The Book of Jin) It is said in the Book of Song: "First of all, Yan Yanzhi made contributions to Liu Liu's rear army and fell in love in Xunyang. Then there is Shi 'an County. After that, it dives every day, and every time it goes, it is bound to get drunk. Leave 20 thousand yuan to dive when you leave, send it to the restaurant, and take it later after drinking. "During that time, Tao Yuanming lived in extreme poverty and even begged for food. He said in the poem Begging for Food: "Hunger drives me away, and I don't know what to do. Going to Sri Lanka, knocking at the door is clumsy. The master has solved it, but the legacy is not empty. Tan Daoji, the secretariat of Jiangzhou, came to visit him and saw that he was "lying in poverty for a long time", so he advised him to be an official, gave him some meat, and then "advised him to leave" (see Xiao Tong's Biography of Tao Yuanming). He had a premonition that he would soon die, wrote the last three poems "Elegy" and the last poem "Self-sacrifice", and died in his hometown in November of the fourth year of Yuanjia, Song Wendi.
Second, Tao Yuanming's thoughts
Tao Yuanming's thought has always been a topic of great concern to researchers, and there have been differences and textual research on the so-called integration of Confucianism, Taoism, metaphysics, Laozi and Zhuangzi. Chen Yinque said that Tao Yuanming was "a truly great thinker in the Middle Ages of China" (The Relationship between Tao Yuanming's Thought and Speech), which was quite insightful. Here mainly from two aspects to explain.
(a), Tao Yuanming adhere to the idea of "poverty"?
"Poverty" means being poor and not moving. "Poverty" is not "poverty", but despair. Of course, a "poor" person is often "poor" and vice versa, so the two are closely related. "Steady" means to remain steady, that is, to maintain integrity and personality. "Poverty" is a realm of life and a moral principle. This word comes from The Analects of Confucius Wei Linggong: "A gentleman is poor, but a villain is poor." This belongs to the category of Confucianism.
Tao Yuanming wrote six things about "fixing poverty" in his poem: "It is impossible to climb high, and fixing poverty is absurd." ("Stay at a respectful distance from your younger brother in mid-December") "Poverty is not bad, who will carry on the family line." ("Drinking" Part II) "I actually held the Poverty Alleviation Festival, and I was hungry and cold." ("Drinking" Part 16) "Whoever is poor and difficult, it is better to fix it first." (Ode to the Poor Part VII) "Better be poor than tired for yourself." ("A man who doesn't feel lucky") "I'm too ambitious to be poor." It can be seen that sticking to "fixing poverty" plays an important role in Tao Yuanming's outlook on life. He greatly admired those ancient people who could persist in "fixing poverty". For example, Ruan Gong, Rong Chui, Yuan An, Zhang Zhongwei in Fu for the Poor, Fan, Boyi and Shu Qi, eight hermits in Ode to Painting, Yan Hui and Rong Qi in Drinking, Chang Ju and Jie in Westfield Early Rice Falling into the Water in September, etc. In Tao Yuanming's view, they are lofty places that do not seek fame and fortune, are honest and clean, and are good examples for him to learn, as he said in the second part of Ode to the Poor: "How can I comfort my heart?" Gu Duo is a saint. "So," poverty alleviation "became the sustenance and pillar of Tao Yuanming's spirit and became the principle and criterion of his life.
"Strengthening poverty" has a solid ideological cornerstone, that is, "Tao", that is, morality and moral integrity advocated by Confucianism. In Tao Yuanming's poems, the word "Tao" has appeared many times. Because of different contexts and different meanings, many of them belong to the category of Confucianism. For example, the "Tao" of "life belongs to the Tao, food and clothing are safe" ("Harvest Early Rice in the West Field in Mid-September") refers to common sense; "Tao has been lost for thousands of years, and everyone cherishes his feelings" (the third part of drinking) refers to the truth of being a man; The "Tao" of "a teacher has a legacy and is not worried about poverty" (the second part of "Spring Thoughts at the Age of Guimao") and "A person with righteous aspirations is still a jade dive in those days" ("Touching people but not meeting Fu") refer to the way of governing the country; "From a general point of view, nothing can be achieved with a white head" (Murong Xu) and "The bandits have something to rely on, and the bandits are good at escaping" (ibid.) refer to Confucianism; "Yan Sheng's" Tao "means benevolence, and Rong Gong preached (the eleventh chapter of Drinking) that" the rich and the poor often fight, and the Tao is better than Qi Yan "(the fifth chapter of Ode to the Poor), which refers to the way to live and work in peace and contentment. Therefore, Tao Yuanming's insistence on "fixing poverty" is not a blind pursuit of "fixing poverty", but to maintain pure moral character and moral integrity, and not to defile himself by pursuing high officials and generous salaries. He especially respected Confucius and was familiar with Confucianism. There are many quotations from Confucian classics in his poems, including 37 in The Analects of Confucius alone (see Zhu Ziqing's Collection of Classical Literature: The Depth of Tao Poetry). For example, the sentence "Worrying about Tao" in "A teacher has a legacy, but worrying about Tao is not worrying about poverty" is the original words of Confucius in The Analects of Wei Linggong. He also changed Confucius's "Listen to the Tao early and die late" (The Analects of Confucius, Li Zheng) to "Be benevolent early and die late" (Ode to the Poor, Part IV), and changed Confucius's "The gentleman is poor and the villain is poor." Therefore, Tao Yuanming's "poverty alleviation" is based on personal morality and moral integrity advocated by Confucianism. Liang Qichao's Literature and Character of Tao Yuanming once said that Tao Yuanming was "born in Confucianism" and "the strength of his life lies in Confucianism". Insisting on "fixing poverty" is one of the manifestations.
In fact, it is not easy for Tao Yuanming to insist on "fixing poverty", and his inner struggle is fierce. Although he "doesn't care about poverty or wealth" (Biography of Mr. May 6th), he didn't completely give up fame and fortune. He is not shy in this respect. For example, he said, "Don't forget to attack Qingmao, you will get a lot of respect." ("Ode to the Poor" Part III) "The rich always fight, and they are not ashamed to win." (ditto) If Tao Yuanming's family life in his life is "the weak leads to poverty, and the old leads to hunger for a long time" ("When there is a meeting"), then his political ideal in his life is "when he was young, he wanted to escape from the world" ("Miscellaneous Poems"), when he was middle-aged, he failed (ditto), and when he was old, he wanted to stay in the world. This shows that Tao Yuanming has the Confucian spirit of joining the WTO, and if given the opportunity, he will not stick to "solid poverty." His four official proclamations were mainly aimed at "helping the poor", but there were also considerable factors to help himself "poor" and "poor family". For example, in article 19 of Drinking, he said, "I used to be hungry and cold, so I went to study as an official." In the preface of "Gui Xi Ci", he also said, "My family is poor, and farming is not enough to support myself. Childish room, no millet in the bottle. ..... My uncle is poor, so he saw it used in a small town. " "If you are good at personnel, you will be self-interested." However, after all, he is also a person who is not admired. He once claimed that "I don't care about you, and I don't want to be rewarded for your kindness" (Ode to the Poor, Part IV). In the case of political corruption, strict checkpoints, dark officialdom and difficult ambition, Tao Yuanming praised "hunger and cold, although eager, but extremely profound" He is often an official with the uneasy mentality of "how to leave here and go as far as Xijing" ("Xin Chou took a vacation in July and went back to Jiangling for a night outing"), "how to raise the truth, how to be kind" (ditto) and "how to make friends with the poor" ("A Long History of Giving Sheep"). It can be said that Tao Yuanming's life is a life in which the rich and the poor are always at war, and it is also a life in which "unexpectedly raising poverty festivals" and "aiming high" meet.
(B) Tao Yuanming advocated the idea of "nature"
The word "nature" does not appear in the Analects of Confucius and Mencius, and it is the essence of Laozi and Zhuangzi's philosophy. For example, Lao Tzu said, "People are everywhere, the land follows the sky, the sky follows the Tao, and the Tao follows nature." (Chapter 25 of Laozi) Zhuangzi said: "Things are natural, not private, and the world is ruled." (Emperor Zhuangzi) The "nature" here means nature, nature, which is commonly called nature, meaning that everything has no human factors.
In Tao Yuanming's poems, the word "nature" appears four times, and its meaning varies with the text. One is from Return to the Garden: "If you stay in a cage for a long time, you can return to nature." This "nature" refers to freedom, as opposed to "cage". Second, in the preface to "Gui Xi Ci": "Nature is natural, not corrected." This "nature" refers to nature, a comfortable state, a concrete embodiment of "quality", as opposed to "positive". Third, in the preface of "Together": "You are noble and humble, but you are stupid. You are always trying to cherish your life, and you are confused. Therefore, it is extremely bitter, saying that God distinguishes nature to release it. " This "nature" refers to the means to eliminate the ills of life. "Xing" suffers from short life, wants to drink and have fun, while "Ying" suffers from difficulty in making meritorious deeds, but forgets love when he wants to make meritorious deeds. "God" thinks that drinking will shorten people's life span, and no one will praise them for doing good deeds. People will die, so go with nature and don't have to think for yourself. The proposition of "shape" reflects Tao Yuanming's helpless mood, the proposition of "shadow" reflects Tao Yuanming's understanding of the distinction between good and evil in society at that time, and the proposition of "god" is Tao Yuanming's right view. Fourth, in "Biography of Meng Fu, General of the Western Shanxi Province": "Ask prostitutes again, silk is not as good as bamboo, and bamboo is not as good as meat. Answer: "Gradually natural." "This" nature ",like" nature ",refers to an aesthetic standard. Tao Yuanming believes that "nature" is beauty. From this point of view, Tao Yuanming's view of nature is not unrelated to Laozi and Zhuangzi. He was deeply influenced by Lao Zi and Zhuang Zi's thoughts. There are 70 allusions to Laozi and Zhuangzi in his poems, and 77 allusions (see Japanese scholars Keizo Obuchi and Jiro Wen's A Study of Tao Yuanming). Zhu's so-called "those in the late Yuan Dynasty and the early Ming Dynasty" (Volume 136) is not unreasonable. ?
Tao Yuanming's thought of advocating "nature" is manifested in many aspects, and there are three main points here:
First, it is manifested in the moral cultivation of "embracing simplicity and containing truth".
"Embracing simplicity and embracing truth" means clinging to the nature of nature and not being tempted by foreign things. Chapter 19 of Laozi: "Simple and simple, selfish and lustless." Zhuangzi Fisherman: "True people are sincere. ..... true, so it is natural to be influenced by heaven. " Wang Bi wrote in the twenty-eighth chapter of Laozi: "Jane, true." Therefore, "embracing simplicity and embracing truth" focuses on expressing a simple and pure human nature and mentality, that is, maximizing family affection and natural moral cultivation. This is the criterion of Tao Yuanming's moral cultivation and an important content of his philosophy of life. He said, "You lived in ancient times, but you were born for the people. Proud and self-sufficient, simple and true. Wisdom is both lovely and talented. " ("Persuade Agriculture") "A husband is as good as his word, thoughtful, and a stranger does good. Keep quiet, keep quiet and be a gentleman. " From this, it is not difficult to see Tao Yuanming's admiration and pursuit of "eclectic" and "eclectic" natural moral cultivation. Because of this, Tao Yuanming attached great importance to "truth" and "fixing truth". They also appeared in his poems many times. For example, "I thought about it at first, but who was caught?" ("Kua Zuo Zuo, the first town army to join the army") "There is real meaning in this. I have forgotten what I want to say." ("Drinking" Part V) "There is no precedent in Ren Zhen at this point." ("Rain Drinks Alone") "Cultivate truth, balance hair, and call yourself good." Therefore, Tao Yuanming can always maintain an independent and free mentality and spirit, and even after he became an official, he can be unconstrained and even abandon his official position to hold on to this "true dream." Tao Yuanming talks about "truth" and "falsehood". He said, "Since the death of Zhen Feng, big lies have prevailed. In the retreat festival, the market will drive the heart of easy entry. " This "falsehood" is relative to "truth", "simplicity" or "nature", which Tao Yuanming does not want to see.
The second is the "returning to the garden" reflected in the road of life. ?
Simplicity and truthfulness should not only contain and contain, but also edify, which requires environment and conditions. For Tao Yuanming, this kind of environment and conditions are "under constant prosperity", that is, to "return to the garden" away from the dirty officialdom and the complicated world. According to Japanese scholar Nakagawa's comprehensive index of Tao Yuanming's poems, the word "ghost" appears in 55 places in Tao Yuanming's poems. In addition to expressing the meaning of returning to nature and being empty, many people express the meaning of returning to the countryside. For example, "open up wasteland in the south and return to the garden." (Return to the Garden Part III) "Going back and forth, the countryside will be destroyed in Hu Bugui!" ("Return to Xi Ci") "I will do my best and die in the field." Tao Yuanming writes more about rural life and rural scenery in his poems (see below for details). In his works, the countryside is almost a free, simple and innocent place, which is opposite to officialdom and the world. In this sense, "returning to the garden" means returning to nature. Therefore, when he retired from the officialdom and "returned to his rural home", he felt relaxed, happy and relieved. ?
Third, it is manifested in the concept of life and death. ?
There is also a word "Hua" in Tao Yuanming's poems that can be interpreted by "nature". Sometimes used alone, sometimes combined with "big", "ten thousand", "multiply", "soar" and "lean", it is always closely related to human life and death. For example, "after seeing a distant ship, feelings will move with the change." ("Seeing the guests off on the throne of Wang Fujun") "If everything is different, life is not tired." ("September 9") "Change with change, and finally return to work." This means that everything is changing, metabolism is always related to "seeking" and "changing", and people's feelings and life course go with it. "If you leave carelessly, you will never see you again." ("Sadness follows Brother Zhong De") "Talking about riding to the end, Yuefu's destiny is ridiculous." ("Back to Xi Word") "I don't have Hua Teng, and Phil no longer doubts." ("Shadow God") "The head of Fu Ling, alone." (Fire in the middle of June in the year of Wushen) This means that human life is bound to "take advantage of the situation", "I have nowhere to escape" and death is "beyond doubt". Obviously, "transformation" is an irresistible law. So, what should people do to "transform"? Tao Yuanming said, "I don't like it and I'm not afraid of it. You should do your best, there is no need to worry about it. " (Shadow God) "Whether you come or not, human nature will come to an end." ("Mei Zuo Dan and Dai Zhushu") "The same thing, no worries, no regrets." ("Reading the Classic of Mountains and Seas" (tenth issue) "Yujin is a China person, and there can be no hatred." This is a matter of life and death, and it is also an irresistible law of human beings. Therefore, a person's life should be "neither joy nor fear", and when death comes, it should be "carefree" and "no regrets". In Tao Yuanming's view, people's "identical things" are all bred by "big chunks" of "qi" (see "touching disaster"), and they are all "melted" like "identical things". So he said, "Where there is life, there must be death, and sooner or later there must be death." (The first part of Elegy) "What is the way to die?" (Same as the third) "The same mountain" is also "the same thing". It can be seen that Tao Yuanming not only faces life and death with a "natural" mentality, but also explains life and death with "nature". ?
In addition to integrating Confucianism and Taoism, Tao Yuanming also has some Buddhist thought factors. He had a close relationship with Hui Yuan in Torin Temple, and occasionally there were Buddhist-like words in his poems, such as "emptiness" in "Life is illusory, and it will be empty in the end" (the fourth part of Return to the Garden). His understanding of life coincides with Buddhism, but he seeks pleasure from real life and doesn't really believe in the afterlife. His shadow god is against Hui Yuan's theory of retribution and all forms of immortality. Therefore, he is not a Buddhist. Furthermore, Tao Yuanming is an outstanding representative of romantic life in Wei and Jin Dynasties. He pursues a kind of personality beauty and makes life artistic. Works such as Biography of Mr. Wuliu, Qu Ci and Gui Ju are the portrayal of this kind of personality beauty, while anecdotes such as Five Doors of Rice Don't Bend, Playing the Harpsichord, Drinking with Ge Jin (see Xiao Tong's Biography of Song Shu and Biography of Tao Yuanming) are the manifestations of this kind of personality beauty.
Third, the ideological content of Tao Yuanming's poems
Tao Yuanming's literary creation is the most outstanding achievement of poetry, and he has been recorded in the history of literature as a poet. His existing poems are nearly 130, which are rich in content.
(A), lamenting the hard work of being an official, expressing the thoughts of thinking about gardens.
Tao Yuanming devoted himself to being a scholar with the feelings of "helping the world and helping the people" and "seeking more happiness for himself" (part 19 of Drinking), but the officialdom was dark, and he was "ashamed of his ambition" (ditto) and "natural in nature and hard to get" (preface to Gui Xi Ci), so he refused to bow to others. He has no pleasure in being an official, hates hard work, and always meditates in the garden while serving. This kind of situation with one heart and two ends is fully revealed in his poems about official travel. For example, the second part of "Gengzi returned to the forest to shelter the wind in May" said: "I have been sighing since ancient times, and I only know it now! ..... The meditation garden is good and the world is good. " He regretted being an official: "I have been in love for a long time, how could I drown in this place?" (The second part of "Gengzi is still blocking the wind in the forest in mid-May") "Poetry and books are good, and the garden has no secular feelings. How to give up this, as far as Xijing. " ("Xin Chou went on vacation in July and went back to Jiangling for a night outing"). Even on the way to his post, in "The First Town Army Joined the Army by Qu Zuo", he said:
When the time comes, I will pick you up, and I will rest on the avenue. I decided to wear a dressing gown, and I was temporarily separated from the garden. When I am alone, I miss you. ..... My eyes are tired and my mind is full of mountains and rivers. Look at the clouds and shame the birds, but swim in the water. I really want to be at the beginning of my life, but who detained me? Chat, move, and finally go back to work.
Tao Yuanming can't calm down about his career, but he doesn't want to go back to China. The opposition between mind and form made him very painful and impatient. This kind of opposition and impatience just shows Tao Yuanming's noble character of unwilling to go with the flow. He wrote in "Ambassador Qian" that at the age of three, he joined the army in March to build health:
Who am I to encourage me to serve? As a system, elements are not easy. The dream of pastoral day, after such a long separation? Finally got pregnant and returned to the boat. I dare you not to frost on the cypress.
With such moral conduct and mentality, the hard work of being an official can be imagined. Lamenting the suffering of being an official is the content of Tao Yuanming's previous official poems, and it is Tao Yuanming's uniqueness to integrate the suffering of being an official with the love of meditation gardens.
(2) Describe the idyllic beauty and express the carefree and enjoyable state of mind.
In the conflict between being an official and being secluded, Tao Yuanming finally chose seclusion, which made his meditation on gardens become a reality of conversion, and his mind and form were unified. Describing the beautiful and quiet rural scenery and expressing the happy mood of leisure and contentment are the basic contents of Tao Yuanming's pastoral poems. He regards the countryside as a place to settle down, which is an ideal state opposite to the dark reality and muddy officialdom. Such as "back to the garden" one:
Few people do as the Romans do. Their nature is to love nature. Mistaken into the dust net, one to thirty years (it should be thirteen years). Birds in cages are often attached to the forests of the past, and fish in ponds yearn for the abyss of the past. I want to open up wasteland in Minamino and keep my humility to the fields. The house is surrounded by about ten acres of land, thatched cottages. Willow trees cover the eaves, and peach trees cover Li Lieman in front of the hospital. The neighboring village of the neighboring village is faintly visible, and there is smoke in the village. Several dogs barked in the alley, and the mulberry tree was barked by a rooster. There is no dust and sundries in the yard, and the quiet room is comfortable and leisurely. Trapped in a cage without freedom for a long time, I finally returned to the forest today.
This poem is about the reason why the poet returned to the field and his happy life in the countryside. Poets call officialdom "vulgar", the opportunity to cater to social intercourse and exploit officialdom "the rhyme of adapting to vulgarity", the metaphor of dirty and boring officialdom with "dust net" and "fan cage", and the metaphor of strayed into officialdom himself with "caged bird" and "pond fish", which shows that poets hate officialdom. Returning home is like a caged bird flying back to the mountains, and the fish in the pond returns to the pond, which makes the poet feel extremely free and happy. More than ten acres of land are enough for health, and eight or nine huts are enough for raising. The villages in the distance and the nearby villages are full of vitality and tranquility with smoking, barking dogs and crowing chickens. Human nature can be restored in this real and pure field. Another example is the fifth article of Drinking:
Building a house is human, and there are no horses and chariots. What can you do? The heart is far from being self-centered. Picking chrysanthemums under the east fence, you can see Nanshan leisurely. The mountains are getting better and better, and the birds are back. That makes sense. I forgot what I wanted to say.
This poem was written with a more secular attitude and appreciation of nature's interest and understanding. After retiring, the poet's carefree and contented state of mind was revealed in chrysanthemum picking, mountain watching, evening watching and bird watching. The phrase "picking chrysanthemums under the east fence" has always been appreciated by people. Su Shi said: "It is the most beautiful sentence to see the mountains because of picking chrysanthemums and the scenery because of picking chrysanthemums." (Dongpo's inscription and postscript) Wang Guowei said that this is "a world without me, looking at things by things, and I don't know what I am and what things are" ("Words on Earth"). In this kind of "realm and understanding" and "realm without self", the poet realized the real interest of life. Therefore, we can do this because we are far-minded. Another example is: "Even if the land is flat and the wind is far away, good seedlings are also pregnant with new ideas." This is about the charming atmosphere of early spring. "Love the forest in front of the hall, and clear the yin in midsummer. Give it back to me in Kaifeng. " (One of the main books of the Republic of China) "Xia Meng has long vegetation and trees around the house." This is about the beautiful scenery in summer. It is in this intoxicating pastoral scenery that the poet tasted "innocent girl is happy and I love my family."