Historically, before Tao Yuanming, there were only a handful of agricultural poems that appeared in the form of folk songs and expressed some feelings in the pastoral background. For example, the Book of Songs is between ten acres, and between July and ten acres: "Between ten acres, mulberries are idle, and children are still happy. Ten acres away, the mulberry is venting, and the son is dead. " The second time of July: "July is full of fire, September is full of clothes, spring sunshine, and Amin is ploughing." The woman followed with a basket, begging for soft mulberry. Spring came and Qi Qi was adopted. The woman was so sad that she almost took her son home. The rural scenery they describe is unpretentious. The description of natural scenery is only the foil and background of people's activities. The author's intention is not to show their natural beauty. The main content of Tao Yuanming's pastoral poems is to describe the simple rural scenery and daily life in the countryside, which is expressed frankly and naturally through simple language, making people feel that the poet's love for the countryside and the land really seems to flow naturally from his chest, without any trace of chisel. For example, the first part of "Returning to the Garden" wrote: "There are more than ten acres of square houses, eight or nine thatched houses, and the eaves behind the willow shade. Luo tang qian, Li Tao, "Warm Smoke in Yiyi Market in Ren Yuan Village". This is a typical rural scenery. Elms and willows are planted in front of and behind the house, and the beautiful peach blossoms and plum blossoms are full of fragrance, and the smoke from the kitchen is curled up, creating a quiet and comfortable picture. Only those who really love the land and rural environment can write the words that naturally flow from their works. Another example is Reading the Classic of Mountains and Seas: Xia Meng's house is surrounded by vegetation and trees. Birds seem to be satisfied with their food. I love my thatched cottage. After farm work, I often come back to read my favorite books. Live in a secluded village lane, away from the noise, even if old friends drive back. Enjoy spring wine and pick vegetables from my garden. The drizzle blows from the east, accompanied by a fresh breeze. Pan-browse "Biography of Zhou Wang", flowing all over the mountains and seas. What could be happier than this view of the universe? Here, the poet painted a picture of rural scenery with line drawing and plain language, which made people read it effortlessly, but we could feel the poet's love for the countryside between the lines. In early summer, the trees around the house are lush, quiet and beautiful, and birds fly here to nest. Although there are no gorgeous peach blossoms and plum blossoms on the trees, and there are no floating elm catkins, the lush green trees set off a pleasant sun, and the singing of birds set off a quiet and peaceful pastoral environment. The trees, birds, wind, rain, houses, etc. written by the poet all contain the poet's sincere intention of being close to the countryside and loving the land.
Second, deep friendship with farmers.
Years of working life have made Tao Yuanming have a deep affection with farmers, and the relationship with farmers has become more and more harmonious. This kind of communication is sincere and full of interest in his poems. For example, Return to the Garden Part II: There are few people in the wild and few wheels in the poor lanes. The day after tomorrow, I blindfolded and thought about wine. When people are in a complicated market, they wear grass. When we meet, we don't talk about worldly affairs, only that the garden is long in Sang Ma. My field is growing higher and higher, and my cultivated land is expanding day by day. Often worried about sudden frost, crops wither like shrubs. In the slack season, the poet * * * is not a dignitary who rides a horse and drives a car, but a "grassy" farmer. He is intimate with farmers at will. He is so approachable that he doesn't have the airs of a feudal local doctor. Farmers regard him as their bosom friend and treat him warmly. "People in the market are exposed to grass," and they chat with farmers at will. His thoughts and feelings are also closely linked to the fate of crops. He is excited and happy for the vigorous growth of crops and the continuous increase of cultivated land area, and he is also worried and worried about the crops being withered by frost. So he said, "The days in Sang Ma are long, but those in our country are wide. I am always afraid that the frost will come, and so will the grass. " . His behavior of caring about farming, being close to farmers and communicating with farmers is particularly valuable in the era of strict hierarchy in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Because there was always contempt for agriculture and farmers in the values of the aristocratic doctor class at that time. The two songs "Migration" also wrote about his friendly exchanges with farmers' neighbors. Work with neighbors, have fun and build close friendship. The second cloud: There are many beautiful days in spring and autumn, and new poems are written on the mountain. It's better to call each other after crossing the door, so there's wine to consider. Farming returns to hometown, homesick in leisure; Acacia put on her clothes and talked endlessly. This truth is invincible, and inaction will come to this place at once. You should behave yourself in food and clothing, and don't bully me if you work hard. Here, the frank and harmonious relationship between poets and farmers is as close as fish and water. "It's better to say hello when you enter the door, and then consider it when you have wine." Friends pass by the door, greet each other and get together. If there is wine, let's consider it together. We seem to hear cordial greetings, as if we saw their carefree appearance when drinking. Drinking and tasting wine, ploughing the fields, and dressing at home, these harmonious and comfortable lives with farmers are the poet's understanding of working life and his profound understanding of farmland affairs and farmers. It is also my determination to plow forever. This kind of people-friendly consciousness and "Tian Lao"-style "self-financing" life are the ties that maintain their feelings and the source of happiness. This is why his pastoral poems broke through the description of pastoral scenery in the previous generation of general agricultural poems, and at the same time surpassed the role of sympathy and concern for farmers that later generations appeared in the poems as bystanders, forming their own unique pastoral style.
Third, our own efforts.
Being close to farmers, being neighbors to farmers and praising labor are the manifestations of his pro-agriculture consciousness. As a part of natural life, he even wrote about his feelings and experiences in farming. The practical significance of this agricultural work also embodies a belief of Tao Yuanming. For example, the third part of "Returning to the Garden": beans are planted in Nanshan, and the grass is full of bean seedlings. Get up early in the morning to get rid of weeds, and come back with hoes in the moonlight at night. The narrow path covered with vegetation, the night dew wet my clothes. It's not a pity to get wet, but I hope it won't be against my will. This poem truly describes his working life and his own feelings. Although "grass is abundant and bean seedlings are scarce", he still "promotes filth in the morning and brings lotus flowers home", which truly shows the hardship of working at sunrise and resting at sunset, and the hardship of the tiller having his field. Beans are planted in the field, but because of low agricultural technology, bean seedlings are scarce and grass grows vigorously. Even so, the poet is still in the dark, wearing a star Dai Yue, going out with dew in the morning, and going home with dew in the middle of the night, and naturally sweating during the day. Although the work is very hard, Tao Yuanming feels very comfortable and full of self-satisfaction. He doesn't regard labor as a "cheap" thing, but thinks it is in line with his wishes.
It is precisely because of the poet's personal work experience that he integrated all his life and feelings into the land along the Xunyang River and endured all the hardships of farm work, so that he could realize the hard life of farmers in the countryside and describe his works in such a meticulous way. The generation of this sense of reality, the pastoral scenery reappeared after farming and mulberry work, the carefree after physical labor and the joy of realizing the ideal are beyond the reach of later pastoral poets. Whether Meng Haoran's Luming Literature in Xiangyang or Wang Wei's Quiet Songs in Wangchuan Villa in the Tang Dynasty, their pastoral poems are poetic, but they have no personal experience of farming. The author does not have or is unwilling to be as persistent and sincere as Tao Yuanming, and has special feelings for the land. What has been lacking is the hardship and happiness that Tao Yuanming has after farming. Therefore, reading these poems feels a bit artificial. Therefore, we say that Tao Yuanming is the founder of pastoral poetry, but at the same time, he developed this form of poetry to an unparalleled height. One of the most important reasons is that he has a profound understanding of long-term farming life. Another example is, "Geng Xu's early rice is harvested in September": life belongs to the Tao, and food and clothing are solid. Don't camp at all, for safety? In spring, I try to do business, and my working years are considerable. In the morning, it's a little slow, during the day, it's negative. There are two buildings in the mountains, and the atmosphere is cold first and then hot. Tian Jia is not bitter, Fu is hard to quit. Four bodies are sincere and tired, and ordinary people are no different. Wash under the eaves, fight for wine and splash your face. Stay away from drowning for thousands of years. I hope so, and I can't regret it. The beginning of this poem is: "Life belongs to the Tao, and food and clothing are solid. What do you mean, don't camp, but seek self-protection? " Self-cultivation and self-sufficiency are the ideal social and personal lifestyles in an agricultural society. The word "food and clothing" is extremely important to human livelihood, and material production is the basis of human survival. Everyone has an unshirkable responsibility to create material wealth. This truth comes from Tao Yuanming's mouth, which is especially valuable. The poet believes that the pursuit of food and clothing should be put in the first place in life. If you want to achieve physical safety, you must manage your own food and clothing. The rhetorical question here implies that the ruling class at that time despised the work of farming mulberry, and it was a great event for Tao Yuanming to abandon the officialdom and encourage himself to stick to it. "In spring, my career is very long, and my working years are considerable. Be a little diligent in the morning, but still be negative during the day. There are two buildings in the mountains, and the atmosphere is cold first and then hot. Tian Jia is not bitter, and Fu is hard to quit. " The poet first described that he had been engaged in farmland work since spring and never stopped. It seems that this year's harvest is not bad, and the joy of harvest is revealed between the lines. Because this harvest is the result of hard work, "I work hard in the morning, and I repay it during the day". I take it out to work in the fields in the morning and come back with tools at night, and do my meager strength every day and every month. Although my job is limited, I didn't go home until evening, which shows that labor is hard, so it is even more difficult to achieve "a considerable length of service". "RaoShuang dew in the mountains, the atmosphere is cold before hot. Tian Jia is not bitter, and Fu is hard to quit. " Originally, the work was very hard, but there was a lot of frost and dew in the mountains, and the atmosphere was cold first. Of course, this will affect the yield of crops. For poets, it is especially necessary to pay more hardships. As mentioned earlier, in the second year after returning to the field, the poet once "planted beans in Shannan" and "the grass was full of beans and the seedlings were sparse". After a few years, rice is now planted in the mountains, but it can be said that it is "old age", and he has the real experience of "Tianjia is not bitter". This is his only way to live. The poet worked hard to support himself and felt at ease. Although he works hard, he takes pleasure in suffering. This valuable feeling of volunteering to participate in agricultural work for a long time is a strong evidence of his strong pro-agricultural consciousness.
Fourthly, Tao Yuanming's pro-agriculture consciousness and seclusion feelings.
Tao Yuanming's pastoral poems have a strong pro-agricultural consciousness, which is closely related to his seclusion. It is his experience of seclusion in the mountains that gives him the opportunity to really get in touch with nature, farmers and work by himself.
Tao Yuanming was educated by Confucian tradition since childhood and had a positive attitude towards life. He had expected to make progress in his official career and make a difference in politics. He said in Mr. Murong: "I will not leave behind the legacy of my former teacher!" 40 is ignorant, isn't it enough to be afraid? Raise my famous car and make me a famous horse. Although thousands of miles away, how dare you! " He wants to whip his horse and go out to show his talents and ambitions, hoping that he can realize his ideal of "being beneficial all his life". He also said, "I remember when I was young, I was very satisfied with myself. I was eager to escape from all over the world. I was in Philip Burkart." (3) can be seen in his mind. However, by the time Tao Yuanming was young and middle-aged, the politics of the Eastern Jin Dynasty had been completely chaotic, and he had empty ambitions but no reason to display them. Therefore, there are many words in poetry that will not be sighed. He used to be an official. Although he may have hoped and tried politics, it is more a necessity because of the political situation and life pressure. He is so out of place with the secular world, but he has to blend into the officialdom, so his spirit is very painful and full of regret and guilt. After several regrets, he resolutely made up his mind to say goodbye to officialdom and die unsatisfied. The twelfth song of Drinking says: "The elder was an official, but the strong man suddenly lost his time. Dumen does not return and dies for life. " The power struggle in officialdom and the bloody political intrigue made Tao Yuanming, who is really pure in nature, unbearable any longer. Therefore, "Dumen will not return, and he will die for life", and he will never be an official again.
Tao Yuanming came to the quiet countryside from the filthy officialdom. He totally denied the first half of his life, saying, "I fell into the dust net by mistake and went away for 30 years" and "I have been caged for a long time, and I have to return to nature." He called the official career officialdom a "dust net" and a "cage". He couldn't wait to get rid of this sinister environment as soon as possible and immediately return to his very familiar and friendly countryside. "The caged bird yearns for the old forest, and the fish in the pond misses the old garden" means that he is like a caged bird, thinking about the forest that used to fly freely all the time, just like the fish in the pond thinking about the rivers and seas that used to float freely all the time, and living a free life of "the sea is wide for fish to jump and the sky is high for birds to fly". This kind of emotion is more obvious in his "Hui Xi Ci". "Not far from getting lost, I feel right or wrong today." With a feeling of regret, I completely denied myself in the past. Once I got rid of the road and danger, I was ecstatic. "Ask my husband, hate the first light in the morning" even if I saw my door at an early moment, it became a great pleasure and comfort. Describing rural areas and rural scenery with such emotions and feelings is, of course, a complete denial of officialdom and official career.
In his contacts with working peasants, Tao Yuanming felt their sincerity and simplicity, and established a sincere and profound friendship with them, which enabled Tao Yuanming to return from the dirty officialdom and see more people with intrigue and fame and fortune, discover truth, goodness and beauty, and purify his mind. Therefore, he sincerely praised the peasants and praised the pure friendship he established with them.
Tao Yuanming's seclusion and hard work is a real rejection of his official career and a pursuit of freedom, instead of focusing on officialdom in rivers and lakes or returning to his hometown to be a fertile landlord. He came to the countryside, breathing the free air desperately, and was intoxicated for a while. He appreciates the countryside and is really infatuated with it. What he often talks about is "meditation garden" and "Going to sleep in the garden". Compared with the filthy officialdom, everything in the countryside is beautiful. The poet's soul, touching the beauty of the countryside, immediately merged with nature. He embraced the beautiful and pure nature wholeheartedly with an open mind and understood the true meaning of life. Here, the poet pursues not the enjoyment of material life, but the liberation of spirit and the true freedom of personality.
To sum up, Tao Yuanming's pastoral poems, based on his own pastoral life experience, directly describe pastoral scenery and pastoral life in the field space, which contains seclusion feelings. His greatness and uniqueness lie in his pro-agricultural consciousness and his work practice of cultivating Long Mu. It can be said that it is this that distinguishes Tao Yuanming from all frustrated literati in ancient times, and also makes him the only writer in feudal times who is truly qualified to be called a "country poet". The strong pro-agriculture consciousness in his pastoral poems reflects his seclusion feelings. He also used these poems to show his great ambition of being an official in seclusion, thus becoming an "ancient and modern hermit"
References:
[1] Tao Yuanming lives in seclusion. Li Hua wrote Capital Normal University Newspaper 1995.05.
[2] "Appreciation of Tao Yuanming's Poems" Lihua Bashu Bookstore 1988 edition.
[3] Journal of Hunan Education Institute Liu Jiyuan 200 1.04
[4] "Tao Yuanming and his pastoral poetry" by Sun Jing "China" 199+0.