“笑靜婉備”

Mozart-greensleeves (from youtube by Xuaster)

Recently I received an e-mail ”Fwd “ from a friend. It is a “four words
of wisdom ”, or 四字＂箴＂言, for the older generation, advising them
to practice “笑靜婉備” if they want to “孝敬晚輩”.

“笑” 常掛著笑的老人
“靜” 不要隨便開口
“婉” 口頭要委婉
“備” 隨時準備聽從使喚差遣

It reminds me of some the ancient Chinese poems:

酬張少府　　唐 王維

晚年惟好靜，萬事不關心。
自顧無長策，空知返舊林。
松風吹解帶，山月照彈琴。
君問窮通理，漁歌入浦深。

四塊玉 • 閑適 元 關漢卿

適意行，安心坐。渴時飲飢時餐醉時歌，
睏來時就向莎茵臥。
日月長，天地闊，閒快活。

The older generations need to practice “晚年惟好靜, 萬事不關心”,
"適意行", "安心坐" , live a quiet, peaceful, humble life, and be
"閒快活".


Yeh Tze

"山中何所有？嶺上多白雲。"

Huangshan (from youtube by JohnnyNK)

陶弘景(456－536 AD), a multitalented ancient Chinese poet, was
also a calligrapher, herbalist, philosopher, religionist (Daoist)
and naturalist.

Like 陶淵明 (365-427 AD), another 陶先生, he quit a government
job and took an early retirement at age of 36. He retired to a
mountain retreat at 茅山(江蘇) and devoted himself to the study of
Daoism (修道).

He knew how to enjoy his tranquil retirement living and appreciate
the beauty of nature. In his “答謝中書書”, he wrote:

“山川之美，古來共談。高峰入雲，清流見底。兩岸石壁，五色交輝。
青林翠竹，四時具備。曉霧將歇，猿鳥亂鳴；夕日欲頹，沉鱗競躍。
實是慾界之仙都。自康樂以來，未復有能與其奇者。”

The Emperor (梁武帝) sent him a “詔書” and asked him “山中何所有?”.
Showing his “高節” integrity, he simply replied:

”山中何所有? 嶺上多白雲。只可自怡悅, 不堪持贈君。”.

Learn to enjoy what you have, even the clouds over your home.


Yeh Tze

"Poet of the Fields", 田園詩人

"寂靜山林" (from youtube)

"Poet of the Fields", 田園詩人

Ancient Chinese poets had often written about peasant scenes and
idyllic pastoral life. 陶淵明, however, had lived it first-hand, and
therefore had written the best poems of the kind, in which he shared
his country living experiences and expressed his own personal
feelings as well.

Here are some of the verses in his "Returning to Live in the Country"
poems, (or 歸園田居詩s).

方宅十餘畝 草屋八九間
榆柳蔭後簷 桃李羅堂前

時復墟里人 披草夸來往
想見無雜言 但道桑麻長

種豆南山下 草盛豆苗稀
道狹草木長 夕露沾我衣

悵恨獨策還 崎嶇歷榛曲
山澗清且淺 遇以濯吾足

And the best of all, in one of his “飲酒詩s”,

採菊東籬下 悠然見南山
山氣日夕佳 飛鳥相與還


Yeh Tze

晨興理荒穢, 帶月荷鋤歸.

World of Rain (Carlos Nakai)

陶淵明 (陶潛), an ancient Chinese poet (365-427 AD), has been
most notably known as “田園詩人”or “隱逸詩人” 之祖.

Refusing to “為五斗米折腰” (bow like a servant in return for five
bushels of grain), he quit a government job and took an early
retirement at age of 41, an age that might have not been considered
to be "early" then.

He returned to his hometown of 潯陽柴桑 and started a new life as a
farmer, "開荒南野際, 守拙歸園田". He lived in retirement for his last 22 years.

His retirement living was quite simple. Everyday at dawn, he
"晨興理荒穢" , and late in the evening after sunset, he "帶月荷鋤歸".

He often "寄情於酒". Most of his writings were poems or essays, which
depict an idyllic pastoral life of farming and drinking. In one of
his “飲酒詩s”, he wrote:

結盧在人境　而無車馬喧
問君何能爾　心遠地自偏
採菊東籬下　悠然見南山
山氣日夕佳　飛鳥相與還
此還有真意　欲辨已忘言

陶淵明 really knew how to enjoy his tranquil retirement living and appreciate nature.

白居易(772-846 AD) admired his "高尚人格" and once visited 陶淵明's
柴桑故里. In his poem “訪陶公舊宅”, he wrote:

柴桑古村落 栗里舊山川
不見籬下菊 空餘墟里煙
子孫雖無聞 族氏猶未遷
每逢陶姓人 使我心依然


Yeh Tze

"不足為外人道也", a matter of trust.

"Hidden Mountain" (from youtube by Simeon Wood)

In his work, “Story of the Peach Blossom Valley" (桃花源記), 陶淵明
depicted an imaginary remote and secluded hideaway utopia of
great beauty and peacefulness.

A 武陵 fisherman was so lucky to be accidently getting into this
Shangri-La through a “一山小口” while being wandering in a grove
of 桃花林. He was warmly greeted by the villagers there and was
treated quite well. Upon leaving, he was told "不足為外人道也",
a humble and polite gesture for the villagers to ask him not to tell
anyone else about the place.

However, on his way back home, he purposely “處處誌之”, and then
even went to "郡下", "詣太守，說如此.”. 南陽劉子驥，a “高尚士”, also
heard of it.

When trying to return to the paradise by “尋向所誌”, they either
“遂迷” or “未果”, and therefore “不復得路”. Accordingly, “後遂無問
津者” since.

Obviously, the villagers could not trust the outsiders, this 武陵人
included. I presume they followed him and quietly removed all the
“誌s” that had been installed by him.

The story also stressed the matter of “trust and betrayal”.

《桃花源記》陶淵明 原文

晉太元中，武陵人，捕魚為業，緣溪行，忘路之遠近；忽逢桃花林，
夾岸數百步，中無雜樹，芳草鮮美，落英繽紛；漁人甚異之。復前行，
欲窮其林。林盡水源，便得一山。山有小口，彷彿若有光，便舍船，
從口入。

初極狹，纔通人；復行數十步，豁然開朗。土地平曠，屋舍儼然。
有良田、美池、桑、竹之屬，阡陌交通，雞犬相聞。其中往來種作，
男女衣著，悉如外人；黃髮垂髫，並佁然自樂。見漁人，乃大驚，
問所從來；具答之。便要還家，設酒、殺雞、作食。村中聞有此人，
咸來問訊。自云：「先世避秦時亂，率妻子邑人來此絕境，不復出焉；
遂與外人間隔。」問「今是何世？」乃不知有漢，無論魏、晉！
此人一一為具言所聞，皆歎惋。餘人各復延至其家，皆出酒食。
停數日，辭去。此中人語云：「不足為外人道也。」

既出，得其船，便扶向路，處處誌之。及郡下，詣太守，說如此。
太守即遣人隨其往，尋向所誌，遂迷不復得路。南陽劉子驥，
高尚士也，聞之，欣然規往，未果，尋病終。後遂無問津者。


Yeh Tze

聲在樹間

"Wind in the pines" from youtube by Lorendad, 松濤 (or 松風)

In an autumn night, while having been 方夜讀書, 歐陽子(歐陽修)
heard sounds coming from the southwest and thought it “異哉 !".
He described the sounds as:

“初淅瀝以蕭颯，忽奔騰而砰湃；如波濤夜驚，風雨驟至。其觸於物也，
鏦鏦錚錚，金鐵皆鳴；又如赴敵之兵，銜枚疾走，不聞號令，但聞人馬
之行聲。"

He asked his 童子："此何聲也? 汝出視之。" 童子 came back and said：
" 星月皎潔，明河在天，四無人聲，聲在樹間。"

Early this morning, I, 葉子(Yeh Tze) woke up to an autumn wind,
that sounded “淒淒切切，呼號憤發”. Instead of asking a “童子”, I came
out of the house myself and "出視之".

I noticed the wind in the trees was rising in a hurry. The trees tried
to argue, but they could not detain the wind. They compromised with
their stalks swaying and their branches waving, making a unique
autumn sound, or "秋聲".

The autumn air is crisp and can be '淅瀝'. The acoustics of autumn
are often “淒淒切切” and “呼號憤發”.


Autumn Wind (By Haiku)

Touched by spirit wind
Tempered by the silent sound
Approaching winter

Touched by spirit wind
Caressed by tree song, embraced
By warm sunlit days

Finally, autumn
Leaves turning gold and crimson,
Maples in my soul.

Empty trees, bare bones
Dancing skeletons caper
Hear the howling wind.


Yeh Tze

曉霧妝成野外, 晨霜染就荒郊.

"Misty Morning" from youtube.

曉霧妝成野外, 晨霜染就荒郊

I once noticed these two poetic scenery descriptions: “曉霧妝成野外”
and “晨霜染就荒郊", in a Chinese classical novel, 章回小說 “拍案驚奇“.

As a matter of fact, I have also experienced these beautiful nature
scenes in our valley during the late autumn season, and they remind
me of those nature descriptive words as well the as traditional
Chinese paintings, “水墨畫“.

The early morning scene in our area during this time of year is often
misty and murky, especially after a rain overnight, and when 天色將
曉, I see “曉霧妝成野外 “.

Occasionally, when the ground surface temperature falls below
freezing point during the night, I wake up to a crispy and frosty
morning the next day, and 到來朝，天色已曉, I see “晨霜染就荒郊“.

I often get disappointed when the sun rises and gradually erases all
those lovely paintings that nature created. They, however, gracefully
return for another display the following morning.


One Misty, Moisty Morning (An English Nursery Rhyme)

One misty, moisty morning,
When cloudy was the weather,
I chanced to meet an old man
Clothed all in leather:
He began to compliment,
And I began to grin–
“How do you do?” and “How do you do?”
And “How do you do?” again!


Yeh Tze