THE FIVE-CHARACTER POEMS OF WEI & JIN

form evolved from the poems of 《Yue Fu Poems》.

Outstanding poets of Wei used the titles in the 《Yue Fu Poems》 of Han. There was a “New Yue Fu Campaign” in the Tang Dynasty headed by Bai Juyi. All later poets who criticized political darkness and reflected the sufferings of people had absorbed nutrition from 《Yue Fu Poems》 and pushed forward the development of Chinese literature.

 IV. THE FIVE-CHARACTER POEMS OF WEI & JIN
           ( 魏 晋 五 言 诗 )

Wei was a kingdom during the Three-Kingdom period (220-280), we only mention Wei, because it was more outstanding in poetry than Shu and Wu Kingdoms. Jin (265-420) includes both Western Jin (265-316) and Eastern Jin (317-420) Dynasties. Wu Yan (五言) poetry, means five-character a lone poems.

Wu Yan poetry was evolved from “Yue Fu” poetry. It was formalized at the turn of the second century to the third century. We refer to this period in the Chinese history of literature as the “Jian An (建安) Era”. Jian An was the title of the reign of Emperor Xian of Han. During this period, Cao Cao was the Prime Minister of Wei; he and his two sons were leaders in the world of letters at the time. Besides three Caos, seven scholars (often referred to as seven sons) were also famous. They not only carried on the tradition of “Yue Fu”—“touched by sadness or happiness and inspired by events”, but also laid a solid foundation for “Wu Yan” poetry.

曹操 (Cao Cao, 155-220) was a statesman, master of military affairs and a great poet. He became the Prime Minister of Wei in 209, in 214 was knighted the Duke of Wei, in 217 became the King of Wei and was conferred the title Emperor Wu of Wei posthumously. There are only less than 20 poems of Cao Cao in existence today. They were all written in the form of 《Yue Fu Poems》, for instance 《薤露行, Xie Lu Xing, The Dew of Grass》 and 《蒿里行, Hao Li Xing, The Wormwoods》 were all titles in 《Yue Fu Poems》, but Cao Cao used them to write about current events of the time. In the latter, his sympathetic pen recorded the sufferings of the people in war:

  铠甲生虮虱，            Kai jia sheng ji shi,
  万姓以死亡，            Wan xing yi si wang,
  白骨露于野，            Bai gu lu yu ye,
  千里无鸡鸣，            Qian li wu ji ming,
  生民百遗一，            Sheng min bai yi yi,
  念之断人肠。            Nian zhi duan ren chang.

  Louses and their eggs are found in the armors,
  Ten thousand people died,
  Their white bones are exposed in the wilds,
  No cock’s crow can be heard in a thousand li,
  Only one out of a hundred is alive,
  It’s heartbroken to think of the scene.
His 《步出夏门行, Bu Chu Xia Men Xing, Exit from Xia Men》 is consisted of several parts, among them the following two are most well known:
   观沧海,                Guan Cang Hai,
  东临碣石，              Dong lin jie shi,
  以观沧海。              Yi guan cang hai.
  水何澹澹，              Shui he dan dan,
  山岛竦峙。              Shan dao song zhi.
  树木丛生，              Shu mu cong sheng,
  百草丰茂。              Bai cao feng mao.
  秋风萧瑟，              Qiu feng xiao se,
  洪波涌起。              Hong bo yong qi.
  日月之行，              Ri yue zhi xing,
  若出其中；              Ruo chu qi zhong;
  星汉灿烂，              Xing han can lan,
  若出其里。狶繚鐃        Ruo chu qi li.
  幸甚至哉，              Xing shen zhi zai,
  歌以咏志。              Ge yi yong zhi.
  Observing the Blue Sea
  Coming to the ease, I climbed up Mountain Jieshi,
  To observe the blue sea.
  The water is so vast,
  Hills and islands raise from it straight.
  Trees and bush are all over,
  Grasses prosper.
  When autumn wind is soughing,
  Gigantic waves are surging.
  The movement of sun and moon,
  Seemed to be powered up by the waves;
  The splendid Milky Way,
  Seemed to be born from the inside of the waves.
  Since my mind is filled with elevation,
  I compose this song to voice my aspiration.
Cao Cao devoted the whole poem to natural scenery. No poet had ever done so before Cao Cao. This poem can be regarded as the earliest landscape poem of China. Cao Cao wrote it in September of the 12th year of “Jian An” period after he returned from a successful battle. Ever since Song Yu, all poems about autumn carry a sad tone. Yet, no sadness can be detested from this poem. What we find in it is magnitude, vigor, power and grandeur, which illustrate the broad mind of the poet. Another poem in this part is 《龟虽寿, Gui Sui Shou, Though the Long Life of Turtle》 which read:
  神龟虽寿，            Shen gui sui shou,
  犹有竟时。            You you jing shi.
  腾蛇乘雾，            Teng she cheng wu,
  终为土灰。            Zhong wei tu hui,
  老骥伏枥,              Lao ji fu li,
  志在千里，            Zhi zai qian li,
  烈士暮年，             Lie shi mu nian,
  壮心不已。             Zhuang xin bu yi.
  盈缩之期，             Ying suo zhi qi,
  不但在天；             Bu dan zai tian;
  养怡之福，             Yang yi zhi fu,
  可得永年。             Ke de yong nian,
  幸甚至哉，             Xing shen zhi zai,
  歌以咏志。             Ge yi yong zhi.
  Long was the life of the divined turtle,
  It came to an end still.
  Flying snake used to wind through mist,
  It finally became dust.
  The old horse is feeding itself by the manger,
  Another thousand li it wishes to cover,
  The heart of a hero in his old age,
  Is as stout as ever.
  The wax of life or its wane,
  Is not entirely decided by heaven;
  If one knows how to keep himself healthy and happy,
  He can certainly obtain longevity.
  Since my mind is in such a state of elevation,
  I compose this song to voice my aspiration.
The poet was 53 when he wrote this poem, which stated truly his positive and enterprising spirit. He also wrote songs to express his political ideals and his willingness to open all avenues for people of talent, for instance in 《短歌行, Duan Ge Xing, A Short Songs》:
  对酒当歌，              Dui jiu dang ge,
  人生几何？              Ren sheng ji he?
  譬如朝露，              Pi ru zhao lu,
  去日苦多。              Qu ri ku duo.
  慨当以慷，              Kai dang yi kang,
  忧思难忘。              You si nan wang,
  何以解忧，              He yi jie you,
  唯有杜康。              Wei you du kang.
  青青子衿，              Qing qing zi jin,
  悠悠我心。              You you wo xin,
  但为君故，              Dan wei jun gu,
  沉吟至今。              Chen yin zhi jin.
  呦呦鹿鸣，              You you lu ming,
  食野之苹。              Shi ye zhi ping.
  我有嘉宾，              Wo you jia bin,
  鼓瑟吹笙。              Gu se chui sheng.
  明明如月，              Ming ming ru yue,
  何时可掇。              He shi ke duo.
  忧从中来，              You cong zhong lai,
  不可断绝。              Bu ke duan jue.
  越陌度阡，              Yue mo du qian,
  枉用相存。              Wang yong xiang cun.
  契阔谈宴,               Qi kuo tan yan,
  心念旧恩。              Xin nian jiu en.
  月明星稀，              Yue ming xing xi,
  乌鹊南飞。              Wu que nan fei.
  绕树三匝，              Rao shu san za,
  何枝可依。              He zhi ke yi.
  山不厌高，              Shan bu yan gao,
  水不厌深，              Shui bu yan shen,
  周公吐哺，              Zhou gong tu bu,
  天下归心。              Tian xia gui xin.
  When raise a cup of wine, one should sing,
  After all life can not be ever lasting.
  Isn’t life just like the morning dew?
  Day after day its evaporation can not even be slow.
  Though my generosity goes along with chivalry,
  I can not get rid of my worry.
  To forget my worry,
  The liquor of Dukang is the only recipe.
  Young scholars’ blue gown,
  Has appeared in my mind for long.
  It is because of these young gentry,
  I have kept my voice low until today.
  The deer call to one another with beautiful sound,
  While eating celery in the field.
  I have honorable guest,
  For them drums, string and pipe instruments are played.
  (The gentry is like) the bright moon,
  When can I reach it in the heaven?
  This thought gives me worry,
  I can no longer find peace and merry.
  You all have come from far away,
  And demeaned yourselves to work with me.
  We are talking so heartily at this banquet,
  Your trust and favor I shall not forget.
  The moon is bright, yet stars are sparse,
  The magpies are flying to the south.
  They sometimes fly around a tree three times,
  Can not decide to rest on which branches.
  Mountain never rejects height,
  Water never rejects depth,
  I shall act like Duke Zhou who nursed talents,
  And win the trust from every heart.
It is said that Cao Cao composed this poem at a banquet held on a big ship at the northern bank of the Changjiang River, before a decisive battle with the Kingdom of Wu. The poem expressed his broad mind of desiring more talented people. The “blue gown” and “deer call” are famous lines from 《The Book of Songs》. He compared talents to the moon, those who had not decided to join him as magpies. It should be pointed out that Cao Cao’s personnel policy was very bold and creative at the time. People he used may not be “kind” or “filial”, but they were experts in the art of warfare and state matters.
Cao Cao’s poems are heartfelt, powerful and simple without embellishment. Passion, sadness and chill are the basic tone of “Jian An” literature. They are most striking in Cao Cao’s poems. He was the first who used old 《Yue Fu Poems》 titles to describe events, for instance, 《The Dew on Grass》 and 《The  Wormwoods》 were elegies in 《Yue Fu Poems》, but Cao Cao gave them contents, which were entirely new. Because Cao Cao’s influence, many scholars were gathered around him, including the “seven sons” we mentioned before, at Yexia, the capital of Wei.

Cao Pi (曹丕, 187-226), the elder son of Cao Cao took over the seat of the King of Wei in 220. He was able to write beautiful articles when he was only eight. He is an outstanding poet in his own right, 40 of his poems are now in existence.

Cao Zhi (曹植, 192-232), the third and most talented son of Cao Cao who intended to appoint him the crown prince. Yet Cao Cao was several times enraged at Cao Zhi’s unbridled behaviors while his elder brother was good at currying favors with Cao Cao. After Pi became the King, he was very much on guard against Zhi and limited Zhi’s actions. Pi was still jealous of Zhi’s talents after he came to power. To embarrass Zhi, Pi asked Zhi to compose a poem within seven steps in front of all the ministers. Before the seventh step, the following lines were uttered out of Zhi’s mouth:

  煮豆燃豆萁，             Zhu dou ran dou ji,
  豆在釜中泣，             Dou zai fu zhong qi,
  本是同根生，             Ben shi tong gen sheng,
  相煎何太急？             Xiang jian he tai ji?

  Bean is being boiled by burning its stalks,
  Bean is crying inside the cauldron,
  Since we were born from the same root,
  Why so anxious in boiling me?
So, in the end, the one that was embarrassed was Cao Pi. When talking about Zhi’s talent, Xie Lingyun of Southern Dynasties said, “If there are 100 gift in the world, Zhi has possessed 80, I possess 10 and all other people under heaven share the rest.” The following words in his famous poetic prose 《The Deity of River Luo》 can show how fertile his pen was: “Her figure, light as a startled swan goose flying up, graceful as a meandering dragon. Her looks glow as autumn chrysanthemum, exuberates as a spring pine. She sometimes looked so indistinct as the moon being shaded by a layer of light clouds; sometimes lithe as the snow drifted back by wind. Looking from afar, she is as radiant as rosy clouds at dawn; closing up, she is brilliant as lotus rising from green waters.” Zhi’s poems in his early days are different from his later days. His early poetry falls into two categories: 《斗鸡, Dou Ji, Cock’s Fight》 and 《公宴, Gong Yan, The Duke’s Banquet》 in the first category reflect his leisurely life as a prince; 《送应氏, Song Ying Shi, Seeing Off Ying》 and 《泰山梁甫行, Tai Shan Liang Fu Xing, Liangfu on Mount Tai》 in the second category reflect his experience of being born in unrest and grew up in army life, the following lines in the latter poem are well known:

  八方各异气，             Ba fang ge yi qi,
  千里殊风雨。             Qian li shu feng yu.
  剧哉边海民，             Ju zai bian hai min,
  寄身于草野。             Ji shen yu cao ye.
  妻子象禽兽，             Qi zi xiang qin shou,
  行止依林阻。             Xing zhi yi lin zu.
  柴门何萧条，             Chai men he xiao tiao,
  狐兔翔我宇。             Hu tu xiang wo yu.

  Atmosphere differs from place to place,
  Wind and rain are different a thousand li away.
  People by seaside are leading a hard life,
  They live in the wilds.
  Their wives look like birds and beasts,
  Their actions are dangerous in mountain forests.
  It’s desolate behind the wooden door,
  Even fox and rabbit come in to play.
Poems of his later period conveyed his indignant and grief feelings and his unwillingness of being put aside without doing anything. After two of his friends were killed by Pi, he wrote 《野田黄雀行, Ye Tian Huang Que Xing, The Flight of Yellow Sparrows in the Fields》 to criticize Pi. He wrote another 《The  Dew of Grass》 to express his aspirations even though he was in adversity:

  怀此王佐才，             Huai ci wang zuo cai,
  慷慨独不群。             Kang kai du bu qun.
  。。。。。。                   ……
  骋我径寸翰，             Cheng wo jing cun han,
  流藻垂华芬。             Liu zao chui hua fen.

  I possess the talent of assisting a king,
  I’m impassioned and unique.
  …
  I could only run my brush pen freely,
  Let the beauty of my writings pass on.
One of the 《七哀诗, Qi Ai Shi, Poems of Seven Sorrows》 conveys the same spirit:
  愿欲一轻济，             Yuan yu yi qing ji,
  惜哉无方舟，             Xi zai wu fang zhou,
  闲居非吾志，             Xian ju fei wu zhi,
  甘心赴国忧。             Gan xin fu guo you.

  I would like to have a light crossing over waters,
  Regretfully I have no boat.
  Staying idle at home is not my wish,
  I’d rather relieve the worries of the state.
In the following poem, Zhi expressed his pent-up feelings by comparing himself to a beauty:

  美 女 篇                 Mei Nu Pian
   曹 植                   by Cao Zhi

  美女妖且闲，             Mei nu yao qie xian,
  采桑歧路间。             Cai sang qi lu jian.
  柔条纷冉冉，             Rou tiao fen ran ran,
  落叶何翩翩。             Luo ye he pian pian.
  攘袖见素手，             Rang xiu jian su shou,
  皓腕约金环。             Hao wan yue jin huang.
  头上金爵钗，             Tou shang jin jue chai,
  腰佩翠琅玕。             Yao pei cui lang gan.
  明珠交玉体，             Ming zhu jiao yu ti,
  珊瑚间木难。             Shan hu jian mu nan.
  罗衣何飘飖，             Luo yi he piao yao,
  轻裾随风还。             Qing ju sui feng huan.
  顾盼遗光彩，             Pan gu yi guang cai,
  长啸气若兰。             Chang xiao qi ruo lan.
  行徒用息驾，             Xing tu yong xi jia,
  休者以忘餐。             Xiu zhe yi wang can.
  借问女安居，             Jie wen nu an ju,
  乃在城南端。             Nai zai cheng nan duan.
  青楼临大路，             Qing lou lin da lu,
  高门结重关。             Gao men jie chong guan.
  容华耀朝日，             Rong hua yao zhao ri,
  谁不希令颜？             Shei bu xi ling yan?
  媒氏何所营？             Mei shi he suo ying?
  玉帛不时安。             Yu bo bu shi an.
  佳人慕高义，             Jia ren mu gao yi,
  求贤良独难。             Qiu xian liang du nan.
  众人徒嗷嗷，             Zhong ren tu ao ao,
  安知彼所观？             An zhi bi suo guan?
  盛年处房室，             Sheng nian chu fang shi,
  中夜起长叹。             Zhong ye qi chang tan.

  The Beauty
   By Cao Zhi
  The girl is beautiful and gentle,
  Collecting mulberry by the road crossing.
  The branches are softly dancing,
  And the leaves are lightly dripping.
  Sleeves rolled up to expose the white hand,
  On the white wrist there is a golden ring.
  A golden hairpin on her head,
  And green ornament worn at her waist.
  Embellished with red coral,
  Her jade-like body also wears bright pearl.
  Her silk dress is fluttering gently,
  With the front part being blown backwards.
  Her glance carries splendor,
  Her long breath smells with orchid flavor.
  Passers stopped their carts when looking at her,
  Forgot to go on eating was some lunch takers.
  People may ask where she lives,
  Well, she lives in the southern part of the city.
  The gray building sits by the roadside,
  With a high gate and a few heavy bolts.
  Since her looks is as bright as the morning sun,
  Who would not adore her beauty?
  What have the matchmakers been doing?
  Why jade and silk was not sent timely?
  The beauty would love one with high virtue,
  But such a person is hard to find.
  Everybody is talking about her in vain,
  Nobody understands her aspiration.
  Still in her boudoir in the prime of her life,
  So she often wakes up at mid-night and sigh.
Ye Xie, a critic of Qing Dynasty said this poem carried much more weight than all other poems created in the Han Dynasty and the Kingdom of Wei, because the conception is delicate, implicit and meaningful, the language flowery, yet refined and the rhyme natural.
There are more than 80 of Cao Zhi’s poems that have been well kept. Cao Zhi has been regarded the first poet who laid a foundation for “Wu Yan” poetry, a great master of “Wu Yan” poetry. Some even said that Zhi’s poetry “shines over the past and today, he is matchless.” Some of his lines have become epigrams, for instance:
   瓜田不纳履，李下不正冠。
   Gua tian bu na lu, li xia bu zheng guan.
  Don't pull on your shoe in a melon patch,
  Don’t adjust your cap under a plum tree.

   捐躯赴国难， 视死忽如归。
   Juan qu fu guo nan, shi si hu ru gui.
  Lay down your life to relieve the state from adversity,
  Look upon death as going home.
This is certainly the result of his efforts in refining and polishing the words he intended to use in his poetry, which is on the one hand intensely impassioned and vigorous and on the other hand rich and colorful in his language. Later critics and scholars always took the style of the three Caos to evaluate poetry, and they named it the “Vigorous style of Jian An”.
Aside from Cao Zhi, Wang Can (177-217) was the next most famous poet of the time. Only 23 of his poems have been kept to date, among them 《Poems of Seven Sorrows》 have always been popularly known. The first (of the three) poem of seven sorrows reads:

  西京乱无象，           Xi jing luan wu xiang,
  豺虎方遘患。           Chai hu fang gou huan.
  复弃中国去，           Fu qi zhong guo qu,
  委身适荆蛮。           Wei shen shi jing man.
  亲戚对我悲，           Qin qi dui wo bei,
  朋友相追攀。           Peng you xiang zhui pan.
  出门无所见，           Chu men wu suo jian,
  白骨蔽平原。           Bai gu bi ping yuan.
  路有饥夫人，           Lu you ji fu ren,
  抱子弃草间。           Bao zi qi cao jian.
  顾闻号泣声，           Gu wen hao qi sheng,
  挥泪独不还。           Hui lei du bu huan.
  “未知身死处，         “Wei zhi shen si chu,
  何能两相完?”          He neng liang xiang wan?”
  驱马弃之去，           Qu ma qi zhi qu,
  不忍听此言。           Bu ren ting ci yan.
  南登霸陵岸，           Nan deng ba ling an,
  回首望长安。           Hui shou wang chang an.
  悟彼下泉人，           Wu bi xia quan ren,
  喟然伤心肝。           Kui ran shang xin gan.

  Because the west capital is lawless,
  Jackals and tigers are perils.
  I again have to leave,
  And condescend to a job in Jingzhou.
  Relatives were sad for my leaving,
  Friends followed me not willing to part.
  I saw nothing outside the city gate,
  But white bones all over the land.
  And a hungry woman by the roadside,
  Discarding her baby into the weeds.
  I heard her desperate cry,
  She was weeping, but did not turn back.
  “I don’t know where I’ll end my life,
  How can I watch my child die with my eye!”
  I could only drive my horse forward,
  And can no longer bear such sad word.
  I then climb up the Baling bank in the south,
  And looking back at Changan.
  I then come to understand the man who wrote “Xia Quan” ,
  I sigh with a broken heart.
You can find similar lines about the scenes of refugees in the chaos of was in the poems by the rest of the “seven sons” who encountered more or less the same situation. Such an impassioned sigh is a common feature of “Jian An” poetry.

We have to mention Ruan Ji (210-263) of the late Wei period. As the son of Ruan Yu, one of the “Seven Sons”, Ruan Ji inclined politically to the Cao family when Sima Yi established Jin Dynasty after he killed Cao Shuang, the last ruler of Wei. Jin Dynasty exercised high coercion and punished all that opposed the Sima family. Under such circumstances, Ruan Ji studied behind closed doors, traveled, got himself drunk and kept his mouth shut about political issues. Nobody knew what his political attitude really was. Zhong Hui, a high ranking official tried many times to find out his views on state affairs, but each time Zhong came to talk to him, he was drunk. Sima Zhao, Sima Yi’s son had to try personally. But when he talked to Ruan, the latter’s words always deviated from the questions. Because of Ruan’s fame, Sima Zhao wanted his child be married to Ruan’s. Ruan could not openly oppose the marriage. Yet, when the Sima family was ready to get the bride, Ruan got himself drunk for 60 days. The Sima family had to give up the idea of the marriage. The could do nothing about him. But, Ruan’s political views were expressed implicitly in his poems. Let’s read the following one:
  二妃游江滨，              Er fei you jiang bin,
  逍遥顺风翔。              Xiao yao shun feng xiang.
  交甫怀环珮，              Jiao pu huai huan pei,
  婉娈有芬芳。              Wan luan you fen fang.
  猗靡情欢爱，              Yi mi qing huan ai,
  千载不相忘。              Qian zai bu xiang wang.
  倾城迷下蔡，              Qing cheng mi xia cai,
  容好结中肠。              Rong hao jie zhong chang.
  感激生忧思，              Gan ji sheng you si,
  萱草树兰房。              Xuan cao shu lan fang.
  膏沐为谁施，              Gao mu wei shui shi,
  其雨怨朝阳。              Qi yu yuan zhao yang.
  如何金石交，              Ru he jin shi jiao,
  一旦更离伤！              Yi dan geng li shang!

  Two ladies were cruising along the riverside,
  The danced freely with the wind.
  Jiaopu asked for their jade pendants,
  The ladies were so sweat and fragrant.
  His passion for them lingered,
  Never forget them, he pledged.
  Their amazingly beautiful looks that could bewilder all the people of Xiacai,
  Had certainly printed deeply in his mind.
  They felt great anxiety because of missing him,
  Xuancao grass had to be planted before their room.
  For whom should they apply their hair dressing oil?
  There was always the morning sun when they were longing for the drizzle.
  How come the gold and rock firm relation,
  Could in an instant be sadly broken!
He wrote 82 poems under the title of 《咏怀诗, Yong Huai Shi, Intonation of Mind》, and this is the second poem. The first four lines describe a story from Liu Xiang’s 《Biography of Immortals》. The two ladies are deity figures. The following eight lines were the imagination of the poet. These lines are a preparation for the last two lines. Apparently Zheng jiaopu didn’t kept his pledge. He never went to see the two ladies. The poet compared the Sima family to Zheng. The Simas were deeply trusted by the Caos, yet finally they betrayed the Caos in a most shameless way. The idea that the beauty’s good looks bewildered all the people of Xiacai is borrowed from one of Song Yu’s prose, in which Song said that when the beauty smiled, all the people of Yangcheng were obsessed and all the people of Xaicai bewildered. The reason for the two ladies to plant Xuancao grass before their rooms was that when people looked at the grass they could forget their worries. Ruan has been regarded as the representative of “Zheng Shi” literature. His works influenced Tao Yuanming, Yu Xin, Chen Ziang and Li Bai.

Zuo Si, a representative of the Tai Kang Literature, was an outstanding and bold poet of the Western Jin Dynasty. He was ugly in appearance and slow in speech, yet very diligent in his studies. It is said that he wrote five volumes of works. Unfortunately there are only two of his prose and 14 of his poems in existence today. His 《咏史, Yong Shi, Ode to History》, consisted of eight poems, has been very influential.

  郁郁涧底松，             Yu yu jian di song,
  离离山上苗，             Li li shan shang miao,
  以彼径寸茎，             Yi bi jing cun jing,
  荫此百尺条。             Yin ci bai chi tiao.
  Luxuriant is the pine at the bottom of ravine,
  A lush growth of seedling on mountain top,
  Their inch long stems wish,
  To shade over the hundred foot long pine.
What does that mean? Zuo Si told us himself: this phenomenon is as unreasonable as the following:

  世胄蹑高位，             Shi zhou nie gao wei,
  英俊沉下僚，             Ying ju chen xia liao,
  地势使之然，             Di shi shi zhi ran,
  由来非一朝。             You lai fei yi zhao.

  Sons of nobility occupied high positions,
  Heroes and talents are only petty official down below,
  The way the terrain goes,
  Has been like this for many mornings.
In the 7th poem when he described the frustrations of ancient talents he lashed out at the darkness of strangling talents by saying:
  何世无奇才， 遗之在草泽。
  He shi wu qi cai, yi zhi zai cao ze.
  There hasn’t been any generation without genius,
  But they have all been thrown into swamps.
A pen incisive as such wasn’t common during his period. In the same poem, he expounded on his attitude toward life:

  贵者虽自贵，           Gui zhe sui zi gui,
  视之若埃尘。           Shi zhi ruo ai chen.
  贱者虽自贱，           Jian zhe sui zi jian,
  重之若千鈞。           Zhong zhi ruo qian jun.

  Noble ones feel self-important,
  They may be as light as dust.
  Humble ones feel self-abased,
  They may be as heavy as a mount (tons).

There were not many good poetry after Zuo Si until the later period of the Eastern Jin Dynasties when Tao Yuanming (365-427) was born and radiated extraordinary splendor in the history of Chinese literature. Tao led a hard life since his childhood, because his father died early. He experienced much political turmoil during his teenage; he then encountered the change of dynasties and was extremely unsatisfied with the politics of the time. He was an official for four or five years; the highest position was a county magistrate. But it was impossible for him to go any higher, since he couldn’t bear the sight of dirty deals and corruption in politics and despised the rotten life of officials. He would rather live in seclusion and do some farming. He said,“代耕本非望，常所业在田桑。 To be an official wasn’t my desire, my career is in the fields.” The following poem can tell us how happy he was when he forsook the official position. Please read its preface first:
   I am from a poor family, a family that could provide sufficient food from farming and plantation. My home was crowded with children, there have never been enough food to feed them. I really don’t have the ability to give the family a reliable source of living. Therefore, most relatives suggested that I should try to become an official at the county. I thought naturally that his was a good idea. Yet, I couldn’t find out how to get such a position. It so happened that armed forces rose up everywhere. Warlords regarded it a virtue to show their kind favors. Given that I was so poor, my uncle recommended me to work in a small city. I was afraid to go to a far place, especially at that time tranquility hadn’t been restored. Since the city of Pengze was only a hundred li away from home, considering the grains from the public plot that was allotted to the position would be enough to cover my expenses of wine drinking, I took that position. But before long, I began to think of returning home. Why? Because my natural disposition could not allow me to act reluctantly or unnaturally. Though hunger and coldness were hard to bear, yet to do things against my will made me feel even uneasier. When I took that post, I yielded to the needs of my stomach and body. I was very depressed, sighed with regret that what I did wasn’t in line with my life-long aspirations. I only hoped to get one harvest from the plot quickly. I would pack up and leave on the night of the harvest. I had to hurry to Wuchang to pay my last respect to my sister, who was married to the Cheng family, had passed away there. I thus deposed myself. From mid autumn to winter, I was an official for some eighty odd days. Having acted of my own will, I wrote this poem 《Returning Back》. Now it is the eleventh month of the year Yi Si (AD 405).

  归去来兮辞          Gui Qu Lai Xi Ci

归去来兮，               Gui qu lai xi,
田园将芜胡不归？         Tian yuan jiang wu hu bu gui?
既自以心为形役，         Ji zi yi xin wei xing yi,
奚惆怅而独悲！           Xi chou chang er du bei!
悟已往之不谏，           wu yi wang zhi bu jian,
知来者之可追。           Zhi lai zhe zhi ke zhui.
实迷途其未远，           Shi mi tu qi wei yuan,
觉今是而昨非。           Jui jin shi er zuo fei.
舟遥遥以轻飏飏           Zhou yao yao yi qing yang,
风飘飘而吹衣。           Feng piao piao er chui yi.
问征夫以前路，           Wen zheng fu yi qian lu,
恨晨光之熹微。           Hen chen guang zhi xi wei.

乃瞻衡宇，               Nai zhan heng yu,
载欣载奔。               Zai xin zai ben.
僮仆欢迎，               Tong pu huan ying,
稚子候门。               Zi zi hou men.
三径就荒，               San jing jiu huang,
松菊犹存。               Song ju you cun.
携幼入室，              Xie you ru shi,
有酒盈樽。              You jiu ying zun.
引壶觞以自酌，          Yin hu shang yi zi zhuo,
眄庭柯以怡颜。          Mian ting ke yi yi yan.
倚南窗以自傲，          Yi nan chuang yi zi ao,
审容膝之安易。          Shen rong xi zhi an yi.
园日涉以成趋，          Yuan ri she yi cheng qu,
门虽设而常关。          Men sui she er chang guan.
策扶老以流憩，          Ce fu lao yi liu qi,
时矫首而遐观。          Shi jiao shou er xia guan.
云无心以出岫，          Yun wu xin yi chu xiu,
鸟倦飞而知还。          Niao juan fei er zhi huan.
景翳翳以将入，          Jing yi yi yi jiang ru,
抚孤松而盘桓。          Fu gu song er pan huan.

归去来兮，              Gui qu lai xi,
请息交以绝游！          Qing xi jiao yi jue you!
世与我而相违，          Shi yu wo er xiang wei,
复驾言兮焉求？          Fu jia yan xi yan qiu?
悦亲戚之情话，          Yue qin qi zhi qing hua,
乐琴书以消忧。          Le qin shu yi xiao you.
农人告余以春及，        Nong ren gao yu yi chun ji,
将有事于西畴。            Jiang you shi yu xi chou.
或命巾车，                Huo ming jin che,
或棹孤舟。                Huo zhuo gu zhou.
既窈窕以寻壑，            Ji yao tiao yi xun he,
亦崎岖而经丘。            Yi qi qu er jing qiu.
木欣欣以向荣，            Mu xin xin yi xiang rong,
泉涓涓而始流。            Quan juan juan er shi liu.
善万物之得时，            Shan wan wu zhi de shi,
感吾生之行休。            Gan wu sheng zhi xing xiu.

已矣乎，                  Yi Yi hu,
寓形宇内复几时！          Yu xing yu nei fu ji shi!
曷不委心任去留，          He bu wei xin ren qu liu,
胡为乎遑遑兮欲何之？      Hu wei hu huang huang yu he zhi?                        
富贵非吾愿，              Fu gui fei wu yuan,
帝乡不可期。              Di xiang bu ke qi.
怀良辰以孤往，            Huai liang chen yi gu wang,
或植仗而耘耔。            Huo zhi zhang er yun zi.
登东皋以舒啸，            Deng dong gao yi shu xiao,
临清流而赋诗。            Lin qing liu er fu shi.
聊乘化以归尽，            Liao cheng hua yi gui jin,
乐乎天命复奚疑！諫        Le hu tian ming fu xi yi!

  Returning Back
   By Tao Yuanming
  I’m returning back,
  Shouldn’t I return when fields and garden are almost wasted?
  Since my physical needs conquered my will,
  I don’t have to feel dejected and sorrowful.
  I realize that the bygones can not be redeemed,
  I know that the forthcoming can be redressed.
  I was actually not too far on the wrong way,
  I feel I am right today but wrong yesterday.
  The light boat was bumpy and had sailed long,
  The wind was blowing up my gown.
  I asked about the distance still to cover,
  And resent the dimness at the early hour.

  At the sight of my shabby mansion,
  I started to run with pleasurable emotion.
  Servants came out to greet me,
  My child was waiting at the gateway.
  The footpath already dilapidated,
  Yet, the pine and chrysanthemum survived.
  With my child I entered into the room,
  I saw the wine vessel is full.
  Taking a cup I drank myself,
  Glancing at the woods outside I felt a sense of relief.
  Leaning on the southern window I recollected my pride,
  And reflecting on the ease there might be in the small room.
  How wonderful to walk everyday in the garden,
  And keeping the gate shut often.
  Stick in hand I could walk on or pause,
  And look up into the boundless.
  Clouds came out from the remote hills without intention,
  Tried birds knew when they should return.
  It was getting dark and things looked vague,
  With one hand on the lonely pine I still walked around.

  I am returning back,
  With those I knew there would be no more contact.
  Since in my round hole the world was a square peg,
  What was there for me to forsake home and quest?
  The cordial words in my family were so pleasing,
  Lutes and calligraphy could keep me from worrying.
  Farmers told me spring was approaching,
  In the west fields there would be ploughing.
  I could either drive a cart,
  Or row a single boat.
  In order to find a beautiful valley,
  Or climb up a hillock through the rough way.
  Trees grow to flourish,
  Water in the brook trickles to flow.
  Time is opportune for every thing in nature,
  Yet my life couldn’t be in prime for any longer.

  Ah, ha, ha!
  How long in the world could my body reside?
  Why not just follow my own clinations!
  What did I quest for in a hurried pace?
  I don’t aspire to be wealthy,
  Neither do I expect to enter the land of immortality.
  On a nice day I would go outing,
  Or put the tick aside and do some farming.
  I might climb up the eastern highland to shout with force,
  Or compose poems by the clear waters.
  I would just conform to the nature during my life span,
  I am delighted to know and not doubtful of the mandate of heaven.
So, he really did farming, and “talked about mulberry and flax” with farmers. That’s why Tao has always been regarded a pastoral poet, and indeed, he was the first in China who took pastoral life as an important theme in poetry. Things in the fields were so refreshing to him:
  鸟哢欢新节，泠风送馀善。
  Niao long huan xin jie, Ling feng song yu shan.
  So joyful at festival are the chirping birds,
  Cool breeze is still kind-hearted.
《归园田居五首, Gui Yuan Tian Ju Wu Shou, Five Poems on Returning to Pastoral Life》 is the most famous representative work of his pastoral poetry. One of them goes:

  方宅十余亩，           Fang zhai shi yu mu,
  草屋八九间。           Cao wu ba jiu jian.
  榆柳荫后檐，           Yu liu yin hou yan,
  桃李罗堂前。           Tao li luo tang qian.
  暖暖远人村，           Nuan nuan yuan ren cun,
  依依墟里烟。           Yi yi xu li yan.
  狗吠深巷中，           Gou fei shen xiang zhong,
  鸡鸣桑树巅。           Ji ming sang shu dian.

  On more than ten mu of land are my square houses,
  With eight or nine thatched cottages.
  Elm and willow trees give shade to rear eaves,
  Peach and plum trees stand before halls.
  Looking from afar at this warm village,
  Lingering smoke coming up from this once desolated place.
  Deep in the lanes dogs bark,
  Crowing at the top of mulberry tree is the cock.
It seemed to be a new type of life for him, he exclaimed, “I have been in the cage for too long, it’s such a delight to return to nature again.” (久在樊笼里，复得返自然.) His 《桃花源 诗并记, Tao Hua Yuan Shi Bing Ji, Poem on the Springs of Peach Blossom and Related Notes》 has been widely spread.
One day in the Taiyuan period of the Jin Dynasty (376-396), a fisherman of Wuling county was going up a river in his boat, not knowing how far he had gone. Suddenly he saw a peach forestry. There were no other trees, only the peach that went several hundred foot deep along both banks. The fisherman was astonished even more by the sweet and fresh grass and the fallen petals in riotous profusion. He kept on, intended to reach the end of the forest.
When the forest was exhausted, he found the source of the river, and above the source a mountain. He then abandoned the boat and entered into the opening. The opening was extremely narrow; it could only let one person go through. However, a few dozen steps later, an open space suddenly occurred. On the vast and flat land, houses were built in an orderly way, ponds looked nice, fields seemed fertile, mulberry, bamboo and other trees grew luxuriantly. There were also foot pathes crisscrossed in the fields. Once could hear cocks crowing and dogs barking. People were busy in the fields. But the clothing of both man and women looked very strange; old people and children looked happy. They were surprised when they saw the fisherman, and asked him where he came from. After the answer was given, he was invited into one of he home and treated with wine and chicken. The villagers, when heard about the stranger, came to talk to him. They said that their ancestors came to this isolated place with their families, in order to run away from the upheaval in the Qin Dynasty. Since then none of them had ever gone out of the place. They never had any contacts with outsiders. When asked what year they were in today, they didn’t even know there was the Han Dynasty, neither did they know anything about the kingdom of Wei or the Jin Dynasty. They all sighed after the fisherman told them what had happened in the world. The villagers then invited the fisherman to their homes and provided him with wine and food. The fisherman stayed there for a few days and left. He was told at parting, “Please don’t say anything about us to outsiders.”
So, the fisherman came out, found his boat. While he was returning by the way that he came, he left marks and signs. When he was back at the prefecture, he went to see the Magistrate and told him everything about the venture. The Magistrate then sent his men to see the springs with the fisherman as the guide. They went by the marks and signs the fisherman had left, but they got lost. The way to the springs was nowhere to be found. Liu Ziji of Nan Yang County, a noble person, planned to try to locate the springs when he heard about the story. He, however, died before he was able to do it. Thereafter nobody ever tried again.
  赢氏乱天际，                   Ying shi luan tian ji,
  贤者避其世。                   Xian zhe bi qi shi.
  黄绮之商山，                   Huang qi zhi shang shan,
  伊人亦云逝。                   Yi ren yi yun shi.
  往迹浸复湮，                   Wang ji jin fu yan,
  来径遂芜废。                   Lai jing sui wu fei.
  相命肆农耕，                   Xiang ming si nong geng,
  日入从所憩。                   Ri ru cong suo qi.
  桑竹垂余荫，                   Sang zhu chui yu yin,
  菽稷随时艺。                   Shu ji sui shi yi.
  春蚕收长丝，                   Chun can shou chang si,
  秋熟靡王税。                   Qiu shou mi wang shui.
  荒路暧交通，                   Huang lu ai jiao tong,
  鸡犬互鸣吠。                   Ji quan hu ming fei.
  俎豆犹古法，                   Zu dou you gu fa,
  衣裳无新制。                   Yi shang wu xin zhi
  童儒纵行歌，                   Tong ru zong xing ge,
  斑白欢游诣。                   Ban bai huan you yi.
  草荣识节和，                   Cao rong shi jie he,
  木衰知风厉。                   Mu shui zhi feng li.
  虽无纪历志，                   Sui wu ji li zhi,
  四时自成岁。                   Si shi zi cheng sui.
  怡然有馀乐，                   Yi ran you yu le,
  于何劳智慧。                   Yu he lao zhi hui.
  奇踪隐五百，                   Qi zong yin wu bai,
  一朝敞神界。                   Yi zhao chang shen jie.
  淳薄既异源，                   Chun bo ji yi yuan,
  旋复还幽蔽。                   Xuan fu huan you bi.
  借问游方士，                   Jie wen you fang shi,
  焉测尘嚣外。                   Yan ce chen xiao wai.
  愿言蹑轻风，                   Yuan yan nie qing feng,
  高举寻吾契。                   Gao ju xun wu qi.
 
  Since Ying smashed the Heavenly order,
  All virtuous men had to run for shelter.
  Hang and Qi hid themselves on the Shangshan Mountain,
  The ancestors of the people in the springs also left for a life in seclusion.
  Their footprints had long vanished,
  The road by which they came had desolated.
  The encouraged each other for farm,
  When sun set they all rested at home.
  The could have surplus of mulberry and bamboo,
  Five crops were sowed on time.
  In spring long silkworm threads were collected,
  In autumn no state tax was levied.
  Though wild grass covered the road,
  Yet dogs barked at the crowing cock.
  The utensils for ceremonies still looked like old ones,
  Nothing new could be found in their clothes.
  Children sang to their hearts’ content,
  The white-hired joyfully played.
  Fresh grass told them spring would come,
  Withering tree foreboded autumn.
  Even though they had no calendar,
  Still the four seasons were clear.
  They were happy with much pleasure,
  Gadgetry and skill were not things for them to bother.
  Hiding for over 500 years was a wonder,
  That day they opened up their legendary picture.
  Since simple, kind people and cunning, fickle men are of different origin,
  After a short appearance they returned to their seclusion.
  Let me ask all flesh and blood,
  Do you know anything outside the secular world?
  I would like to fly high with the light wind,
  To look for my bosom friend.
This poem describes for the Chinese people what an ideal society is. In such a society, there is no oppression, no exploitation; everyone is equal, human and loyal to tradition; everyone loves labor and freedom. Such an ideal was a complete denial of the actual society of the time. It was also a fundamental denial of the rampantly spreading Buddhist ideas. The ideal society in Buddhism is the otherworld. Tao’s ideal reflects truly the human nature of Chinese culture. Those who have not read this poem could not really comprehend Chinese culture.
Tao was also the first to write wine-drinking poems, he wrote 20 of them, and most of them have been influential. Few took notice of his poetry at his time. It was until Tang Dynasty his poems were being admired. Tang poets like Li Bai, Bai Juyi and many others held great esteem for his character and integrity; Tang poets like Meng Haoran earnestly imitated his style; Song poet Su Shi went so far as to write 111 poems to reply to Tao poems. Su Shi said, “When you first read Yuanming’s poems, you feel they are loose and slow; yet, when you read more times, you would discover a rare interest.”

Before I end this chapter, I would like to mention very briefly three poets: Xie Lingyun (385-433) was the first one to concentrate on mountains and waters and since him on, there has been a school of mountain and water poetry; Xie Tiao (464-499) was remarkable in blending feelings into his description of landscape; Yu Xin (513-581) was the forerunner in “五言绝句, Wu Yan Jue Ju, Four-line Poetry of Wu Yan” and “五言律诗, Wu Yan Lu Shi, Eight-line Poetry of Wu Yan”. He influenced many Tang poets. Yu has been famous in turning out lines in describing scenery, for instance:

  荷风惊浴鸟，           He feng jing yu niao,
  桥影聚行鱼；           Qiao ying ju xing yu;
  日落含山气，           Ri luo han shan qi,
  云归带雨余。           Yun gui dai yu yu.
  Wind through lotus leaves startled bathing birds,
  Shadow of bridge gathers swimming fish;
  Sun sets with the smell of mountain,
  Clouds leave with remains of rain.
After Yu Xin, there wasn’t much good poetry until the Tang Dynasty.