From Su Shi's "Chibi Fu" (also known as "Chibi Fu")

Original text:

In the autumn of Renxu, in July, Su Zi Go boating with guests under Red Cliff. The breeze comes slowly and the water waves are calm. Lifting wine to the guests, reciting poems about the bright moon and singing graceful chapters. After a while, the moon rose above the east mountain, wandering among the bullfights. White dew flows across the river, and the water reaches the sky. Even though a reed is like this, thousands of hectares are at a loss. The vastness is as if Feng Xu is riding the wind without knowing where it is going; the flutteringness is as if he is left alone in the world, becoming an immortal and ascending to immortality.

So they drank and had a lot of fun, and sang along to the boat. The song goes: "The osmanthus sticks are covered with orchid oars, hitting the sky is bright and tracing the stream of light. It is dim and vague, and I look forward to the beauty in the sky." There is a guest who plays the cave flute, and he sings along with it. His voice was whining, like resentment, admiration, weeping, and complaining; the lingering sound was lingering like a wisp. The lurking dragon dances in the secluded ravine, and the concubine weeps in the lonely boat.

Su Zi was stunned. He sat upright and asked the guest: "Why is this so?" The guest said: "The moon and stars are sparse, and the black magpie flies south. Isn't this a poem by Cao Mengde? Looking west to Xiakou , Looking east to Wuchang, the mountains and rivers are close to each other, and the sky is green. Is this not what Meng De was trapped in Zhou Lang? The river is crossed and a poem is written, and the hero of the whole life is here; now he is safe! Kuang Wu and his son are fishing and woodcutting on the river, hanging out with fish and shrimps, and making friends with elk, riding a small boat, and sending wine to each other. Mayflies are flying in the sky, just like a drop in the ocean. I mourn my life for a moment, and I envy the infiniteness of the Yangtze River. I carry the flying fairy to swim, and I don't know how to catch it suddenly, leaving it in the sad wind."

Su Zi said: "Do you know that water is like the moon? Those who have passed away are like this, but they have not yet gone; those who are full and empty are like that, but there is no growth and decline of soldiers. If you look at the changes in Gaijiang, then the world will be like this. Once we can't see it in a moment; from the perspective of its unchanging nature, things and I are endless, so why envy me? In the world, everything has its own owner, even if it is not my own, I can't take any of it. But the cool breeze on the river and the bright moon in the mountains can be heard by the ears and made into colors by the eyes. They can be taken from them without restraint and can be used inexhaustibly. This is what I and my son love. *Appropriate."

The guests smiled happily and drank more wine after washing their cups. The core of the food is gone, and the cups and plates are in a mess. The couple and their pillows were spread out in the boat, unaware of the whiteness of the east.

Notes:

Renxu: Thousands of branches in the fifth year of Yuanfeng, Emperor Shenzong of the Song Dynasty (1082).

Ji Wang: The sixteenth day of each month in the lunar calendar.

Chibi: Chibi in Huanggang, Hubei, together with Chibi in Jiayu, Hubei, is regarded as the historical site of the battlefield where Zhou Yu defeated 800,000 Cao Cao's troops.

Gen (zhǔ): please, let, say.

Gui Chu (zhào), orchid oar: the reputation of the oar.

Su (shuō): Zhou Sui, going upstream.

Niao Niao (niǎo): slender, describing a long and graceful sound.

嫠女(lí): Widow.

怀(qiǎo) ran: unhappy.

Miao (liáo): connect, surround.

舳 (zhú): stern;

舻 (lú): bow.

酾(shī): pour.

槊(shuò): Spear.

叏(páo) Zun: a wine glass made of gourd.

Xuyu (yú): a moment. Hidden (zàng).

Dishes (yáo): meat dishes.

Zhenshe: sleep with stacked pillows.

Food: also means "appropriate", to enjoy together

This poem describes the conversation between the host and the guest through boating on a moonlit night, drinking wine and composing poems, which is said from the mouth of the guest. The emotion of mourning the past and regretting the present can also be heard from Su Zi's words of unwavering feelings. The whole poem is profound in emotion and insightful, and it is indeed a masterpiece among poems. The lines in the poem are "like resentment, like admiration, like weeping, like weeping" and "the breeze on the river, the bright moon on the mountains", etc. are often quoted today.

Translation:

In the autumn of the Renxu year, on July 16, Su Shi and his friends were boating under Red Cliff. The breeze blows in waves, and the water surface becomes calm. Raise your glass to toast your companions, recite poems praising the bright moon, and sing graceful music. Not long after, the bright moon rose from behind the Eastern Mountain, hovering between the constellations Dipper and Ox.

The white mist stretches across the river, and the clear water reaches the sky. Let the boat drift everywhere, hovering above the vast expanse of river. Riding the gentle breeze (on the river) everywhere, I don't know where I will stop. I feel so light that I feel like I am about to leave the world and fly away, like a Taoist who has transformed into an immortal.

At this time, they drank and drank happily, knocking on the side of the boat, beating the beat with their fingers, and singing loudly in response to the sound. The song sings: "The osmanthus wood boat beats the pandan oar, against the clear waves, and against the floodlight of the flowing water. My heart is far away, and I want to see my beloved at the end of the world." The companions played the cave flute to accompany the singing according to the rhythm. The flute whined: it sounded like resentment and admiration, like weeping and whispering. The lingering sound echoed on the river, lingering endlessly. It can make the dragons in the deep valley dance for it, and the widow on the lonely boat cry.

Su Shi also looked sad. He adjusted his clothes and sat up straight, and asked his companion: "Why is the flute sounding so sad?" Isn't this a poem by Cao Gong Mengde? From here, you can see Xiakou to the east and Wuchang to the west. The mountains and rivers are endless, and there is a lush green sky as far as the eye can see. Isn't this the place where Cao Mengde was besieged by Zhou Yu? When he captured Jingzhou and captured Jiangling, he sailed eastward along the Yangtze River. His warships stretched for thousands of miles, and his flags covered the sky. He drank wine by the river, turned his spear horizontally, recited poems and composed poems. He was truly a leader of his time. A heroic figure, but where are you today? Not to mention that you and I were fishing and cutting firewood on Shuizhu by the river, keeping company with fish and shrimps, being friends with elk, and driving this small boat (on the river), Raising cups to toast each other, we are like mayflies in the vast world, as small as a grain of rice in the sea. Alas, we lament that our life is only a short moment, and we can't help but envy the Yangtze River endlessly. ) Traveling around the world hand in hand with the immortals, embracing the bright moon and remaining in the world forever. Knowing that these cannot be realized in the end, I can only turn my regrets into the sound of the flute and entrust it to the sad autumn wind."

Su Shi asked. : "Do you also know the water and the moon? What passes is like the water, but it has not really passed away; what is round and missing is like the moon, and there is no gain or loss in the end. It can be seen that from the changing side of things, heaven and earth There is not a moment without change; and from the unchanging side of things, everything is as endless as one's own life, so what is there to envy? What's more, everything in heaven and earth has its own place, if not everything has its own place. What I should have is not even a penny, but the breeze on the river and the bright moon in the mountains. When I hear the sound in my ears, I can draw the shapes in my eyes. No one will stop me from getting these. There is no need to worry about exhaustion when you feel this. This is the endless treasure of the Creator (gift), and you and I can enjoy it together."

The guest smiled happily, washed the wine glass and poured it again. liquor. The dishes and fruits have all been finished, and the cups and plates are in a mess. Everyone slept on the boat with each other's pillows on their backs, and before they knew it, the white dawn had appeared in the east.

Appreciation:

Su Shi, who was wronged for no reason and imprisoned unjustly, was demoted to deputy envoy of Huangzhou Tuanlian shortly after the "Wutai Poetry Case" was concluded. Fortunately, Huang The local officials in the prefecture admired his personality and talent, and not only did not control him, they often allowed him to enjoy the mountains and rivers in their jurisdiction. Su Dongpo, who was passionate and happy, would write poems and articles every time he visited, such as "Qian Chibi Fu" "" and "Hou Chibi Fu" are the immortal masterpieces left in this period.

Most of the author's previous travel prose mainly focused on describing the scenery during his travels or borrowing scenes from his travels to express his feelings. However, many of Dongpo's proses created a new writing method. In these articles, the author does not focus on describing the scene, but mainly explains the philosophy and expresses the discussion. The unique style of making use of topics and setting up arguments through scenes runs through the lines. "Qian Chibi Fu" is a representative work of this new type of travel notes.

In the fifth year of Yuanfeng (1082), the fifth year of Emperor Shenzong of the Song Dynasty (1082), which was the early autumn of the third year when Su Shi was exiled to Huangzhou, he and his friends drove a small boat to the Yangtze River at the foot of Red Cliff in Huanggang to enjoy the moon. A wheel is reflected on the calm river, a refreshing breeze blows slowly, and the vast river is covered with white dew. The light of the water and the mountains reflect the moon in the sky at night. The host and the guest are drinking in the boat, and the melancholy sound of the cave flute is played after the wine is full and the ears are warm. Then, from the sound of the flute, which is like resentment, admiration, and weeping, it elicits the guests' nostalgia for the past and their sighs about life. The article also changes from emotion to reason, from the expression of emotion to the smooth expression of philosophy. , and then used Su Zi's answers to reveal the main theme of the full text. The theory of "change" and "immutability" and the view that "everything has its own owner" are like a "stunned" panacea, making the guests finally "laugh with joy" ".

The whole text of "Qian Chibi Fu" is run through scenery. "Wind" and "moon" are the main scenery, supplemented by "mountain" and "water". The whole text closely follows the wind and moon to develop description and talk. The book opens with the scene of wind and moon, and the images of wind and moon are repeatedly reproduced in the text. The phrase "strike the sky and trace the flowing light" in the song is a transition from scenery to theory. The guest's sadness originated from Cao Cao's "moon and star sparseness", and finally "embraced the bright moon and died", and "left behind the sorrowful wind" is still inseparable from the two words "wind" and "moon". Su Zi's answer also comes from the perspective of the breeze and the bright moon:

Only the breeze on the river and the bright moon in the mountains can be heard by the ears and become sounds, and the eyes can form colors when they encounter them. There is no restriction on taking them and using them. The inexhaustibility is the endless treasure of the Creator, and this is what I and my son are most comfortable with.

The coherence of the scenery not only makes the whole text seem to be one and exquisite and meticulous in structure, but also communicates the emotional context and ups and downs of the whole text. The scene description at the beginning is the author's open-minded and optimistic appearance; "singing while leaning on the side of the boat" is born from the "empty" and "streaming light" scenery, and is the transition from "joyful" to "stunned"; The guest expressed his sorrow to the wind and moon, and his mood turned into a low and negative mood; in the end, the bright moon and the breeze in front of him led to discussions on the changes of all things and the philosophy of life, thus dispelling the sentimentality in his heart. The repeated interspersing of scenery does not give people the feeling of repetition and procrastination at all. Instead, it expresses the waxing and waning of the characters' sadness and joy while reproducing the changing process of the author's ambivalence, and finally achieves the perfect unity of the poetic and artistic meaning of the full text and the theoretical interest of the argument.

The reason why "Qian Chibi Fu" is said to be the representative work of Su Shi's prose is because this article almost covers all the main stylistic features of Su Shi's prose. Since the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, many literati have pointed out that Su Wen's style is "tide-like" and "bo", while some say it is "sweaty", "smooth", and "surges thousands of miles, pure and powerful", which is indeed the case. It makes sense, but it's not comprehensive or precise enough. Judging from "Qian Chibi Fu", Su Wen's style is a kind of free and bold, unbridled and vigorous masculine beauty. Regardless of reasoning, narrative, or lyricism, the article can "give shape to the object" and exhaust the form. When writing about happiness, it can become an immortal and float away from the world; when describing sadness, it can also compare it to a moving dragon or a weeping woman. And Su Wen's ease, liveliness and smoothness are not difficult to find in "Qian Chibi Fu", such as "Fang Qi broke through Jingzhou, went down to Jiangling, followed the river to the east, sailed boats thousands of miles away, covered the sky with flags, and drank wine by the river. , Hengshu wrote poems, and he was a hero for a lifetime, and now he is safe! "Such sentences are really in one go, like "flowing clouds and flowing water", flowing freely. As for the concise and vivid language and the concise and sincere words, it can be mentioned in the article without any effort. The word "wandering" in "wandering between bullfights" and the word "miao" in "a drop in the ocean" are all very precise, and read like the sound of metal and stone. The article "Former Chibi Fu" also fully reflects the natural, easy and clear characteristics of Su Shi's prose. That pure and natural beauty has brought unforgettable artistic enjoyment to countless readers throughout the ages.