After the Western Jin Dynasty, My Maternal Grandfather Died Fighting in the West As a Major General’s Historian, His Biography: Part No. 5
(5)
如 自 总 发
至 于 知 命
行 不 苟 合
言 无 夸 矜
未 尝 有 喜 愠 之 容。
好 酣 饮， 逾 多 不 乱
至 于 任 怀 得 意
融 针 远 寄
旁 若 无 人
温 尝 问 君：
“酒 有 何 好， 而 卿 嗜 之？”
君 笑 而 答 曰：
“明 公 但 不 得 酒 中 趣 尔。”
又 问 听 妓
丝 不 如 竹
竹 不 如 肉， 答 曰：
“渐 近 自 然。“
中 散 大 夫 桂 阳 罗 含
赋 之 曰：
“孟 生 善 酣， 不 愆 其 意？”
光 禄 大 夫 南 阳 刘 耽
或 与 君 同 在 温 府
渊 明 从 父 太
常 夔 尝 问 耽
“君 若 在， 当 已 作 公 不？”
答 曰： “此 本 是 三 司 人。”
为 时 所 重 如 此
(5)
Ru zi zong fa
Zhi yu zhi ming
Xing bu gou he
Yan wu kua jin
Wei chang you xi yun zhi rong.
Hao han yin, yu duo bu luan
Zhi yu ren huai di yi
Rong zhen yuan ji
Pang ruo wu ren
Wen chang wen jun:
“Jiu you he hao, er qing shi zhi?”
Jun xiao er da yue:
“Ming gong dan bu de jiu zhong qu er.”
You wen ting ji
Si bu ru zhu
Zhu bu ru rou, da yue:
“Jian jin zi ran.”
Zhong san da fu gui yang luo han
Fu zhi yue:
“Meng sheng shan han, bu qian qi yi?”
Guang lu da fu nan yang liu dan
Huo yu jun tong zai wen fu
Yuan ming cong fu tai
Chang kui chang wen dan:
“Jun ruo zai, dang yi zuo gong bu?”
Da yue: “ Ci ben shi san si ren.”
Wei shi suo cong ru ci.
After the Western Jin Dynasty, My Maternal Grandfather Died Fighting in the West As a Major General’s Historian, His Biography: Part No. 5
From childhood to death
He was of an independent mind, and not a camp follower
He never boasted or bragged
Emotionally calm and stable, not too happy, not too sad.
Loved to drink a lot of wine with pleasure and joy
Never got violent or crazy, content to smile when drunk
Helped his writing to flow evenly and well
Acted as if no one else was present
Heng Wen asked him one time:
“What is so good about drinking wine?”
Mengjia smiled and replied:
“Without drinking wine, you will never know my special insights and feelings.”
Again he asked Mengjia about listening to the ladies of song
Silk is not like bamboo
But not as good as the human voice:
“The human voice comes to us more naturally.”
Luo han, senior official from Guiyang even wrote poems about Mengjia:
“Mr. Meng loved to merrily drink, yet did not miss or mistake meanings.”
Liu Dan, another senior official from Nanyang, worked together with he and Heng Wen
Tao Yuanming’s father’s cousin, Tao Kui asked Liudan:
“If Mengjia was still alive would he be in a senior government position?”
“He already had this high position.”
People respected him far and wide.
Notes:
Silk is not like bamboo: stringed instruments (silk strings) vs. wind instruments (bamboo body)