Drinking Wine: Twenty Poems: No. 19
饮 酒： 二 十 首
畴 昔 苦 长 饥
投 耒 去 学 仕。
将 养 不 得 节
冻 馁 固 缠 己。
是 时 向 立 年
志 意 多 所 耻。
遂 尽 介 然 分
终 死 归 田 里。
冉 冉 星 气 流
亭 亭 复 一 纪。
世 路 廓 悠 悠
杨 朱 所 以 止。
虽 无 挥 金 事
浊 酒 聊 可 恃。
Yin Jiu: Er Shi Shou
Chou xi ku chang ji
Tou lei qu xue shi.
Jiang yang bu dei jie
Dong nei gu chan ji.
Shi shi xiang li nian
Zhi yi duo suo chi.
Sui jin jie ran fen
Zhong si gui tian li.
Ran ran xing qi liu
Ting ting fu yi ji.
Shi lu kuo you you
Yang zhu suo yi zhi.
Sui wu hui jin shi
Zhuo jiu liao ke shi.
Drinking Wine: Twenty Poems: No. 19
In the past, farmlands had long time suffered with famine
Put down the plow, went and studied to become a government official.
Made just enough to barely support the family
Now persistent cold and hunger nags at me.
This period of my life when I was around thirty years old
Shame by being many places, yet acquired very little.
Satisfaction and distinction to a great degree
Now go back to the fields until I die.
Gradually the stars and atmosphere change
Standing tall after coming home for twelve years.
Life’s journey vast and infinite
Unlike the sorrow Yan Zhu, I found my way home.
Even though Shu Guang scattered his gold here and there
I can be happy to just rely on my homemade wine.
Notes:
Yan Zhu: (440-ca. 360 BC) Major philosopher during the Warring States period of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. His thoughts were counter to those of both Confucius and Laozi. His mottos were: “Each for himself”, “Mind your own business”, “Be content with what you have.”
He advocated tending to personal interests before worrying about collective interests. In other words, society exists for the people, and not the other way around. This appears to me that exact opposite of Confucianism, and therefore the predominant values of the Chinese culture throughout the ages going forward. My take is that some of Yan Zhu’s sentiments influenced Tao Yuanming’s work.
Shu Guang: He served as an imperial tutor to a prince, and then served the emperor directly. Left government service with a lot of gold. Then went back to where he was raised to build a big house on a lot of land.