孟郊诗
Poems of Meng Jiao
Index
游枋口
Visiting Fangkou
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一步复一步 出行千里幽 为取山水意 故作寂寞游 太行青巅高 枋口碧照浮 明明无底镜 泛泛忘机鸥 老逸不自限 病狂不可周 恣闲饶淡薄 怠玩多淹留 芳物竞晼晚 绿梢挂新柔 和友莺相绕 言语亦以稠 始知万类然 静躁难相求 |
One step after another, wandering Out across a thousand leagues. In order to choose the natural world, The ancients would wander alone. Among Taihang's towering blue peaks, Fangkou's blue reflection floats. On this bottomless bright mirror, Drift the carefree waterbirds. I've long fled here without thinking When I could not quiet my mind. Musing until I'd lose interest or Just playing idly for a very long time. Frangrances compete in the sunset. Green treetops suspend their new softness. Friendly songbirds circle each other And fill full the air with their speech. I now see, in a thousand ways, how hard It is for the restless to find peace. |
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耸我残病骨 健如一仙人 镜中照千里 镜浪洞百神 此神日月华 不作寻常春 三十夜皆明 四时昼恒新 鸟声尽依依 兽心亦忻忻 澄幽出所怪 闪异坐微絪 可来复可来 此地灵相亲 |
I am roused from lingering sickness To a strength like that of immortals. This mirror shines for a thousand leagues And its waves roll over hundreds of spirits. These spirits daily radiate splendor Making this no ordinary spring. The last thirty nights have been bright. In each season, each day is always new. Bird's voices drift about like smoke And the hearts of the beasts are all gentle. Pure remoteness emerges from this strangeness; Flashes of otherness appear in this profound cloud. Come what may, the magic of this place Is now a part of me. |
-- 孟郊
废话
This is the third poem in a row that has mentioned Fangkou (枋口) and the first to actually describe it. Fangkou is a mountain lake in Henan near the small town of Jiyuan. Based on this and on a remark of Meng Jiao's about being stuck in a "village" for a time, we can say that Meng Jiao was probably stationed in Jiyuan in Henan for three years. Officials were not allowed to travel beyond their district without permission. So this lake must have been close enough for Meng Jiao to go there whenever he wished.
The name 枋口 has at least two possible meanings. The first is "Sandalwood Source" and the second is "Open Gable-End." The first suggests a forest scene. The second suggests the view out the open gable-end of a temple or similar, looking out into the trees and sky. In China, except for the far western ranges, mountains are not very tall, almost never rising above the treeline. And they are often a series of karst towers. So the lake could actually be at the foot of towers which would give it the sense of being beneath a green roof which provided a view out the gable end. It would almost certainly have been forested, perhaps with sandalwood. So the meaning of the name remains up in the air.