孟郊诗
Poems of Meng Jiao
Index
擢第后东归书怀献座主吕侍御
After recieving a position by passing the exam and returning east, I write to reveal my feelings and present them to Master Lü and his followers.
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昔岁辞亲泪 今为恋主泣 去住情难并 别离景易戢 |
Years ago, I cried for my parents. Now, love for my master makes me weep. Leaving your home, feelings in turmoil. Saying goodbye, my time with you soon ceases. |
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夭矫大空鳞 曾为小泉蛰 幽意独沉时 震雷忽相及 |
In emptiness, my tangles fell like scales. There, now, is a small and hidden spring. Far from thoughts, in lonely meditation, Thunder suddenly arrived. |
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神行既不宰 直致非所执 至运本遗功 轻生各自立 |
Spirit wanders beyond my control. This is hard for me to express. My good fortune is but a gift of your merit. It is not I who has accomplished this. |
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大君思此化 良佐自然集 宝镜无私光 时文有新习 |
My master remembers this change, Which helps goodness to naturally gather. In the precious mirror, empty of all self, I wrote my essays with new wings. |
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慈亲诫志就 贱子归情急 擢第谢灵台 牵衣出皇邑 |
A loving parent, you warned against willfullness. Now my anxieties return. For my success, I have your heart to thank, Which covers me and guides me from the capital. |
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行襟海日曙 逸抱江风入 蒹葭得波浪 芙蓉红岸湿 |
Walking, I cherish the dawn upon the lake. I let it go as river winds arise. Rushes are at peace with the waves. Hibiscus, red along the wet shores. |
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云寺势动摇 山钟韵嘘吸 旧游期再践 悬水得重挹 |
Cloud temple's influence wavers as Mountain bells breath their last. I walk the ways which I have walked before but Now, waters held back must flow out ceaselessly. |
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松萝虽可居 青紫终当拾 |
Although I could have lived among your old pines, Officialdom has taken me away. |
-- 孟郊
废话
We learn a great deal about Meng Jiao in this poem. We knew that when he was forty he returned to the capital to take the imperial exams. He did this in order to take care of his mother. Because he mostly worked on his poetry, it took him six years to pass the main exam. But without influence, he could not get a position without taking the get-a-job exam. It took him four years to pass that one.
What we learn here is that for part of the period between his 46th and 50th years, Meng Jiao lived in the monastery of Master Lü, possibly called Cloud Monastery. This would have been a Buddhist monastery. Further, we learn that Meng Jiao attained enlightenment. People think of enlightment as some hugh life-changing experience. It is not. It is a life-shaking experience which comes suddenly and goes as quickly and is gone. The question one faces, after glimpsing what is clearly a deeper sense of reality, is "What do I do with this?"
Meng Jiao, in this poem, gives us his honest answer to this question.