孟郊诗
Poems of Meng Jiao
Index
张徐州席送岑秀才
Spreading a Xuzhou feast with Graduate Cen
|
振振芝兰步 升自君子堂 泠泠松桂吟 生自楚客肠 |
Walking with courage and exalted character, You ascend into the hall of gentlemen. Chanting, melodious, relaxed and refined, You enter the feelings of Chu's exile. |
|
羁鸟无定栖 惊蓬在他乡 去兹门馆闲 即彼道路长 |
A caged bird, with no place to rest, You startle the immortals in their own homes. Leaving here, with these guarded gates, Set out at once upon your own long road. |
|
雨馀山川净 麦熟草木凉 楚泪滴章句 京尘染衣裳 |
Heavy rain, pure mountain rivers, Cooking barley in the forest's cool shade, Let Chu's tears fall upon your writings, As the world's dust stains your clothes. |
|
赠君无馀佗 久要不可忘 |
My gift isn't one you can carry on your back Because I want you never to forget it. |
-- 孟郊
废话
The culture and idealism of the Tang scholars served as an opposing force to the worldliness and corruption of the court. The scholars permeated the court and prolonged the empire. We have seen, with Bai Juyi, that a lowly ommisioner's recommendations, based upon an idealistic interpretation of the classics, changes the course of power. Men like Meng Jiao are not cultured in some vague or conceptual way. Their lives are the practical and potent expression of high culture.