At the end of summer, Ouyang Xiu wrote "Feeling the wind at night makes me talk directly with Mr. Scheeren, a primitive man", which is a poem that Ouyang Xiu gave to his friend and Mei. Liu Chang's original father was born in Mei Yu Sheng. Among them, "moving in the middle of the night, the wind gives birth to trees" is particularly admirable. In this poem, Ouyang Xiu lamented that it was also the wind, and pitilessly lamented that people's fate could not last long with frost and dew. I think, in that case, why not eat, drink and be merry in time, and drink some wine if you can, instead of clinging to wealth and seeking longevity by taking medicine? When he wrote Ode to Autumn Sound two months later, this poem was naturally regarded as the first work of Ode to Autumn Sound.
If we want to talk about the pioneer of Ode to Autumn Sound, we can go further. In the mid-Warring States period, Zhuangzi once wrote a paragraph describing the wind in The Theory of Everything. It was his fictional lobbying for Yan who stood by. This kind of wind is called "earth sound", that is, the "big breath" that the wind blows into the cave. This is indeed a wonderful passage. He said that the wind of the earth was "full of anger" and showed it vividly. He said that the wind is like a torrent of water, like the sound of flying arrows, like the sound of scolding, like breathing, like shouting, like howling, like the sound of empty valleys, like sighing. This kind of brushwork was appreciated. Yang Shen in Ming Dynasty thought that Zhuangzi's pen tip could be used to paint a style, which was regarded as the ancestor of brushwork. Later, Song Yu of the State of Chu wrote "Feng Fu" at the end of the Warring States Period, and it was said that "the king is heroic" and "Shu Ren is female". Influenced by Feng Fu, when Su Shi was the magistrate of Xuzhou, he was entrusted by his good friend Li Bangzhi to write the Kuaizai Pavilion built by Li Bangzhi.
In the Yuan Dynasty, Zhu Yao said in Volume VIII of Debate on Ancient Fu: "Autumn-sounding Fu really comes from Buju and the fisherman ... Ougong Academy takes this as its Sect, and all the fu is literary and has swept away the disadvantages of laws and regulations, but it is far from the trend of 350 poems." As a style of Fu, although there were Sao-style Fu, New-style Fu, Parallel Prose Fu and Rhyme Fu before the Song Dynasty, as a pioneering work of Fu, it was still inevitably influenced by predecessors' Fu. For example, in the seven rounds of Meicheng in the Western Han Dynasty, with the King of Chu, Zi Xufu, Mr. Zi Xu and Mr. Wu in Shanglin Fu, and Mr. Mo Keqing and Master Hanlin in Yang Changfu, Ouyang Xiu abandoned the virtual reality and took himself as the "master" of the question and answer, which became the basic structure of Qiu. His brushwork is still the description, metaphor and exaggeration of traditional Fu.
Ode to Autumn Sound was written by Ouyang Xiu, who read at night and heard the voice from the southwest: "Ouyang read at night and heard the voice from the southwest, and listened in horror." This beginning is very common. It is common for Ouyang Xiu to read books at night, but the wind tonight is unusual, which actually makes him a little scared. So, this song "Autumn Sound" appeared in his pen:
At first, I dripped with Xiao Sa, and suddenly I jumped up and smashed it. Such as the night terrors of stormy waves and the sudden arrival of wind and rain. It touches things, clank and sound, and gold and iron ring; Another example is a soldier, walking towards the enemy, scurrying with a medal in his hand, not listening to orders, only hearing the voices of people and horses.
He said that the first sound of autumn is related to the wind and rain, such as the drizzle and the rustling of the breeze. Suddenly, in the middle of the night, there was a strong wind and the river was rough. Second, it is related to everything. When the wind meets something hard, it makes a clank of copper and iron. Third, it is related to marching. When the wind calms down, what you can hear is the rustling of marching soldiers. Comparatively speaking, there are three states here: light wind, strong wind and still wind. His writing style is very similar to that of Han Yu, Bai Juyi and Li He in Tang Dynasty. But it is also true that autumn sounds seem to flow rhythmically on paper.
Interestingly, Ouyang Xiu knew it was "autumn sound", but deliberately let the boy go out to see what it was, in order to elicit the boy's answer. Later, in the Southern Song Dynasty, Li Qingzhao wrote the word "Drunken Flowers". Here the boy said, "The stars and the moon are bright, the Ming River is in the sky, and the trees are silent." The knowledge of "the Lord" and the ignorance of "the guest" are both transitions here, which let us know that the singing of "autumn sound" is a wonderful night in which the stars and the moon complement each other and the sky is bright. The description of this night is what the boy saw when he looked up at the sky, and it is also the reproduction of what Ouyang Xiu saw when he looked up at the sky. If the beautiful scenery didn't bring pleasure to Ouyang Xiu, he suddenly sighed: "Hey, sad! This autumn sound is also. " This sigh is a continuation of the literati's tradition of mourning for autumn. Song Yu mentioned earlier said at the beginning of the famous "Nine Debates": "Sorrow is the breath of autumn." Since then, the tradition of sad autumn has been opened. Or because of autumn, the years wither and life grows old; Or sad to leave because of autumn, saying homesickness; Or because of autumn sadness, bumpy career, fame has not been established. Synaesthesia between people and things often occurs. Just like Liu Yuxi in the Tang Dynasty, he sang "Autumn has been sad since ancient times, and I say autumn is not as good as spring." A crane in the clear sky clouds, poetry to Bixiao ("Autumn Poems"), but this is a minority. Ouyang Xiu caused the description of "autumn shape" with a sad sigh, which made the "autumn" mentioned in Ode to Autumn Sound go a step further. In his works, "autumn" is like this:
Gai Fuqiu's face is also dim, and the smoke is getting thicker; Its capacity is clear, the sky is high and the sun is shining; Its qi is bitter and bitter, which makes people bones and muscles; Its meaning is gloomy, and the mountains and rivers are lonely. Therefore, it is also a sound, sad and urgent, calling for anger. The grass is lush and the wood is lush and pleasant. Grass changes color when brushed, and wood falls off when touched. The reason why the scattered people were destroyed was because they were fierce in anger.
The autumn in this description is deeply cool. The clear sky and bright moon in autumn are full of bright colors, which makes people relaxed and happy. Besides, what kind of autumn scenery are we seeing? Ouyang Xiu painted a gorgeous autumn picture for us from four aspects: color, breath, meaning and sound. He said: autumn is bleak, hazy and cloudy; Autumn is cold and stings people's bones and muscles; Autumn is gloomy and cold, and the mountains and rivers are lonely; Only the sound of autumn is full of emotion, "sadness is urgent, call for anger." If so, autumn sounds are no longer autumn sounds under breezes, strong winds and still winds, but violent autumn sounds. Although it is an imitation or anthropomorphic description, it is full of grief and indignation under objective reproduction. Ouyang Xiu's words are not finished. He went on to say: Bai Cao and Jia Mu are full of vitality, or flourishing, or lush, but they are full of joy every autumn. But when autumn comes, the green grass turns yellow, and the beautiful trees are only bare, and the green grass and beautiful trees are "destroyed and scattered", which is so bleak that Ouyang Xiu has the following discussion on the five elements of Yin and Yang and the twelve laws of five tones:
Criminal officer, then Yin; It is like a soldier, using gold. It means loyalty between heaven and earth, often based on killing. Heaven is to things, spring gives birth to autumn, so it is also to music, and business voices dominate western voices, which is easy to be the law of July. Business, injury, old sadness; Easy, kill life, kill it if you have more than enough.
The so-called autumn is a "criminal official", which comes from Zhou Li's theory of "six officials". The "six officials", namely celestial officials, local officials, spring officials, summer officials, Qiu Guan officials and winter officials, were used as corresponding officials, households, rituals, soldiers, punishments and workers after the Tang Dynasty. It's Scott, who is in charge of criminal law, so Ouyang Xiu said Qiu was a criminal officer. The so-called criminal officer's theory that "time is yin" starts with yin and yang, and yang dominates life and yin dominates killing; The so-called autumn is a "military image." According to the five elements, gold, wood, water, fire and earth in the five elements originate from five planets in the sky, with Venus as the white star and gold as the main soldier. So there is a "military image", which is said to exist in the west, and the autumn that causes everything to wither corresponds to it. Although these two statements have their own logic, they are only a comparison made by people using the theory of Yin-Yang and Five Elements. This autumn, Ouyang Xiu said that he was "loyal to heaven and earth", and his heart was "chilling" because of frost and cold, which not only corresponded to the reality that everything withered after the autumn sound, but also corresponded to the theory of Yin-Yang and Five Elements he said here, giving people a feeling that autumn was not affectionate. With these low and depressing words, he raised his voice and said calmly, "Heaven is to things, and spring gives birth to autumn." . This is the natural law of the growth of everything between heaven and earth, but Ouyang Xiu doesn't want to comment on it, but leads to the autumn sound in music.
The "Shang" mentioned here is one of the five tones of ancient music. From high notes to low notes, it is followed by Gong, Shang, Jiao, Qian and Yu. Ban Gu's Hanshu Law relates these five tones to the five elements of gold, wood, water, fire, earth, spring, summer, autumn and winter. It is also related to the geographical orientation of east, south, middle, west and north. Autumn dominates the west, "Shang" is the golden sound, and the voice of the west dominates, which naturally corresponds to autumn; "Yi" is one of the twelve ancient musical rhythms. The order from bass to treble is: Huang Zhong, Lu Da, Tai Qun, Jia Zhong, Gu Xi, Zhong Lu, Yan Bin, Lin Zhong, Yi, Nan Lu, Wu She and Ying Zhong. "Historical Records" says: "July is also a month, and the law has changed." Those who change things are thieves, and everything is also. "From the interpretation of music, Ouyang Xiu is deeply saddened:" Business hurts, and things are old and sad; Yi, decapitation, extremes meet, when killed. "It seems that I can't say the voice of autumn, but it is essentially the chill of autumn. Everything has entered the decline of autumn after the peak of summer. Although it contains the basic law of the development of all things: young and old, prosperous and declining.
Ouyang Xiu's imagination is very divergent, taking knowledge as the text, so from criminal officers and soldiers to business law, but the core is always autumn sound or autumn wind. Why is this happening? He also has profound thinking, which is written like this:
Hey, honey! The vegetation is ruthless, and sometimes it falls. Man is an animal and the spirit of all things. All kinds of worries feel their hearts, and everything is shaped. If it moves in the middle, it will shake its essence. However, the situation is beyond its power and worrying its wisdom. Eucalyptus is suitable, and stars are black. Why compete for glory with non-stone quality vegetation? Who do you think is a thief and why do you hate Qiu Sheng?
He compares vegetation with people here, saying that ruthless vegetation is still falling. As the spirit of all things, dissatisfied people often live in 89 cases. In the complicated social life, the pursuit of "three immortals" as the ultimate goal of life, the competition of "fame and fortune" in real life, and the common diseases such as birth and death, lovesickness and so on. People can't help but feel "worried and everything is ready." Ouyang Xiu has the shadow of Zhuangzi Thought, but it is no longer a philosophical theory of life, but a practical difficulty. What he said is very deep. All kinds of worries and endless thoughts do harm to people's spirit, as well as unexpected and unexpected pain, which will naturally make people's ruddy face wither and their black hair turn white gradually. So, he asked, "Why do you want to win glory with non-stone vegetation?" This is enough to make people tremble. It has long been known that man is not a stone, and there are various forms of literature, such as Nineteen Ancient Poems written anonymously at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. For example, "Life is not a stone, how can you live long" ("Let's talk about it when we get back to the car"), "Life is suddenly like mail, and life is not solid" ("Driving to the East Gate"). Of course, what Ouyang Xiu said is not new, but he said that how can people compete with vegetation for glory? Is the aging and withering of human life the destruction of autumn sound or the harm of other things? Ouyang Xiu's statement is very meaningful. He is obviously saying that people's aging and decline are the result of self-destruction. It is no wonder that the cold autumn sound makes the autumn sound described in Ode to Autumn heartless to plants and seems particularly affectionate to people.
People usually think that this passage is the main theme of Ode to Autumn Sound, which is good. But what does Ouyang Xiu want to express when he talks about life from Autumn Sound? Some people say that he wants to express the depression in his chest after the failure of the "Qingli New Deal". Not exactly. The "Qingli New Deal" took place in Li Qing, Song Renzong for three years (1043). In September of that year, Fan Zhongyan, who participated in politics, wrote a letter demanding reforms in many aspects such as the appointment of officials, farming and mulberry fields, and military corvee. Ouyang Xiu, 37, took part in it, supported Fan Zhongyan, and wrote "The Theory of cronies" to counter those who attacked the reformists as "cronies". In the first month of the fifth year of Li Qing (1045), Fan Zhongyan was dismissed from office for participating in politics, and Ouyang Xiu was demoted as the magistrate of Chuzhou. Since then, Ouyang Xiu has been a magistrate in Yangzhou, and returned to Beijing in the first year of you (1049) to re-serve as a bachelor of Longtuge, and then alternately served as a local official and a Beijing official. In February of this year, when he wrote Ode to Autumn Sound, he was appointed as Kaifeng Prefecture Yin. It was snowing in Bianjing at that time, and the cold after beginning of spring made the price of firewood and food rise, which was unbearable for the people. Some people died of hunger and unemployment, which was a tragic sight. Ouyang Xiu sympathized with the people's sufferings and went to "beg for the Lantern Festival", asking Song Renzong not to light lights or say no lanterns during the Lantern Festival, which was approved. He also impeached Cheng Longchang in the temple, saying that he was a heresy that harmed Taoism and should not be praised and was criticized. This year, Li Guan asked for the reform of the high-old system, and Ouyang Xiu echoed it. Nevertheless, it is hard to say that he wrote Ode to Autumn Sound to express his "depression in his chest" for many years.
This year, he served as the detail officer of the imperial examination Jinshi. The top scholar Liu, whose real name is Liu Ji. Shen Kuo recorded in "On Meng Xi" that Liu Ji was curious and eccentric, which led to a temporary literary atmosphere and was deeply hated by Ouyang Xiu. A few years later, Liu Ji was renamed Liu. After changing the style of writing, Ouyang Xiu still valued him, and changed his "virtue of Anne" to "virtue of Anne", thus achieving Liu's name. In the second year of Jiayou (1057), at the age of 5 1, Gong Ju, the department of rites in Quan Zhi, presided over the Jinshi examination of Su Shi and Su Zhe. I read Su Shi's article on the topic of "Rewarding loyalty with punishment", and I was very excited. I even said that I would avoid a road to make Su Shi stand out. Later, Ouyang Xiu's son, Ouyang Fa, described his father's life in Biography of the First Official, and mentioned that his father Ouyang Xiu opposed strange writing through the imperial examination and advocated the simplicity of Han Yu's ancient prose, which achieved great success, which also laid his position in the literary world at that time. Judging from these, it is hard to say that Ouyang Xiu was frustrated all his life.
It is worth noting that Ouyang Xiu was in poor health this year. He said, "His temples must be bright and his eyes must be dim." "He was attacked by the atmosphere, and his left arm ached, making it difficult to move his interest. How many limbs are not sick? " I hope I can work in Hongzhou from Bianjing, and "talk about decline with support" (the fourth miscellaneous son of Qi Hong government). Although he didn't get what he wanted, he was relieved of his post as Yin Fu of Kaifeng Prefecture and given a middle-level position, which relieved his work pressure and affairs. Ouyang Xiu is very happy. In a letter to his good friend Wu Zhengsu, he said: "It's foolish to make friends without cage." ("Long Wen and Wu Zhengsu") Because of his illness, he is indifferent to the world and doesn't even want to do anything to recommend Lv Gongzhu to replace himself. He also wrote in the poem "My original father in the report of pregnancy and illness": "I am crazy enough to deliberately compete with spring, and my mood will gradually decline when I am old. The taste of the world is only indifferent to poetry, and half of my life has been invaded by disease. The flowers are bright and the wine is green. Young people naturally crossed, and now they are stupid and cold. " This poem hints at his early struggle to be an official, the so-called arrogance of a teenager, and his plan to fight for spring. Now I am sick, old, listless and indifferent to my career. Among them, in Ode to Autumn Sound, he said that he was worried about his works, but his sigh for the sick old man was also true.
Before he wrote Ode to Autumn Sound, he also said to his friend Zhao Shuping: "The summer poison is very old, the strong are miserable, and those who are sick early know it." I have been suffering from asthma for dozens of days since the summer heat. When you are near, you are sick, you are prone to pillows, and you are not in the mood. " ("Peace with Uncle Zhao") said to his friend: "I was in the yamen yesterday and was bothered by several cases. My blood is extremely stagnant and my left arm hurts. I can't lift it. Don't live in the south of the city, you will have a good life. The disease has not healed so far. " Ouyang Xiu, who was troubled by the disease, suffered a lot. He even said in his book Sick Summer Fu that he was "just sick and tired" and his life was too hard. Moreover, this year, Ouyang Xiu's good friend Chen Dong also died in the same year, at the age of 36, and he became the official secretary. Ouyang Xiu wrote "Two Poems of Secretary Cheng in the Same Year"; His friend Hu Yuan died at the age of 67. Later, Ouyang Xiu wrote "Mr. Hu's Grave Table" for him. These are all sad things. Let's look at Ouyang Xiu's "Why not win glory with non-stone flowers and trees" in Ode to Autumn Sound, which is a deep pain in life. In his poem, he said that "no sage will die since ancient times", and the shadow of death also hangs over him. He advised people to "hate the sound of autumn", not because the sound of autumn naturally makes people from birth to death, but because people's own "thieves" are more powerful. The connotation of this "thief" is very complicated, which always comes down to indifference to the world and insufficient understanding of life. So now he says that he is indifferent, knows the destination of life, and doesn't want to compete with the official. Therefore, his Ode to Autumn Sound is not so much a sad autumn as a refreshing agent of life, warning people not to compete with vegetation for glory with the quality of stones.
As a representative work of the Song Dynasty, Ode to Autumn Sound uses the brushwork of parallel prose in the Southern Dynasties and legal prose in the Tang Dynasty, and lyricism is more important than narration, which is also a tradition initiated by Zhang Heng's Return to Talent in the Eastern Han Dynasty. But Ouyang Xiu's free expression has something in common with his good ancient prose. People remember it because of its stylistic variation and more because of its life feelings. Only at the end of the assignment, he wrote: "The teenager is justified and fell asleep with his head down. But when I hear the chirping of four-walled insects, if I help them, I will sigh. " Although it is said that "the boy is right", only insects sound corresponding, but it gives people a strong feeling that "everyone is drunk and I wake up alone" Who can understand Ouyang Xiu?
(Author: College of Literature, Hainan Normal University)