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In the prison of official duties, my days are long,
But a morning walk brings release, a joyful song.
Young willows dance with the spring breeze’s flow,
And verdant mountains ease my troubled mind’s ebb and flow.
Resting among the bushes, wandering by the streams,
Fragrant fields are misty with spring rain, nature’s serene.
Though my heart yearns for solitude and peace,
Duties bind me, my steps in haste, a heart’s release.
But one day, free from the official’s role,
I’ll envy Tao Qian, living life in a tranquil whole.
This is a poem about a spring outing. Poetry is written first and is bound by official duties, so the case is laborious. The first time I wrote that the poet walked out of the government office, went on an outing in spring, and breathed the fresh air in the suburbs, feeling refreshed and happy. Then I wrote that I failed to return to hermitage, and I became more and more attracted to Tao, thinking of staying here for a long time, showing my weariness of official life and love for nature.
The poem tells the busy and boring official life with true feelings, and expresses the tranquility and happiness of returning to nature. The philosophy of the world, the experience speaks, the words are true, and the reading is very beneficial. “The willows are scattered in the gentle wind, and the green mountains are light and I worry about it”, which can be described as a swan song for the scenery to cultivate the feelings. In his later years, the author yearned for Tao Yuanming very much. He not only made poems emulating Tao style, but also admired Tao and waited for Tao in life.
吏舍跼終年，出郊曠清曙。
楊柳散和風，青山澹吾慮。
依叢適自憩，緣澗還復去。
微雨靄芳原，春鳩鳴何處。
樂幽心屢止，遵事蹟猶遽。
終罷斯結廬，慕陶直可庶。
Wei Yingwu (737-792), a poet in the Tang Dynasty of China. Han nationality, from Chang’an (now Xi’an, Shaanxi). There are 10 volumes of “Wei Jiangzhou Collection”, two volumes of “Wei Suzhou Poetry Collection”, and 10 volumes of “Wei Suzhou Collection”. Only one essay survives. Because he served as the governor of Suzhou, he is known as “Wei Suzhou” in the world. The poetic style is calm and lofty, and he is famous for describing scenery and reclusive life.
Image: MidJourney/DALL-E 2