However, in this poem, Tao Yuanming was not talking about his pursuit of longevity. Rather, he was just expressing his fondness for chrysanthemums. Chrysanthemums do not only possess external beauty but also symbolizes the inner quality of virtue, just as in "Bearing this virtuous and elegant nature, they are heroes in the frost" [In Response to Secretary Guo]. He said, "And float them in this Carefree Drink, which encourages me to leave the world." Here, the character 'yuan' is used as a verb, as in 'to enable me to be apart from something.' 'To leave the world' means to leave behind all worldly gains and losses, benefits and disadvantages. Tao Yuanming, in fact, had the notion of leaving the world just like how "a distressed bird strayed from the flock, still flies alone at dusk." His grammar seems inconsistent but then you should know that "Tao Yuanming did not write for the sake of writing poetry; he simply expressed the wonders in his mind" [Chen Shidao in Houshan's Comments on Poetry]. He expressed his innermost sentiments which were very subtle, yet profound and that's why, at times, he did not adhere strictly to the grammatical rules of writing.

Regardless of this, certain characters in Tao's poems that express speech tones convey a very subtle meaning. He said, "And float them in this Carefree Drink, which encourages me to leave the world. I drink my cup in solitude, and when it's empty, I refill it from my flask." In the last two lines, the characters 'du' [solitude] and 'zi' [I] are used in an ingenious way because they portray his subtle and profound feelings about life. What he is saying is that his present choice is firmer. But then, who would understand his choice? Who would know his feelings? Did his wife and children know his feelings? They didn't. How can you tell that they didn't know? It's because Tao Yuanming once said in a letter, "My only regret is not having neighbors such as the two Zhong, nor a wife such as Lai's. I uphold a life of principle, but feel really lonely and guilty" [Letter To My Son Yan etc]. Unlike Lao Laizi's wife, Tao Yuanming's wife did not understand or support her husband's decision to retreat into seclusion. And what about his sons? Did they understand him? Tao Yuanming lamented in one of his poems: "Although I have five sons, none of them is fond of brush and paper" [Reproaching My Sons]. Amongst his five sons, not one of them was fond of studying. That's why when he “floated them in this Carefree Drink, which encouraged him to leave the world,” he had gained certain bliss akin to that he could actually live his life according to his ideals. However, nobody understood him and he felt a certain sense of isolation. The line, I drink my cup in solitude, and when it's empty, I refill it from my flask, expresses his mixed feelings of self-satisfaction and loneliness.

Tao Yuanming was adept at expressing this type of feelings. You may consider the emotion evoked by the characters 'du' and 'zi' [alone]. Will you be happy only when others understand you? Tao Yuanming once said, "Although I don't have any bosom friends, there is no remorse on my part" [In Praise of Impoverished Gentlemen]. Even though there is not a single person in the world who understands me, what does it matter? In fact, the character 'zi' denotes a feeling that is rather appealing.  

While he was self-contented, at sunset, everything quietens down. Chirping birds head back to the woods. As the sun gradually sets, the activities of all living things come to a halt. The ancients said, "Work when the sun rises; rest when the sun sets." This is especially so for people living in the farms, unlike in the bustling city where there are people who sleep during the day and come out at night to enjoy life. Farmers have to work in the day and rest in the night. At that time, the natural scenery that he saw was: At sunset, everytbing quietens down. Chirping birds head back to the woods. The phrase 'qu lin' means to head towards the woods. The birds' nests are inside the woods and that's why at sunset, all the birds head back to their nests. These two lines are very simple and easy to understand.  

~ To be continued