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剛才我們所吟的那首詩：
少年壯且厲，撫劍獨行游。
誰言行游近，張掖至幽州。
就正是他詩裡面常常使用的一種象徵手法。他所說的行游到張掖，到幽州，其實並不是他身體方面遠遊的經歷，而是他精神遠遊中的經歷，是他的一種精神的境界。
你也許會以為陶淵明是在做白日夢吧？其實不是的。陶淵明有很多詩，裡面也有類似「撫劍獨行遊」這樣的豪壯精神。他曾經寫過一首詩是讚美荊軻的。荊軻是戰國時代的游俠和刺客。當時的秦國總藉著武力要去侵略別的國家。燕國很怕被秦國吞併侵略，於是燕國的太子丹就找到了荊軻，讓他去行刺那個有野心的秦王。由此我們知道了荊軻的典故和出處。
那麼陶淵明「詠荊軻」的詩裡，讚美了這位仗義行俠的荊軻的英勇行為。由此可見陶淵明的胸中，也有這樣激昂慷慨的悲壯氣概。陶淵明並非天生就是恬淡平靜的，特別是處在那樣一個彼此爭奪，刀兵相見的動亂時代。不但西晉如此，東晉依然如此，甚至更加動亂不安；不怛北方完全淪陷在異族手裡，南方也有許多戰亂。開始有蘇峻的叛亂，陶淵明的曾祖父陶侃就參加過平定蘇峻的叛亂。後來有桓玄的叛亂，再後來又有劉裕的叛亂。此外還有浙江海邊的孫恩起義等等。陶淵明不但身經了這些叛亂，而且他眼見那些人可以不擇手段地用殘忍的手段殺死了許多人。
東晉的兩個皇帝都是被毒害而死的。東晉最後一個皇帝是安帝，當劉宋的劉裕有了自己要作皇帝的野心之後，他就派了一個人拿這一瓶混有毒藥的酒去給晉安帝喝。拿酒的人覺得是不應該的：「我怎能拿毒藥去害一個人呢？何況要殺的這個人竟然是皇帝。」但是他如果不把這瓶毒酒灌到皇帝的嘴裡，他自己就活不成了。在這種進退兩難之下，他就自己把毒酒喝了。他因為不願意去做他認為不應該做的事，而自殺了。即使如此，劉裕仍不死心，他就又派了另外一個人，再去用毒酒害安帝。皇帝不肯喝那毒酒，他便再次變換手段，最終將皇帝殺死了。這就是陶淵明所生活的時代和社會。
更讓大家不可思議的是，這兩個篡位的人，一個是桓玄，一個就是殺死晉安帝的劉裕，陶淵明先後在他二人的手下做過事情，由此我們就明白了他為什麼會辭官不做了。後來多少人請他出來，他都不出來。陶淵明有一首叫做「述酒」的詩，主要就是講東晉的亡國這段故事。他另外還寫過一組詩「讀山海經」。
〈山海經〉是中國古代的一本書，是把中國的地理和神話傳統結合起來寫的，裡面說了很多的神話故事。陶淵明就是用這些神話故事為題材，抒寫自己憤世嫉時之感慨。其中有一首是贊美「形天」的，詩句說：「形天舞干戚，猛志固常在。」他說有一位不知道是人，還是動物的英雄叫形天，他的頭被打掉了，可是他手裡還能拿著一個武器跟敵人頑強戰鬥。
他還寫了很多神奇怪異的事情，而且這裡面的主人翁大多是些冤屈的，失敗的英雄。他之所以寫了很多這樣的詩，那都是因為陶淵明所經歷的時代，使得他內心有如此抑鬱不平的憤慨。剛才我們所講的那首詩：「少時壯且厲，撫劍獨行游。誰言行游近，張掖至幽州。」就是表現他自己內心深處曾經有過的這種憤慨不平，欲仗劍奮起的悲壯精神。
剛才我們曾經引了金朝人元遺山讚美陶淵明的詞，現在我還要引清朝龔自珍的話。龔自珍曾經寫過這樣幾句詩：「陶潛詩喜說荊軻，想見停雲發浩歌。」龔自珍還有另外兩句詩：「莫信詩人竟平淡，二分梁甫一分騷。」這都是清人龔自珍「舟中讀陶詩三首」中的詩句。
詩的意思說。陶淵明不是在詩裡贊美荊軻嗎？我們已經知道了荊軻是被司馬遷列在『史記－刺客列傳』裡的人物。所以你不要只看陶淵明隱居田園，躬耕南田的一面。他的詩裡，有時也表現出這種慷慨不平的悲壯精神。鞏自珍的：『想見停雲發浩歌』是說我們由此可以想到陶淵明的《停云》詩。
待續
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Let us recall the poem mentioned earlier:
"When I was young, I was strong and brave.
I carried my sword and traveled alone.
Who says that I have only been to nearby places?
I have traveled from Zhangyi to Youzhou."
This poem clearly illustrates the symbolism that Tao Yuan-ming frequently used. His traveling from Zhangyi to Youzhou was not in a physical sense. He visited those places in spirit. He was describing a state of mind.
Was Tao Yuanming daydreaming? No. Many of Tao Yuanming's poems carry the heroic spirit of the line, "I carried my sword and traveled alone." He wrote a poem praising Jing Ke, a warrior and assassin in the Epoch of Warring States. The King of Qin was always looking to invade other states. Worried that they might be invaded by Qin, Prince Dan of the State of Yan found Jing Ke and asked him to assassinate the ambitious King of Qin. That is the brief story of Jing Ke.
In Tao Yuanming's poem, "Praise to Jing Ke," he admired Jing Ke's chivalry and heroic deeds. From this, we can see the magnanimous spirit and heroic passion in Tao Yuanming's heart. Tao Yuanming was not by nature a mild and peace-loving man, especially in those tumultous times of war and strife. The Western Jin Dynasty was chaotic, and the Eastern Jin Dynasty was even worse. Not only was the northern part occupied by foreigners, the southern part was also filled with fighting.
It started with Su Jun's revolt. Tao Yuanming's great-grand father joined the battle to subdue the revolt by Su Jun. Then there was a revolt led by Huan Xuan, and then another one by Liu Yu. In addition, along the southeast coast, there was the revolt led by Sun En. Tao Yuanming not only lived through those battles, he witnessed those people cruelly killing many rivals by any means they could.
The last two emperors of the Eastern Jin Dynasty were poisoned to death. The last emperor of the Eastern Jin Dynasty was Emperor An. When Liu Yu of the Liu-Song Dynasty decided to make himself emperor, he sent a man to give Emperor An a cup of poisoned wine. The man who was to deliver the wine felt guilty: "How can I poison a man, especially if he happens to be the emperor?" However, if he did not make sure the emperor drank the poisoned wine, he knew he would not live. Faced with such a dilemma, he drank the wine himself. He committed suicide because he did not want to do something he felt he should not do. Even so, Liu Yu was very stubborn and sent another man to poison Emperor An. But the emperor refused to drink that poisoned wine. Liu Yu tried a different tactic and eventually killed the emperor. Such were the times and society in which Tao Yuanming lived.
What is incredible is that Tao Yuanming worked under both usurpers, Huan Xuan and Liu Yu, the assassin of Emperor An. That explains why Tao Yuanming resigned his post and did not want to work for the government anymore. Later on, many people offered him an official position, but he turned them all down. Tao Yuanming wrote a poem, "On Drinking," which talks about the decline of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. He also wrote a series of poems called "On Reading
The Book of the Mountains and Seas."
The Book of the Mountains and Seas is an ancient Chinese book which combines Chinese geography with traditional mythology. It relates many myths and fairytales. Tao Yuanming used those myths and fairytales as vehicles to express his own lamentation over the society and times. One of these poems praises Xingtian. It says, "Xingtian brandishes his arms. His brave spirit has always existed." It describes Xingtian, a hero who may be man or beast, who kept on fighting with his enemies even after his head was chopped off.
Tao Yuanming also wrote about many weird and strange events. Most of the characters in his poems are wronged or defeated heroes. He wrote such poems because of the anger and frustration he felt after what he had gone through. Again, let us return to the poem: "When I was young, I was strong and brave. I carried my sword and traveled alone. Who says that I have only been to nearby places? I have traveled from Zhangyi to Youzhou." This poem particularly expresses the indignance and heroic spirit deep in his heart.
I have referred to the verses written by Yuan Yishan in Jin Dynasty in praise of Tao Yuanming. Now I want to mention what Gong Zizhen of the Qing Dynasty said. Gong Zizhen wrote: 'Tao Qian liked to talk about Jing Ke in his poems. Refer to his songs in 'Unmoving Clouds.'" He also wrote two lines: "Don't believe that poets are content with the simple life. They are two parts fame and one part rhythm." These are lines from "Reading Tao Yuanming's Three Poems on a Boat" written by Gong Zizhen.
The meaning of these lines is: Didn't Tao Yuanming praise Jing Ke in his poems? We know that Jing Ke was listed in
"Biographical Sketches of Assassins" in The Historical Records written by Sima Qian. So we should not think of Tao Yuanming only as someone who retired to the country and took up farming. His poems often reveal a heroic spirit of indignance at the injustice of the times. "Refer to his loud songs in 'Unmoving Clouds.'" Gong Zizhen said that we can refer to his poems entitled "Unmoving Clouds."
To be continued
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