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第四講
前面我們給大家介紹了陶淵明的時代，他的生平思想，以及他的仕宦經歷。
這一次我們就來看他這一組〈飲酒〉詩。在正式講〈令酒〉詩之前，我們應當先來看一看這二十首詩前面的序文，因為這個序文對以後詩歌的了解有很重要的關係。陶淵明這二十首詩是一組詩。這個題目雖然是令酒，可它裡面的內容不是都說的是喝酒的事情，它裡面講到人生的很多問題。
在中國的宋朝－－我這裡說的是唐朝以後的趙宋的宋朝－－宋朝的蘇軾，（就是）蘇東坡曾經說過這樣一句話，說：「不知陶公方飲酒中，何緣記得此許多事。」對於陶淵明，許多人稱他為陶公，是對他表示尊敬的意思。蘇東坡說，我不知道陶公－－這位老先生；「方」是正當；「何緣」是為什麼緣故。他說，我不知道陶老先生正在飲酒的時候，為什麼會想起這麼多的事情來？這是蘇東坡讀這組詩時，提出的問題。
這確實是一件很奇怪的事情，他詩的題目叫〈飲酒〉，可是詩中講到的許多問題卻與飲酒無關，那麼他寫這組詩的動機、背景，以及緣由是什麼呢？這些，陶淵明雖然從來沒有明白地說出來過，因為他有他不能夠說出來的苦衷。但在他詩前的序文裡，卻很隱約，很含蓄地為我們透露出一些消息。所以這個序文和其中的少數幾首詩是我們特別應該注意的，因為從這裡面，我們可以窺見陶淵明他寫這組詩的思想背景與真正動機。他的序文是這樣的：
余閑居寡歡，兼比夜已長，偶有名酒，無夕不飲，顧影獨盡。忽焉復醉。既醉之後，輒題數句自娛，紙墨遂多，辭無諭次，聊命故人書之，以為歡笑爾。
他說我「閑居寡歡」，他不是辭官不做了嗎？他在家裡沒有工作，當然要種田的。種田本來是很忙的，可當他寫這二十首詩的時候，那已經是秋冬之季了，農田裡的事情都忙完了，比較閑了。秋冬收獲以後他就閑居在家，沒有什麼消遣的活動，也沒有什麼值得歡樂的事情，這就是「余閑居寡歡」的意思。還不止如此，人們常說「歡娛嫌夜短，寂愁恨更長」，是說你歡喜快樂的時候，常常會覺得日子過得很快，而你不快樂的時候，就覺得時間過得很慢，很長。
淵明說他不但覺得每天白日閑居無聊，而且是「兼比夜已長」。「兼」是更加；「比」是近來的意思，這個字當「比較」講時讀成「筆」音，而當「近來」講的時候應該讀成「畢」音。
他說本來我每白日裡閑居無聊，沒有什麼快樂的事情可以消遣，更何況加上近來的夜晚一天比一天長了。就像溫哥華，夏天夜很短，到了冬天，很早天就黑下來了。我們說他這一組詩寫在秋冬之季，就正是從這裡看出來的。
後邊的一句話就是最應注意的了：「偶有名酒」，這是非常重要的一句話。這裡透露了一個消息，一個他為什麼寫這二十首「飲酒」詩，為什麼以「飲酒」為題，而詩之內容又不關飲酒，卻縱談很多人生問
題的緣由。根據陶淵明的傳記來看，後來他回鄉種田，家裡很貧窮。他喜歡喝酒，可是卻沒有錢買酒。他的傳記故事裡有許多這方面的記載。比如說他本來不願意與那些作官的人相往來的，可是如果那些人準備了好酒，在他經過的路上請他喝，他也不推辭。
據說有一次秋天九月九日重陽節時，大家都飲酒歡慶，可他沒有酒喝。有一個穿白衣服的人給他送來了酒，那人就是江州的刺史。還說他有一個朋友叫顏延之的，有一次送給他很多錢，他把這些錢都存在酒店。他說：「你們替我保存，我在你們這裡喝酒。」由此可見，陶淵明雖然沒有錢沽酒，但還是時常有酒喝的。他現在就不但有了酒，而且還是名酒，是最貴、最好的酒。
他這次的「偶有名酒」是從哪裡來的呢？這的確是很成問題的一件事。如果想要弄清楚陶淵明在詩中之所以說了那麼多人生話題的原因，就必須要注意序文中這一句話。而與序文中這句話可以相互印證的，還有他這組詩裡的第九首。這首詩裡提到有人給他送酒喝的事情。我們現在還沒正式講這首詩，我先簡單地念一遍。我只是為了證明有人給他送酒來這件事。
待續
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Lecture Four
I have introduced Tao Yuanming's background, his life philosophy, and his political career.
Today, let's read his series of poems titled "On Drinking." Before looking into his "On Drinking" poems, we should read the preface which provides important clues to help us understand the meaning of these twenty poems. Although Tao Yuanming chose 'Drinking' as the title of this series of poems, these poems discuss not only drinking, but many issues of life.
In the Song Dynasty—the Zhao Song Dynasty after the Tang Dynasty—the scholar Su Shi (Su Dongpo) said: "I don't know how Sir Tao, after drinking so much, can possibly remember so many things." Many people called him Sir Tao to show their respect. Su Shi said he didn't understand how Sir Tao could recall so many things while he was drinking. This was the question Su Dongpo brought up when he read this series of poems.
It is rather peculiar that Tao titled this series of poems "On Drinking," when what the poems discussed had nothing to do with drinking. What then were the motives, background, and reasons that led him to write this series of poems? Tao Yuanming never explained his reasons, for his situation was not easily understood by others. Nonetheless, some clues are vaguely revealed in the preface. We should focus our attention on the preface and a few poems in particular, for they will enable us to understand Tao Yuanming's true motivation and background in writing these poems. The preface says:
I live in idleness with little to amuse myself. Recently the nights have gotten very long. Occasionally I acquire some fine wine, which I drink every night in the lone company of my shadow. Soon I am drunk again, and then I casually write a few lines for my own amusement. After using up a great deal of ink and paper writing incoherent words, I recklessly ask a friend to make a neat copy just for the fun of it.
Tao said, "I live in idleness with little to amuse myself." After he resigned from his official post, he had to till his fields since he had no job. Farming basically keeps a man very busy. He must have written these twenty poems at the end of autumn or in early winter, when there was not much to do in the field. After the harvest, he stayed home without any entertainment to pass the time. That's why he said, "I live in idleness with little to amuse myself."
That was not all, either. People usually say, "When I'm having fun, the night seems so short. When I'm lonely and miserable, the night is far too long." Usually when you are having fun, time seems to fly; when you are depressed, time seems to drag on.
To Tao Yuanming, the days were monotonous and boring, and "recently the nights have gotten very long." He said that not only did he have nothing to do and enjoy during the day, the nights were also getting longer and longer. In Vancouver, for example, the nights are short in the summer, but it gets dark early in the winter. From this, we conclude that he wrote this series of poems in early winter.
We must pay special attention to this important line, "Occasionally I acquire some fine wine." This line explains why he wrote these twenty poems and why he titled the series "On Drinking," although the content has nothing to do with drinking, but deals with many issues of life. According to Tao Yuanming's biography, he farmed after returning home. Since his family was very poor, he could not afford to buy wine though he liked to drink. There are many accounts in his biography concerning this issue. For example, although he did not like to socialize with government officials, he would not reject their invitation to have some fine wine on his way home.
One year, on the ninth day of the ninth month (Double Nine Day), everyone was drinking to celebrate, but Tao did not have any wine. Finally a man in a white robe, the magistrate of Jiangzhou, sent him some wine. On another occasion when his friend, Yan Yanzhi, gave him a large amount of money, he deposited the money at a bar and told the bar owner, "You keep the money so I can drink at your bar on credit." Thus we know that Tao Yuanming did not have much money to buy wine, but he always had wine to drink. In this case, he not only had wine, he had the best and most expensive wine.
How did he acquire this fine wine? Where did it come from? This is a real problem. If you want to understand why Tao Yuanming talked about so many issues of life in his poems, you have to study this line thoroughly. This line in the preface can be corroborated with the ninth poem of this series. The ninth poem mentions that someone sent him some wine. We have not gotten to that poem yet, so I'll just read it to prove that someone gave him wine.
To be continued
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