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我們在第一次講這首詩的時候就曾說過，陶淵明這句詩有兩層意思：一是說你的心如果不被外物干擾，那你就不會覺得外邊事情的喧囂和煩惱，心就自然是很安靜的了。這完全是心理的感受。還有一個原因，是因為陶淵明自己說他住的地方是「窮巷隔深轍」，是遠離大馬路的窮巷子裡。這句詩所包涵的言外之意是，我不追求名利，我的心也不慕戀虛榮與繁華，所以我所選擇的住處本身就是偏遠清靜的。
你看陶淵明的這些詩句所說的都是他的實際生活，他的真實感受。他不是空口說白話，像父母告誡小孩子說：「你要安心讀書啊！不要受外界的干擾。」不是這樣子的教訓和講道理，而是真正有生活，有感受和體驗才寫出來的，因此我們讀起來才會有詩的感覺。
接下去陶淵明又說：「採菊東籬下，悠然見南山。山氣日夕佳，飛鳥相與還。」這幾句還是接著他的生活感受來寫的。他說我在東邊的籬笆下採集菊花，悠然地看見了南山。這兩句話是很不容易講的，他將自己跟大自然中的景物，形象結合起來。當他這樣做「採菊、見山」的時候，內心之中自然而然地就湧起一種感受。
陶淵明的詩看上去好像很簡單，但卻很不容易講明白，因為他內心意識的活動完全是隨著感覺的變化而流轉。他的詩中常常說到菊花，在所有的植物之中，他最喜歡說的，一個是菊花，一個是松樹。這裡我還要再補充一點，就是我們應該怎麼樣欣賞一個好詩人的詩？一個偉大的詩人跟一個小詩人，他們之問的區別在哪裡呢？如果他是一個小詩人，他可以寫出一些美麗的詩句，比如花草樹木寫得很美，或者偶而寫出來兩句很好的詩。可是如果是一個真正偉大的詩人，那麼他的詩就不僅是在詩的句子裡，不只是在這些構成詩句的文字裡包涵著他的種種真實感受。中國真正偉大的詩人，他們是用自己的全部生命去寫詩，用自己的整個一生去實踐他的詩的。這是中國詩的一個很主要的特色。
這也是西方人很不容易接受的。他們認為詩歌的文采才是主要的，至於作者的人格品德對於作品的藝術創作是不很主要的，可是中國的詩一定不是如此的。中國的詩從〈詩經〉開始，就有一個傳統－－「情動於中，而形於言」。你內心之中要有真正的感動，你才會通過詩句把它表現出來。所以真正好的詩人，你不能只讀他一首詩，就想懂得他，知道他的好處在哪裡。
你必須要看他的全部創作，他們的每一首詩都可以相互注解，相互印證。這就要從他整個的人生和他全部的詩篇來看，才能知道他真正要說的是什麼。
他很喜歡寫松樹，寫菊花。他曾經有幾句詩寫到松樹和菊花的，如「和郭主簿二首」之二中的「芳菊開林耀，青松冠巖列。懷此貞秀姿，卓為霜下傑。」是說芬芳的菊花開放了，在一片叢林裡顯現出很有光彩的樣子。菊花都是淺顏色的，而且黃顏色居多，看上去非常鮮艷而有光彩；松樹是綠的，如果山上長滿了松樹，彷彿是給山巖上帶上了一頂頂的帽子，它們在山上很整齊地排成一排，顯得非常有生氣。
「懷此貞秀姿」：「懷」是說菊花與松樹的魅力色彩是發自於內的，不是外表塗上去的黃、綠的顏色；「貞」，是內在的不改變的意思。我們常常說堅貞、貞節，就是堅定、堅強，永不改變內在的品德。在深秋，在冬天，當別的花都凋謝了，別的葉子都黃落了的時候，菊花開了，松葉也還依然保持長青不凋的生命姿態。正因為它們有這種堅強的貞潔的美麗姿態，因此越是在寒冷的冰霜的打擊、摧殘的考驗中，才越顯得傑出了不起！
待續
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When we first talked about this poem, I said that it has two levels of meaning. One is that if your mind is not disturbed by external events, you won't sense the external clamor and anxiety, and will thus naturally feel calm. This is entirely a psychological perception. At another level of meaning, Tao Yuanming said that he lived in a "deeply isolated, shabby alley," that is, a run-down alley far removed from the major avenues. The meaning between the lines is, "I don't pursue the fame and wealth, and I don't care much for the vanity and glamour, so I choose a remote and quiet place to reside."
You can see that Tao Yuanming's poems talk about his real life experience. He does not idly moralize the way a parent might with children: "You have to concentrate on your studies; don't be distracted by other matters." He doesn't give lectures or theories, but writes down his true feelings and real life experience. Therefore, we can truly get a feel for his poetry when we read it.
Tao Yuanming then said:
Plucking chrysanthemums by the east wall,
I behold South Mountain at leisure.
How fine the sunset reflected in mountain mist!
Birds are flying home in groups.
This represented his life experience. He tells us, "While picking chrysanthemums at the fence on east side, I gazed idly at the South Mountain." These two lines are not easy to explain. He associated himself with the scenery and images of nature. When he plucked chrysanthemums and saw the mountains, they naturally evoked a kind of feeling in him.
Tao Yuanming's poems seem simple, yet are not easy to explain, because his mental and conscious activities completely follow the flow of his feelings. Chrysanthemums frequently appear in his poems, for his two favorite plants were the chrysanthemum and the pine tree.
Here, I should further explain how to appreciate the poems of a good poet, and how to differentiate a great poet from an ordinary one. An ordinary poet may write beautiful verses, for example describing the beauty of the flowers, grasses and trees; or he may occasionally write a few very fine verses. A great poet, however, does not merely use well-structured verses and words to convey his true feelings. A genuinely great Chinese poet pours his whole life into his poetry, using his entire life to actualize his verses. This is a very important characteristic of Chinese poetry.
Westerners, however, have difficulty accepting this concept. They consider the composition of verses to be the most important aspect in a work, not the author's character and virtue. Chinese poems definitely are not evaluated that way. Beginning with the
Book of Odes, the tradition was established that, "An inspiration occurs, and takes its form in words." You must truly be touched before you can write a poem to express your feeling.
Therefore, you should not expect to understand a great poet and appreciate his greatness after reading only one of his poems. You have to read all his works, because the poems are all interrelated. We have to look into his whole life experience and all of his works so as to understand what he really wants to say
Tao Yuanming was fond of writing about pine trees and chrysanthemums. In fact, he wrote several verses mentioning these. For example, one of the two poems in "Two Poems in Response to Secretary Kuo" reads:
Fragrant mums brilliantly blossom in the woods;
Verdant pine trees neatly line the mountains.
Bearing this virtuous and elegant nature,
They are heroes in the frost.
The fragrant chrysanthemum blossoms look resplendent in the woods. Chrysanthemums are usually of light colors—mostly yellow—and appear brilliant and gorgeous. Rows of green pine trees cover the mountain, making it look as if the mountain is wearing layers of hats. The neat rows of pine trees look very energetic.
Bearing this virtuous and elegant nature: "Bearing" indicates that the charm of the chrysanthemum and pine tree comes from within, not from the yellow and green colors of their exterior. "Virtuous" refers to an eternal inner quality. When we speak of resolute purity and persistent virtue, we mean the everlasting inner quality of virtue. In late autumn and early winter, when other flowers wither and other trees lose their leaves, chrysanthemums blossom and pines remain evergreen, showing their virtuous strength and beautiful disposition. The more they withstand the onslaught of the icy cold, the more outstanding and extraordinary they prove themselves to be!
To be continued
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