Do you recall that in the poem, "I build a hut in the human realm," he mentioned, "Birds are flying home in groups." In 'Return', he said, "The birds, weary of flying, know when to return home." Tao Yuanming often used the image of the homing bird. What he wanted to convey was not only the external realities of life, but also the subtlety of his innermost feelings. Moreover, these two lines also contain an element that is worthy of attention. The line, "At sunset, everything quietens down," means that the activities of all living things have settled down and everything is quiet. However, the chirping sounds in the next line, "Chirping birds head back to the woods," mean that there is sound within the quietude. The meaning conveyed by this sound is not one of boisterousness or disturbance, but of happiness upon returning home. When that particular bird depicted in the line, "A distressed bird, strayed from the flock," had finally found a solitary pine tree, it flew happily towards its perch. What he meant was: "I, Tao Yuanming, have now found a place to settle down peacefully and I will never be influenced or confused by the outside world."

At the end, he said, "I whistle contentedly by the east window, for incidentally I have found my life again." Weren't the birds chirping earlier? Very well, for he decided that he also wanted to "whistle contentedly." What does 'xiao ao' mean? We'll first talk about the character 'xiao'. In ancient times, someone wrote a rhapsody that specifically described how to whistle [xiao]. In short, 'xiao' means to make a sound with the mouth, but without any words. The ancient Chinese often talked about 'yin xiao' [reciting]. In fact, there is a difference between 'yin' and 'xiao'. The former means to recite poetry, unlike how I am now reading word by word. 'Yin' is to drag the sound, which is akin to singing and yet unlike singing. This is because it is not accompanied by a musical tune and only goes according to one's own inclination. Depending on how you regard a particular poem, you portray your feelings through the words. 'Yin' conveys the words as well as their meaning. Whether you feel happy or sad today, you act accordingly by choosing the appropriate poem to suit your mood. This is a truly wonderful thing.  

For example, Du Fu once wrote a poem, "Spring View," that has two well-known lines that read: "Our country has been destroyed and only the mountains and rivers appear the same. The city in spring is covered with tall trees and high grass." This poem was composed in the Tang Dynasty at the time of the Revolt of An-Shi when the capital, Chang'an, was captured by rebel troops. He said that his country was completely destroyed and the capital had fallen. However, the Zhongnan Mountain and the Qu River remained the same. In springtime, the grasses and trees sprouted new shoots once again but could a person's frame of mind remain unchanged?  

When I was studying in the university in Beiping (Beijing now), that was the time when it was occupied by the Japanese. That's to say I grew up in enemy-occupied territory. Whenever we went to places like the Summer Palace and the Forbidden City, we could not help but recite this poem. During the recital, our emotions were expressed through the poetry of the ancients. However, the ancients had another method of expressing their feelings and that was to whistle [xiao]. This is even more wonderful. When you can't find any words or ancient poems that strike a chord with your feelings, but at the same time you feel extremely emotional, then you can express yourself by whistling.

In fact, there is an interesting anecdote recorded in Tao Yuanming's biography that is similar to this. In Biography of Tao Qian in the Book of Song History, it is said that Tao Yuanming had a zither with no strings: "Whenever he had wine to drink, he would play this zither to express his feelings." Actually, Tao Yuanming didn't know how to play the zither but he obtained a stringless zither nonetheless. Whenever he was in a happy mood, he would play on it and imagine its sound. So you see, Tao Yuanming did not necessarily have to express himself through words; he had various ways to portray his feelings and they were all very interesting.

Now, after laboring for a whole day, he returned home in the evening and had a cup of wine. Then he heard the lovely tunes of the chirping birds that were returning to the woods. Thereupon, he also started to whistle to express his joy. The character 'ao' is the same as that in 'jiao ao' [proud]. Usually, we would regard the word 'proud' in a negative light, but Tao Yuanming's usage of 'ao' does not have the usual connotation of pride or arrogance. Here, it refers to his self-confidence and contentment that resulted from his indifference to others' influence and manipulation; and this is one of life's happinesses.  

 ~ To be continued