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陶淵明寫詩的時候，從來不管別人說他好還是壞，也不管驚人不驚人，他的詩是他心靈意念的自然流露。「提壺掛寒柯
，遠望時復為」，有什麼驚人？但他心靈的意念從這兩句詩裏自然流露出來了。屈原的《離騷》為什麼寫得那麼重疊，那麼反復？因為那也是屈原那種最真摯，最熱烈的感情的自然流露，他沒有一點點得失利害的計較，和競爭驚世的企圖。所以，從嚴格的標準來衡量，中國最偉大的詩人
，實在只有屈原和陶淵明。而我們現在所講的這每一首詩，都足以證明陶淵明是把他身體的生活，和心靈的生活結合在一起的。有很多人只有身體的生活，沒有心靈的生活；還有的人雖然有心靈的生活，卻沒有能力把它們像陶詩這麼好地表現出來
。陶淵明做到了這一點，這就是陶詩人的可貴之處。
第十二講
今天講《飲酒詩》的第九首。我在開始時說過，這一組詩除了第一首和最後一首之外，其他十幾首似乎沒有很明顯的次序。第一首是得酒，他說，「忽與一觴酒」--我偶然得到了一杯酒，所以這顯然是第一首。第二十首他說，「但恨多謬誤，君當恕醉人」--我說的話裏可能有許多錯誤，但你應該寬恕我這喝醉了酒的人，這顯然是最後一首。可是，中間的詩當真沒有次序嗎？並非如此，這個我也說過，他是從哲理寫起的：從第一首到第六首，寫
哲理也有一定的次序，他先是寫他對人生 的理想的困惑和懷疑，然後寫他終於找到了一個可以托身的所在，到了第七、八首
，他就開始寫他日常的生活。那麼這第九
首呢？我認為，這其實是最值得注意的一首詩，是理解全組詩的一把鑰匙，因為在這第九首詩裏，有一個人出現了。我先把這首詩讀一遍：
清晨聞叩門，倒裳往自開。
問子為誰歟？田父有好懷。
壺漿遠見候，疑我與時乖。
藍縷茅簷下，未足為高栖。
一世皆尚同，願君汨其泥。
深感父老言，稟氣寡所諧。
紆轡誠可學，違己詎非迷！
且共歡此飲，吾駕不可回。
我們先看這首詩表面的意思，等一下再說它隱藏的意思。「清晨聞叩門」，早晨很早的時候就聽到有人來敲門。「倒裳往自開」，注解說這句引了《詩經》裹的話。《詩﹒齊風﹒東方未明》有「東方未明，顛倒衣裳」，意思是，「東邊天還沒亮，這個人就起來了。」古代點燈不像現在這麼方便，他沒有點燈就穿衣服，急急忙忙看不清楚，把裏邊的穿到外邊，外邊的穿到裏邊；左邊的穿到右邊，右邊的穿到左邊：都穿顛倒了。所以這個「倒裳往自開」，是說那個來拜訪的人來得太早了
，陶淵明還沒有起床，聽到敲門聲就趕快穿衣服去開門，結果把衣服都穿亂了。可是，陶淵明用這「倒裳」兩個字的目的，其實還不在注解所引的「東方未明，顛倒衣裳」這兩句，而在《詩經》接下來還有兩句：「顛之倒之，自公召之。」中國的詩人是很妙的，你必須熟悉中國文化的傳統才知道他的意思在哪裏。
古人讀書從小就背《詩經》，所以一看到這個「倒裳」就會聯想到底下的「自公召之」。
《毛傳》的小序說這首詩是「刺無節也」，就是說，政府辦公沒有一定
的時間，天還沒亮就叫他去上班，這是不合理的，是制度的混亂。不過，陶淵明並沒有用「刺無節也」的本義，他只用了後邊那四個字的含義，就是「自公召之」
但這四個字他也沒有明白寫出來，這是很值得注意的：他把這四個字的意思隱藏起來了。他說：「清晨聞叩門，倒裳往自開
。問子為誰歟？田父有好懷。」「父」字在這裏不念「父」音〈而念「夫」音〉
它不是父親的意思，而是對年長者的一種比較尊敬的稱呼。比如說，打魚的人稱漁父，種田的人就稱田父。所謂「懷」者是情懷，就是說，他對我有這麼一種友好的情懷，所以這麼早就來看我了。但前人注
；陶詩早就指出，那並不是一個真正的農夫
，這裏只是陶淵明假設的問答。因為有些事他不能夠明白地說出來，就假托了這個田父。當他說「田父」的時候，他真正要說的是國家的政府，這種意思就隱藏在「倒裳」兩個字裏邊。他之所以衣服都沒穿好就去開門，因為那是「自公召之」，是政府的使者來找他。
我在講陶淵明生平的時候也曾講過，陶淵明所生的時代，是在東晉到劉宋改朝換代的這樣一個階段。劉裕宴篡奪了政府之後，新的朝廷曾經征召陶淵明出去做官，可是陶淵明不肯做官，他決定回到自己的田園去種田，再也不出去了。你要知道，這首詩就正是暗示了這個意思。當時有人要他出去，他卻不肯出去，所以才引起了他飲酒中的這麼多感想；所以他才在前邊幾首詩中寫了這麼多對人生哲理的思考；所以他才說「因值孤生松，斂翮遙來歸」
「托身已得所，千載不相逢」。而現在這首詩裏所說的，就是有人要請他出去這件事情。這個拜訪他的人來自遠方，是「壺漿遠見候」。「壺」是酒壺；「漿」是酒漿；「候」是問候、看望。你想，這個「田父」不是他的鄰居，而是從很遠的地方帶著酒來拜訪他，怎麼會是一個普通的
農夫？為什麼來拜訪陶淵明呢？是「疑我 與時乖」--因為他懷疑我跟這個時代不合。所謂這個時代，也就是指新的朝廷和新的皇帝。
接下來的幾句，就是假設的那位「田父」的話。他說，你縱然「藍縷茅簷下J ，也「未足為高棲」。
藍縷」這個詞出於《左傳》的「篳路藍縷，以啟山林」，是說楚國的先王建立國家之不易。杜預的注解說，「
藍縷」指的是「敝衣」，就是破舊的衣服。陶淵明剛才用了《詩經》的「顛倒衣裳」，現在又用了《左傳》的「篳路藍縷」，但是他用《詩經》的時候暗含有「自公召之」的含義；現在用《左傳》卻沒有更深的含義，就只是指破舊的衣服。所以，對詩人的用典，我們一定要注意他不同的用法。陶淵明回到農村去種田
，種田遇到旱澇蝗蟲的災害就沒有收穫，因此他常常是貧窮的。陶淵明自己在《與 子儼等疏》中也說過「使汝等幼而飢寒」
之類的話，他真的過著挨餓受凍的生活，因此他的衣服也必然是破舊的。所以那個來拜訪他的人就說了：「在這新朝代的開始，大家都出去做官了，跟你一樣的知識分子，甚至你的親朋，都爭著在新朝為官
，你卻一個人挨餓受凍，穿這麼破舊的衣服，住這麼破爛的茅草房？你以為這樣隱居就是高尚嗎？我看一點兒都不高尚！ 」
你要知道，中國人常常以為官場是污穢的，隱居是清高的，然而很多人隱居是為了什麼？為了得到一個清高的名譽！可是陶淵明並不想得到這種名譽，所以宋朝的蘇東坡說他是「欲仕則仕，不以求之為嫌；欲隱則隱，不以去之為高」《東坡題跋‧書李簡夫詩集后》。陶淵明《歸去來兮辭》前邊有個序文，他說自己家裏貧窮
，耕植不足以自給，家裏小孩很多，糧食總不夠吃，所以希望出來當個縣令。
待續
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When Tao Yuan-ming composed poetry; he did
not care about other people's opinions or whether his poems
were impressive. His poems sprang forth naturally from his
spiritual consciousness. What is so striking about these two
lines: "I lift my flask and hang it on a cold branch, gazing
afar now and then"? They reveal his innermost feelings. Why
was Qu Yuan's Li Sao written in such a repetitive manner? It
was because that was his most sincere and ardent way of
expressing his feelings. He did not even have the slightest
notion of gains or losses, profits and disadvantages nor the
inclination to compete with others forthe sake of fame.
Therefore, strictly speaking, China's greatest poets were
only Qu Yuan and Tao Yuan-ming. Each and every poem that we
are discussing now proves that Tao Yuan-ming integrated his
physical and spiritual lives. Many people have only a
physical life but not a spiritual one. Although some may
possess a spiritual life, they are unable to express
themselves in the same way as Tao Yuan-ming. He was able to
accomplish such a literary feat, and that's why he is held
in high esteem.
Lecture Twelve
Today's lecture is on the ninth poem of
the "Drinking" series. Apart from the first and last poems
of this collection, the rest of the poems do not seem to be
composed in any particular order.Tao Yuan-ming revealed in
the first poem how he obtained some wine by chance, evident
from the line: "Unexpectedly presented with a vessel of
wine." In the twentieth poem, he said, "Resentful am I for
oh, so many errors, certainly the kind sir will forgive a
drunkard." What he meant was, 'All the things I have said
may be incorrect, but you should excuse a drunk like me.'
Clearly then, this is the last poem. However, is it really
the case that the other poems are not in sequential order?
It may not be so. From the first to the sixth poems, his
philosophical exposition followed a definite sequence. He
first wrote about his perplexities and doubts regarding the
principles of life, and about how he finally found a place
of refuge. In the seventh and eighth poems, he began to
relate his daily activities. The ninth poem, in my opinion,
is most noteworthy and is the key to understanding the
entire "Drinking" series, because a character finally
appears. I shall now read this poem:
Hearing knocks at the door in early dawn,
I throw on some clothes to open the door.
I asked who was out there.
An elderly farmer with good intentions
And with a decanter of spirits came from afar to see me.
He wondered why I defied the sign of the times.
'Wearing rags and with a straw roof over your head,
You can hardly be considered noble.
People of your generation are all officials;
I hope you will wallow in the mud too.'
The elder's words are deeply felt,
But by disposition, I am an uncooperative loner.
Although it is worth learning to ride in a carriage,
To go against my conscience would be foolish indeed!
Let us enjoy a drink together,
Though I will not change my course.
Let us first take a look at the meaning
of this poem on the superficial level before analyzing its
underlying intent. The line, "Hearing knocks at the door in
early dawn" , means that he heard someone knocking at his
door early in the morning. As for the second line, "I throw
on some clothes to open the door", the explanatory note
states that this is a quote from the Book of Songs. In the
poem, "Before The East Was Bright" (Book of Songs, "Airs
from the State of Qi"), there are these two lines: "Before
the east was bright, I hurriedly put on my clothes upside
down." It means that before the eastern sky was bright, this
person was already awake and up about. In the old days,
lighting a lamp was not as convenient as in the present.
While hastily groping about in the dark, he had his clothes
on inside out and had his left and right mixed up;
everything was in disarray. Therefore, the line, "I throw on
some clothes to open the door," indicates that the visitor
came rather early. Tao Yuan-ming was not up yet, and on
hearing the knocking he hurriedly threw on some clothes to
open the door. However, Tao Yuan-mirig's purpose in using
the two characters "dao shang" [topsy- turvy attire] was
actually not related to the quote "Before the east was
bright, I hurriedly put on my clothes upside down." In fact,
he was indirectly referring to the next two lines that
follow in the Book of Songs: "Frantically, I put on my
clothes, for the Lord has sent for me." Chinese poets
express themselves in a really wonderful way. You must be
well versed in the traditions of Chinese culture before you
can appreciate the nuances. The ancients started to memorize
the Book of Songs while they were still young. If they were
to come across the two characters, "dao shang," the next
line, "For the Lord has sent for me," would naturally occur
to them.
The Minor Preface in Mao's Commentary
indicates that the poem, "Before The East Was Bright," is a
"satire about the lack of moral principles." This is to say
that there was no fixed schedule for a government official to
carry out his work. Before the break of dawn, he was
summoned to his duties. This was unreasonable and it was due
to mismanagement on the part of the system. However, Tao
Yuan-ming did not actually refer to the original intent of
this satire about the lack of moral principles. The next
four characters, "zi gong zhao zhi" [for the Lord has sent
for me], were inferred but not stated outright.
You should pay special attention to this.
He concealed the meaning of these four characters. He said,
"Hearing knocks at the door in early dawn, I throw on some
clothes to open the door. I asked who was out there. An
elderly farmer with good intentions... " Here, the character
"fu" is not pronounced in the fourth tone. It does not refer
to one's father but is used as a polite form to address an
elderly person. For example, a fisherman is addressed as yu
fu and a farmer is addressed as tian fu. The character "huai"
means intentions and concern. That is to say that the farmer
regarded Tao with friendly concern, which was why he came to
visit at such an early hour. However, past critiques of
Tao's poems clearly point out that there was no such farmer.
It was merely an imaginary dialogue made up by Tao Yuan-ming
to explain things that he could not express in a forthright
manner. This character is actually an allusion to the
government and the meaning is implied by the two characters
"dao shang." The reason why he went to open the door with
his clothes in disarray was because "the Lord had sent for
him," meaning the government's emissary had come to summon
him.
When I was lecturing on Tao Yuan-ming's
life story; I mentioned that he lived during the
transitional period between the Eastern Jin and Liu-Song
Dynasties. When Liu Yu came to power, the new regime invited
Tao Yuan-ming to serve as an official. He refused the offer
and instead decided to return to his farm for good. As a
result, his profuse reflections surfaced during his bouts of
drinking. This explains why the themes of the first few
"Drinking" poems centered around his thoughts about the
principles of life, such as in the lines, "Encountering a
tall and solitary pine, she gathers her wings and comes to
land," and "Having found a secure perch, she won't desert it
for a thousand years." Now, this particular poem relates
that there were people who urged him to leave his seclusion.
This visitor came from a faraway place, as explained in the
line: "And with a decanter of spirits came from afar to see
me." The character "hu" means flask; "jiang" means strong
wine; and "hou" means to extend one's greetings. How could
he be an ordinary farmer? Why did he come to visit Tao Yuan-ming?
It was because "he wondered why I defied the sign of the
times". The 'times' refer to the new regime and the new
emperor. The next few lines were supposed to be spoken by
the imaginary farmer. He commented, "Wearing rags and with a
straw roof over your head, you can hardly be considered
noble." The term "lan lu" [in rags] is quoted from Zuo's
Commentary on the Spring and A utumn Annals, which has a
line that says, "Treading on thorny paths and clad in rags,
he cleared mountains and forests." This refers to the great
difficulties faced by the first Duke of Chu when he set up
his kingdom. Du Yu's annotation says that "Ian lu" refers to
"bi yi" [rags or worn-out clothing]. Tao Yuan-ming borrowed
the term "topsy-turvy attire" from the Book of Song and now
he used the expression "treading on thorny paths and clad in
rags" from Zuo's Commentary. In the former, there was the
hidden meaning implying 'The Lord has sent for me'; while in
the latter, he was referring literally to his ragged robes.
That's why when we study the allusions used by a poet, we
must take note of the different ways in which they are
employed. When Tao Yuan-ming returned to his village to till
the land, he might have encountered disasters such as
droughts, floods and locusts that would have wiped out his
harvests. As a result, he was always very poor. In "Letter
to My Sons Yan, etc." he lamented, "I have made all of you
suffer hunger and cold along with me since your childhood."
As he was leading a life of cold and hunger, his clothes
were surely torn and tattered. That's why his visitor urged
him saying, 'At the dawn of this new era, everyone has gone
to be an official. Intellectuals like you, and even your
relatives and friends, are vying for official positions in
the new court. Yet, you are the only one who is enduring
cold and hunger, wearing such tattered rags and staying in
such a dilapidated thatched hut. Do you think you are being
very noble by living in seclusion? I beg to differ.'
You should know that the Chinese people
frequently associate officialdom with corruption, and
eremitism with loftiness. So many people want to be hermits
because they wish to be regarded as lofty individuals!
However, Tao Yuan-ming did not hanker after such a
reputation. The Song Dynasty poet, Su Dongpo, had this to
say about him: "Becoming an official because of necessity,
he did not look upon his seeking as debased; becoming a
recluse because he so desired, he did not deem his departure
as being lofty." ["Dongpo's Annotations", Postscript to Li
Jianfu's Anthology of Poems]. In the preface of "Return",
Tao Yuan-ming disclosed that his family was poor because his
farm did not yield enough food to support his many children.
That was the reason why he hoped to seek a county
magistrate's post.
~ To be continued
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