However, before he had even worked for a hundred days as Pengze county magistrate, he felt that being an official was hard to endure. He found that the official circuit was full of deceit and hypocrisy and that leading such a life was worse off than the suffering of cold and hunger. That explained his decision to return to his farm and never to be an official again. This is the meaning of "becoming a recluse because he so desired, he did not deem his departure as being lofty." Farming is a difficult livelihood, as one has to constantly endure hunger and cold. So his visitor asked, 'Do you think that you are being very lofty by unilaterally choosing this way of life?' Let's look at these two lines: "People of your generation are all officials; I hope you would wallow in the mud too." "Yi shi" refers to the whole world; "shang tong" means it is better to follow along with the crowd. The term "shang tong" is quoted from Mozi and it means that one must always accord with the rules and regulations set by one's superiors. In fact, this is not a bad idea. When First Emperor of Qin unified the six states, he standardized the carriage paths and the writing system. That was how China became a unified country. In order to bring stability to a country, one has to administer it with equality [tong].  

However, Tao Yuan-ming's usage of "shang tong" differed from that in Mozi because he was actually referring to the association with undesirable elements. ( Well, now you have learned some of the techniques used in the classical poems. Sometimes, the meaning may be superficial or implicit; while at other times, the intended meaning is completely different. In fact, there are many kinds of techniques to employ.)

To put it in a more polite way, the line, "People of your generation are all officials," means that one should conform to conventions and not do things differently. Bluntly speaking, it means that one must follow along with the crowd. This is true even in the fashion world. No matter how strange looking the current fashion is, there are bound to be followers. "The whole society conforms to conventions, so why do you want to be an exception?" Therefore, "I hope you would wallow in the mud too." Here is another allusion. Some of Tao's poems do not have any allusions and consist of only plain narrations. However, this particular poem contains quite a number of allusions and is therefore worth taking note. The poet has provided us with a hint, which is the key to understanding the twenty "Drinking" poems.

The line, "I hope you would wallow in the mud too!" is quoted from "The Fisherman," in Elegies of the South, Some people alleged that this elegy was written by Qu Yuan but others disagreed. It is a dialogue between Qu Yuan and a fisherman. This is very apt indeed, as Tao Yuan-ming had also written about his exchange with a farmer. In Chinese literary works, when there are many things that you wish to relate but somehow find it hard to express, you can resort to using an imaginary mouthpiece for the purpose of conducting a dialogue. In "The Fisherman," Qu Yuan's exchange with the fisherman is make-believe, and similarly, in this "Drinking" poem, Tao Yuan-ming's conversation with the farmer is also a fictitious one. In the elegy, the fisherman said to Qu Yuan, "If worldly people are muddled, why don't you stir the mud and swell the waves?" The character for "stir" means to stir up the water and make it turbid.  

The fisherman said that since worldly people were muddled, why didn't Qu Yuan just join them and stir up the mud together? Following this, he also said, "If all the people are drunk, why don't you eat the dregs and get drunk as well?" In other words, since everyone was drunk, why didn't he get drunk as well instead of maintaining his lucidity? In reply, Qu Yuan said, "After one has taken his bath, he is sure to dust his hat and shake his clothes clean. How could I, in my state of cleanliness, subject myself to such filth?" This means that as his body was clean, how could he possibly smear himself with dirt? Here, the farmer also advised Tao Yuan-ming in the same vein, "Since everyone is waddling in the muddy water, you too should jump in and get muddy as well. In that way, no one will regard you as exceptional or queer," Here, the farmer ended his speech.

 Tao Yuan-ming's response was, "The elder's words are deeply felt, but by disposition, I am an uncooperative loner. Although it would be worth learning to ride in a carriage, to go against my conscience would be foolish indeed!" The character "gan" means thank and "fu lao" is a respectful term for addressing the farmer, It means that he deeply appreciated the elder's frank advice.

At this point, we must take note of the other aspect of Tao Yuan-ming's character. Earlier, I mentioned that Tao Yuan-ruing was a frank and honest person, for Su Dongpo once commented, "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." It is very difficult for westerners to understand the Chinese concept of "shi" [official] and "yin" [recluse]. Some time back, one of my graduate students did a thesis wherein he wrote about this particular aspect of poets. For example, in Li Shangyin's poem, "The Tower on the City Wall of Anding," it is said, "With unforgettable memories of the rivers and lakes to which I would return when old, I yet hope to set the world right before sailing off in a skiff." This means that he always looked forward to living as a recluse after his hair had turned white.

However, the time was not ripe yet because the whole society was in turmoil. He must do his utmost to save the situation. Only then could he sail away in a small boat with peace of mind and roam about as a recluse amongst the rivers and lakes.

Chinese poets are truly exceptional. They associated the ideal of becoming a recluse with that of governing the country. During my student's oral defense, a foreign examiner asked him, "Why is it that Chinese poets advocate being a recluse as well as becoming an official? What is the meaning of it all?" In traditional Chinese thinking this means you must cherish the ideal of being a recluse before embarking on an official career. Then you will not become a corrupt official, because your ultimate aim is to become a recluse and not merely to seek high position and wealth. Therefore, in China, becoming a recluse and an official are sometimes treated as two different issues, and at other times, they have the same underlying purpose. Those hermits who only seek a lofty reputation may not necessarily receive approval from the general public.

I have brought this matter up because I recall the story about Xu You washing his ears. According to legend, during the time of Emperor Yao, there was a hermit by the name of Xu You. He was a simple-minded hermit who did not harbor any ambition of setting the world right. Emperor Yao wanted to offer the country to him, but on hearing it, Xu You ran off to the river to cleanse his ears. Incidentally, there was another hermit called Chao Fu who was leading his cow to the river for a drink. He asked Xu You what he was doing. Xu You said, "Emperor Yao wanted to offer the country to me. His words have dirtied my ears and that's why I am washing them here." Thereupon, Chao Fu quickly led his cow away, saying, "You have polluted the water here. How can I let my cow drink such dirty water?" In China, there were such scholars who only aspired to lofty reputations. If you were to say anything that they deemed unworthy, they would disregard you completely. "Lofty" personages who disregard everybody else certainly do not merit any praise. In this context, Tao Yuan-ming was different because "he did not deem his departure as being lofty." Although the farmer said a lot of unsavory things to him, he did not chase him out and sweep the floor clean. Instead, he replied, "The elder's words are deeply felt, but by disposition, I am an uncooperative loner." He was grateful for the farmer's concern, but his refusal to become an official was not because he hankered after a lofty reputation. Rather, it was because he was born with a different temperament, which rendered him unsuitable to be an official.

The next line says, "Although it would be worth learning to ride in a carriage... " Since everybody's carriage is going this way, why is your carriage heading in the opposite direction? Tao Yuan-ming explained, "If you insist that I should turn my carriage around and follow the rest, that is not impossible. But wouldn't it be foolish to go against my conscience?" What he meant was that if he were to follow along with the crowd, it would be against his principles. Wouldn't that subject him to great suffering and confusion? Lastly, he said, "Since you have come, let us enjoy a drink together, though I will not change my course." I have mentioned before that Tao was fond of using the characters, "qie" and "liao", which imply that he had no choice at all. He said, 'If you want me to go out and become an official, I cannot comply with that. But haven't you come with a decanter of spirits from afar to see me? In that case, I shall be most delighted to have a drink with you. After that, I will still continue along my own path. If you insist that I turn my carriage around to follow you, that will not be possible.

This poem contains many literary allusions from the classics. It was written in an oblique and profound way. Moreover, the changes in tone and style were well coordinated. This was particularly evident in the last few lines where he responded to the farmer. He seemed to agree with the farmer in one instance and then retreated to his original stance in the next. The language that he used was very courteous and tactful, but at the same time, he held on steadfastly to his decision. I am of the opinion that this poem is the key to understanding the rest of the "Drinking" poems. Furthermore, it also offers a hint as to why Tao wrote this series of poems in the first place. As Tao Yuan-ming was very poor, he could not possibly afford to buy good quality wine. However, in the preface of the "Drinking" series, he revealed, "Occasionally, I acquire some fine wine, which I drink every night." Where did this wine come from? It was only by reading this particular poem that we realized that someone had brought him wine and had such a lively conversation with him. This, then, was the reason that he wrote the "Drinking" poems.