元好问 Yuan Haowen

元好问（1190—1257），字裕之，号遗山，太原（今属山西省）人。他的先祖是南北朝时期北魏鲜卑贵族拓跋氏，他本人是唐代著名诗人元结的后裔。元好问生活在金末元初社会大动乱的时代。他24岁时，蒙古族首领成吉思汗率军进攻金朝，他的哥哥被蒙古军杀害。元好问逃到邻县才幸免于难。26岁时，蒙古军南下，他携全家逃到今天的河南。31岁时，他中了进士，后来做过几任县令。41岁时他被调任京官，举家迁到金朝都城南京（今河南省开封市）。第二年（1232年），蒙古军围困南京，他与广大军民一起度过了“围城十月鬼为邻”的艰难岁月。金朝随即灭亡。他携带友人之子白朴，随同被俘金朝官员百姓，被蒙古军驱赶至今天山东的聊城监管。脱离监管后，他转回家乡，终老不仕元朝，一心著书立说，直到67岁去世。元好问一生饱受离乱之苦，亲眼目睹了金元更替的历史全过程。他痛心于金朝的腐败，也痛恨蒙古侵略者的残暴。国破家亡、流离失所、沦为阶下囚的痛苦使他对社会和人生都有所感悟。他用诗歌记录了这一切。元好问是文学多面手，诗、词、曲都有杰作。他是最早开始创作曲的文人，不过他的曲作还带有词的痕迹，还不是真正意义上的曲。

Yuan Haowen（1190-1257），also known by his self-given names Yuzhi and Yishan，was born in Taiyuan，Shanxi Province，a descendant from the Tuoba family，a noble line of the Xianbei tribe that founded the Northern Wei Dynasty in the Southern and Northern Dynasties，and an offspring of Yuan Jie，a renowned poet in the Tang Dynasty．His earlier life experience was of the social turmoil during the years as the Yuan Dynasty was substituting for Jin．At the age of 24，he saw his brother slain by the Mongolian army headed by Genghis Khan in a raid upon the Jin Dynasty，and survived by fleeing to a neighboring county．At 26，when the Mongolian army plunged southward，he had to leave his homeland with his family，arriving and settling in what is today Henan Province．When he was 31，he was selected Jinshi and thereafter served a number of terms in office as county magistrate．At 41 he with his family moved to and settled down in Nanjing（what is now Kaifeng City）the capital，upon receiving a post shortly before．In the 10 months of the next year（1232），during the siege of the capital by the Mongolian army，he took up arms in the defense，spending days and nights “with ghosts as neighbors”（says a poem），an experience that ended in the seizure of the capital and destruction of Jin．Taking along with him Bai Pu，a young man placed in his custody by his father（a friend of Yuan’s）and alongside civilians and the Jin’s officials as prisoners of war，he was exiled to what is now Liaocheng，Shandong Province，where they were all imprisoned．When the imprisonment ended，he returned to his homeland．Never serving the new empire henceforward，he devoted himself to the composition of literary and scholarly works，until he died at 67．Undergoing every infelicity and agony that warfare and social turmoil are capable of，he witnessed whatever happened when one empire was being crushed down upon by its substitute，the entirety of a history．To watch the country falling to pieces and families slaughtered; to have to leave his native land to become homeless; to be deprived of his trade to become destitute; to be taken prisoner and imprisoned—they were part of what sufficed to have him start to rethink about life and society，after having him be thoroughly disgusted by the corruption of the old Jin Dynasty and resentful of the atrocity of the new．And he put down in verse what he came to realize．Literarily versatile，he proved to be a master of shi，ci，and qu．He was then one of the first few men of letters to become reconciled to the composition of qu，bringing about works somewhat akin to ci and fairly different from qu in the sense of the word we define.

人月圆·卜居外家东园

○元好问

重冈^①已隔红尘^②断，村落更年丰。移居要就^③，窗中远岫^④，舍^⑤后长松。

十年种木，一年种谷，都付儿童^⑥。老夫惟有^⑦，醒来明月，醉后清风。

【注释】

1 重冈：重重叠叠的山冈。此处指元好问母亲的家位于起伏的群山中。

2 “红尘”一词最早见于东汉班固的《两都赋》“红尘四合，烟云相连”，后来成为佛家语，指纷纷扰扰的人世间，与佛家清净的西天极乐世界相对应。本曲中的“红尘”指世俗生活，如高低进退的官场和灯红酒绿的花花世界。

3 本句是说，要把家搬到什么样的地方呢？

4 岫（xiù）：山。

5 舍：房屋茅舍，指农家简陋的住房。

6 儿童：这里指作者自己的孩子们。

7 老夫：指作者自己。惟有：只有。

TUNE：MAN AND MOON

Moving to My Mother’s East Garden

Hill on hill keeps apart the vanity fair

From this village of bumper year.

I move house to come near

The window-enframed distant hill

And the pine-trees behind the windowsill.

I’ll leave the woods and fields to the care

Of my children dear

So that I may do what I will.

Awake，I’ll enjoy the moon so bright;

Drunk，the refreshing breeze so light.

【赏析】

元好问是金代遗民，对元朝侵略者的残暴统治极为愤恨，所以他脱离了元人的监管被遣返回家后坚决不仕元朝，而且远离政治，避开闹市，在乡间过着隐居的生活。这首曲文就是描写他回乡后的生活和心情的。

由于这是元代文人早期的曲作品，因此还明显带有词的痕迹。全曲还习惯地分为上下两片，用字也相当文雅，这与当时民间的曲有很大区别。有人据此认为这是“曲承词起”的明证，其实这应该看作文人向民间曲学习的结果。

这首小令内容平实而简略。上半段写的是，在山峦重叠的包围中，作者过着与世隔绝的生活。今年收成不错，令他欣喜。他之所以要远离喧嚣的城市，是为着推开窗户就能看到远方的山峦，走到屋外就能看到挺拔的苍松。下半段写，在山上种树，在田里种谷，这些体力活儿都交给孩子们去干了。自己老了，干不了了，就只管享受生活吧。每天醒来，就看看天上的明月；每次酒醉，就吹吹院中的清风。

这首小令似乎主要写景，写了山峦、苍松、明月、清风。但读者从中体会到的却是作者的心情：恬淡、宁静、自足、自乐。但在这自足自乐中，作者并非满心愉悦，而是郁结着难言的块垒，透露着对世事的不屑与憎恶。首句中“红尘断”三字就非常肯定与用力，表达了作者坚决不与元朝统治者合作的决心；而“移居要就”四字，说明了他离开城市和官场不是别人的强迫，而是自己的选择，之所以这样选择也是为了远离喧嚣的红尘世界，远离侵略者奴役的铁蹄，寻找一个能够安稳生活的栖身之地。在这个栖息地，他与家人自食其力，心中在意的是风调雨顺，闲暇喜爱的是清风明月。这种看似极为简单的生活本身就是对元朝统治者的无情控诉。一个满腹经纶、才华横溢、德高望重的文人，拼命地躲避着外部世界，不再关心政局的动荡，和全家人隐居在乡间僻壤，过着艰苦劳作的生活。如果不是元朝统治者的统治使得文人们无法生活，几与乞丐为伍，一言不慎即身首异处，作者又何至于此呢？

这首小令的语言非常优美。不长的文字中多处用了对偶句，且对仗自然工整，如“窗中远岫，舍后长松”、“十年种木，一年种谷”、“醒来明月，醉后清风”。这些对偶句使文字如鸟生双翅，充满灵动与美感。而全曲营造的生活气氛和环境从天到地，从远到近，从老人到孩子，有动有静，有形有声，看似隐居，幽闭不出，实则眼界开阔，心胸博大，充满情趣，而愤愤之气亦不露声色地暗含其中。不能不说是一首绝妙好曲。

Interpretation

Surviving as a subject of the Jin Empire and cherishing a flery hatred against the atrocity of the Mongolian invaders，Yuan Haowen returned to his native place when his custody by the Mongolian soldiers ended．Resolving never to serve the Yuan regime，he started a rural life of seclusion，carefully staying away from politics and busy social life and nourishing such moods as portrayed in the above verse.

A verse as qu in its budding phase，it comprises two elegantly worded stanzas，obviously instancing a resemblance to ci and a distinction from qu．Some critics believed that these are evidence that qu is a ci variant，although it may also be evidence that it is the adaptation by contemporary men of letters to the popular qu.

A xiaoling，this pretty lovely melody is simple in content．The first stanza provides the scene where，in the midst of hills，the poet，who has earlier spared himself the worldly life and become sure about the village’s good，ripening crops，is rejoicing over his decision to move to his mother’s parents’ house so as to be closer to the hills and have a larger intimacy with the lofty pine trees that are now just behind the house．In the second stanza the poet celebrates the even greater comfort of wakening to find the moon in a serene sky and getting recovered from drunkenness by a sobering breeze，all because he has now his young sons to leave to the yearly growing of crops and the planting of trees that can be applied to use ten years later.

Seemingly a scenery of rolling hills，lofty pine trees，bright moon and light breeze，this verse is never implicit as to what the reader is acquainted with，moods of the poet：indifferent，serene，self-complacent and self-entertained．These are not，however，moods indicative of glee or mirth，but of speechless anguish，disdain and abhorrence against social reality．The abrupt“红尘断”（which can be put literally as：to keep away the red dusts i.e．secular world）is a determination not to have anything to do with the new regime，whereas“移居要就”（literally：to move home so as to get near to …）is an expression of the poet’s having willingly，purposefully chosen to withdraw from the metropolis and officialdom so as to be freed from the enslavement and suppression by the rulers who have formerly been invaders，and to secure a better home place，where he and his family can live on what they earn as free laborers，mind only the benign weather and the good harvest it brings，and aspire to the silvery moon to entertain his eyes upon awakening during the night，and a light breeze to subdue a drunkenness．A simple life can be chosen to act as a fiery protest，as is presently the case．A literary man of astounding talent and encyclopedic knowledge，and held in personal prestige—when such a man takes pains to run away from the larger world，to care not a dime whatever may become of the government and society，and to hide with his family reclusively living on severe labor—when something like this happens，there must be something the matter with the regime，a regime that has made life so hard that men of letters are nearly joining the beggars，and has enforced a rule so mercilessly that slip of the tongue can be mortal sins.

Beautifully worded，this xiaoling is also valued for it’s primly wrought but extremely natural couplets：“窗中远岫，舍后长松”（literally：distant hills within the window / soaring pines behind the house），“十年种木，一年种谷”（planting of trees to be applied to use after every ten years / growing of crops to be processed into food for every one year），and “醒来明月，醉后清风”（the bright moon to get awakened to / the light breeze to be soberized by）．They function aesthetically，but also help constitute a landscape viewed from far away to where you are：aged and young people，serenity and activity，a mere figure and distinct sounds，a landscape in the eyes of a hermit，but not without a sight that extends to the farmost，an insight that reaches the inmost of the interior，a broad mind that is genially disposed，and a heart that with indignation is bumping hard and loud．They justify as good a qu as this.

小圣乐·骤雨打新荷

○元好问

绿叶阴浓，遍池亭水阁，偏趁凉多^①。海榴初绽，朵朵蹙红罗^②。乳燕雏莺弄语^③，有高柳鸣蝉相和^④。骤雨过，珍珠乱糁，打遍新荷^⑤。

人生百年有几，念良辰美景，休放虚过^⑥。穷通前定，何用苦张罗^⑦。命友邀宾玩赏，对芳樽浅酌低歌^⑧。且酩酊^⑨，任他两轮日月，来往如梭^⑩。

【注释】

1 开首三句描写夏日荷塘景色：树木茂盛，绿叶浓荫遮掩着池塘和池塘边的亭台楼阁，人在树荫下感觉凉快了许多。

2 海榴：即石榴花。石榴树是从海外引进中国的，早期叫海榴。蹙（cù）：紧紧地挨挤在一起。红罗：红色的丝绸。

3 乳燕雏莺：刚刚出生的小燕子和小黄莺。弄语：说话，此处指鸟儿叽叽喳喳地叫，像在学说话一样。

4 本句是说，高高的柳树上，蝉儿一声声地叫，好像在与鸟声互相唱和一样。

5 这三句意为，刚才下起一阵急雨，雨点一颗颗打在一片片新长出的青绿荷叶上，像珍珠般到处乱窜。

6 这三句是说，人生苦短，一共也没有多少时日，千万不要让好时光白白溜过。

7 作者意思是，人一辈子究竟是个什么样子都是命中注定的，何必还要忙着追求什么得不到的东西，好好随缘过日子就行了。穷：困窘，困厄。通：顺畅发达。张罗：有目的地为某件事而忙碌。

8 本句是说，端着漂亮的酒杯自得其乐地且饮且唱。此处用典：北宋才子柳永当年科场失利，写了《鹤冲天》一词，词中有“忍把浮名，换了浅斟低唱”的名句，宋仁宗听到，极为不悦。后柳永再次科考时虽成绩优异，宋仁宗却不予录取，在柳永名下批示“此人风前月下，好去浅斟低唱，何要浮名，且去填词”，柳永因此而失意终生。本句借用柳永词表达作者自己偏偏不愿做官而甘愿自得其乐地浅斟低唱。

9 酩酊（mǐngdǐng）：喝酒喝得大醉。

10 梭（suō）：旧时织布机上穿线用的工具，来回穿插，本句用以比喻日月轮回。

TUNE：MINOR SACRED MUSIC

Sudden Shower Beating on New Lotus Leaves

Green leaves casting deep shade

Over pavilions and bowers by the pool

Bring a delightful cool.

The pomegranates in early flower

Look like frowning red brocade.

Young swallows chirp and orioles warble their song

While cicadas on high willow trees trill along.

A sudden shower

With raindrops like pearls or dew

Beats on lotus leaves new.

How many people can live to a hundred years？

Do not let golden hours and fine scenery

Slip away！

Our poor destiny

Cannot be turned another way.

It’s better to invite friends and enjoy with peers

Good wine and songs we sing low.

Be tipsy while we may，

And let sun and moon come and go

Like shuttles to and fro！

【赏析】

与作者上一首曲《人月圆》相同，这首曲因是元代早期曲作，仍明显带有词的痕迹，分为上下两片，但其语言通俗，风格平易，内容洒脱，又颇具元曲本色，是元好问的一首名曲。

曲的上片写荷塘夏日景色，美不胜收。先是视觉上色彩艳丽：浓绿的树荫、火红的石榴、黑色的燕、黄色的莺、珍珠般闪亮的雨点、嫩绿新鲜的荷叶；然后是听觉上声音交错：鸟儿歌唱，蝉儿高鸣，急雨哗哗而下又噼噼啪啪打在荷叶上。这视觉的亮丽与听觉的喧闹给人充满活力的愉悦感觉。

下片转入抒情。绚丽的大自然引发人们对生命的热爱，无奈生命短暂，身不由己。而更令人难以捉摸的是时代的动荡和变迁。面对世事变化，作者无可奈何，最终只得采取不了了之的态度，任凭岁月消磨。

有不少当代人批判元好问情绪消极，得过且过。可是试想当时情况，他不这样又能如何？事实上，元好问自从金灭后，就不再为官，而是回乡务农，自食其力。对一个学富五车、有经天纬地之才的旧朝高官来说，这已经是最坚决地表达了自己不与侵略者合作的态度。元好问绝非苟安之人，更非得过且过之辈。他与朋友们赏景欢歌、饮酒作乐，不过是借酒消愁，用大自然的美丽来化解心中的痛苦。所以，尽管他心情忧郁，而曲中景色描写却热烈喧闹，表达着他对生命的热爱。毋宁说，作者此时的心情既不高昂，也不低沉，而是无可奈何，这恐怕也是当时大多数文人共同的心态。元好问这首曲在创作当时即大获好评，恐怕正是由于它委婉细腻却相当准确地表达了当时文人群体复杂难解的心境。

Interpretation

Like the previous one，this piece is characteristic of Yuan qu in its earlier stage，bearing an obvious resemblance to ci of the Song Dynasty（e.g.，it comprises two stanzas）．But，for its plain language，familiar style and the author’s offhand choice of subject matter，it is also an outstanding example of Yuan qu.

The first stanza is of the description of a pool of lotus bathed in pleasantly cool daylight immediately after a summer rain．It begins with a rich display of the many natural colors：the thickly green trees with their generous shade，the pomegranates being as red as fire，and the black baby swallows and yellow young orioles，in addition to raindrops on the lotus leaves that dazzle your eyes with their colorfulness．These are followed by happy sounds made by the birds and cicadas，and by the raindrops collected on the lotus leaves that are now falling onto the water surface．These brilliant colors and noisy sounds have to result in sensual pleasures that make you happy and energetic too.

The second stanza gives a different mood：it is now highly emotional．Nature is so lovely that you love your life still more dearly on the one hand and，on the other，you bitterly realize that how short your life is and how urgently you need to make the best use of this short period of time when you do live，by drinking good wines，singing carelessly，and being carefree about everything because，except accepting your destiny，what else can you do？

Thus from many a critic the author gets the blame that his intellectual position is passive and his way of life negative．Other critics think otherwise that his taking to drink is but a way of pacifying himself when he was in distress，and his passivity signals his non-cooperation with the Yuan rulers．In fact，when the Mongolian invaders overthrew the Jin Dynasty，he resigned his office and returned to his native place to live as a farmer．The author’s way of life and his attitude towards the Yuan regime as minutely，tactfully reflected in this work mirrors the complicated state of mind of most of the intellectuals at the time，which helps explain why this work became popular and was critically acclaimed soon after it was composed.