Skip to main content

The Fisherman

After Qu Yuan was banished, he wandered, sometimes along the river's banks, sometimes along the marsh's edge, Singing as he went. His expression was dejected and his Features emaciated. A fisherman caught sight of him.

'Are not you the Lord of Wards?' said the fisherman. 'What has brought you to this pass?'

'Because all the world is muddy and I alone am clear,' said Qu Yuan, 'and all men are drunk and I alone am sober, I have been into exile.' 'The Wise Man is not chained to material circumstances,' said the fisherman, 'but can move as the world move. If the world is muddy, why not help them to stir up the mud and beat up the waves? And if all men are drunk, why not sup their dregs and swill their lees? Why get yourself exiled because of your thoughts and your fine aspirations?'

Qu Yuan replied, 'I have heard it said: "He who has just washed his hair should brush his hat; and who has just bathed should shake his clothes." How can I submit my spotless purity to the dirt of others? I would rather cast myself into waters of the river and be buried in the bowels of fishes, than hide my shining light in the dark and dust of the world.'

The fisherman, with a faint smile, struck his in the water and made off. And as he went he sang:

'When the Cang-lang's waters are clear,

I can wash my hat-strings in them;

When the Cang-lang's waters are muddy,

I can wash my feet in them.'

With that he was gone, and did not speak again.

Notes
Lord the Three Wards: 三闾大夫 the traditional explanation of this title is that Qu Yuan was, inter alia, a sort of registrar or archivist with certain ritual or priestly functions of the three noble clans who were collateral branches of the royal house of Chu: the Zhaos, the Jings and the Qus. The 'three wards' were the districts in Ying, the Chu capital, where the members of these clans had their residences — and also, presumably, their family shrines.

When the Cang-lang's waters are clear: an identical version of this song appears in the Book Of Mencius as 'the song Sung by the child'. Tasselled hat-strings were a badge of official rank. The meaning Of the song is that you should seek employment in times and retire gracefully when times are troubled.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Kong Rong Gives up the Biggest Pear

Kong Rong (153-208), the 20 th generation descendant of Confucius, was a high official during the reign of Emperor Ling of the Eastern Han Dynasty. As he was good-tempered and hospitable, his house was always full of guests. He was a noted poet and was one of the “Seven Famous Personages of Jian An.”  Kong Rong was once appointed the prefect of Beihai , hence named Kong Beihai . During his tenure of office, Kong Rong constructed cities, built schools, and advocated Confucianism. Kong Rong upheld etiquette , and had made his name heard in his childhood for a "giving up the biggest  pear" story.  In Kong  Rong ’s Family, there were seven brothers in his family and Kong Rong was the sixth son. When he was four years old, he was asked to choose a pear in priority. However, Kong Rong choose a smallest pear, leaving big ones to his elder brothers. Every time the siblings ate pears, his elder brothers always took big ones. He, however, always picked up the small one.  When ...
1 comment
Read more

When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter.

This proverb originates from the story of Qin Hui, who was regarded till today as the most treacherous court minister of the Song dynasty. Qin Hui was born with a peculiarity: his feet measured one foot four inches from heel to toe. he was therefore nicknamed the Long-Foot Scholar when he was a student in the Royal Academy. Qin Hui had been teacher in a private school, he was very unsatisfied by his humble and mean position, and wrote a poem, one couplet of it was: If I had three hundred Acres of irrigated lands, I wouldn't have to be the Monkey king. Here the monkeys were referred to mischievous boys in the private school, he himself was the king of those monkeys. Later he passed the imperial examinations and rose quickly to the post of Prime Minister. By the time, the Song dynasty was under continuous attack by the northern tribe Jurchen [Jin]. Qin Hui initiated Peace negotiation with Jurchens, and made the Southern Song dynasty cede territory and subjugate itself to them....
Post a Comment
Read more

The Legend of The Three-Life Stone

The Buddhist believe metempsychosis, or the migration of the souls of animated beings, people's relationships are predestined through three states of life: the past, present, and future life. Legend has it that there's a road called Yellow Spring Road, which leads to Fogotten River. Over the river there's a bridge called Helpless Bridge (Naihe Bridge), at one end of the bridge sits a crimson stone called Three-life Stone. When two people die, they take this route to reincarnation. if they carve their name on the Three-life Stone together while they pass the stone, they are to be predestined to be together in their future life. Although before their rebirth they will be given a MengPo Soup to drink and thereby their memory of past life are obliterated. In reality, San-Sheng Shi (三生石), or Three-Life Stone is located beside Flying Mountain near the West Lake, Hangzhou. On the stone, there is seal with three Chinese characters that say "The Three-life Stone," and a de...
Post a Comment
Read more