The Preface to the Tengwang Pavilion full text and its translation

The Preface to Tengwang Pavilion

Wang Bo Tang

Yuzhang's former county, Hongdu's new capital. The stars are divided into wings and square, and the land is connected to Henglu. The three rivers and the five lakes, control the barbarians and Jing and Ou Yue. The material splendor of heavenly treasure, dragon light shooting the ruins of Niudou; people and the spirit of the land, Xu Ru under Chen Fan's couch. Male state fog column, handsome stars. Tai Huang pillow Yi Xia's turn, the guests and hosts all the beauty of the southeast. Governor Yan Gong's elegant hope, tally-hardened distant; Yuwen Xinzhou's forlorn, spend time at home. Ten years of vacation, friends like clouds; thousands of miles of welcome, full of friends. Tengjiaoqiaoqi phoenix, Meng bachelor of words; purple electricity and green frost, General Wang's arsenal. My father was the ruler of the family, and the road was famous in the area; my son was not aware of it, but he met the successful preserves. (Yuzhang County: Nanchang County; Green Frost: Clear Frost)

Time Wei September, the order of the three autumns. The scribbling water and cold pool clear, smoke and light condensation and twilight mountain purple. The first thing you need to do is to get your hands on a horse and visit the scenery at Chong'a. The first thing you need to do is to get your hands on a horse. The emperor's son of the Cheung Chau, the old pavilion of the celestial beings. Layers of mountains towering Cui, on the sky; flying pavilion flow Dan, down to no place. Crane Ting Teal Islet, poor island of the haunting; Gui Palace Orchid Palace, that is, the body of the situation of the mountains. (Tianren I as: immortals; layers of mountains I as: layer of Taiwan; that is, the Gang I as: Leng Gang; Feigaku Liudan I as: Feigaku Xiangdan)

Pi embroidered door, overlooking the carved roofs, the mountain plains are open to the full view of the Chuanze twisting its horrified see. Lujiazui, the home of the bells and bells; barge ship Mizun, the poopdeck of the green sparrow and yellow dragon. The clouds cleared up and the rain cleared up, and the colors were bright in the area. The sunset sun and the lonely ducks fly together, the autumn water *** long sky a color. The fishing boat sings in the evening, ringing the shore of Peng Li, wild geese formation of cold, sound broken Hengyang Pu. (axis Tong: poopdeck; Mizuno I: Mizun; cloud pin rain clearing, colorful Che District Ming I: rainbow pin rain clearing, colorful Che Yunqu)

Remote lapel just smooth, Yat-sing Trent fly. The first thing I'd like to say is that I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do this, but I'm sure I'm going to be able to do it. The Sui-Yuan green bamboo, the air Ling Pengze bottle; Yeshui Zhu Hua, light Linchuan pen. The four beauties are all there, and the two are difficult to combine. I have been looking around in the middle of the sky and enjoying myself in my free time. The sky and the earth are very high, and I feel the infinity of the universe; I am sad to see the end of my life, and I know the number of the surplus and the void. Looking at Chang'an in the sun, the eye Wu will be in the clouds. The terrain is extreme and deep in the southern sea, the heavenly pillar is high and the northern star is far away. It is difficult to cross the mountains, who is sad to lose the way of the people; Ping Shui meets, all are the guests of other countries. The doorkeepers of the Emperor are not to be seen, and what is the year to serve the Xuanluo? (Remote襟甫畅 一作：遥吟俯畅)

嗟乎! The time is not the same, the fate of the life is not the same. Feng Tang is easy to age, Li Guang is difficult to seal. Qu Jia Yi in Changsha, not without a holy master; scuttled Liang Hong in Haiqu, not lack of bright time? I rely on the gentleman to see the opportunity and the man of honor to know his destiny. If you are old and strong, why would you want to be gray-headed? If you are poor, you will not lose your ambition. I feel refreshed by the greed of the spring, and I am still happy to be in a dry place. Although the North Sea is on credit, it can be picked up; the East has passed away, and it is not too late for the Sanyu. Meng Chang is a noble man, but he has no feelings of serving his country; Ruan Ji is a wild man, but he is not a poor man's cry! (See the machine one as: to be poor; to Judas joy one as: and each other joy)

Bo, three feet of life, a scholar. There is no way to ask for a tassel, such as the end of the army of the weak crown; have the wai to throw pen, the long wind of the Mou Zongcourt. I'm not sure if this is a good idea, but I'm sure it's a good idea to get a good idea of what I'm doing. I am not a member of Xie's family, but a neighbor of Meng's family. In other days, I have been to the court, and I have been accompanied by carp pairs; now I am holding my arms, and I am happy to be entrusted with the Dragon Gate. The first thing I want to do is to make sure that I have a good understanding of what I'm talking about.

Whoops! The resort is not always, the feast is difficult to again; Lanting has gone, Zize mound ruins. Farewell speech, fortunate to receive the grace in the great preserves; ascent to make a gift, is expected in the group of public. Dare to exhaust my humble feelings, respectfully short quote; a word are endowed, four rhymes are completed. The first thing I would like to do is to ask you to give me a chance to talk to you about your favorite topic, and then I'll tell you about it.

Tengwang High Pavilion on the river islet, Peiyu song luan strike song and dance.

Painted buildings flying towards Nanpu clouds, pearl curtains rolled in the evening rain in the western mountains.

Leisurely clouds and pools of shadow day long, things change a few degrees of autumn.

Where is the emperor's son now? The Yangtze River outside the threshold is empty.

Translation

This is the county town of Yuzhang in the Han Dynasty, which is now the capital of Hongzhou, with a heavenly orientation belonging to the division of the winged and the square asterisms, and an earthly location linking Mount Heng and Mount Lu. With the Three Rivers as its lapel and the Five Lakes as its sash, it controls the land of Chu and connects with Fujian and Yue. The magnificence of the produce here is like a heavenly treasure, whose luster goes up to the host of the Bull's Dipper. The land here has the spirit of beauty, Chen Fan set up a few couches especially for Xu Ru. The buildings in Hongzhou are arranged like clouds and mist, and the talented people are driven away like meteors. The city was situated on the border between the Central Plains and the Southern Barbarians, and the guests and hosts included some of the finest men in the Southeast. Duke Yan, the governor, enjoys a high reputation and has traveled a long way to sit in Hongzhou, and Yuwen, the state pastor, is a model of virtue and stays here temporarily on his way to his post. Every ten days and ten days of vacation, came a lot of good friends, greeted distant guests, noble friends filled the seats. The essays written by the patriarch of literature and lyrics, Bachelor Meng, were like the scaly dragon that rises up and the colorful phoenix that flutters about; and General Wang's arsenal housed such sharp swords as the Purple Electricity and the Green Frost. As my father was a magistrate in Jiaotong, I passed by this famous place on my way to visit my relatives. I was so young and ignorant that I had the honor of attending this grand banquet in person.

It was in the late fall of September, when the stagnant water after the rains had subsided, the cold water of the pools was clear, the sky was condensed with faint clouds and smoke, and the mountains appeared purple in the twilight mist. Driving a carriage on a high mountain road, I visited the scenery among the lofty mountains. Coming to the former Changzhou of the emperor's son, I found the palace where the immortals had lived. Here the mountains overlap and verdant peaks tower into the sky. The red colored pavilions are like flying in the sky, and you can't see the ground from the pavilions. Cranes and ducks perched on the water's edge of the flat land and the water oasis, the full island of the twisting back and forth; gorgeous and majestic palace, built on the undulating mountains.

Push open the beautifully carved door of the pavilion, overlooking the colorful ridge, the mountains and plains as far as the eye can see, the river meanders surprisingly. There are alleys and mansions everywhere, and many rich and noble families with bells and whistles. Barges and ships filled the ferry port, all of which were large boats carved with the pattern of green birds and yellow dragons. When the clouds and rain stopped, the sun shone brightly and the sky was clear; the sunset reflected the colorful sunset and the lone bird flew together, and the river and the vast sky in autumn became one, all in one color. In the evening, fishermen sing from their fishing boats, and the song resounds along the shore of Pengli Lake; in late fall, geese feel the chill and make a shriek, and the wailing continues all the way to the waterfront of Hengyang.

Looking into the distance, I felt a sense of relief in my chest, and a feeling of transcendence immediately arose. The sound of the xiaojiao drew a gentle breeze, and the soft singing attracted the fluttering white clouds. Today's feast is better than the year of the Liang Yuan elegant gathering, everyone's alcohol is also better than Tao Yuanming. The scholars and scholars attending the banquet, like Cao Zhi in those days, wrote beautiful poems like "Zhu Hua bubbles up to the green pool", and their elegant literary style mirrored Xie Ling Yun's poetic writing. The four beautiful things of music, food, writing and speech are all ready, and the two rare conditions of a wise master and a guest of honor have also come together. Look far into the sky and rejoice in your holiday. The sky is so high and the earth is so vast that one feels the infinity of the universe. When joy is gone and sadness comes, I realize that there is a certainty in the rise and fall of all things. Looking at Chang'an from afar, the sun is setting, and Wu County is hidden between the clouds and mist. Geographic situation is extremely remote, the southern sea is particularly deep, the Kunlun Mountains on the sky column towering, indistinct night sky North Pole hanging far away. Mountains and mountains are difficult to cross, who sympathizes with me, this is not ambitious? Chance meeting, full of guests from other countries. I miss the palace gate of the king, but I am not summoned. When can I go to the Xuan room to serve the king like Jia Yi?

Ho, the timing is different for everyone, and life is much more ill-fated. Feng Tang is prone to senility, and Li Guang has accomplished countless feats but is hardly ever granted a title to the throne. It is not that there was no wise ruler at that time that made a man of talent like Jia Yi live in Changsha, and it is not that Liang Hong fled to the Qilu coast in an era of political prosperity. It is only because a gentleman understands the time, and a man of understanding knows his own destiny. How can one change one's mood when one's head is gray, when one's heart is still strong despite one's age? The will becomes stronger when he encounters poverty, and he does not give up his overriding ambition under any circumstances. Even if one drinks water from a greedy spring, one finds it refreshing and tasty, and does not breed greed; even if one is like a perch in a rut that is about to dry up, one is still cheerful and pleasant. Though the North Sea is far away, it can still be reached by a gale; though the morning light is gone, it is not too late to cherish the dusk. Meng Chang is noble in heart, but in vain he embraces the passion to serve his country; Ruan Ji is indulgent and unrestrained, how can we learn from his behavior of crying when he comes to the end of his rope!

I am of humble status, just a scholar. Although I am equal in age to the final army, I have no opportunity to serve my country. Like Ban Chao, I have the ambition to join the military, as well as Zongcourt's ambition to "ride the wind and break the waves". Now I have abandoned my life's achievements and fame, and have traveled thousands of miles to serve my father. Although I am not as talented as Xie Xuan, I have socialized with many virtuous men. In a few days, I will come to my father's side, and I must be taught by my father like Kong Li; and today I am as happy as if I had ascended to the Dragon Gate when I could visit Lord Yan and be received. If I hadn't been able to meet someone like Yang Deyi who introduced me, I would have had to pat my own writing and sigh to myself. But since I have already met Zhong Ziqi, what is there to be ashamed of in playing a song called "Flowing Water"?

Heh! Famous places cannot always exist, and grand banquets are difficult to meet again. The grandeur of the Lanting gathering has become obsolete, and Shi Chong's Zi Ze has also become ruins. Blessed with the gift of this banquet, let me make this preface on my way out, as for the ascent to the high end of the gift, which only counts on the public here. I have only taken the liberty of making a short introduction with my humble efforts. I have also written a small poem with four rhymes. I would like to invite you to show your literary talent like Pan Yue and Lu Ji:

The lofty Tengwang Pavilion overlooks the sandbar in the center of the river, and the luxurious songs and dances of the Peiyu and Luan bells that were once heard in the old days have ceased.

In the morning, the light clouds of Nanpu swept over the painted buildings of Tengwang Pavilion; in the evening, the smoky rain of Xishan Mountain rolled up the pearl curtain of Tengwang Pavilion.

The leisurely colored cloud shadow reflected in the river water, floating leisurely all day long; time passes easily, personnel changes, I don't know how many springs and autumns have been spent.

The former Tengwang, who used to travel in the high pavilion, is now nowhere to be found, and there is only the torrential river outside the balustrade, which is running in the distance from the empty.

Background

During the reign of Emperor Gaozong, Yan Mou, the governor of Hongzhou, rebuilt the pavilion, and on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month in 675 AD (the second year of the reign of Emperor Shangyuan), he celebrated a banquet for his officials and guests in the Tengwang Pavilion. The author, who was passing by on his way to visit his father in Jiaotong, also took part in the feast, composed a poem on the occasion, and wrote this preface.

About the Author

Wang Bo (649 or 650 ~ 676 or 675) was a poet of the Tang Dynasty. Han nationality, the word Zian. He was a native of Longmen, Jiangzhou (present-day Hejin, Shanxi). Wang Bo, together with Yang Jiong, Lu Zhaolin, and Luo Binwang, was known as the "Four Heroes of the Early Tang Dynasty", of which Wang Bo was the first of the Four Heroes of the Early Tang Dynasty. In August of the third year of the reign of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty (676), Wang Bo drowned in the sea while returning from a visit to his father in Jiaotong, and died from the shock of his death. Wang Bo specialized in poetic genres such as pentameter and pentameter, and his representative works include "Sending Du Shaofu to Shuzhou", etc. His main literary achievement was ekphrasis, which was the most popular in terms of both quantity and quality, and his representative works include "Preface to the Tengwang Pavilion", etc. He was also the first Chinese poet to write a series of ekphrasis in the Tang Dynasty.

Appreciation

This article focuses on depicting the majestic scenery of Tengwang Pavilion. It is a great way to describe the elegance and grandeur of the banquet and to express one's feelings. The article in the explanation of the "old county", "new government" after the historical development. It will be written by the geographic location of the pavilion and the surrounding environment. "Lapel three rivers and five lakes, control barbarians and Jing and Ou Yue", "the end of the scribbling water and cold pools clear, smoke condensation and purple twilight mountains", "the falling sun and the unruly fly together, the autumn water **** long sky a color". Tengwang Pavilion is located in this through the elephant Jiangnan land. Then, the author's pen from far and near, from the outside to depict the inner landscape. "Tier platform towering cui, up out of the sky; flying pavilion flow Dan, down to no land", "Gui hall orchid palace", "embroidery asked", "daisy boarding ". "Wang Bo couldn't hold back the excitement of a "boy" who was "famous for his district" and "fortunate to have the honor of being preserved in greatness", and he was proud of himself for having the opportunity to be a part of this great city. "He was y honored to have the opportunity to participate in the banquet. But in the face of high-ranking officials to show off, can not help but have a few heartbreaking pathos. He turned to lament his own "unaligned" "luck", "ill-fated" "destiny". He expresses his deep depression and injustice, and pours out his determination to serve his country and to go forward. Emotions are born from the scene, writing the scene is for the lyric, the scene, the feelings of mutual penetration, water and milk blend. It's a perfect blend, just like a flowing river, spontaneous, natural and smooth.

Contrasting narrative, colorful. Whether the author is painting Hongzhou scenic, Tengge situation, or narrate the encounter of the character's emotions, can be spilled. The spreading of the hair, very successful use of the method of narrative dyeing. For example, in the description of Hongzhou's "outstanding people". A gas laid out fourteen sentences, from historical figures to real people, from civil servants to military generals, do not tire of it; write the scenery of Tengwang Pavilion looking into the distance, then the sandbar islands, mountains, mountains and wilderness, river and Ze boats, palaces, houses, the bottom of the eye, one by one to narrate, to name but a few.

And this kind of narrative, and is in contrast. This will make the article a twist and turn, jumping ups and downs, back and forth.

This is the first time that I have ever written an essay on the subject of "The Green Bamboo in Sui-Yuan". The green bamboos of the Sui-Yuan, the air lingers in the bottle of Pengze; the Zhu Hua of Yeshui, the light shines on the brush of Linchuan." Strings and pipes, slender songs, fine wine, good writing, good times, beautiful scenery, enjoyment, and pleasure. "Four beauties, two difficulties," this was a banquet of unprecedented splendor. In contrast, "the time is uneven, life is full of misfortunes; Feng Tang is easy to grow old, Li Guang is difficult to seal", the genius falls, confused, and how sad it is. This is the contrast of the characters' situation. In the text, there are also "looking at Chang'an under the sun" and "pointing to the Wu Hui among the clouds", which are contrasts in terms of geography; "being happy and happy" and "being sad and sad", which are contrasts in terms of emotion. "The contrast of "Yang Yi not meeting, stroking the clouds and self-pity; Zhong period meeting, playing running water to be ashamed of" is the contrast of unrecognized talent and the joy of meeting a confidant. This colorful contrasting contrast, in revealing the character's inner worries, highlighting the main theme of the article center, can produce the opposite of each other, distinctive and clear artistic effect.

The couplets are neatly organized, and the diction is appropriate.

In addition to the words "磋乎", "鳴乎", "所赖", "云尔", and other exclamations and auxiliaries, there are also the words "勃", "勃" and "勃". Except for the self-designation of "勃", most of the sentences are four-word and six-word pairs. Some of these are single sentence pairs, such as "clouds and rain, the color of the district bright", "the sunset and the unattended flight, the autumn water *** long sky a color", etc.; there are compound sentence pairs, such as "the wealth of heavenly treasures, the Dragon Light shooting the ruins of the Bull Doo; the people of the land and the soul Xu Ru Chen Fan's couch", "fishing boat singing in the evening, the sound of poor Peng Li's shore; wild goose formation shocked cold, the sound of broken Hengyang Pu"; there are also this sentence, such as "lapel three rivers and five lakes, the control of barbarians and Jing and lead Ou Yue" in the "three rivers" and "with five lakes" on, "control barbarians and thorns" and "lead ou yue" on. And then, such as the "Tengjiaoqi phoenix", "purple electricity and green frost", "dragon light", "bull dipper" and so on are also this sentence pair. This pair of sentences not only neat and proportional, and intricate and varied, read rhythmic, neat and harmonious, powerful.

The allusions appear many times in the text. And are used appropriately and aptly, but not redundant and obscure feeling, but also make the article appears to be rich and elegant, euphemistic twists and turns, the sentiment is true. "Feng Tang is easy to grow old, Li Guang is difficult to seal", "Qu Jia Yi in Changsha", "Scramble Liang Hong in Hai Qu", these four allusions are used together, which metaphorically describe the author's rough fate, being rejected for the Pei King's House of Cultivation. Fight and because of the "diabolical Ying Wang chicken" text was expelled by the high emperor's encounter, although the heart of the feelings of resentment, but contained but not exposed, and no suspicion of vajra fury. "Although the North Sea on credit, rocking can be received; East has passed, Sanyu is not late", these two allusions are a metaphor for their own strong beliefs in defying danger and obstacles, strong heart. "These two allusions are metaphors for one's strong beliefs that one will not be afraid of danger and obstacles and that one's heart will not be broken. The first is a metaphor for your own determination to make progress and to be active in the long wind and waves.

Turning static into movement, anthropomorphizing. The use of anthropomorphic techniques. Objective static things written into a dynamic sense, which is another feature of the Tengwangge Preface. The author is good at choosing words and refining words, revitalizing the physical state of the "flying pavilion flow Dan", "layer of platform towering Cui", only because of the "fly", "flow ", "shrug" words, the lofty pavilion will fly up, Yin Danqing actually bubbling flow, tiers of pavilions on the cui color also towering out. Static objects into animals, there is indeed the eye of the magic. And the ancient city of Hongzhou, only because of the "drift", "band", "control", "lead", into a cutter! "Three rivers" for the lapel, pick "five lakes" for the sash, close to the system "barbarians and thorns", far away from the "ou yue" the Giant. As for the "star" like "handsome". "Such as clouds" of "Shengyou", but also the spirit of the living, extraordinary charm.

Artistically, "Tengwangge Preface" has the following writing features:

(1) staggered sentences, rhythmic

The whole text is mainly four or six sentences, mixed with six or four sentences. These sentences are staggered according to the need for expression, so that the rhythm is clear and the content is clear. Generally speaking, two-character sentences are used for lyricism (there are two places in the text: "Contempt" and "Woo-hoo"). Three-word and four-word sentences are used to begin or turn a topic. Six-word or seven-word sentences are used in a row for a plain narrative. Four-six or six-four clauses are used in succession for the unfolding part of a narrative or lyric. There is only one one-word sentence, "勃", which is a self-reference and a reference. In this way, the whole piece of writing, both ups and downs, but also a natural flow.

(2) Parallelism and beautiful rhetoric

The whole text is written in pairs of sentences, which are not only relative to each other, but also relative to each other in terms of sound and rhyme. For example, "The sky and the earth are very high, and I realize that the universe is infinite; I am sad and happy, and I know that there is a number of emptiness." "The fact that Jia Yi is in Changsha is not without a holy lord; the fact that Liang Hong is in Haiqu is not without a bright time." "The falling sun and the unruly fly together, the autumn water *** long sky a color", etc., a sentence in the alternation of level and oblique, and between the upper and lower sentences and the level and oblique relative. So the rhythm, but does not affect the meaning of the expression, written out of the sentence rhythmic and staccato, rich in music, rich in poetry. This preamble, such as "the treasure of heaven", "handsome stars", "purple electricity and green frost", "bells ringing and food" "The Green Bird and Yellow Dragon", "The Green Bamboo in Sui-Yuan", "The Vermilion in Yeshui", etc., are all typical examples of the pursuit of rhetoric. In this way, the article is beautiful and pleasing to the eye.

(3) Use of allusions, concise and subtle

This preface uses a large number of allusions to narrate and express emotions, some of which are historical stories and some are sentences of the previous generations, and the techniques used are different, some of which are explicit, such as "Feng Tang is easy to grow old, and Li Guang is difficult to be sealed", and some of which are implicit, such as "The water is greedy for spring and it is hard to feel it. Some are used explicitly, such as "Feng Tang is easy to age, Li Guang is difficult to seal"; some are used implicitly, such as "discretionary greed spring and feel refreshed, at the dry rut to be still happy"; some are used positively, such as "Meng Taste high and pure, empty of the feeling of serving the country"; some are used negatively, such as "Ruan Ji rampant, how can it be effective cry of the poor way". The use of allusions to strengthen the expression of the article.