When it comes to Jia Island, what does everyone think of? Below, the History Encyclopedia editor will introduce relevant historical events to you.
Jia Island, a Tang Dynasty poet, also known as Jia Langxian, is a unique and whimsical figure among the star studded Tang Dynasty poets.
Speaking of Jia Dao, many people may not be very familiar with his poetry, but the most widely preached story today is the one between him and Han Yu about “deliberation”.
In terms of talent for writing poetry, Jia Dao has average qualifications and lacks the ability to compose poetry in seven steps; In terms of perspective, there is no such thing as being too carefree and open-minded, nor is it as ambitious as Du Fu’s ambition for the world.
Jia Dao has a solitary personality and is out of place in the current world. He is delicate in his thoughts and puts a lot of effort into his words and phrases. With a single bitter chant, he becomes a unique entity and is known as the “poetry slave” by the world. Su Dongpo praised Jia Dao and Meng Jiao as “cold and thin islands in the suburbs”. Dongpo’s words can be said to be deeply rooted in the narrow and narrow patterns, impoverished emotions, and spirit of bitter chant reflected in their poetry.
A person’s personality often leads to their entire life. Jia Dao is secluded, lonely, and dull, with a selfless obsession with poetry and an excessive struggle with words. In modern terms, it can be called the “one tendon” or the “craftsman spirit”!
Children from poor families who come from impoverished backgrounds become monks at an early age
In 779 AD, Jia Dao was born in Fanyang, Youzhou (Zhuozhou, Hebei).
Jia Dao is a rural child from a poor and humble background. At the age of ten, both of his parents passed away, leaving him with no father to fight for and no backing to rely on. Moreover, he was not exceptionally talented and lacked opportunities for youth to succeed.
Children from poor families, besides starting their families early, Jia Dao went into seclusion and became a monk, residing in the Buddhist sect and known as Wuben. The rootless, rootless, empty and silent is what it is called. The meditation room is quiet, and Jia Island is young and full of energy. How can he sit idle all day, with green lanterns as neighbors and ancient Buddha as companions?
Fortunately, the abbot took great care of Jia Dao. In addition to supervising his practice of reciting scriptures, in his spare time, he also took him to travel around, make friends, discuss Taoism, and learn poetry and literature.
Jing Qing died of a serious illness, and his heroic deeds were recorded in the historical records. I sigh at Fang Cunxin, who talks about current affairs. Until now, the Yishui Bridge is shrouded in a cold wind. The Yi River runs dry, and Jing Qing’s name is indescribable. ——Yi Shui Huai Gu
After years of practice and increasing experience, Jia Dao’s poetry and prose skills have been improving day by day.
The abbot knew in his heart that Jia Dao had shaved his head to become a monk in the first place, which was actually due to the pressure of life. Now that he has grown up and grown up, the small temple may not be able to accommodate him. Jia Dao’s silent poetry recitation in his heart has long been seen through by the abbot. One afternoon, the abbot called Jia Dao and said earnestly, ‘Without a foundation, why should you be trapped in the rural mountain temple with such a passion for poetry?’. Moreover, there may not be true Buddhas in temples, but there may be eminent monks in bustling cities. Where is there no Buddha, when is there no practice? Since ancient times, Chang’an and Luoyang have been the most prosperous places in the Tang Dynasty. Going to two places to make friends and practice writing will definitely be of great benefit to you.
The implication is that, Island, you have talent. Don’t be confined to the meditation room, go out and see poetry and distant places.
Jia Dao had this intention for a long time, and now he has received the approval of the abbot. After bowing and thanking, he left the temple on a thin donkey and headed to Chang’an.
Lost in poetry, pondering over words and phrases, encountering the joys of life
On the way to Chang’an, Jia Dao first met Meng Jiao.
In the Tang Dynasty, when two strangers met for the first time, how did they approach each other?
It’s not a beautiful day with clear skies, nor is it a game, music, or TV drama, but a style of writing poetry.
The two of them come and go, each reciting this song, and the bitter coldness revealed between the lines makes them empathize and become close friends.
Farewell to Mengjiao, Jia Dao went to visit his friend Li Ning.
The moonlight is bright and clear, the pool water is slightly turbulent, and birds are perched on trees. Unexpectedly, my good friend was not at home and was turned away. Before leaving, he left a famous message on the courtyard wall:
Living idle with few neighbors, the grass path leads into the barren garden. Birds roost on the trees by the pond, while monks knock on the door under the moon. Crossing the bridge, dividing colors, moving rocks and moving cloud roots. Leaving for now and returning here, the period of seclusion is not in vain.
The meaning is, I’ve been here before, you’re not here, but I’ll come back again. We agreed to live in seclusion in the mountains together, so don’t stand me up then.
A good poem, not about experience, but also average. Who knew Jia Dao was on the same page.
The next day, Jia Dao rode his little donkey and wandered on the street, pondering over the poem from last night. Is it using ‘knocking’? Do you still use ‘push’? Hesitation and indecision.
Thinking too deeply, he rushed straight into the honor guard of a high-ranking official, who was none other than Han Yu. Han Yu’s magnanimity and compassion were well-known to everyone, and he not only did not punish Jia Dao, but also discussed with him with great interest, thus giving rise to the term “deliberation” later on.
A few days later, on the streets of Chang’an, fallen leaves were falling one after another. Jia Dao was moved by the scenery and wrote a poem called “Remembering Wu Chushi on the River”:
Fujian set sail, and the toad recovered from its losses. Autumn winds bring forth the Wei River, and fallen leaves fill Chang’an. We gathered here on the evening, during a thunderstorm and cold weather. Lan Yuanshu has not returned yet, the message is in the clouds.
At the moment of reciting ‘Autumn wind brings forth Wei River, fallen leaves fill Chang’an’, I thought it was a golden phrase and became overly excited, then bumped into an official’s sedan chair.
Not everyone is like Han Yu. This adult was very angry and ordered his followers to imprison Jia Dao.
Han Yu pleaded for mercy and Jia Dao was released.
Seeing Jia Dao’s obsession with writing poetry and the increasing popularity of his poetry, with the encouragement of Han Yu, Jia Dao completely returned to secular life and began his journey of scientific research.
Several times taking the exam, failing repeatedly and becoming one of the ‘Ten Evils’
With the support of literary leaders and high-ranking officials like Han Yu, Jia Dao naturally couldn’t wait to take off his robe and return to secular life as a citizen.
The following year, with the upcoming scientific expedition, Jia Dao was eager to try his best.
Unexpectedly, Han Yu angered Emperor Xianzong of Tang and was demoted to the position of Governor of Chaozhou due to the “Admonition to Buddha Incident”.
Without Han Yu’s support and recommendation, Jia Dao failed multiple exams in a row.
During the Yuanhe period of the Tang Dynasty, the capital was Chang’an.
Jia Dao’s Nth exam, still full of confidence and boundless passion.
In the poetry and prose section, it is required to use “cicadas” as the topic.
Jia Dao immediately remembered the two most outstanding cicada poems since the Tang Dynasty. One line was Yu Shinan’s “Living in the distance with a loud voice, not in the autumn wind”, confident and graceful, ready to be heard. The other line was Luo Binwang’s “Heavy dew makes it difficult to fly in, the wind makes too much noise makes it easy to sink”, which was depressing and suffocating. Jia Dao thought of his poor experience in the past few years and felt sad from the bottom of his heart. With a stroke of his pen, he began to answer questions, pondered for a few times, and finally finalized:
Sick cicadas cannot fly, they walk in my palm. Removing wings can still make it thin, and the sourness is still very clear. Lu Hua condensed in the abdomen, and the dust accidentally invaded the eyes. The yellow sparrow and the kite bird both harbor harmful emotions. ——The Sick Cicada
Jia Dao felt good about himself, but he didn’t know that this poem had labeled him as “lacking talent and virtue”. Sure enough, within a few days, Jia Dao was labeled as one of the “Ten Evils of the Examination Hall” by the court for “reciting the sentence of the sick cicada to stab the officials”.
Thus, unintentionally, Jia Dao blocked his path to the imperial examination.
The cold wind rustles and the withered leaves flutter. Jia Island, who has fallen from grace, recites poetry while sighing:
How to live in Di Township with an empty bag. Apricot garden cries with a hundred tongues, who is drunk by the flowers. Tears fall far away from the mountains, illness comes and spring grass grows. It’s not easy to find a kindred spirit, and I’ll bear the burden of the Three Xiangs alone. ——Below ”
I feel anxious and frustrated inside, unable to achieve my goals, and even more miserable.
Fate pities, and the world grants amnesty, bringing glory to the task
Jia Dao did not pass the college entrance examination, but still expressed deep concern and gratitude towards Han Yu:
This heart once sailed with Mulan boat until the tide of Tiannan tide. I came to Huayue from a mountain, and my letters went through the Long River after leaving the country. The peak hangs over the post road, the clouds are broken, and the old trees at the roots of the city are soaked in the sea in autumn. In one night, the miasma smoke and wind swept away, and at the beginning of the month, the waves rose to the West Tower. ——Sending to South Korea and Chaozhou
During the reign of Emperor Changqing, coinciding with the nationwide amnesty, Han Yu returned to Chang’an and made great contributions in the Zhenzhou Mutiny, gaining the trust of the emperor. Jia Dao also followed suit and found a small job in the capital, where he met famous figures such as Zhang Ji and Yao He.
Without worries about food and clothing, with poetry and wine, Jia Dao spent the happiest time of his life.
Encountering another disaster and driving out of Chang’an, he died of illness in a foreign land
One day, Jia Dao went to Qinglong Temple for a visit, and on a whim, he took out the poetry manuscript he carried with him and carefully scrutinized it. Until nightfall, Jia Dao shook his head and pondered word for word, lost in the midst of it, feeling wonderful. Suddenly, a middle-aged man rushed in, which startled the poet Jia. Without saying a word, the man picked up the poetry manuscript on the table and recited it on the spot.
Jia Dao snatched it from the man’s hand and said
This gentleman, judging from your young age and glamorous attire, you definitely won’t understand this
The person stopped saying anything and gave Jia Island a cold glance before heading downstairs on his own.
This person is Emperor Xuanzong of the current dynasty, Li Chen. Coincidentally, he happened to be on patrol in disguise and went up to take a look when he heard a voice. He didn’t expect Jia Dao to be so unapproachable.
Later, the emperor became more and more frustrated as he thought about it, and drove Jia Dao out of Chang’an, where he was demoted to the position of chief clerk in the Yangtze River.
Upon arriving at Jia Island in Bashu, he remained obsessed with writing poetry
beneath the pine I asked the boy, he said master’s out collecting herbs. just somewhere in this mountain here, but deep clouds set me wondering where. ——The Seeker Never Meets
In just a few years, Jia Dao was transferred to serve in the Puzhou Sicang Army and died of wind and cold during his tenure, ending his life of hardship.
The three words of ’empty door’, ‘entering officialdom’, and ‘bitter chanting’ are enough to summarize Jia Dao’s life. Coming from a humble background, isolated and helpless, seeking refuge in an empty door is the only way to obtain food and clothing. Poor and destitute, eager to enter the officialdom, repeatedly tried and failed, repeatedly failed and tried again. The present world is desolate, cold and bone chilling, a life of poverty and hardship, and a lifetime of contemplation.
Looking at Jia Dao’s poetry again, there is a lack of ambition to guide the country and inspire words. It mostly consists of reclusive and melancholic language, such as “although he is a Confucian scholar in appearance, there may still be a Buddhist scholar in his bones”. Jia Dao, known as the “prisoner of poetry”, is characterized by his choice of words and sentences, deliberate refinement, pursuit of craftsmanship, deviation, and danger.
But every time between his persistence and the secular world, Jia Dao steadfastly chose himself. He didn’t need to go to jail, as long as he had some vision and didn’t get addicted to writing poetry; He could have passed the imperial examination earlier, as long as he had a slightly more active mind and found someone in the court to help recommend him; He wouldn’t have been demoted, as long as he didn’t take his poetry manuscript so seriously …..
When Jia Dao was alive, he had few close friends, but in the years that followed, he won many confidants. Li Dong of the late Tang Dynasty, Sun Sheng of the southern Tang Dynasty, Pan Lang of the Northern Song Dynasty, and others all highly praised Jia Dao and burned incense to worship him.
If Jia Dao had heard of it, he wouldn’t know if his heart was filled with joy or if he had fallen deeper into sorrow …..
