Exploring a Different Su Shi from Three Rare Graceful Poems

Su Shi, also known as Su Dongpo Jushi and widely known as Su Dongpo, was a literary leader in the mid Northern Song Dynasty. He achieved great success in poetry, calligraphy, painting, and other fields, and was a representative figure of the bold and unrestrained movement. His style of poetry was unrestrained and free spirited, leaving behind many timeless masterpieces, such as “Jiangchengzi: Hunting in Mizhou”, “Nian Nu Jiao: Red Cliff Nostalgia”, and “Shui Tiao Ge Tou” that we are familiar with. Next, the editor of the History Encyclopedia will join readers in learning about Su Shi’s rare and graceful poetry, from which we can recognize a unique Su Shi.
The first one is a poem about objects, which was written around the fourth year of the Yuanfeng reign of Emperor Shenzong of Song (1081), the second year after Su Shi was exiled to Huangzhou due to the “Wutai Poetry Case”.
Shui Long Yin: Ci Yun Zhang Zhi Fu Yang Hua Ci
Like a flower or not, no one regrets following the teachings. Abandoning one’s home by the roadside, one’s thoughts are ruthless and thought-provoking. Lingering soft intestines, sleepy delicate eyes, ready to open and close. Dreams travel thousands of miles with the wind, searching for a place to go, but are also called out by birds.
I don’t hate this flower flying away, I hate the Western Garden, the falling red is difficult to decorate. Where are the traces of the rain after dawn? A pool of broken duckweed. Spring is divided into three parts, two parts dust, and one part flowing water. On closer inspection, it’s not Yang Hua, Dian Dian is tears of separation.
From the perspective of singing about Yang Hua alone, this poem is impeccable, but when combined with Su Shi’s state of mind at the time, it actually makes this article lose its luster.
From the artistic conception of this poem, we can see that Su Shi compared himself to a resentful woman, and the court was his son. He still did not completely despair about his career and hoped that the court would employ him again.
The second poem is a farewell gift, written by Su Shi in August of the seventh year of Yuanyou reign of Emperor Zhezong of Song Dynasty (1092) in Yangzhou. From the fourth to the sixth year of Yuanyou, Su Shi served as the governor of Hangzhou. At that time, Su Jian was his subordinate and the two had a close relationship. Three years later, when Su Shi was summoned back to Beijing, Su Jian bid farewell to Su Shi and returned to his former residence in Wuzhong. Su Shi wrote this poem to bid him farewell.
Qingyu Case: Sending Bo Gu to Wu Zhong’s Former Residence with He Fang’s Return Rhyme
Three years on Wuzhong Road. Send the yellow dog with you. If you go to Songjiang and call Xiaodu. Don’t startle the mandarin heron, the four bridges are full, where I pass by.
Looking at spring dusk on the Wangchuan map. Always remember the words of the great master and the right minister. Make a promise for the return date. Spring clothes are still fresh, and the needle and thread of the little barbarian have soaked the rain of West Lake.
On the farewell note, Su Shi intended to send a yellow dog to convey his longing for his friend. And I believe that my friend’s return to his hometown this time is to be with the “Mandarin Egret”, to get rid of the burden of official career, to freely travel between the “Songjiang” and “Four Bridges”, and live a comfortable life.
Imagine the scene of a friend hiding in their hometown. My friend will learn from the practice of Tang Xian Wang Wei’s seclusion in “Wangchuan”, reciting poetry and enjoying music freely and casually. The last three sentences are used as a reference to describe the scene of working together in Hangzhou back then, ending with a reminiscence of their friendship.
The third poem was written by Su Shi at the age of fifty-six in memory of his mentor Ouyang Xiu, around August of the sixth year of the Yuanyou reign of Emperor Zhezong of Song Dynasty (1091).
Mulan: The Charm of West Lake by Duke Di Ou
The frost has lost its long and wide Huai River, and the sound of murmurs and clear swallows can be heard in the air. The beautiful woman still sings the lyrics of a drunken man, like an electric eraser for forty-three years.
The autumn dew on the grass’s head flows smoothly, with three to five plump and eight to eight. I am a knowledgeable person like Yu, except for the moon at the bottom of the West Lake.
At this time, Su Shi moved to Yingzhou (now Fuyang, Anhui), twenty years after the death of his mentor Ouyang Xiu. Forty three years ago, Ouyang Xiu served as the governor of this place and wrote several poems praising West Lake in Yingzhou (now located northwest of Fuyang City).
In this poem, Su Shi combines his own friendship with Ouyang Xiu, including gratitude towards him, teacher-student friendship, shared political views, poetry and wine gatherings, as well as admiration for Ouyang Xiu’s moral and literary achievements in politics.
When Ouyang Xiu lived in Yingzhou, he often visited West Lake at night (Yingzhou West Lake, along with Hangzhou West Lake, Huizhou West Lake, and Yangzhou Slender West Lake, are known as the Four Great West Lakes in China). He was particularly familiar with the bright moon on the waves, which was the “sage” of the moon.
So, when Su Shi heard the local singer “still singing drunken poems”, all of this made Su Shi feel emotional and sorrowful, lamenting the impermanence of life. He not only lamented the passing of time, but also expressed his deep nostalgia for Ouyang Xiu.
Su Shi not only had the heroic spirit of “an old man chatting and a young man becoming wild” and “the great river flows eastward, the waves wash away, and he is a timeless figure”, but also had the tenacity and magnanimity of “a bamboo cane and shoes light enough to defeat a horse, who is afraid, a misty rain can last a lifetime”.
From these three graceful poems, we can see that Su Shi also has another side of the love between a child and a daughter. Whether it’s using objects to express one’s aspirations, or expressing the sentiments of friendship and teacher-student relationships, there is a plain yet sincere tone between the lines.