introduction
Tao Yuanming, a famous poet in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, his life, like his poems, was full of the desire for freedom and the exploration of the depths of human nature.
However, his later years were a portrayal of poverty and begging, and his five sons were left without success, and he was eventually starved to death.
Such an ill-fated literati not only expressed concern about social injustice and human plight in his poems, but also experienced the edge of poverty and helplessness in his life.
Tao Yuanming's early years and career ups and downs
Tao Yuanming, a literary giant in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, his life was full of ups and downs, full of poetry and bitterness, he was born in a scholarly family, bright and studious since childhood, and was deeply influenced by family education.
As a teenager, he already showed great literary talent, especially poetry, which was impressive.
In his early years, Tao Yuanming had a family background, but he was not a person who returned to his hometown, he had lofty ambitions since he was a child, and he longed to change society through literary achievements, but the ups and downs of fate were not beyond his control.
When he was young, he entered the officialdom, hoping to use his official position to seek a broader space for the development of his literary career, however, the inconsistencies of officialdom were incompatible with his inner literati temperament of pursuing freedom.
Tao Yuanming suffered repeated setbacks in officialdom, and his five resignations not only showed his dissatisfaction with the corruption of officialdom, but also reflected his insistence on not wanting to flatter him.
The reasons for resigning are complex and varied, ranging from disgust with the atmosphere of officialdom to the practical pressure to re-enter the government due to a lack of skills.
Every time he resigned, it meant that he gave up a stable source of income, and re-entering the government exposed his helplessness in his dependence on material life, which revolved around two words in his life: poverty.
Tao Yuanming did not try to change his life situation through officialdom, however, his personality dictated that he did not like to socialize with others, and he was not good at flattery, which made it difficult for him to be reused and appreciated by high-ranking officials.
He always adhered to his principles and beliefs, and would rather choose to resign and go into seclusion than compromise with worldly schemes.
In a peasant society, the fundamental source of the economy was farming, but Tao Yuanming was not an agricultural talent, and he lacked superb knowledge and enthusiasm for land and farming.
As a result, even after his retirement, he was unable to earn a stable income, which made his life even more materially difficult, and he often faced financial difficulties and hardships in life.
His experience of resigning from the government five times not only reveals his deep antipathy to officialdom hypocrisy and utilitarianism, but also reflects his pursuit of ideals in life and his adherence to his true self.
Every retreat was a deep choice and a stubborn struggle against fate, even though poverty often hung over his life.
In the end, he resigned for the fifth time at the age of 40, and completely chose to go into seclusion and no longer seek to re-enter the office.
His career has had its ups and downs, from the initial rookie in officialdom to his later resignation and seclusion, and every decision has deeply affected his life path.
Whenever he faces the intrigue and intrigue in the officialdom, the inner contradictions and struggles cannot be spoken, and he can only express his attitude with actions.
These youthful experiences not only tempered his character, but also deeply influenced his later literary creation and attitude towards life.
Family life and children's growth
Tao Yuanming's family life is also quite tortuous, he has been through three marriages, each of which brings a different life experience.
The death of his first wife due to dystocia was a huge blow to Tao Yuanming, who not only lost his beloved wife, but also lost his expectation of starting a family and having children.
The second wife gave birth to several of his sons, but due to overbirth, his body gradually weakened and unfortunately died young.
His third wife, who was 12 years younger than him, gave birth to his youngest son and a daughter, and this marriage gave him some warmth.
However, raising so many children was not an easy task, especially in the absence of modern education and social welfare at the time, Tao Yuanming felt pressured.
Fortunately, his mother, Mrs. Meng, provided important support and assistance in the children's development, easing his parenting burden.
However, in 401, Tao Yuanming's mother, Madame Meng, died, which was undoubtedly a major blow in his life, and without his mother's help and love, Tao Yuanming felt more pressure in life.
Tao Yuanming's sons and daughters are portrayed as unsuccessful and lazy in his poems, and Tao Yuanming writes in "The Son of Responsibility": "The white hair is bund, and the skin is not solid. Although there are five boys, it is always difficult to write and write. Ah Shu is twenty-eight, lazy so there is no match. A Xuan Xingzhi learns, but does not love literature. Yongduan is thirteen years old, and he doesn't know six and seven. Tongzi hangs nine years old, but reads pears and chestnuts. Heaven is lucky, and it is in the cup. ”
These verses reveal his ambivalence about his infinite expectations for his children's future and yet deep disappointment.
The paraphrase of these verses goes like this:
I am now old, my hair is gray, my temples are covered with the weathers of time, and my skin is no longer as firm as it was when I was younger.
The years have left their mark on me, but that's not what worries me the most. The most heart-wrenching thing for me is that my five sons don't like to read more than the other.
The eldest son, Ah Shu, is now 16 years old, and his laziness is really unbelievable. He has nothing to do every day, and he doesn't want to study or work with his hands, as if the whole world has nothing to do with him.
The second son, Ah Xuan, is 15 years old, and he is not necessarily much better than Ah Shu. It's not so much that he has no interest in books, but rather that he doesn't bother to dabble in them at all. I had hoped that he would inherit my literary talents, but the reality was a great disappointment.
Ayon and Aduan, 13-year-old twins, who still don't know the basic numbers. I often wonder if I made some mistakes in their upbringing, or if I didn't fulfill my responsibilities as a father.
The youngest son, Atong, is only 9 years old, but he seems to have no interest in any knowledge in life. There was nothing else to catch his attention every day but to eat, and his stupidity was a world of difference from the ideals of my youth.
Alas, forget it, this is my life, don't say it, let's drink a glass of wine to dissipate my anger.
Through the screen, he may not be able to really feel Tao Yuanming's resentment, but it can be imagined that the resentment in his heart rises like a storm.
In his poems, especially in the poem "The Son of Life", he expresses a kind of lying down mentality: "I dream of sleeping at night, and I wish you to be talented." If you are not talented, you are already gone. This statement shows both his expectations for his children and his attitude that achievement is not the only measure.
However, his own laziness and alcoholic habits prevented him from setting a positive example and goals for his children.
Tao Yuanming's alcoholism is considered by later generations to be one of the reasons for the mental retardation of children, but the historical background and cultural habits do not support such a conclusion.
The lack of learning and inskill of his children was more due to the lack of guidance and example from their fathers, and his disregard for their children's education and his escape from life were ultimately reflected in his loneliness and poverty in his later years.
They grew up in a difficult environment and lacked good education and role models, which prevented them from gaining a foothold in society.
Despite Tao Yuanming's efforts to provide them with material support, his literary income was far from being able to support such a large family.
The children grew up full of frustration and frustration, and they did not get enough inspiration and guidance from their father's literary achievements, resulting in them still unable to live independently as adults.
Poverty and loneliness in later life
Since the age of 40, his life has been in complete seclusion, and his life has fallen into poverty and hunger, and he once wrote: "Summer is long with hunger, and cold nights have no sleep." Make the rooster crow at night, and wish the birds to move in the morning. These poems reveal his lonely life in the mountains and forests and his helplessness in the face of harsh winter.
Theoretically, in the society at that time, people with enough arable land and food sources would not starve, however, Tao Yuanming's family suffered greatly because of his own alcoholic habits.
Tao Yuanming drank heavily almost every day, never stopped when he was drunk, and even carried a wine jug with him when he was working in the fields, and this indulgent habit made him often lose his sense of time and unable to effectively manage agricultural affairs, which led to the embarrassment of life.
Alcoholism not only caused him to lose his sense of time in the fields, but also caused his daily routine to be completely disordered.
As the years passed, Tao Yuanming's life gradually fell into poverty and loneliness, and although his secluded life was far from the distractions of the world, he could not get rid of the constraints of material life.
He often had to face the reality of hunger and cold, and had to beg everywhere to make ends meet, and every begging experience was a test of his dignity and self-esteem, and it also reflected the hardships and helplessness of the people at the bottom of the society at that time.
In his later years, Tao Yuanming, although his body is no longer young, still maintains his dedication and love for literature.
He wrote many profound poems about life, humanity and freedom in the mountains and forests, but his life was shrouded in poverty and loneliness, and this contrast made his poems more full of vitality and deep emotion.
At the age of 54, he was still facing hunger and cold, and the terrible wind outside the hut and the abandoned courtyard grass and trees all showed the hardships of his life.
"He has endured the festival of poverty, and he has endured hunger, cold, and fullness; The disadvantages are sad, and the grass has no vestibule. These verses faithfully reflect his practical predicament.
At the age of 61, he fell into a famine and had to go to other people's homes to eat. At this time, Tao Yuanming no longer had the arrogance and self-esteem he had when he resigned.
Although he wandered aimlessly to the door of someone else's house and awkwardly expressed his needs, he still felt the understanding and kindness of his master.
"Hunger drives me away, and I don't know how. Go to Sri and knock on the door with humble words. The master understands the remainder, and the bequest is not in vain. Talk about harmony all day and night, and pour the cup at a glance. This experience allowed him to find a touch of warmth and humanity in the midst of loneliness and hunger.
Tao Yuanming died of starvation at the age of 63, although this ending was not uncommon in the social environment at the time, but it was enough to reflect the struggles and misfortunes of his life.
The story of his life is not only a tragedy of an individual, but also a profound reflection on the contradiction between personal ideals and social reality.
Through his poems and biographies, we can not only understand his greatness as a man of letters, but also see his helplessness and tenacity as an ordinary person in the face of life's challenges.
epilogue
Tao Yuanming's life, like his landscape poems, is attached to nature, but it cannot get rid of the oppression of the world and the difficulties of life.
His poems not only leave a tribute to the beauty of nature, but also reflect his deep thinking about social reality and his exploration of the true nature of human nature.
However, his end was so bleak, his children were not married, he himself spent his old age in poverty, and finally had to face the tragic end of starvation due to the lack of basic conditions for survival.
Although Tao Yuanming's life is destined to be sad, it has left a deep imprint on his poems, which have become an important cultural heritage for future generations to reflect on the value of life and social justice.
Reference: Tao Yuanming's Anxiety and Self-Relief - CNKI (cnki.net)
Retreat and Drunkenness: Tao Yuanming's Philosophy of Life in Drinking Poems - CNKI (cnki.net)