Poem: Wang Anshi

Wang Anshi 王安石, Chancellor of the Song, Reformer and Pragmatist, and Sometime Poet

Last week on Facebook I made some comment like "We need a man like Wang Anshi again," thinking of how the reformist poet plays in my mind like Hoover might have to Archie and Edith as they sang the All in the Family theme song. Later on my adviser P. made a comment about me and my "precious Wang Anshi." I liked the idea that I was getting energy from the voice of a young reformist of the past, and sort of getting called on how problematic it all is to gain inspiration or influence from anything so far in the past, and how ultimately Wang Anshi was left a defeated man, which should serve as warning as much as inspiration.

Anyway, though, in my future hypothetical biography of Wang Anshi, we must stress that the defeats and frustrations of the man are precisely where the poetry lies. I'll of course have a beautiful translation of many of these great narrative poems, so long and full of dialogue they have the potential to completely re-invigorate our sense of the Chinese past, if only we could English them stylishly enough.

Fortunately or not, I have to English one or two as part of a job I'm doing. It's so hard! Here's the poem: (translation under construction forever, from now on)

画船插帜摇秋光，鸣铙传鼓水洋洋。
豫章太守吴郡郎，行指斗牛先过乡。
乡人出孰航酒浆，炰龟鱠鱼炊稻粱。
芡头肥大菱腰长，釂酬喧呼坐满床。
怪君三年寓瞿塘，又驱传马登太行。
缨旄脱尽归大梁，翻然出走天南疆。
九江左投贡与辛，扬澜吹漂浩无旁。
老蛟戏水风助狂，盘滑忽坼千丈强。
君闻此语悲慨慷，迎吏乃前持一觞。
鄙州历选多俊良，镇抚时有诸侯王。
拂天高阁朱鸟翔，西山蟠绕鳞鬣苍。
下视城堑真金汤，雄楼杰屋郁相望。
中户尚有千金藏，漂田种杭出穰穰。
沉檀珠犀杂万商，大舟如山起牙樯，输泻交广流荆扬。
轻裾利屣列名倡，春风蹋遥能断肠。
平湖湾坞烟渺茫，树石珍怪花草香。
幽处往往闻笙簧，地灵人秀古所臧。
胜兵可使酒可尝，十州将吏随低昂，谈笑指麾回雨阳。
非君才高力方刚，岂得跨有此一方，无为听客欲沾裳。
使君谢吏趣治装，我行乐矣未渠央。

A painted boat with banner, fluttering in the autumn rays,
cries of cymbals and knocks of drums, everyone is happy and grand.

'To be the Zhangyu Prefect, a nobleman of Wu,
You'll travel to those lands of Dipper and Bull.
The townspeople emerge from the city walls for drinks on board;
And clay-roasted turtles, and minced fish, and piping hot whole grains.
The qianshi seeds greasy and bursting, water chestnuts as wide around as a waist;
(8) pouring drinks, calling and talking loudly, seated at full couches.


You were sentenced to three years, sir, in the in the Qutang [Gorge],
and further to spur post-horses to climb great heights.
No more horse detail for you, and you return to your main duty, Suddenly You're off again to the southern frontier.
From Jiujiang sent back to work, given tribute and fine writings,
Launched onto the waves, where the wind blows, surging without end.
There's a dragon playing in the water, the winds have grown mad,
(16) Great whirlpools will suddenly wreck your sturdy ship.'

You heard these words and were sorely vexed, then welcomed the officer to hold up another drink.

'The towns and provinces that I have passed through, mostly have good officials.
(20) Once they were pacified, there were all manner of feudal lords and kings.
With halls high enough to touch heaven, soaring past goes a jasper bird,
The western mountains all around, dotted with bluish pines.

Below observe: castle walls, moats, ponds of real gold;
The quarters of true heroes, facing one another.
(25) The middle classes have the best treasure of all:
rice paddies, planted and plowed, fruitful and abundant.

Mixed from a thousand merchants, treasures in sandlewood lipstick,
Up goes mast of the ship, great as a mountain.
Ships wake shoots out the back as we surge up the Jing;

(30) Out pour pretty clothes and nice shoes, famous courtesans all in a line.
Smiling young girls whose song and dance can break your heart,
Docks on the side of the placid lake, smoke so vague and vast.

These trees, these stones, so precious and new! These flowers and grasses, so sweet!
From some hidden-away place, in snatches, the sound of a reed flute.
(35) The beauty of the earth and the heroism of man are part of the ancient ways;
Our most elite troops stand ready; the banquet is served.

Generals and officers of the Shizhou rise and fall by turns,
So follow commands with a joke and a smile, as rain returns to shine.
If your talent weren't great, your strength not steel,
(40) Then how could you make it this far?
Why should I let listening to my guest make me so depressed?"
Then you thanked the officer and hurried to buy provisions
(43) Now seek you pleasures! And never reach a violent ending.

Notes.
Lines _-41: Wang's imagined Cheng answers the depressing comment with a monologue about the greatness of the empire, averring that with strength of will, one can succeed.
1. The xing: a vision a boat, on which we shall have a party.
3.-8. The feast.
9-16, Fortuna smiles on you, for now.
15. 缨 ying is a collar for horses 旄 ying mao, not a lot of information, but I take it the yak banner, or even the horse itself, would be a symbol of the Sichuan officialdom, and he's pulling out of that to be sent east to Yuzhang, aka Hongzhou, Jiangxi, which is quite a step up.
L 22 Scales and gill fins represent pine trees 代称松树。鳞喻松树皮，鬣喻松针。明 吴承恩 《画松》诗：“鳞鬣如有声，飢蛟对相语。”
L 25 The concern with the zhonghu, mid-level property owners, is indicative of the Northern Song reformers, also e.g.《宋史·高宗纪七》：“三月丁丑，雨雹。丁亥，蠲 江 、 浙 、 荆 、 湖 等路中户以下积年逋负。”
26-7: huh? How go from middle classes to the boat full of courtesans?
L 27, 沉檀 Apparently coined in a ci Li Yu:　一斛珠 （李煜）晚妆初过，/沉檀轻注些儿个。A note on the poem says this is a form of lipstick.
Line 29, yea we got the party boat here. Surging full of courtesans, Snoop-style.
Lines 31-2, our courtesans blend into the scenery (?)
Lines 33-4, the landscape comes into focus.
Line 35, diling refers to beauty 灵秀 of the landscape; cf. similar lines like 隋 姚察 《游明庆寺诗》：“地灵居五浄，山幽寂四禪。” 宋 欧阳修 《晋祠》诗：“地灵草木得餘润，鬱鬱古柏含苍烟。”
Line 36, sounds like this was a breakfast banquet before a big day; cf. Han Qi (one of the Qingli reformers not mentioned in this paper): 宋 韩琦 《观稼回北园席上》诗：“尝酒管弦先社集，捺弮禾黍极云齐。”
Line 37: I take 随 as 'adapting to' 适合
Line 38: Tanxiao zhihui: Cf. the similar line 明 唐顺之 《塞下曲赠翁东崖侍郎总制》之十六：“画戟森森清昼閒，指挥只是笑谈间。yuyang: 'rise and fall' reflected in the weather, cf. Lu You: 宋 陆游 《乞祠禄札子》：“今春以来，雨暘尤为调适，二麦继熟，民间亦以为所收倍於常年。”
Line 40: odd phrasing to me, but I extrapolate from line 39. Clear enjambment!
Line 41, Wuwei has an annoying number of glosses, but is ample evidence for the one used here: 不用；何必。《西京杂记》卷二：“ 扬雄 读书，有人语之曰：‘无为自苦，《玄》故难传。’”《古诗十九首·今日良宴会》：“无为守穷贱，轗軻常苦辛。” 宋 王安石 《车螯》诗之二：“无为久自苦，含匿不暴陈。”
Line 42, zhizhuang; as with quyang below, dictionaries quote this very line. The character 趣 with this meaning is apparently pronounced qu. 使 is mysterious to me here.
Line 43, quyang means 匆遽完结 cf. the similar line, 明 瞿佑 《归田诗话·廉夫诗格》：“愿汝康强好眠食，百年欢乐未渠央。” Its also from the last line of the poem, so suggests some lyrical, resigned ending I suppose.

Wang Anshi, and Li Bi, ed. Wang Jingwen Gong shi Li Bi Zhu, 王荆文公诗李壁注 [The poetry of Master Wang Jinggong, annotated by Li Bi]. Shanghai Guji Chubanshe, 1993: juan 6. Library Trip: PL2686 .A6 1960, East Asian lib of course.