— by Tao Yuanming (Jin Dynasty)
Preface:
My family was poor, and farming could not support us. The children were many, and the jars had no grain. I knew no way to secure a livelihood. Relatives and friends advised me to take a minor official post. I was tempted, but had no means to obtain one. Just then, there were various commissions to other places; the feudal lords valued benevolence, and my uncle, pitying my poverty, recommended me to a small county. At that time, the political turmoil had not yet settled, and I feared distant service. Pengze was only a hundred li from home, and the income from the public fields would be enough for wine. So I asked for the post. But after a few days, I felt a longing to go back home. Why? Because my nature is spontaneous – it cannot be attained by forced discipline. Though hunger and cold are urgent, going against myself would be even more painful. I had once engaged in official duties, all for the sake of feeding my mouth and belly. So I was deeply grieved and ashamed of my lifelong ambition. I planned to wait for the next harvest, pack my clothes, and leave by night. Soon my younger sister (née Cheng) died in Wuchang; I was eager to rush there, so I resigned from my post. From mid-autumn to winter, I had served as an official for just over eighty days. Since this affair followed my true heart, I composed this piece titled “Returning Home.” It was written in the eleventh month of the year Yisi (405 CE).
The Poem:
Return home! My fields and garden will grow wild – why not go back?
Since I have let my heart be enslaved by my body, why should I feel sorrowful and alone?
I realize that the past cannot be remedied, but I know the future can still be pursued.
Indeed, I have not strayed far from the wrong path – I feel that today is right and yesterday was wrong.
My boat glides lightly and freely; the wind blows and flutters my clothes.
I ask the traveler ahead about the road, and regret that the morning light is still dim.
I see my humble cottage – I run toward it with joy.
My servants welcome me; my little children wait at the door.
The three paths are overgrown, but the pines and chrysanthemums remain.
Taking the children by the hand, I enter the room, where a jug of wine is already full.
I lift the cup and pour myself a drink; I gaze at the trees in the courtyard and smile.
Leaning against the southern window, I express my proud spirit – I find it easy to be content in this little nook.
Every day I walk in the garden – it becomes my pleasure; though a gate is there, it is often shut.
I lean on my staff to stroll and rest, sometimes lifting my head to gaze far into the distance.
The clouds drift out of the peaks without intention; the birds, weary of flying, know to return.
As the sunlight darkens and is about to set, I linger and stroke the lonely pine.
Return home! Let me cease all ties with the world.
Since the world goes against me, why should I go on seeking anything?
I delight in the affectionate talk of my kinsfolk and find joy in playing the zither and reading books.
The farmers tell me that spring has come – I will have work to do in the western fields.
Sometimes I order a covered carriage, sometimes I row a small boat.
I follow winding paths through ravines, and climb rugged hills.
The trees are thriving and flourishing; the springs gurgle and begin to flow.
I rejoice that all things have their proper season, and feel that my own life is approaching its rest.
Enough! How long can this body dwell in the world?
Why not follow your heart and let come what may?
Why rush about anxiously – where do you wish to go?
Wealth and honor are not my desire; the fairyland cannot be reached.
I will cherish the fine hours and go alone, or plant my staff and hoe the soil.
I will climb the eastern hill and give a long whistle; I will compose poems by the clear stream.
Let me simply follow the course of nature and return to the end; be joyful in the will of Heaven – what doubt remains?
Note
Tao Yuanming (c. 365–427)
As previously described, he was China’s archetypal recluse poet. This prose-poem (a fu in the classical style) was written in 405 CE, when he resigned from his post as magistrate of Pengze County after only 80 days. It marks his definitive break with officialdom and his permanent return to farming. The work is one of the most celebrated pieces in Chinese literature, expressing the tension between social duty and personal authenticity.
The Pengze magistrate and the Inspector
According to later biographies (e.g., in the Book of Song and Xiao Tong’s biography), a visiting inspector came to Pengze and ordered Tao to dress formally and bow to him. Tao refused indignantly, saying he would not “crook his back for five bushels of rice” (a petty official’s salary) to please a petty man. He immediately resigned. This became a famous emblem of moral integrity.
“Three paths”
An allusion to the Han dynasty hermit Jiang Xu (蒋诩), who cut three paths in his garden for his friends. In later poetry, it symbolizes a reclusive home where only close friends or nature are admitted.
The lonely pine
A symbol of the virtuous man standing upright in adversity, often used by Tao to represent his own steadfastness.
The fairyland (帝乡)
Literally “the emperor’s realm,” but in Daoist context it means the immortal’s paradise. Tao says he does not seek such mystical transcendence – he is content with earthly simplicity.
“Following the course of nature and returning to the end”
A Daoist idea that one should accept the natural process of life and death without fear or regret.
Officialdom vs. reclusion
For centuries, Chinese literati faced the dilemma: serve the state (Confucian duty) or withdraw to preserve personal purity (Daoist ideal). Tao’s choice strongly influenced later poets, who saw him as the model of the honest, free spirit.
The heart enslaved by the body
This means that the mind/spirit is made a servant to bodily needs (like hunger, status, or salary). Tao rejects this subservience and reclaims his inner autonomy.
“Today is right and yesterday was wrong”
Reflects the Daoist and Buddhist emphasis on awakening; the past mistakes are acknowledged, but the future is open to correction.
“Joy in the will of Heaven”
Echoes the Confucian idea of accepting Heaven’s mandate with contentment, but Tao’s version is more personal and nature-oriented.
Literary significance
This piece is a fu (rhymed prose) that combines narrative, lyricism, and philosophy. It was greatly admired by later critics, including the famous literary theorist Liu Xie (in The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons). The poem’s vivid imagery (clouds, birds, pine, wine) and its emotional arc – from regret to liberation – make it a timeless manifesto for anyone choosing authenticity over convention.
归去来辞
— 陶渊明〔魏晋〕
余家贫，耕植不足以自给。幼稚盈室，瓶无储粟，生生所资，未见其术。亲故多劝余为长吏，脱然有怀，求之靡途。会有四方之事，诸侯以惠爱为德，家叔以余贫苦，遂见用于小邑。于时风波未静，心惮远役，彭泽去家百里，公田之利，足以为酒。故便求之。及少日，眷然有归欤之情。何则？质性自然，非矫厉所得。饥冻虽切，违己交病。尝从人事，皆口腹自役。于是怅然慷慨，深愧平生之志。犹望一稔，当敛裳宵逝。寻程氏妹丧于武昌，情在骏奔，自免去职。仲秋至冬，在官八十余日。因事顺心，命篇曰《归去来兮》。乙巳岁十一月也。
归去来兮，田园将芜胡不归？既自以心为形役，奚惆怅而独悲？悟已往之不谏，知来者之可追。实迷途其未远，觉今是而昨非。舟遥遥以轻飏，风飘飘而吹衣。问征夫以前路，恨晨光之熹微。
乃瞻衡宇，载欣载奔。僮仆欢迎，稚子候门。三径就荒，松菊犹存。携幼入室，有酒盈樽。引壶觞以自酌，眄庭柯以怡颜。倚南窗以寄傲，审容膝之易安。园日涉以成趣，门虽设而常关。策扶老以流憩，时矫首而遐观。云无心以出岫，鸟倦飞而知还。景翳翳以将入，抚孤松而盘桓。
归去来兮，请息交以绝游。世与我而相违，复驾言兮焉求？悦亲戚之情话，乐琴书以消忧。农人告余以春及，将有事于西畴。或命巾车，或棹孤舟。既窈窕以寻壑，亦崎岖而经丘。木欣欣以向荣，泉涓涓而始流。善万物之得时，感吾生之行休。
已矣乎！寓形宇内复几时？曷不委心任去留？胡为乎遑遑欲何之？富贵非吾愿，帝乡不可期。怀良辰以孤往，或植杖而耘耔。登东皋以舒啸，临清流而赋诗。聊乘化以归尽，乐夫天命复奚疑！
Leave a Reply