Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 31: Water Dragon Song

"cough cough"

The green dumpling in Lu Beigu's mouth got stuck in his throat and made him cough.

Listening to each "Hey Zhao" sound, it seems as if it is mixed with countless pounds of blood and sweat.

The one-eyed old boatman narrowed his eyes and pointed at the salt ship going away with his finger that looked like old tree bark.

"See? Once we pass the island in the middle of the river, the boatmen's chants will change to 'flat water tunes.' If you ever hear 'retrieval tunes,' it means someone will be stranded at the bottom of the river forever..."

The river wind suddenly blew away the last half of the sigh in the humid air.

Most of the boats traveling on this section of the Yangtze River in Luzhou are merchant ships transporting well salt, just like the one Lu Beigu had just seen.

Southern Sichuan has been an important salt-producing area since ancient times. During the pre-Tang Dynasty, there were 460 salt wells in Jiannan Dao, including Zi, Sui, Mian, He, Chang, Yu, and Lu states. Among them, the Yujing Supervisor in Luzhou was extremely famous, and the depth of the Yujing could even reach more than 70 feet.

Even in the Song Dynasty, the salt wells of the salt inspectors in the Luzhou area were working day and night. White salt blocks were packed into bamboo baskets, transported out of the mountainous areas, carried by coolies onto wooden boats, and sailed down the Yangtze River.

Occasionally, when trackers stopped at the ferry to rest, they would take out copper coins to buy some "river water tofu pudding" sold at the roadside tea stalls.

——The tender white tofu pudding was served in a coarse earthenware bowl, topped with a spoonful of red oil made from dogwood, sprinkled with a handful of chives, and swallowed whole with brown rice, sweating profusely while eating.

On the big ship carrying the carriage across the river, they all ate the same food.

Well, I wouldn’t be hungry if I didn’t eat, but I felt hungry after eating a green dumpling just now.

But Li Pan ate very quickly. He finished a bowl of "Jiangshui Tofu Pudding" in no time.

Lu Beigu then reluctantly put down his spoon, because he realized that after the magistrate had finished eating, everyone else had also "finished" regardless of whether they had finished eating or not, and he felt embarrassed to continue eating out of place.

"What do you think?" Li Pan asked, wiping his mouth with a handkerchief.

“Seeing the suffering of the people makes me feel bad.”

Lu Beigu placed his hands on his knees and said sincerely, "But I just don't know what I can do or what I should do."

"People often say, 'If you are rich, you should help the world; if you are poor, you should improve yourself,' but do you know what the original text of this sentence in Mencius is?"

Without waiting for Lu Beigu's reply, Li Pan continued, "Mencius said: 'When one is poor, one should take care of oneself; when one is rich, one should take care of the world.'"

"Don't misunderstand the ancient sage's meaning—there's a saying: 'If you can't even clean your own house, how can you clean up the world?' You must first take care of yourself and those around you, then think about the world."

"As for how you should proceed step by step? Studying the teachings of the sages is a way to live up to yourself, differentiating yourself from the ignorant and allowing you to see the truths of heaven and earth. Passing the imperial examinations is a way to live up to your family and friends, sparing them from the hardships you endure and improving their lives. As for passing the imperial examinations and entering officialdom, doing things that are true to your conscience and beneficial to the people, no matter how big or small, is a way to live up to the people of the world."

"I've read the books of sages for so many years, and seen so many people and events. I have a wealth of truths stored in my belly. If I wanted to express them, I could talk about them for hours. But what's the point of saying so much? A gentleman's actions are more important than his words. These few simple words I've given you today are the truths I want to teach you. I hope you will remember them."

It can be heard that what Li Pan said were all sighs from the heart, and it was more like he was enlightening himself by expressing his emotions through the scenery rather than teaching Lu Beigu.

"Yes, students, please remember this."

"However, asking you to take care of yourself and your family and friends doesn't mean you should be selfish or ignore the lives of others. Do you understand?"

Fearing that Lu Beigu might go to extremes, Li Pan reminded him again, which was really painstaking.

After all, there are many times when young people full of ideals and ambitions degenerate into extreme egoists because they have accumulated enough real pain over the years and then encounter an opportunity that triggers them. It may be just an event or a word from someone else.

He knew that Lu Beigu's family was not well off, so he said this on purpose.

Then, Li Pan suddenly asked, "How's your poetry practice going lately?"

"I've learned some rhythm and rhyme, but I can't write good works."

Lu Beigu remained sincere and frank, saying, "I always feel like there's a barrier built around my heart, restricting me."

"Then take advantage of this moment to recite a poem! When you achieve success in the future, look back at what you've written to remind yourself not to forget the suffering of the people you witness today!" Li Pan patted his shoulder. "Just express your feelings directly. A few imperfections in rhythm and rhyme are not necessarily a bad thing. The value of poetry lies in its unrestrained nature."

Lu Beigu nodded. Li Pan’s statement actually had some meaning of the “theory of nature and spirit”.

Generally speaking, reciting poetry in public still brings a sense of shame and "social death".

However, if I don’t write a poem to commemorate this situation, I’m afraid I won’t have this feeling anymore in a while.

After pondering for a moment, Lu Beigu stood up and recited aloud "Shuilongyin", which is the easiest poem to compose lyrics on the spot.

Compared with other ci forms with fewer variants, this one has as many as 25 variants, and it is not yet the era when Su Shi's ci is the standard, so there is a lot of room for free expression.

"Thunder cracks rocks and pierces the sky, while a rope chews through the flesh of a dragon.

The salt mountain weighs down the oars, the swirling clouds collapse the sails, and the starlight splashes on the cables.

Half a song of Yangguan, a cry of earth lungs, breaking through the natural barrier.

Watch the spitting sand clot into blood, the river wind cuts at the bones, and the thousand sails passing by are all within the reach of man.

At this time, mountains stand on both sides of the Yangtze River, the river is surging, and there is no end in sight to the east.

Lu Beigu was leaning against the railing, clapping his hands. The river breeze blew by, and his green shirt suddenly rose, giving him an invisible and fierce aura.

"Suddenly I felt like my body was like a cocoon, wrapped in a cold toad, sobbing in a box.

How could the scholar bear to collect all the broken letters from the mourners in his sleeves?

When a sudden rain comes, the fine marks become pens and the waves become inkstones.

Call upon the vast silver waves to grind my lungs and become an arrowhead in the stream! "

After reciting a piece of "Water Dragon Song", Lu Beigu felt a little ashamed. He had not studied the rhythm of poetry before he traveled through time, and the relevant knowledge inherited from his previous life was not reliable.

So according to the rhythm and prosody of Song Dynasty poetry, the poem he improvised was actually extremely unqualified.

But on the one hand, Li Pan had already said "not bound by rules", asking him to express his true feelings; on the other hand, Lu Beigu also believed that he would be able to improve in poetry and prose through learning in the future, and quickly improve from his current style that did not conform to the rules to one that did.

Li Pan clapped his hands and laughed: "Although the rhythm is not strict, it is still a poem of broad-mindedness and ambition!"

"Ordinary writers who write about boat trackers use only generic phrases like 'sweat drips like rain' and 'strength pulls mountains and rivers', but you single-handedly capture the chilling light of 'starlight splashing on the cable' and the ripping sound of silk 'breaking the natural chasm', and conclude the first half of the poem with 'a thousand sails passing, all within human reach'. This level of writing breaks with convention; it's impossible to write such a poem without firsthand experience."

"As for the second stanza, it is like Zu Ti striking his oar in the middle of a stream; it can be said to be the determination of a gentleman!"

After hearing Li Pan's approving evaluation, Lu Beigu, who was still a little melancholy about the rhythm, felt relieved. He could learn the rhythm slowly in the future, but at the moment he was in a state of mind that could not be rigid.

He only felt that all the depression and resentment in his heart almost disappeared as he finished reciting this piece of "Water Dragon Song".

Then, almost as if a flash of inspiration had struck him, he let out a long roar towards the mighty river wind.

After the long roar, Lu Beigu's heart seemed to be torn off by some shackles, and many of his thoughts became more and more firm.

In front of us is the place where the two rivers converge under Luzhou City on the north bank of the Yangtze River.

The water of Tuojiang River is extremely turbid, while the water of Yangtze River is extremely clear.

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① From "Book of Jin·Biography of Zu Ti", "Zu Ti struck the oar in the middle of the river and swore: 'If Zu Ti cannot clear the Central Plains and restore the river, the river will be as vast as the Yangtze River!' His words were so heroic that everyone sighed." The ancients often used this as a metaphor for determination and hard work.

(End of this chapter)