Hunan native Ye Dehui (1864-1927) wrote a poem about Tea titled “A Poetic Response to Elder Wuyuan Ming's Sitting Session, in the Same Rhyme, Dedicated to Wei Zhai.” From the title, we can infer that this poem was inspired by a tea session and chat with Elder Guyi. “Elder Guyi” refers to Li Guyi. Wei Zhai is Fei Shun, who comes from a prominent Suzhou family; his father-in-law is Wu Dajin, and his cousin-in-law is Liu Yazhi. His circle of friends includes Yunnan native Li Genyuan.
“Who will drive away the demon of sleep? The tea god Lu Yu sends two mandarin ducks flying.” These lines refer to using tea to stay alert and dispel drowsiness. “Two mandarin ducks” refer to a pair of waterfowl. “Flying mandarin ducks” alludes to Wang Qiao of the Han dynasty, who served as a county magistrate and was known for his magical abilities, including the ability to ride a pair of mandarin ducks to meet the emperor regularly.
The phrase “flying mandarin ducks” is often used to describe a county magistrate taking office or leaving it. Mentioning the tea deity Lu Yu indicates the use of tea to ward off the demon of sleep. “The three armies quench their thirst and claim victory; why bother with toasting with tusu wine to cure deafness?” The line about “the three armies” uses the idiom “looking at plums to quench thirst,” referring to Cao Cao's troops during a campaign against Zhang Xiu. It was hot and they lacked water, so he misled them by saying there were plum groves ahead, encouraging them to hurry up for the plums.
“Claiming victory” means achieving success. “Tusu” refers to tu-su wine, which ancient people believed could cure deafness when drunk on specific days. “The Wu people love tea as much as they love pearls; they spend their days idly sipping tea by the riverside.” This line compares the Wu people's love for tea to their love for pearls. “Spending their days” refers to the leisurely routine of daily tea drinking.
“Even the wise enjoy such pleasures; wherever there is well water, they call out to each other in joy.” “The wise” may refer to Li Guyi and Fei Shun, but also generally describes cultured people in Wu region, who all enjoy Drinking Tea. “Calling out to each other in joy” describes the lively gathering for tea drinking. “Though I am lazy, I follow suit; with a teapot in hand, I sit by the side.” These lines indicate that the poet has a habit of drinking tea and often sits with a pot nearby, sipping alone. “Our humorous conversations are quite entertaining; sticky sweets make my teeth stick together.”
“Humorous conversations” refer to the light and pleasant atmosphere of chatting. “Sticky sweets” refer to a type of fried sweet snack that naturally causes one's teeth to stick together, which is a common feeling when eating such foods, especially for the elderly, who might have reduced chewing capacity and thus feel inclined to complain.
“Occasionally resting in a book stall, I rarely visit tea huts. Everyone wonders if I'm avoiding water troubles; waiting for me is in vain.” These four lines mean that the poet occasionally drinks tea at book stalls but seldom idly sits in tea huts. Friends suspect that he does this to avoid “water troubles,” and waiting for him is ultimately fruitless. “Water troubles” allude to Wang Meng, who loved tea and would often entertain guests with it. Guests who were not accustomed to this referred to it jokingly as “water troubles.” “Waiting for me” means that since the poet often doesn't show up as agreed at the tea huts, he doesn't fit in with the group.
“Throughout my life, I've carried my hoe wherever I go; I refuse to wait idly like someone watching over a stump for a rabbit.” These lines suggest that the poet has his own principles and won't compromise with convention. “Carrying the hoe” alludes to the hermit Liu Ling, who often traveled in a deer-drawn cart with a wine pot, accompanied by someone carrying a hoe, signifying the readiness to be buried where death occurs. “Watching over a stump for a rabbit” refers to the idiom “waiting by the stump for a rabbit,” from the “Hanfeizi,” meaning to stubbornly adhere to rigid rules without adapting. “Once heard the praises of the wine immortal Li Bai” refers to the story of the poet Li Bai, who declared himself “a wine immortal called upon by the emperor, refusing to board his ship.” “There's also Lin Bu, known for his love of plum blossoms” refers to the hermit Lin Bu, who lived in seclusion on Solitary Hill in Hangzhou, famously known as “husband to plum blossoms and father to cranes.” One of his famous poems reads, “Sparse shadows slant across shallow, clear waters; faint fragrance drifts in the twilight of the moon,” which is a celebrated verse about plum blossoms.
The poet concludes: “I'd rather eat the rice of Huizhou heartily and paint a picture of Dongpo wearing a bamboo hat and wooden clogs.” The reference here is to Su Dongpo. In Huang Tingjian's commentary on Su Dongpo's poems, he says, “Eat the rice of Huizhou heartily and carefully harmonize poems with Tao Yuanming.” Ye's “rice of Huizhou” originates from this. “Dongpo with a bamboo hat and wooden clogs” is a common subject in paintings, based on Su Dongpo's poem written during his exile in Hainan: “Walking with a cane eastward to seek an old Li man, startling chickens and dogs, I seem to be suffering from a wind illness.”
Su Dongpo, a famous Capricorn old boy, was talented in many fields but didn't have the best luck, frequently being exiled to distant places. Despite this, he maintained an optimistic attitude, and people draw considerable spiritual strength from his life experiences and the poems and writings he left behind.
Originally published in the Pu'er Magazine
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