Lingyin Temple

Questions of the Song Dynasty

The Jiuling Mountains are lush and craggy, and the Dragon Palace is lonely.

The building overlooks the sea and the sun, and the door faces the tide of Zhejiang.

The osmanthus moon is setting in the middle of the moon, and the fragrance of the sky is floating outside.

The tower of Luodeng is far away, and the spring for cutting trees is far away.

The flowers are more blooming in the thin frost, and the leaves are not withered in the light ice.

The old age is still different, and the search is noisy.

Enter Tiantai Road and look at the Yudu Stone Bridge.

"壣, the Dragon Palace is locked and lonely..." Song Zhiwen was demoted twice. The first time was in the first year of Shenlong (705) when he was demoted to Longzhou (now Luoding County, Guangdong) to join the army. He soon fled back to Luoyang, and the second time was to Jing Yunyuan. In 710, he was exiled to Qinzhou (now Qinzhou County, Guangxi). "Old Book of Tang" says: "In the innate world, death is given to the place of residence." "New Book of Tang" says: "Death is given to Guilin." In short, he did not survive. "New Tang Book" records his long history of moving to Yuezhou (today's Shaoxing, Zhejiang) in Jinglongzhong. He "managed his own affairs independently, lived in Yanxi Mountains, drank wine and composed poems, and circulated around the capital, which was passed down by everyone." The first poem "Lingyin Temple" was written around this time.

Lingyin: the name of the mountain. In the west of Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, it is also known as Wulin, Lingyuan and Xianju. Lingyin Temple is a Zen temple built on Lingyin Mountain during the Eastern Jin Dynasty. It is said that in the first year of Xianhe of Jin Dynasty (326), the Indian monk Huili came here and exclaimed: "This small ridge of Lingjiu Mountain in Tianzhu Kingdom (ancient India) came here in an unknown year. As long as the Buddha was alive, most of them were visited by immortal spirits. "Yin." Because the temple was built on the mountain, it was named Lingyin, which means "Lingshan is hidden here."

The first couplet describes the geographical location and general appearance of Lingyin Temple: "The Jiuling Mountains are lush and craggy, and the Dragon Palace is lonely." It means that the quiet temple is located at the foot of the tall and lush Feilaifeng Mountain, making it even more solemn. Silence. Jiuling: That is Lingyin Mountain in India. This refers to the northern peak of Lingyin Mountain, Feilai Peak. Yu: meaning lush and verdant. Cangyao: high; towering. Dragon Palace: Borrowing from Lingyin Temple, it is said that the Dragon King once asked Buddha to preach the scriptures, so the place where Buddha was located was called Dragon Palace. The word "lock" reveals the eternity of Buddhism's tranquility and emptiness. "Jiuling" and "Dragon Palace" are two allusions in succession. The upper and lower parts match perfectly and naturally. The mythological color is rich and arouses people's imagination. The rhythmic first couplets are generally not paired, but here the pairing flows naturally, giving readers a neat and harmonious aesthetic.

The second couplet "The building overlooks the sea and the sun, and the door faces the tide of Zhejiang". The first sentence describes the distant view. The sunrise on the sea is radiant and the sky is full of red clouds. The next sentence is a close-up view, with the river surging and the white waves rolling. Entering a beautiful place and looking at the beautiful place can open people's minds, strengthen people's pride, and make people's mood pleasant. These two sentences have become immortal words with their neat counterpoint and spectacular scenery. The words here are not strange and the rhetoric is not rich, but they can give people a special sense of beauty.

The third couplet "Guizi falls in the middle of the moon, and the fragrance of the sky floats outside." Guizi: the seed of the osmanthus tree. The laurel tree blooms but does not bear fruit. Tianzhu Guijie. It is said that in Lingyin Temple and Tianzhu Temple, during the crisp autumn season, bean-like particles often fall from the sky, called cinnamon seeds. Tianxiang: incense offered to gods. Yu Xin of the Northern Zhou Dynasty wrote a poem in "Fenghe Tongtai Temple Bu Tu": "The fragrance of heaven descends to the Gui Palace, and the immortals and gods enter Yisheng." The osmanthus seeds in the Moon Palace fell down, flying in the air, making strange noises; the incense in the Dragon Palace curled up, straight into the sky, The top and bottom are intertwined into a quiet and ethereal realm. This couplet borrows myths and legends to express the pleasant features of Lingyin Temple.

The first three couplets of the poem describe Lingyin Temple from the front, and the next three couplets turn to the side. The poet painted a quiet and distant background for Lingyin Temple based on his views and feelings while traveling in the mountains: vines cover the road, ancient pagodas can be seen in the distance, springs gurgling, and mountain flowers stand proudly on the frost and ice. All this shows the simplicity, tranquility and refined beauty. The poet was deeply moved by this beautiful scene and couldn't help but praise: "I am still far away from the old age, and I am searching for the right to wash away the hustle and bustle." Since he was a child, he has longed for the strange mountains and scenic spots everywhere. This visit to the secluded places has fulfilled his wish, making him forget the troubles and anxiety in the world.

The last couplet is "Waiting to enter Tiantai Road and see the Yudu Stone Bridge." This is the poet's hallucination. He is already intoxicated and mistakenly regards Lingyin as a rooftop. He is actually a little ecstatic. Tiantai Mountain is a famous Buddhist holy land, and the stone bridge is said to be the place where gods live. "Liu Chen and Ruan Zhao of the Han Dynasty went to Tiantai to collect medicine, met two women, and stayed for half a year to return home. They have been home for seven generations.

"The poem implicitly embodies this beautiful myth and legend, and further praises the superior terrain and landscape environment of Lingyin Temple with his own feelings, which is comparable to the rooftop.

"Lingyin Temple" is an excellent poem Landscape travel poems. Yuan Hongdao once said in his "Lingyin" travel notes: "When I first entered Lingyin, I suspected that the poetry of the Song Dynasty was not similar, and it was based on the ancient people's scenery, or it was like the modern poets who gathered together. After ascending to Taoguang, I learned about Canghai, Zhejiang, Monluo, and Chumu, and the words were incorporated into the paintings. The ancients are so incomparable! "This passage fully illustrates the beauty of the poem "Lingyin Temple", "every word is included in the painting".

About the author:

Song Zhiwen (about 656 - about 712), named Yanqing, named Shaolian, Han nationality, was born in Xicheng, Fenzhou (now Fenyang City, Shanxi Province), or Hongnong, Guozhou (now Lingbao County, Henan Province). He was a poet in the early Tang Dynasty. Together with Shen Quanqi, he was called the "Shen Song Dynasty". Song Zhiwen did not have a prominent family background. His father, Song Lingwen, came from his hometown and was determined to learn and make friends. "Multi-talented, he is not only rich in diction, but also in calligraphy and power. He is known as one of the three greatest talents in the world." "During the reign of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, he was the general of Zuo Xiaowei Lang and the scholar of Dongtai Xiangzheng who managed the school's old books. Under the influence of his father, Song Zhiwen, his younger brother Song Zhidi, and Song Zhixun were diligent and studious since they were young, and each received the honor of his father. One of the best; Song Zhiti was very brave, Song Zhixun was good at Cao Li, Song Zhiwen was good at writing, and became a good story at the time. In the second year of the Yuan Dynasty (675), Song Zhiwen was tall and handsome. After passing the imperial examination, he ascended to "Longmen" and embarked on the official career path. During the reign of Wu Zetian, he was favored as a court minister because of his literary talent. Later, he was convicted of befriending Zhang Yizhi and was demoted to Longzhou to join the army (708). He was transferred to the imperial examination and became a bachelor of Xiuwen Hall along with Du Shenyan and Xue Ji. He was also demoted to the governor of Yue in the first year of Ruizong Jingyun (710) and exiled to Qinzhou in the first year of Xuanzong (712). Give death. There is "Song Zhiwen Collection".