Grand 文言文 Reading Project #12: 《前赤壁賦》 by 蘇軾

[OneEye]

Sorry the post is a bit late this week. The text for next week is 《前赤壁賦》 by 蘇軾. It's found in the 古文觀止, as well as in 《文言文40篇大探索》 if you have that, and probably a lot of other high school 國文 readers. Fortunately for us, we also have it in 蘇軾's own hand if you want to take a stab at reading it that way. That scroll is at the 故宮博物院 National Palace Museum, though I doubt it's on display right now. However, it does look like there is a Ming dynasty painting inspired by the 後赤壁賦 on display. Here's some background reading for those interested:

Su Shi

蘇軾

前赤壁賦

And the text from wikisource:

壬戌之秋，七月既望，蘇子與客泛舟遊於赤壁之下。淸風徐來，水波不興，舉酒屬客，誦明月之詩，歌窈窕之章。少焉，月出於東山之上，徘徊於斗牛之間，白露橫江，水光接天；縱一葦之所如，凌萬頃之茫然。浩浩乎如馮虛御風，而不知其所止；飄飄乎如遺世獨立，羽化而登仙。

　　於是飲酒樂甚，扣舷而歌之。歌曰：「桂棹兮蘭槳，撃空明兮泝流光。渺渺兮予懷，望美人兮天一方。」客有吹洞簫者，倚歌而和之，其聲嗚嗚然，如怨、如慕、如泣、如訴，餘音嫋嫋，不絕如縷。舞幽壑之潛蛟，泣孤舟之嫠婦。

　　蘇子愀然，正襟危坐，而問客曰：「何為其然也？」

　　客曰：「『月明星稀，烏鵲南飛』此非曹孟德之詩乎？西望夏口，東望武昌，山川相繆，鬱乎蒼蒼，此非孟德之困於周郎者乎？方其破荊州，下江陵， 順流而東也，舳艫千里，旌旗蔽空，釃酒臨江，橫槊賦詩，固一世之雄也，而今安在哉？況吾與子漁樵於江渚之上，侶魚蝦而友麋鹿；駕一葉之扁舟，擧匏樽以相 屬。寄蜉蝣於天地，渺滄海之一粟。哀吾生之須臾，羨長江之無窮。挾飛仙以遨遊，抱明月而長終。知不可乎驟得，託遺響於悲風。」

　　蘇子曰：「客亦知夫水與月乎？逝者如斯，而未嘗往也；盈虛者如彼，而卒莫消長也，蓋將自其變者而觀之，則天地曾不能以一瞬；自其 不變者而觀之，則物與我皆無盡也，而又何羨乎？且夫天地之間，物各有主，苟非吾之所有，雖一毫而莫取。惟江上之淸風，與山間之明月，耳得之而為聲，目遇之 而成色，取之無禁，用之不竭，是造物者之無盡藏也，而吾與子之所共適。」

　　客喜而笑，洗盞更酌。肴核既盡，杯盤狼藉，相與枕藉乎舟中，不知東方之既白。

[xiaocai]

游赤壁吟楚辞，好生应景！

[monga]

许久未念诗，甚是怀念。

[skylee]

I was very touched when I read that scroll in NPM Taipei in 2007 ...