o que é
peça famosa da "autoria" * de wang xizhi (303–361), conhecida por "lanting ji xu", isto é, prefácio aos poemas compostos no pavilhão da orquídea. é um texto constituído por 324 sinogramas, dispostos em 28 linhas verticais (entre os quais o caractere 之 aparece 20 vezes sempre sob uma forma diferente), que descreve o ambiente vivido aquando de uma reunião, entre cerca de meia centena de intelectuais, ocorrida no ano 353, perto de shaoxing, na provínica do zhejiang.
o convívio foi animado, como era habitual, pela mistura do vinho com a poesia: sentados no jardim, ao longo das curvas e contra-curvas de um pequeno canal, pelo qual corre um fio de água, os participantes põem a flutuar as suas chávenas de vinho; sempre que uma chávena pára, a pessoa que dela está mais perto tem de beber o vinho e compor um poema; no final da noite, havia trinta e seis poemas compostos por vinte e seis participantes.
o que diz
It is the 9th year of Yong He, in the beginning of late spring. We, all the literati old and young, are gathering at Lan Ting (Orchid Pavilion) on the northern slope of the Kuai Ji Hill. Amidst the gorgeous mountains and hills, dense woods and slender bamboos, the sparkling winding stream is flowing by. Seated in the midst of this scenery, short of the company of good music, we regale every single toast and poem that put us in the mood of a free and subtle dialogue.
It is a fine day with lovely breezes. Behold the magnificent universe with abundance of myriad beings. Stretch your sights and relax your minds. It is the supreme bliss the eyes and ears can achieve. How enjoyable!
While experiencing the ups and downs in our lives, we may be wakened by thoughts while meditating in a small chamber. Or, we may let go of ourselves in the open Nature. Choices plenty, tranquility or activity as one prefers. I am contented with whatever happiness is brought forth, however short the moment is. I am satisfied, not knowing that I am aging nor where I am heading, I am tired.
Things do change, only our feelings linger. What we used to be fond of will become the past instantaneously. We can't help but to cheer ourselves by recollection. Life, long or short, always comes to an end. An old saying has it that: 'Life and death are the ultimate things.' What a pain! Every time I read about the writings of people from the past, I always sense their feeling reflects my own. I can only lament but not know how to verbalize. Life and death may be merely an illusion. Yet it is ridiculous to equalize longevity with short-lived. The future generations will look upon us just like we do our past. So, I document the lives of the contemporaries and their works. Time has changed, yet the desire to express the feeling is the same. Those in the future shall get what I mean when they read this. tradução retirada daqui
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* trata-se de uma cópia uma vez que o original, depois de perdido e reencontrado (após algumas peripécias rocambolescas), acabou, segundo reza a tradição, enterrado com o imperador taizong, dos tang, por via de quem ele tinha sido recuperado.