Ouyang Xiu
“Encircling Chu-zhou all around are mountains. The wooded gorges of the various peaks to the southwest are overwhelmingly lovely. The one that stands out in the view, rising thick with dense growth, is Lang-ya Mountain…As the path turns with the bend of the cliff, there is a pavilion, its wings outspread, standing beside the stream; and this is the Pavilion of the Drunken Old Man…
Who was it that gave the pavilion its name? This was the governor himself…when he had gotten a little drunk, he…gave himself the nickname “Drunken Old Man”. The Drunken Old Man’s interest was not in the wine itself but in being here amid the mountains and waters. The delight in mountains and waters was first found in the heart and then lodged temporarily in the wine… Then the evening sun is in the mountains…this is the governor going home and his guests following…The other people may experience the delight of coming to visit this place with the governor, but they do not experience the governor’s delight in their delight. The person who in drunkenness can share their delight and who, sobering up, can give an account of it in writing is the governor. And who is the governor? Ou Yang Xiu of Lu-ling.” [1]
Ou Yang Xiu
I am that drunken old man. I was one of the most important people of China in my day.
Let's start with a few basic facts. Born: 1007 AD, in Mian, Sichuan Passed the jinshi exam at age 22 Held various offices until 1052- temporarily retired due to the death of my mother Returned to political offices until 1071 Died: 1072 They call me the “Dominant cultural figure and first representative of Song Literature”
I was: a historian
a politician
an Antiquarian and epigrapher
I was also: a Literary Critic and a writer
Politician
I was first appointed as a Judge in Luoyang.
Collector of Texts in Kaifeng in 1034
In 1041 I was assigned to catalog the Imperial Library.
In 1043 I was demoted and served the next several years as a provincial magistrate
In 1049, I returned to the Capitol as an advisor
My mother died in 1052. I temporarily retired to properly mourn her.
Then I returned to take up a post in the Hanlin Academy.
In 1060 I was one of the most powerful men in the Empire- I was Vice Commissioner of Military Affairs, Vice Minister of Revenues, Assistant Chief Councilor, Song Ambassador to Liao, Examiner of the jinshi exam and I still held my post with the Hanlin Academy.
I retired in 1071
Antiquarian and Epigrapher I once described myself as the “Resident of 6 Ones”. The “6 ones” were: My collection of 10,000 books My collection of 1,000 Bronzes My wine pot My chess set My Qin and- one old drunkard (myself)
Writer I was a Historian- I wrote the “New Tang History” (completed in 1060) and the New History of Five Dynasties” I was a Literary Critic- I wrote a small book “Remarks on Poetry” and this started a new style of literary review. I also wrote my own commentary on the “Classic of Poetry” I was known for my writing- prose, poetry and song lyrics
Prose, Poetry and Song (prose example is the first reading- this is a poetry example)
White Egret
Splashing on stones, the rapids’ sounds
are like the drums of battle,
a surface of waves that toss the sky
seem like silver hills.
When rapids leap and waves smash
in wind as well as rain,
it stands there alone with dignity
thoughts even more serene. [2]
to “Immortal by the River”
Beyond the willows soft thunder, rain upon the pond, and the sounds of rain as it splatters
lotuses to shreds
By the small tower’s west corner a broken rainbow bright, where we lean upon the railing waiting for moonlight.
The swallows come in flying, peer from rafters and beams, from a jade hook dangles the curtain sash. Motionless ripples of coolness, the bedmat’s patterns flat. There a pair of crystal pillows and beside them, a fallen hairpin.[3]
In the words of one of my successors, nearly 500 years after I died, I was-
“…an ideal example of the scholar-official committed to both public service and literary art.”
Li Dongyang (1447-1516) (Highest official in the Hanlin Academy) [4]