Orchids, Angelica, Wormwood and Mugwort.(蘭芷蕭艾)
During the Warring States period in China,
the Kingdom of Chu had a renowned minister named Qu Yuan.
This was a time of great chaos and turmoil.
Of royal descent, Qu Yuan was deeply concerned with the affairs of state and
the lives of the people of the Chu Kingdom.
A man of lofty ideals, he sought to reform
the Chu Kingdom's corrupt central government and bravely stood up against
ministers who cared only about pleasure, power and wealth.
Ultimately, however, he did not achieve his
goals. At the age of 64, having suffered a devastating setback, he took his own
life by jumping into a river.
He is also recognised as China's first
poet. He wrote a poem expressing his life experiences and pursuits. This poem,
comprising over 2,400 characters, is considered the most magnificent lyric poem
in Chinese literary history.
It is titled Li Sao, which literally means
'the sorrows I have suffered'.
The following are the general meanings of
several lines from this poem.
The following are the general meanings of
several lines from this poem. Why is the shrike, which usually appears in
summer, singing so quickly this year? Its cry signals the end of spring and the
beginning of summer, when the orchids and angelica flowers that bloomed in
spring begin to wither and die, their elegant fragrance fading.
I am as elegant and beautiful as the jade
ornament I wear. Why do those around me deliberately obscure the radiance I
radiate?
I am surrounded by immoral people and worry
that they will envy my talent and innocence and harm me.
These are chaotic times. I live in a place
that is changing rapidly. Everything around me is constantly changing. Should I
leave this place?
The orchids and angelica flowers that once
bloomed in spring with an elegant fragrance have lost their scent. Even the
hardier sweet osmanthus and iris have withered. With the arrival of the
scorching summer, nature has produced an abundance of wormwood and mugwort with
their strong scent.
The elegant fragrance of the orchids and
angelica flowers that bloomed in spring has disappeared. The sweet osmanthus
and iris have all withered. With the arrival of the scorching summer, nature
has produced an abundance of wormwood and mugwort, which have an unpleasant
odour.
In this passage, Qu Yuan uses the changing
seasons and the transformation of plants to describe his current situation. He
likens himself to the elegant, fragrant orchids and angelica that bloom in
spring, while the political atmosphere of the Chu Kingdom in which he lives
resembles the scorching summer heat. The many corrupt ministers resembled the
strong, unpleasant odour of wormwood and mugwort.
He laments his inability to change the
status quo. He also lamented how most of his once idealistic and righteous
political allies had been swayed by circumstances, one by one transforming into
shameless, morally corrupt individuals.
This idiom literally means 'orchid and
angelica, wormwood and mugwort'.
It can be used to describe a person who was
once morally upright but has become corrupt.
Dear friends, what insights or thoughts
have you gained from this story?
How much do you think a person's living
environment influences them? If you were Qu Yuan, would you uphold your
integrity or join the evildoers?
I hope this story yields some new insights
for you.
圖片出處為百度百科
蘭芷蕭艾(Orchids, Angelica, Wormwood and Mugwort.)
中國的戰國時代的楚王國有一個著名的大臣，他的名字叫做屈原。
中國的戰國時代是一個非常混亂且動盪的時代，屈原有王室的血統，他對楚王國的國家大事非常的關心，他也很在乎楚王國的人民的生活。
他是一個有著崇高的理想的人，他想要改革楚王國的腐敗的中央政府，他奮勇對抗當時楚王國的許多隻想要享樂與只在乎權力與金錢的大臣們。
他最終沒有實現他的人生理想，在他大約64歲那一年，他在經歷一次巨大的打擊之後，他選擇跳河自殺。
他也是中國公認的第一個詩人，他寫過詩一首詩來表述說他的人生遭遇與他的人生追求，這首詩多達2400多個字，是中國文學史上最宏偉的抒情長詩。
這首詩的詩名叫做(離騷)，直接翻譯的意思是我所遭受到的憂患。
這首詩中有幾句詩的大意如下。
夏季出現的伯勞鳥今年為何如此快就開始啼叫，牠的啼聲響起代表著溫暖的春天已經結束，春天開放的蘭花與白芷開始凋零枯萎，它們所散發的芳香也即將消失。
我就像我所配戴的這塊玉做的配飾如此高雅漂亮，為何我周遭的人們要故意遮掩我所散發出來的光亮。
我周圍圍繞這一群道德敗壞的人，我擔心這些人們會因為忌妒我的才能與清白而做出對我不利的事。
現在是一個混亂的時代，我生活在一個正在經歷快速變動的地方，我周圍的一切不停地在改變，我是否應該離開這個地方呢
春天中開放的那些具有高雅的香味的蘭花與白芷已經失去了它們的香味，香菖和蕙草也已經全部凋謝，進入酷熱的夏天後，大自然中生長出許多味道強烈令人聞了非常不舒服的艾嵩與艾草。
屈原在這一段中，他藉著四季的變化與植物的更迭來形容他當時的處境。
他感覺自己就像是生長在春天的有著高雅的香味的蘭花與白芷，他所身處的楚王國的政治氛圍就如同炎熱的夏天，許多道德敗壞的大臣就如同那些味道強烈且令人不舒服的艾嵩與艾草。
他感嘆自己對於現狀的無力改變，他也嘆息那些曾經跟自己一樣有理想且正義的政治上的夥伴們中，有大多數被環境所影響，他的這些政治夥伴們也一個個地轉變成一個不知羞恥且道德被壞的人。
這句成語直接翻譯的意思是蘭花與白芷、艾嵩與艾草。
這句成語可以被用來形容一個原本道德高尚的人轉變成一個道德敗壞的人。
親愛的朋友，你聽完這個故事有怎樣的啟發或有怎樣的想法呢。
你認為一個人的生活環境會對那個人有著多大的影響呢?你如果是屈原，你會選擇堅持自己的正直還是加入那些壞人的行列呢?
我期待這故事能讓你產生一些新的收穫。
出處為楚-屈原-離騷
https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/%E9%9B%A2%E9%A8%B7