苏东坡：一个打不倒的人

公元gōng yuán一yī零líng三sān七qī年nián，苏sū轼shì出生chū shēng在zài四sì川chuān眉méi山shān的de一yī个gè读书dú shū人家rén jia庭tíng。他tā的de父亲fù qīn苏sū洵xún是shì大dà文学wén xué家jiā，弟dì弟dì苏sū辙zhé后来hòu lái也yě成chéng了liǎo一代yī dài名míng臣chén，人们rén men把bǎ他们tā men父子fù zǐ三sān人rén叫作jiào zuò三sān苏sū。

In 1037 Su Shi was born into a family of scholars in Meishan, Sichuan. His father Su Xun was a great writer and his brother Su Che became a famous minister; together they are called the three Sus.

二èr十shí一yī岁suì那nà年nián，苏sū轼shì去qù京jīng城chéng参加cān jiā科kē举jǔ考试kǎo shì。主zhǔ考kǎo官guān欧ōu阳yáng修xīu读dú了liǎo他tā的de文章wén zhāng，大dà为wéi赞赏zàn shǎng，说shuō：三sān十shí年nián后hòu，天下tiān xià人rén只zhī会huì记得jì de苏sū轼shì，不bù会huì记得jì de我wǒ。

At twenty-one Su Shi went to the capital for the imperial exam. The chief examiner Ouyang Xiu praised his essay hugely, saying: in thirty years the world will remember only Su Shi, not me.

苏sū轼shì不但bù dàn文章wén zhāng写xiě得děi好hào，诗shī词cí、书法shū fǎ、画huà画huà也yě都dōu是shì一流yī líu的de水平shuǐ píng。按理说àn lǐ shuō，这样zhè yàng的de人才rén cái应该yīng gāi一路顺风yī lù shùn fēng，可是kě shì他tā的de一生yī shēng却què大dà起qǐ大dà落là，三sān次cì被bèi贬biǎn官guān，一yī次cì比bǐ一yī次cì远yuǎn。

Su Shi excelled not only at prose but at poetry, calligraphy, and painting. Such talent should have meant a smooth life, yet his was full of rises and falls: three exiles, each further than the last.

最zuì严重yán zhòng的de一yī次cì，是shì四sì十shí四sì岁suì那nà年nián的de乌wū台tái诗shī案àn。有人yǒu rén从cóng他tā的de诗shī里lǐ挑tiǎo出chū几jǐ句jù话huà，说shuō他tā反对fǎn duì朝cháo廷tíng，把bǎ他tā抓zhuā进jìn了liǎo监狱jiān yù，差chà一yī点diǎn丢dīu了liǎo性命xìng mìng。

The worst came at forty-four, the Crow Terrace poetry case. People picked lines from his poems, accused him of opposing the court, and jailed him; he nearly lost his life.

出chū狱yù以后yǐ hòu，他tā被bèi贬biǎn到dào黄huáng州zhōu，一yī个gè又yòu小xiǎo又yòu穷qióng的de地方dì fāng。官guān小xiǎo了liǎo，钱qián少shǎo了liǎo，他tā就jìu在zài城chéng东dōng的de一yī块kuài坡pō地上dì shang开kāi荒huāng种zhòng田tián，给gěi自己zì jǐ起qǐ了liǎo个gè号hào，叫jiào东dōng坡pō居jū士shì。

Released, he was exiled to Huangzhou, a small poor place. With little rank and less money he farmed a slope east of the city and named himself the Layman of the Eastern Slope, Dongpo.

在zài黄huáng州zhōu的de日子rì zi虽然suī rán苦kǔ，却是què shì苏sū轼shì写xiě得děi最好zuì hǎo的de时候shí hou。大dà江jiāng东dōng去qù，浪làng淘táo尽jǐn，千qiān古gǔ风流fēng líu人物rén wù，这样zhè yàng的de句子jù zi，就是jìu shì在zài黄huáng州zhōu的de江jiāng边biān写xiě出来chū lái的de。

Hard as Huangzhou was, it was where he wrote his best. 'The great river flows east, washing away all the heroes of time' was written on its riverbank.

有yǒu一yī个gè春天chūn tiān的de晚上wǎn shang，他tā和hé朋友péng you坐zuò船chuán夜yè游yóu赤chì壁bì，写xiě下xià了liǎo《赤chì壁bì赋fù》。文章wén zhāng里lǐ说shuō，江jiāng上shàng的de清qīng风fēng，山shān间jiān的de明míng月yuè，是shì没有méi yǒu人rén能够néng gòu禁止jìn zhǐ的de，是shì大自然dà zì rán送给sòng gěi我们wǒ men每měi个人gè rén的de礼物lǐ wù。

One spring night he rode a boat with friends to the Red Cliff and wrote the Red Cliff Rhapsody: the river breeze and mountain moon belong to no one and are forbidden to no one; they are nature's gift to us all.

五wǔ十shí九jǐu岁suì那nà年nián，苏sū轼shì又yòu被bèi贬biǎn到dào了liǎo更gèng远yuǎn的de惠huì州zhōu，在zài广guǎng东dōng。别人bié ren都dōu觉得jué de那里nà li苦kǔ，他tā却què写xiě诗shī说shuō：日rì啖dàn荔lì枝zhī三sān百bǎi颗kē，不bù辞cí长zhǎng作zuò岭lǐng南nán人rén。每měi天tiān吃chī三sān百bǎi颗kē荔lì枝zhī，我wǒ愿意yuàn yì一辈子yī bèi zi做zuò岭lǐng南nán人rén。

At fifty-nine he was exiled further still, to Huizhou in Guangdong. Others thought it bitter; he wrote: give me three hundred lychees a day and I'll gladly stay a Lingnan man forever.

六lìu十shí二èr岁suì的de时候shí hou，朝cháo廷tíng把bǎ他tā贬biǎn到dào了liǎo海hǎi南nán岛dǎo。在zài宋sòng朝cháo，那nà几乎jī hū是shì世界shì jiè的de尽头jìn tóu，去qù那里nà li的de人rén很hěn少有shǎo yǒu活huó着zhuó回来huí lai的de。

At sixty-two the court sent him to Hainan island. In the Song dynasty that was nearly the end of the world; few who went came back alive.

可是kě shì苏sū轼shì到dào了liǎo海hǎi南nán，没有méi yǒu抱怨bào yuàn。他tā办学bàn xué堂táng，教学jiào xué生shēng，还huán帮bāng着zhuó当地dāng dì人rén挖wā井jǐng。海hǎi南nán出chū了liǎo第dì一yī个gè举jǔ人rén，就是jìu shì他tā的de学生xué sheng。

Yet on Hainan he did not complain. He ran a school, taught students, helped locals dig wells. Hainan's first successful provincial scholar was his student.

一一yī yī零líng一yī年nián，苏sū轼shì在zài回huí北方běi fāng的de路上lù shang去世qù shì了liǎo，六lìu十shí六lìu岁suì。他tā这zhè一辈子yī bèi zi，当dàng过guo很hěn大dà的de官guān，也yě做zuò过guo很hěn苦kǔ的de农nóng夫fū；吃chī过guo皇宫huáng gōng里lǐ的de宴yàn席xí，也yě吃chī过guo自己zì jǐ种zhòng的de野yě菜cài。

In 1101 Su Shi died on the road north, aged sixty-six. He had held high office and farmed hard soil; he had eaten palace banquets and wild greens he grew himself.

有人yǒu rén问wèn他tā这zhè一生yī shēng过guo得děi怎么样zěn me yàng，他tā自己zì jǐ写xiě过guo一yī句jù诗shī：问wèn汝rǔ平píng生shēng功gōng业yè，黄huáng州zhōu惠huì州zhōu儋dān州zhōu。意思yì si是shì，我wǒ一生yī shēng的de功gōng业yè，就jìu在zài那nà三sān个gè被bèi贬biǎn的de地方dì fāng。

Asked about his life, he wrote a line: tell me my life's achievement? Huangzhou, Huizhou, Danzhou. My life's work, he meant, was done in the three places of his exile.

在zài黄huáng州zhōu，他tā还huán发明fā míng了liǎo东dōng坡pō肉ròu。猪zhū肉ròu便宜pián yi，当地dāng dì人rén不bù会huì烧shāo，他tā研究yán jīu出chū慢màn火huǒ炖dùn肉ròu的de办法bàn fǎ，还huán写xiě了liǎo一yī首shǒu《猪zhū肉ròu颂sòng》教jiāo给gěi大家dà jiā。

In Huangzhou he even invented Dongpo pork. Pork was cheap and locals couldn't cook it; he worked out slow braising and wrote the Ode to Pork to teach them.

朋友péng you怕pà他tā苦kǔ，他tā回信huí xìn说shuō：长zhǎng江jiāng绕rào郭guō知zhī鱼yú美měi，好hào竹zhú连lián山shān觉jiào笋sǔn香xiāng。意思yì si是shì这里zhè lǐ鱼yú好吃hǎo chī，竹zhú笋sǔn也yě香xiāng，日子rì zi没有méi yǒu你们nǐ men想xiǎng的de那么nà me惨cǎn。

Friends feared for him; he wrote back: the river bends round the walls, I know its fish are fine; fine bamboo fills the hills, I smell the bamboo shoots. Life is not as bad as you think.

他tā在zài黄huáng州zhōu写xiě过guo一yī首shǒu词cí，最后zuì hòu几jǐ句jù是shì：回首huí shǒu向来xiàng lái萧xiāo瑟sè处chù，归guī去qù，也yě无wú风雨fēng yǔ也yě无wú晴qíng。回头huí tóu看kān走过zǒu guò的de路lù，风雨fēng yǔ也好yě hǎo，晴天qíng tiān也好yě hǎo，都dōu过去guò qù了liǎo。

He wrote a lyric there ending: I look back at the bleak road I came, and go home, neither wind nor rain nor sunshine. Whatever weather the road held, it is all behind.

后人hòu rén说shuō，中国zhōng guó有yǒu两liǎng个gè苏sū东dōng坡pō：一yī个gè是shì朝cháo廷tíng里lǐ的de苏sū学士xué shì，一yī个gè是shì黄huáng州zhōu田地tián dì里lǐ的de东dōng坡pō居jū士shì。大家dà jiā更gèng喜欢xǐ huan后面hòu mian那nà一yī个gè。

Later people say China had two Su Dongpos: the court scholar and the farmer of the Eastern Slope. Everyone loves the second more.

九jǐu百bǎi多年duō nián过去guò qù了liǎo，人们rén men还是hái shi喜欢xǐ huan读dú苏sū轼shì。因为yīn wèi他tā告诉gào su我们wǒ men：命运mìng yùn可以kě yǐ把bǎ你nǐ打dǎ到dào最zuì低dī的de地方dì fāng，可是kě shì怎么zěn me过日子guò rì zi，永远yǒng yuǎn是shì你nǐ自己zì jǐ说shuō了liǎo算suàn。

Nine hundred years on, people still love reading Su Shi, because he taught us: fate can strike you to the lowest place, but how you live your days is always your own decision.