苏轼·《试笔自书》

Testing My Brush with These Words (1)

Su Shi

吾始至南海，环视天水无际，凄然伤之，曰：“何时得出此岛耶?”已而思之，天地在积水中，九州在大瀛海中，中国在四海中，有生孰不在岛者?覆盆水于地，芥浮于水，蚁附于芥，茫然不知所济。少焉水涸，蚁即径去，见其类，出涕曰：“几不复与子相见。”岂知俯仰之间，有方轨八达之路乎?念此可以一笑。戊寅九月十二日，与客饮薄酒小醉，信笔书此纸。

When I first arrived in the South Sea, I was devastated¹ to see waters and skies all in one. I said to myself, “When could I get out of this island here?” Then I started to ruminate² on heaven and earth, which were also as it were in a pool of water; the Nine Continents (2) in the big Oceans, and China in the four seas. Was there anything living that was not on some kind of island? Then I poured a pot of water on the ground. A tiny blade of grass floated on its surface, and an ant clung to it for life, not knowing where to turn for help. Soon afterward³, the water dried up, and the ant scampered⁴ off. When it met its own kind, it said with tears in its eyes, “I thought I would never see you guys again. Then in a blink of an eye, paved roads leading in all directions appeared before me!” The mere⁵ thought of it brought a smile to my face. On the 12th day, in the 9th month of Wu Yin (1098), I had a few drops with my friends. Feeling tipsy, I wrote the above on a piece of paper.

Notes:

(1) This short article was written in the 1st year of the Yuanfu reign⁶ (1098), upon arriving in Hainan Island in banishment⁷.

(2) Nine Continents: According to ancient Chinese mythology⁸, there are nine continents in the oceans; whereas China is surrounded by seas with nine states.