五柳先生传

Biography of Master Five Willows¹

[原文]

先生不知何许人也，亦不详其姓字。宅边有五柳树，因以为号焉。闲静少言，不慕荣利。好读书，不求甚解；每有会意，便欣然忘食。性嗜酒，家贫不能常得。亲旧知其如此，或置酒而招之。造饮辄尽，期在必醉；既醉而退，曾不吝情去留。

环堵萧然，不蔽风日，短褐穿结，箪瓢屡空，晏如也。常著文章自娱，颇示己志。忘怀得失，以此自终。

赞曰：黔娄之妻有言：“不戚戚于贫贱，不汲汲于富贵。”其言兹若人之俦乎？衔觞赋诗，以乐其志。无怀氏之民欤？葛天氏之民欤？

[English Translation]

Biography of Master Five Willows

No one knows where this gentleman came from, nor are they aware of his full name. Beside his house stood five willow² trees, from which he derived³ his nickname. Tranquil⁴ and reserved, he spoke⁵ little and coveted⁶ neither fame nor fortune. He loved reading, yet never sought overly profound interpretations⁷; whenever a passage resonated with him, he would rejoice to the point of forgetting to eat.

He had a fondness for wine but was too poor to afford it regularly. Knowing this, friends and relatives would invite him to share their wine. He would drink his fill, intent on becoming intoxicated—and once drunk, he would leave without ceremony.

His home was bare, its walls offering scant⁸ shelter from wind or sun. His coarse robe was patched and tattered⁹, his eating utensils¹⁰ often empty—yet he remained at ease. He took pleasure in writing essays and poems to express his aspirations¹¹. Unburdened by worldly gains or losses, he lived thus until the end.

Epilogue: The wife of Qian Lou once said, "Neither fret¹² in poverty and lowliness, nor strive desperately¹³ for wealth and rank." Do these words not describe this man? With winecup in hand, he composed poetry to delight in his ideals. Was he a descendant of the carefree people of Wuhuai? Or of the harmonious¹⁴ era of Getian?