Recently, I have read "The Biography of Su Dongpo" written by Lin Yutang . I think Su Dongpo is a person that many people want to write and are happy to write. After all, his talent and experience are not only unreplicable, but also he has an extraordinary status in the history of literature. More importantly, his inner spirit and his value system. These traits of Su Dongpo have been written by his predecessors, and a large number of works have been widely circulated because of their excellent and unique perspectives. What I want to write today is based on the content of the biography itself, and I will briefly express my personal feelings, that's all!
After reading this biography, what impressed me most about were the three women around Su Dongpo:
The first wife: Wang Fu . He married Su Dongpo, who was eighteen years old at the time, and in the next eleven years, he reminded Su Dongpo in terms of practical and discerning interests. She admired her husband very much and knew that she was married to a young and handsome poet. When she knew her husband's frank, straightforward and sometimes impatient and explosive personality, she felt that she didn't need to rush to express her admiration to him, but she should take good care of him, so that she would do her duty as a good wife. Su Dongpo is smart in big things and confused in small things, so in life, he often obeys his wife in everything; Mrs. Su also warns her husband to beware of those ordinary friends who are too frank and straightforward, and to beware of the friends she takes care of under the premise that her husband believes that there is no bad person in the world." The quick friendship is unreliable. Su Dongpo’s troubles are that he cannot see other people’s shortcomings, so he admitted that his wife’s honest advice is right. In May of the second year of Emperor Yingzong's Zhiping (1065 AD), Mrs. Su died of illness and was buried beside Su's mother's tomb. On the tenth anniversary of Mrs. Su's death, Su Dongpo wrote two poems to express his feelings:
Ten years of life and death are inseparable, and it is unforgettable to remember without thinking. A lonely grave that has nowhere to talk about is desolate. Even if we meet, we will not recognize each other, and our faces are covered with dust and our temples are like frost.
I came to Youmeng and suddenly returned home. The window was dressing up. Looking at each other, there are only tears flowing thousands of times. It is expected that the heartbreaking place is in the bright moonlit night, and the short pine hills are in the short moonlit hills.
The second wife: Wang Runzhi , the cousin of the first wife, eleven years younger than Su Shi , admire Su Shi so much that she admires her. She is not as capable as the first wife, with a gentle nature, following things, and easy to be satisfied. During the years when Su Shi was most active, he had been sharing the joys and sorrows with Su Shi, raising his cousin's orphan and his son. In that era, Su Dongpo always had official banquets with singing girls, which was similar to the famous women attending men's banquets in Asibasi during the Socrates and era. She knew that she married a poet who everyone loved and a genius. Of course, she would not compare literary talent and literary honors with her husband. It took her several years to find out her husband's optimistic and optimistic personality, sometimes fierce and stubborn personality. She was smart and had a smooth job. She knew that this man's wife could not control her, and even the emperor was useless, so she trusted him, made Meizhou hometown dishes for her husband, and made ginger tea that her husband loved to drink. She took care of him when she was sick, didn't sleep at night, listened to him snoring, and helped him stuff his bedding without getting tired of sleeping. Take care of family affairs and raise children well. Mrs. Su was refreshed and stable, and Su Dongpo was impatient, discouraged and moody. He said that his wife was more virtuous than the wife of the poet Liu Ling because Liu Ling's wife did not allow Liu Ling to drink. Mrs. Su also clearly knew that Su Dongpo had a cousin in Jingjiang . Yuanyou died in the autumn of the ninth year (1094), and the coffin was parked in a temple in the west of Beijing. Ten years later, Yu Ziyou buried him together with Dongpo .
The third woman: Chaoyun , The second wife bought a maid when she was in Hangzhou, and she was 12 years old at that time. In the second year after Su Shi was exiled to Huangzhou (1080 AD), he was taken as a concubine. In the sixth year of Yuanfeng (1083), Su Dongpo gave birth to Su Dun. He wrote a poem to mock himself:
people all adopted sons, hoping to be smart, but I was ruined by intelligence for the rest of my life.
I only wish my son was stupid and rude, and he would be at the ministers without any disaster or difficulty.
Chaoyun loves this poet and he also yearns for his spiritual realm. Among Su Dongpo's women, Chaoyun is the most confidant. Chaoyun was displaced with him in his old age, and always served him. Chaoyun is smart and happy, lively and lively. After Su Dongpo was demoted to Huizhou , although the two had a very different age difference, their love was no different. Chaoyun is also interested in Taoist immortality technique, and is also willing to do good deeds. Under the guidance of nun Yichong, he converted to Buddhism. Create a release pond with Su Dongpo. In July of the second year of Shaosheng (1095 AD), Chaoyun died of a plague. According to her wish, Su Dongpo buried her in a small hill residence by Feng Lake in the west of the city. Since then, Su Dongpo has been widowed and has not been married.
Lin Yutang said this in the book: To be a good wife, it is mainly about how to find a good husband; from the opposite perspective, to be a good husband, it is mainly about how to find a good wife. If you have a good wife, the man will not violate the law and discipline and will not suffer any sudden disaster. Su Dongpo and his previous wives and concubines are undoubtedly lucky. From these three women, it is easy to see the wisdom and gentleness and implicit beauty of ancient women. They not only understand accidents, do things smoothly, are quiet and stable, but also take care of and serve their husbands with all their hearts and responsibilities, and know how to be good servants of their husbands, keep their honor and disgrace, and always follow their husbands. Not only do you feel compassionate about your husband in life, but you also give your husband some tips on his minor problems. The so-called husband and wife are probably just like this!
Therefore, women who claim to be modern women must not be realistic enough to find their husbands only based on material conditions, and married women should not use so-called "feminism" to restrict their husbands and restrain them everywhere. If you feel that you have been "blind", don't forget that it was your husband who cured your "blindness" with practical actions. He has never despised you. So be generous and try to accept and tolerate his shortcomings!
Postscript: In addition to these three special women, the biography also mentioned the Wang Anshi's reform and Su Dongpo's research on alchemy . The description and evaluation of Wang Anshi is slightly different from the "Biography of Wang Anshi" by Liang Qichao . The biography of the biography of Wang Anshi's reform is very detailed. Among them, Sima Guang's evaluation of Wang Anshi is very intriguing, so you have to read and reminisce carefully. Combining history, we will find that in the era when Su Shi was in, the Northern Song Dynasty was basically at a historical node when the national strength began to decline. Not only did the emperor work hard to govern and hope to consolidate his intention to rule, but his ministers also had a strong desire to serve the country. Wang Anshi's reform was born. Alchemy should be something that many world-class celebrities have spent time and experience studying, such as Isaac Newton (see "Newton" by Michael White).
