正氣歌並序 文天祥

正氣歌並序   文天祥(1236-1283)

余囚北庭，坐一土室，室廣八尺，深可四尋，單扉低小，白間短窄，污下而幽暗。當此夏日，諸氣萃然﹕雨潦四集，浮動床幾，時則為水氣；涂泥半朝，蒸漚歷瀾，時則為土氣；乍晴暴熱，風道四塞，時則為日氣；檐陰薪爨，助長炎虐，時則為火氣；倉腐寄頓，陳陳逼人，時則為米氣；駢肩雜遝，腥臊汗垢，時則為人氣；或圊溷、或毀尸、或腐鼠，惡氣雜出，時則為穢氣。疊是數氣，當之者鮮不為厲。 而予以孱弱，俯仰其間，於茲二年矣，幸而無恙，是殆有養致然爾。然亦安知所養何哉？孟子曰：「吾善養吾浩然之氣。」彼氣有七，吾氣有一，以一敵七，吾何患焉！況浩然者，乃天地之正氣也，作正氣歌一首。

 

天地有正氣，雜然賦流形。下則為河岳，上則為日星。
於人曰浩然，沛乎塞蒼冥。皇路當清夷，含和吐明庭。

時窮節乃見，一一垂丹青。在齊太史簡，在晉董狐筆。
在秦張良椎，在漢蘇武節。為嚴將軍頭，為嵇侍中血。

為張睢陽齒，為顏常山舌。或為遼東帽，清操厲冰雪。
或為出師表，鬼神泣壯烈。或為渡江楫，慷慨吞胡羯。
或為擊賊笏，逆豎頭破裂。是氣所磅礡，凜烈萬古存。

當其貫日月，生死安足論。地維賴以立，天柱賴以尊。
三綱實系命，道義為之根。嗟予遘陽九，隸也實不力。

楚囚纓其冠，傳車送窮北。鼎鑊甘如飴，求之不可得。
陰房闐鬼火，春院悶天黑。牛驥同一皂，雞棲鳳凰食。

一朝蒙霧露，分作溝中瘠。如此再寒暑，百沴自闢易。
嗟哉沮洳場，為我安樂國。豈有他繆巧，陰陽不能賊。

顧此耿耿在，仰視浮雲白。悠悠我心悲，蒼天曷有極。

哲人日已遠，典刑在夙昔。風檐展書讀，古道照顏色。


Ode to the Air of Righteousness         Wen Tianxiang (1236-1283)

 

Preface
I am incarcerated in the north court, in a small mud cell eight feet wide, thirty-two feet deep. The only door is small and low, the window tiny and the place dark and filthy.  In these summer days, all sorts of airs gather; as rain water floods around, even buoys up my bed, that is the air of the water; as mud smears around for half of the morning, I find myself submerged in vapor and sludge, that is the air of the mud; on extreme hot and sunny days, when all the wind channels are blocked, that is the air of the sun; when the burning of faggots for cooking pushes up the heat, that is the air of the fire; when rotten grains in stores emit sickening odors, that is the air of the rice; and the odors, sweat and respirations from the crowd make up the air of the human; the stench from the jakes, rotten corpses and dead rats, the air of the effluvia. With these several airs around, one can hardly keep oneself wholesome and not be overwhelmed. I have always been physically frail. Having been shut up here for two years, luckily I am still unaffected. Do you know on what I rely to keep myself safe? As Mencius said,” I strive at upkeeping my Noble Spirit.” Seven airs there be, I’ve got only one. With one against seven, what harm can they do on me?  My Noble Spirit is the air of righteousness. Hence I have written this: Ode to the Air of Righteousness:

The Heaven and the Earth is infused with an air of righteousness,
It takes the configuration of various forms,
Down here on earth are the mountains and rivers,
Up there in the sky are the sun and stars.
In man, it is the Noble Spirit,
It fills up the whole universe, day and night,
When political situation is calm and peaceful,
It is propriety and harmony in our royal court,

In critical and testing times, it manifests itself in various virtuous and meritorious deeds,

All of them glorified in our history;
Be it the royal historian of Qi [who got killed as he insisted on keeping the records straight on the treacherous official who assassinated the king];
As well as Dong Hu of Jin [who did the same with his brush];
Or Zhang Liang of Qin [who sent a maul-killer to assassinate the tyrannous Emperor of Qin];
And the unyielding gallantry of Su Wu of Han;
And General Yan [who was decapitated when he refused to surrender];
Also Minister Ji Shao of Jin [whose blood stained the Emperor’s robe in protecting him against the traitors];
Be it Zhang Xun of Tang [who cursed the rebels till he died after fighting to the last drop of his blood];

And Yan Gaoqing [who sacrificed as his tongue was severed and his body dismembered by the traitors when he kept cursing them];

Or Guan Ning [who insisted on wearing his worn-out hat as he persevered in abject poverty];
And the Proclamation on Expedition of the Chancellor of Shu, which moved even the deities and spirits;
Or Zu Ti who struck on the mast of the ship to vow not to return if not defeating the invaders;
And Duan Xiushi who smashed the traitor’s head into bleeding [as he refused to support their plot to usurp the throne];
All of them are buoyed up by this air of righteousness,
They are all inspired by the strength of this gallantry;
Their glory shines through the ages;

As everlasting as the sun and the moon,

Life and death is nothing at all to them all;
The Earth is stabilized,
And the Heaven is pillared up by this air,
The Three Cardinal Guides are thus established,
Morality and justice derive their source from it;
Alack, now that I am entrapped in this misfortune,
I have no one to blame but myself,
Maybe I have not exerted my fullest;

Now I am a prisoner being sent to the north most,

I am expecting my death, which I can’t wait;
In this deadly cell wildfires surround me,
I idly watch the sky grow dark day in and day out,
I eat and live with all these poor creatures;

Once I’ve been under the weather,
I told myself : this is going to bring my death,
As heat and chill came and passed,
Diseases seemed to avoid me by themselves;
Alack, such a drenched place,
Becomes my peaceful home,
Would it be fortuitous luck
That negative forces can do nothing to me,

My failures nevertheless choke in me,

Raising my head to look at the white floating clouds,
Woes seem as ever-lasting in me,
As the Heaven,
These great men are now long gone,
Only their noble deeds remain in the history books,
I open my book to read under the eaves,
I feel their Old Way still shining on my face.