飞雪树头，太古周游，我思浩浩，天地悠悠。（摄影：张学慧／Benny Zhang Studio）
【轶飞随笔】春雪有怀
文/轶飞
飞雪树头，太古周游，我思浩浩，天地悠悠。
东风吹彻，孰与唱酬，我思茫茫，不见子猷。
寻梅策蹇，寒江泛舟，我思澹澹，聊以忘忧。
四望一白，如临姑射，我思涣涣，夫复何求。
《A Snowy Day in Spring》
translated by Jennifer Zeng（曾铮）
With every tree covered by falling snow
It feels like returning to the very beginning of time
My thoughts leaping forward with great strength and vigor
Between heaven and earth, so vast and remote.
As the east wind blows
Who can sing a song with me?
My thoughts now indistinct and drifting
With Zi You* nowhere to be found.
I want to ride upon a donkey
Or sail along the river
To search for a trace of plum blossoms
My thoughts dancing gently along
Leaving all worries behind.
Here I am surrounded by a pure white world
I wonder if I have come close to Ku Yi*
My thoughts flow with contentment
And nothing else to pursue.
About Zi You
Zi You, also known as Wang Huizhi, was the son the Wang Xizhi, a Chinese writer and official who lived during the Jin Dynasty (265–420), best known for his mastery of Chinese calligraphy. His most noted and famous work is "the Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion(Lantingji Xu)". Shen Yun once portrayed this great work in a dance piece called "Poets of the Orchid Pavilion".
Zi You was also very famous for his mastery of Chinese calligraphy. Legend has it that once on a snowy night, he suddenly woke up from a dream. Observing the beautiful scenery, he recited poems and suddenly remembered one of his friends who lived very far away. He immediately jumped upon a boat, traveled for the whole night and reached his friend's home by the morning. However, he didn't enter his friend's home. Instead, he returned immediately. When people asked him why, he replied, "I went to visit him when I was in the mood; and I came back because I was no longer in the mood. Why should I actually see him?"
About Ku Yi
Ku Yi can either refer to a Taoist mountain or a divine being who oversees the snow. Zhuangzi, a famous Chinese philosopher who lived around the 4th century BC during the Warring States period, wrote the following in his article "A Happy Excursion":
"On the Miao Ku Yi Mountain there lives a divine one, whose skin is white like ice or snow, whose grace and elegance are like those of a virgin, who eats no grain, but lives on air and dew, and who, riding upon clouds with flying dragons, roams beyond the limits of our mortal world. When his spirit gravitates, he can ward off corruption from all things, and bring good yields to our crops."
