Reflection
????這周讀了四章，除了第十章講述蘇軾蘇轍倆兄弟讀來頗有趣味之外，前三章總有那么些沉重。也不是對王安石不感興趣，而是讀完之后有種恍惚——這就是那個(gè)寫出了“春風(fēng)又綠江南岸，明月何時(shí)照我還”、“而世之奇?zhèn)?、瑰怪，非常之觀，常在于險(xiǎn)遠(yuǎn)，而人之所罕至焉，故非有志者不能至也?！?，寫出了《傷仲永》、《游褒禪山記》的王臨川？你看他的《桂枝香·金陵懷古》：上闋寫景壯麗綿邈，氣象開闊，下闕金陵懷古，抒情嗟嘆。用詞精妙，章法井然。即使不去深究背后的憂思，單單讀來，也是十分優(yōu)美。
????????登臨送目，正故國晚秋，天氣初肅。千里澄江似練，翠峰如簇。歸帆去棹殘陽里，背西風(fēng)，酒旗斜矗。彩舟云淡，星河鷺起，畫圖難足。
????????念往昔，繁華競逐，嘆門外樓頭，悲恨相續(xù)。千古憑高對此，謾?quán)禈s辱。六朝舊事隨流水，但寒煙衰草凝綠。至今商女，時(shí)時(shí)猶唱，后庭遺曲。
????可是這樣的王臨川，也是一意孤行地想改變北宋積貧積弱局面卻毀譽(yù)參半的“拗相公”。我明白讀古代詩歌尤忌想當(dāng)然，大部分詩人的另一重身份都是宦海沉浮的官員，一生境遇遠(yuǎn)沒有文學(xué)作品描摹得那樣美好。只是無端覺得很感慨，王安石無疑是天縱英才——他和三蘇、歐陽修都名列“唐宋八大家”，但是當(dāng)他拼命提醒自己不要做“傷仲永”時(shí)，卻走向了另一個(gè)極端。很少有人能有如此強(qiáng)大的心理素質(zhì)以一己之力對抗天下，對抗文武百官的口誅筆伐，即使他的身后有皇帝。真是個(gè)非常奇怪的人，但是又不得不給予一些憐憫，畢竟要說禍亂朝綱，王安石絕對不是宋朝名單上的禍?zhǔn)?，更不用提中國歷朝歷代的奸臣們。憐憫之情最盛之時(shí)出現(xiàn)在第九章最后一句話——"Years later, he was seen in the Nanking countryside, riding his donkey and mumbling to himself." 雖然神宗保留他最高的官銜榮耀，使他晚年衣食無憂，但對王安石來說，變法失敗、壯志未酬，就是悲劇，即使這是他一手促成的。而這場悲劇，連帶著一個(gè)朝代都要跟著付出代價(jià)。
????到第十章節(jié)奏開始?xì)g快一些，由于手邊沒有中文版對照，早幾年讀的中文版也不知在哪兒了——由此發(fā)現(xiàn)，林語堂的書，還是讀他寫的英文最好，當(dāng)時(shí)中文版沒怎么讀下去，反而是英文版更吸引人——所以可惜中間很多翻譯的信件、詩歌大部分都沒法回譯到原文，否則可以更好地欣賞一下林語堂先生的譯文?？傮w來說，這一周著重收獲字詞句的積累，每天讀大家的筆記都能學(xué)到很多。
Central Questions
What kind of person Wang Anshih was and how did the "bull-headed" premier earn this nickname? What did he do for Sung dynasty and frighten the entire court?
????Wang Anshih was an industrious scholar, extraordinary in mind and finance, but he was a impractical idealist with negligence of food and external look. He was known for his extremely stubborn character and banished censors whoever opposed him during his premier regime.
????Wang Anshih implemented the farmer’s loan policy and had emperor backed up. But he frightened the entire court by this over-ambitious economics plans and policies, also his arbitrary habit of cashiering and banishing all censors who criticized him. Therefore, all officialdom was dismayed and friends began to desert him.
????Al last, after Huiching’s turncoat tactic and his son’s death, Wang thoroughly disillusioned politically and about human life in general, he felt tired and retired from his office in October 1076.
Additional Question
Why I joined an English reading club?
????Mainly because I major in English and have a reading task this term which is a reading report on an English book. Also, I am a big fan of Chinese traditional culture. It is incumbent upon me to read some books about ancient China written in English. And Lin’s work The Gay Genius was a perfect choice. Thus, I can learn plenty of expressions about how to introduce and depict Chinese ancient culture and poems.
