Gǎn yù — Gratitude
Six poems by Zhang Jiuling were included in the Anthology of 300 Tang Poems. Two of these poems are titled, Gǎn yù, 感遇, whose English equivalent is “Gratitude.” They are from a larger collection of twelve poems on the subject of gratitude. Zhang may be grateful for the oranges and warm weather, but he laments that a poet, like an orange, a plum, a peach, can’t grow in the shade.
感遇
Gǎn yù
Gratitude江南有丹橘
Jiāngnán yǒu dān jú,
Jiangnan has Mandarin oranges,
经冬犹绿林
jīng dōng yóu lùlín.
And the trees stay green in winter.岂伊地气暖
Qǐ yī dì qì nuǎn,
How can it be that the soil is warm,
自有岁寒心
Zì yǒu suì hánxīn.
Yet I am bitterly disappointed.可以荐嘉客
Kěyǐ jiàn jiā kè,
To recommend it to guests,
奈何阻重深
nàihé zǔ zhòng shēn.
What can be done for the challenges are formidable.运命惟所遇
Yùn mìng wéi suǒ yù,
Destiny is determined by what one encounters
循环不可寻
xúnhuán bùkě xún.
A cycle that is undefinable徒言树桃李
Tú yán shù táolǐ,
Like a tree full of peaches or plums,
此木岂无阴
cǐ mù qǐ wú yīn.
This tree can’t grow in the shade.
Poor Zhang
For Zhang, life was going along swimmingly, then destiny intervened.
Zhang Jiuling (c. 673–740) was born in Guangdong province, the area south of the Yangtze near present day Hong Kong. He achieved success in Chang’an, the capital of the Tang dynasty, serving as chancellor to the Emperor Xuanzong (reign 712-756). Zhang’s death at the approximate age of sixty seven spared him the troubles of the An Lushan Rebellion, which would have been avoided had the emperor heeded Zhang’s advice to execute General An Lushan for insubordination.
Growing oranges is a metaphor for a poet’s career. Despite his success as a chancellor in the Imperial Court during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong, Jiuling found himself exiled to his home province. These are the difficulties he speaks of in his poem, and the fact that a poet can’t blossom in the shade.
The Title. I have kept “Orchid and Oranges” as the subject of this post. Gǎn yù, the actual title has nothing to do with either the flower or the fruit, though the subject of the poem is about oranges. “Gratitude” is a better translation. Here it is the gratitude of being alive, living in a warm climate, even if one doesn’t blossom in one’s career.
Notes
Jiangnan refers to the geographical region south of the Yangtze River. Prominent cities include Hangzhou and Suzhou, near modern day Shanghai.
Jiake, means a distinguished guest.
In Chinese, the word for orange, 橘 jú sound like the word for luck 吉 jí. Zhang was having one, but not the other.
Life is great then it is not.
100 Tang Poems 