Reflection
这周读了四章，除了第十章讲述苏轼苏辙俩兄弟读来颇有趣味之外，前三章总有那么些沉重。也不是对王安石不感兴趣，而是读完之后有种恍惚——这就是那个写出了“春风又绿江南岸，明月何时照我还”、“而世之奇伟、瑰怪，非常之观，常在于险远，而人之所罕至焉，故非有志者不能至也。”，写出了《伤仲永》、《游褒禅山记》的王临川？你看他的《桂枝香·金陵怀古》：上阕写景壮丽绵邈，气象开阔，下阙金陵怀古，抒情嗟叹。用词精妙，章法井然。即使不去深究背后的忧思，单单读来，也是十分优美。
登临送目，正故国晚秋，天气初肃。千里澄江似练，翠峰如簇。归帆去棹残阳里，背西风，酒旗斜矗。彩舟云淡，星河鹭起，画图难足。
念往昔，繁华竞逐，叹门外楼头，悲恨相续。千古凭高对此，谩嗟荣辱。六朝旧事随流水，但寒烟衰草凝绿。至今商女，时时犹唱，后庭遗曲。
可是这样的王临川，也是一意孤行地想改变北宋积贫积弱局面却毁誉参半的“拗相公”。我明白读古代诗歌尤忌想当然，大部分诗人的另一重身份都是宦海沉浮的官员，一生境遇远没有文学作品描摹得那样美好。只是无端觉得很感慨，王安石无疑是天纵英才——他和三苏、欧阳修都名列“唐宋八大家”，但是当他拼命提醒自己不要做“伤仲永”时，却走向了另一个极端。很少有人能有如此强大的心理素质以一己之力对抗天下，对抗文武百官的口诛笔伐，即使他的身后有皇帝。真是个非常奇怪的人，但是又不得不给予一些怜悯，毕竟要说祸乱朝纲，王安石绝对不是宋朝名单上的祸首，更不用提中国历朝历代的奸臣们。怜悯之情最盛之时出现在第九章最后一句话——"Years later, he was seen in the Nanking countryside, riding his donkey and mumbling to himself." 虽然神宗保留他最高的官衔荣耀，使他晚年衣食无忧，但对王安石来说，变法失败、壮志未酬，就是悲剧，即使这是他一手促成的。而这场悲剧，连带着一个朝代都要跟着付出代价。
到第十章节奏开始欢快一些，由于手边没有中文版对照，早几年读的中文版也不知在哪儿了——由此发现，林语堂的书，还是读他写的英文最好，当时中文版没怎么读下去，反而是英文版更吸引人——所以可惜中间很多翻译的信件、诗歌大部分都没法回译到原文，否则可以更好地欣赏一下林语堂先生的译文。总体来说，这一周着重收获字词句的积累，每天读大家的笔记都能学到很多。
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.
