The most beautiful incense in ancient times is Chunxin in the Snow, Huang Taishi’s Four Fragrances and the Soul-Returning Plum Fragrance.
Spring in the Snow is the fragrance combined by Su Shi, and you can smell the artistic conception of blooming flowers in the snow.
Dongpo was a genius, whose poetry, books, and writings were all world-class. His superstar light eclipsed all the literati of his generation.
The only exception is Huang Tingjian, who is called "Su Huang" together with Su Dongpo. In fact, Su Dongpo was Huang Tingjian's teacher.
The four fragrances of Huang Taishi are harmonious in meaning, elegant and leisurely, naturally rich and noble; fragrant in meaning, extraordinary in fragrance, just like the tip of the nose; deep and quiet fragrance, indifferent and lonely, unparalleled in the world; small. The fragrance of Zong is like the richness and depth of the Southern Dynasties, matching the ancients.
These four fragrances established the standards for fragrance evaluation and aesthetics among literati in the Song Dynasty. They may be beautiful and leisurely, or tranquil and lonely, and they use their fragrance as a metaphor for human nature.
The fragrance of plum blossoms that return to the soul is burned like "walking in the tender cold at dawn, between the fences of an isolated mountain". It was originally named Han Wei Gong's strong plum fragrance.
Huang Tingjian believes that the meaning of the name of this fragrance is not obvious, and it is easy to be "returning plum", saying that "smelling this fragrance brings the soul back to life".
These five spices were not created by Huang Tingjian, but they became famous because of Huang Tingjian. Huang Tingjian claims to have a "fragrance addiction". He really understands and loves fragrance.
So the incense masters at that time loved to give him incense as a gift.
Huang Tingjian's "Afterwords of the Fragrance in the Postscript" says: Jia Tianxi announced his intention to create a harmonious fragrance. It is beautiful, leisurely and far away, and naturally has the aura of wealth and nobility. He feels that the harmonious fragrance in other people's homes is very poor. Tianxi has given me this fragrance many times, but I only want to write poems.
Because I wrote ten short poems as a gift, "The soldiers guard the forest, paint the halberds, and the swallows sleep with the fragrance" as a gift. I still regret that the poems were not finished and the fragrance was not called this. However, I would not give this incense to others in vain.
Jia Tianxi was the Marquis of Wu, and a warrior was more straightforward than a scholar. He knew that his work was good, but he couldn't tell how it was good, but Huang Tingjian could.
So Jia Tianxi sent incense to Huang Tingjian in exchange for poems. Huang Tingjian happily reported it with poems.
"Jia Tianxi Hui Bao Xun's begging poems mostly used soldiers to guard the forest, paint halberds, swallows sleep in the bed, and condense the fragrance of the cross to write poems in return"
A dangerous mind travels thousands of miles, and he is impatient to give birth to five soldiers. A few incense sticks are hidden, and the sky above the spiritual platform is bright.
The diurnal bird peeks into the platform, feasting and sitting as the sun passes by. The vulgar atmosphere comes for no reason, and the smoke and rain act as public guards.
Stone honey turns into snail shells, and hawthorns boil in water and sink. The solitary smoke rises from the Boshan Mountain, and I feel deeply concerned about this.
The scent of fragrance is over, and I am writing calligraphy and painting. Who can enter my room and get rid of your worldly weapons?
Jia Houhuai has six Taoists, and his family has twelve halberds. I am naturally fond of literature and art, just like I am addicted to fragrance.
The forest flowers are flying in pieces, and the fragrance returns to the mud swallows. Closure and spring breeze, still looking for the biography of Weizong.
Gongxu went to Caiping Palace and had fun in his nap. The fragrance and light should be smelled, and the color should not be stained.
The bed curtains are fragrant at night, and the clothes are covered with smoke in the evening. The tile ditch is buzzing with rapid snow, and the sleeping ducks are shining in the lanterns.
The pheasant's tail reflects the sound of the whip, and the golden stove is too clear. The class smells good early, and you can learn well when you return.
The clothes are beautiful and dandy, waiting for the fragrance. When you think about true wealth and honor, you can diffuse the fragrance of knowledge and see yourself.
Jia Tianxi and his love and fragrance have always been famous in the world because of Huang Tingjian.
2
If the literati of the Song Dynasty had to choose someone to be a friend, Huang Tingjian was the best. Because he is the cutest and not paranoid.
Huang Tingjian, whose courtesy name was Lu Zhi, also known as Valley Taoist and late as Fu Weng, was born in Fenning, Hongzhou, Jiangxi Province in the fifth year of Qingli reign (1045). Forty-eight Jinshi came out of the door.
Huang Tingjian was a child prodigy. He could recite the Five Classics at the age of five and compose poetry at the age of seven. He became a Jinshi at the age of 22 and became a county captain.
Huang Tingjian must not be good at being an official, because he is too talented, too straight-minded, and not compliant with others. His two demotions were just excuses. He also had good relations with Dongpo, and was tortured by party struggles.
Huang Tingjian didn't care about being demoted. He was more obsessed with poetry, books and incense, which had little to do with where he was. In terms of poetry, he founded the Jiangxi Poetry School and became the sect of the Jiangxi Poetry School.
In terms of calligraphy, his running, cursive and regular scripts are all extremely exquisite and have outstanding style. Together with Su Shi, Mi Fu and Cai Xiang, he is known as one of the four calligraphy masters of the Song Dynasty. In terms of achievements, Huang Tingjian's calligraphy is better than poetry, and poetry is better than articles.
As for incense, he is unrivaled in the world.
Huang Tingjian’s life was marked by the death of his wife twice and being homeless. It was actually very difficult, but he always managed to smile. It is unknown since when he became a companion of incense.
But judging from the poetry, no matter what kind of miserable wind and rain, the fragrance still accompanies him.
"Inscribed from the back of the scroll": In November of the second year of Chongning, Yu was relegated to Yizhou for half a year. The lawsuit claimed that Yu should not live in Guancheng, so Yue Jiaxu was taken to sleep in the south of the city.
The "Xiaojizhai" that I live in has no shelter despite the rain and wind, and the noise from the market makes people think it is unbearable to worry about. If the cottage in the field is like this, it is unbearable to worry about evil.
Having set up a couch to burn incense and sit in direct contact with the cow slaughtering machine in the west, it is a senior book. This volume can be purchased with a chicken quill pen for three coins.
Sixty-year-old Huang Tingjian was demoted again. He packed his clothes and walked into the noisy market in the south of Yizhou City. Facing the dilapidated thatched hut and the smelly butchered beef shop next door, he gave him his last residence in his later years. He named it "Xuanjizhai", then set up a couch, burned incense leisurely, and wrote the last movement of his life.
Yes, it is music.
The barrier created by the incense separated him from the filthy world. The incense gave him the ability to travel through time and space. He could withdraw from reality at any time and gain perfection in the spiritual world - Lingtai Zhankong bright.
It is the incense that comforts him, and it is also the incense that protects him.
So only he could write the "Ten Virtues of Fragrance":
Be grateful to ghosts and gods, and purify the mind and body.
It can remove dirt and sleep.
Become friends in silence and take a break in the world.
More is enough but not enough; few is enough.
It lasts for a long time and can be used without any trouble.
3
In the Song Dynasty, because there was a person who understood fragrance so well, the literati loved fragrance and loved it.
When Su Dongpo first saw Huang Tingjian's poems, he knew that he was a great person and praised his poetry for being extraordinary.
At that time, Su Dongpo was already famous all over the world, and Huang Tingjian was just beginning to make his mark. Su admired Huang very much. The two often exchanged poems and sang together, and they became close friends throughout their lives.
The two met for the first time in the eighth year of Yuanfeng (1085). Huang Tingjian was called to Beijing as secretary and provincial secretary. Huang Tingjian was forty-one and Su Dongpo was fifty. age.
In the second year, Huang Tingjian wrote "Two poems for those who benefit from the incense in the tent in the south of the Yangtze River" and presented it to Su Shi:
The hundred-refined incense snail sinks into the water, and the treasure is smoked out of the south of the Yangtze River.
A few yellow clouds circle around, and I think deeply about them.
The conch shell cuts Kunlun's ears, and the fragrant wood chips cut off partridge spots.
When the rain comes, the doves sing forever, and when the curtains fall, the ducks sleep in spring.
Details the materials, utensils and uses of the incense in the tent. The wonderful thing is that it is a gift. In fact, it is deeply metaphorical.
Su Dongpo harmonized it with "Two Poems of Burning Incense with Huang and Lu Zhi":
The four-line verse of "burning incense" spreads all over the southeast with the wind.
It is not something you can hear or think about, but let your nose observe it first.
There are thousands of small characters in the open window, and there are only colorful spots that dazzle the eyes.
A stick of smoke quenches the coldness of the fire, half a lifetime old and the heart is at ease.
A gift from a play, a natural and serious answer, "A stick of smoke quenches the coldness of the fire, half a lifetime of old age and a leisurely mind" expresses Dongpo's understanding of Huang Tingjian's metaphor and his helplessness towards the current officialdom and political situation. It is not as good as "Deep Zen is the same as meditation."
Huang Tingjian responded with two poems from "Fu Da Zizhan":
It is not enough to drink wine, but to be guided when discussing poetry.
The smiles from heaven fill my sleeves with fragrance, and I am happy that my father-in-law is visiting the DPRK.
The warm breeze welcomes the swallows, and the light rain moistens the flowers.
A puff of smoke makes you proud, and you are free in the dust.
These two poems are a comfort to Dongpo, hoping that he can be "satisfied in the smoke" and "take a break in the dust".
In the fourth year of Yuanyou (1089), Su Dongpo left Beijing and went to Hangzhou to take up a post due to political disagreements with Sima Guang. He later became Wen Sixiang. The name Wensi was taken from Huang Tingjian's poem "Reply to Hexiang".
Hong Cu was Huang Tingjian’s nephew, a native of Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, and Huang Tingjian gave him the nickname Jufu.
Diligent and studious, he became a Jinshi at the age of 29 and became a professor in Jinzhou Prefecture. His official career was bumpy, and he was eventually exiled to Salman Island and died.
Hong Cu’s poetry and essays were taught by his uncle Huang Tingjian, and he was a representative of the Jiangxi Poetry School. However, his achievements were not high. It was "Xiangpu" that made him immortal.
Hong Cu's "Xiang Pu" is the earliest and relatively complete fragrant medicine manual of the Northern Song Dynasty.
In it, there is a comprehensive collection of historical materials, methods of using incense, and various incense formulas in the past dynasties; and the first classification model of incense matters is: the product of incense, the difference of incense, and the fragrance. The four major categories of things, methods of incense, etc. were followed by subsequent incense manuals.
Before Hong Cu, there was the "Xiangpu" written by Shen Li (1007-1078) of the Northern Song Dynasty, which was the first to write the incense manual. Unfortunately, it was lost long ago.
Hong Cu's "Xiangpu" ranked first.
Hong Chu did not have any deep involvement with incense in his early life, so why did he write "Incense Book"?
Hong Chu's parents died young, and the upbringing of the four brothers was done by his grandmother, Huang Tingjian's aunt, and Hong Chu's mother was also Huang Tingjian's sister. Huang Tingjian took great care of the four nephews of the Hong family.
Huang Tingjian especially valued Hong Cui. Until Huang Tingjian was demoted to Yizhou in his later years, he still guided Hong Cui in writing poems and compositions in his letters.
The person who had the greatest influence and encouragement on Hong Cu was Huang Tingjian.
Without Huang Tingjian, there would be no "Xiang Pu" by Hong Cu.
After Hongcu, Zeng Zhen's "Xiangpu", Chen Jing's "Chenshi Xiangpu", "Xinzhuan Xiangpu", and Zhou Jiaxou's "Xiang Cheng" were launched.
Huang Tingjian’s political career is a history of suppressed career. But he is like a wisp of green fragrance, which has been lingering since the Northern Song Dynasty.
His person, his poems, and his calligraphy all form a perfect combination, capturing the charm of wealth, elegance, tranquility and loneliness.