Where Do We Turn When the World Wears Us Down? | Chinese Poetry for My Daughter · EP04 | 当世界让我们疲惫时，我们该往何处去？西江月·夜行黄沙道中

Poetry Lessons for My Daughter | 给女儿的古诗课EP04: The Moon over the West River: Walking the Yellow Sand Road at Night | 第四课：西江月·夜行黄沙道中—Where Do We Turn When the World Wears Us Down?A bright moon. Startled magpies. The scent of rice blossoms, and a chorus of frogs speaking of a bountiful year.On a summer night eight centuries ago, a general who longed all his life to reclaim his lost homeland walked a country road — and wrote not of war, but of frogs.A ci is a traditional Chinese form of lyric poetry, shaped by musical patterns rather than fixed line lengths.In this episode, we read Xin Qiji's The Moon over the West River: Walking the Yellow Sand Road at Night (西江月·夜行黄沙道中) — one of the most serene and beloved works of classical Chinese poetry, written by a warrior-poet during one of his long periods of enforced retirement in the Jiangxi countryside.Together, we explore the art of “stacked images,” the question of who really speaks of the harvest, and the long tradition — in China and beyond — of turning to nature when the world grows weary.Along the way, we journey from Xin Qiji's battlefield youth to Tao Yuanming's chrysanthemums, Wang Wei's bamboo grove, Thoreau's Walden, and — as a surprise at the end — the secret literary life of Marilyn Monroe. 🌸🎬 Subscribe for upcoming episodes. —当世界让我们疲惫时，我们该往何处去？一轮明月，几只惊鹊，稻花的香气里，蛙声一片，都在说着丰年。八百年前的一个夏夜，一位一生渴望收复故土的将军，走在乡间的小路上——写下的不是金戈铁马，而是一片蛙声。这一课，我们读辛弃疾的《西江月·夜行黄沙道中》——一首宁静而动人的夏夜词作，写于这位词坛将军闲居乡野的漫长岁月里。我们聊聊“意象叠加”的艺术，聊聊究竟是谁在“说丰年”，也聊聊一个跨越东西方的文学传统——当世界令人疲惫时，人为什么会走向自然？从辛弃疾金戈铁马的青春，到陶渊明的菊、王维的竹、梭罗的瓦尔登湖，我们一路走进中国古代的隐逸传统，也走进瓦尔登湖畔的思想世界。而片尾，还有一个关于玛丽莲·梦露不为人知的文学人生的彩蛋。她不仅是我们熟悉的银幕明星，也曾是一个热爱阅读、收藏文学作品的读者。一首诗，一次对话。欢迎加入我们。 🌙—📖 Episode Guide / 节目时间轴00:00 Introduction ｜ 开场02:09 Xin Qiji: The Warrior-Poet Who Longed to Reclaim the North｜辛弃疾：一生渴望收复故土的词人07:22 The Art of Stacked Images｜意象叠加的修辞艺术11:12 Who Speaks of the Bountiful Year?｜是谁在说丰年？17:18 One Word, Two Readings: 见｜一字之辨：见20:30 The Chinese Tradition of Retreat｜中国文人的归隐传统24:12 Thoreau, Walden & the Four Realms｜梭罗、瓦尔登湖与人生四境界33:10 Food for Thought: Suitcase Girl and Marilyn Monroe, the Reader｜精神食粮：手提箱女孩与爱读书的玛丽莲·梦露—🌙 西江月·夜行黄沙道中 · 辛弃疾明月别枝惊鹊，清风半夜鸣蝉。稻花香里说丰年，听取蛙声一片。七八个星天外，两三点雨山前。旧时茅店社林边，路转溪桥忽见。The Moon over the West River: Walking the Yellow Sand Road at Night by Xin QijiThe bright moon startles magpies from the slanting bough;a cool breeze at midnight carries the cicada's cry.Amid the fragrance of rice blossoms, they speak of a bountiful year —listen: a chorus of frogs fills the air.Seven or eight stars at the edge of the sky;two or three raindrops before the hills.The old thatched inn beside the village shrine grove —the path turns past the brook bridge, and there, all at once, it appears.—📚 Also referenced in this episode / 本集提及诗词Poetry / 诗词〈水龙吟·登建康赏心亭〉 辛弃疾Water Dragon Chant · Xin Qiji〈永遇乐·京口北固亭怀古〉 辛弃疾Meditation on the Past at Beigu Pavilion · Xin Qiji〈清平乐·村居〉 辛弃疾Pure Serene Music · Village Life · Xin Qiji〈念奴娇·赤壁怀古〉 苏轼Meditation on the Past at Red Cliff · Su Shi〈天净沙·秋思〉 马致远Autumn Thoughts · Ma Zhiyuan〈雨霖铃〉 柳永Bells Ringing in the Rain · Liu Yong〈饮酒·其五〉 陶渊明Drinking Wine V · Tao Yuanming〈竹里馆〉 王维The Bamboo Grove Lodge · Wang Wei〈敕勒歌〉 北朝民歌Ballad of the Chile · Northern Dynasties folk songClassical Texts / 典籍《声律启蒙》 车万育Rhyming Primer · Che Wanyu《词则》 程廷祚Principles of Ci · Cheng TingzuoPhilosophy / 哲学冯友兰《新原人》：“人生四境界”Feng Youlan, The Four Realms of Life📚 Also mentioned / 其他提及《瓦尔登湖》 · WaldenHenry David Thoreau · 梭罗《手提箱女孩》 · The Suitcase KidJacqueline Wilson · 杰奎琳·威尔逊《玛丽莲·梦露的文学生活》 · The Literary Life of Marilyn MonroeD. H. Lawrence · 劳伦斯—Instagram: @chinesepoetryformydaughter🎹 Theme Music: Prelude to Water MelodyAvailable on Spotify, Apple Music & YouTube Music.—Credits / 制作Music adapted from Shui Diao Ge Tou（《水调歌头》）and performed by May Ma音乐改编自《水调歌头》，演奏：May Ma剪辑：Zhou HangProduction by 2 Soleil Creatives制作：2 Soleil Creatives