中国是花的国度，也是诗的国度。以花的形象入诗，花往往被赋予某种意向而被后人反复领悟。菊花便是如此。诗人择菊花入诗，往往根据菊花某一方面的特征，结合诗人当时的情感，遂生成一二佳作。菊花能傲霜，风流标格与傲雪的寒梅等同，故能招来诗词家的万千吟诵。

China is a nation of flowers. It is also a nation of poetry. In poems, images of flowers areunderstood by later generations to convey certain symbolic meanings. Chrysanthemumswere employed by poets often based on the qualities peculiar to those flowers, and expressedthe poets’ feelings at the time, producing several fine turns of phrase. The chrysanthemumis considered the equal of the plum blossom in its ability to withstand frostand wind, and is cited by poets in innumerable verses.

爱菊的人士不少，东晋时期的陶渊明就是其中之一。

Chrysanthemums have had many admirers, and Tao Yuanming of the EasternJin Dynasty (317-420) was one of them.

陶渊明其人不亲权贵，目睹官场的黑暗后，甩袖撂下一句硬话：“我不为五斗米折腰”。这“五斗米”说的就是古代官员的俸禄。

Tao Yuanming was the sort of person who had no affinity for authority and power;after personally observing the dark side of officialdom, he abruptly resigned his officialpost, with the fierce words “I will not grovel for a mere five piculs of rice.” Five piculs ofrice was an official’s monthly salary in those days.

陶渊明宁可放弃高位厚禄，也不愿与官场的人同流合污。不做官，就回家种田。陶渊明放下笔墨纸砚，拾起铁锹锄头；脱下官袍，戴上了农民的斗笠。

Tao Yuanming preferred to abandonhigh office and a fat salary, and moreover was determined not to be tainted by membersof officialdom. Abandoning his post, Tao Yuanming returned to his home, and dedicatedhimself to farming. He relinquished the writing brush for the iron hoe, and exchanged hisofficial’s robe for the farmer’s straw hat.

陶家门前的东篱下，正好栽种着一片菊花丛。陶渊明每次在田里耕作完，都会到东篱边上的菊花圃里采花。若是清晨采花，花上还沾着坠露。采下的菊花一是为了摆设，二是为了酿菊花酒。陶渊明归隐的日子并不孤独，有菊花相伴。

He planted a row of chrysanthemums on the eastern side of the fence before his door.When he finished his daily work in the field, Tao Yuanming would pick blossoms fromthe chrysanthemum patch. Sometimes he would pick them in the early morning, when thedew was fresh upon them. He picked them partly to use as decorations and partly to usein making chrysanthemum wine. Tao Yuanming was not lonely in his retirement; he hadhis chrysanthemums to keep him company.

有人不太理解他的行为，问陶渊明：“陶公，你为什么这么喜欢菊花？”

There were people who did not understand his way of life, and they asked him: “MisterTao, why do you like chrysanthemums so much?”

陶渊明笑着回答：“如果你了解我的经历，也就会明白我为什么爱这菊花了。我之所以归隐田园，是因为当今的政坛氛围令我失望。放弃曾经的位子，拿起并不熟悉的锄头，这需要怎样一番勇气与决心呢？那田野间星星点点的菊花却给了我莫大的鼓励。它们不生长在官府的花圃里，生长在田园。这正如我陶渊明当下处的位置。菊花傲霜，能够抵挡严寒，能够坚守自我；这些品格又何尝不是我陶渊明追求的呢？它不张扬，有自己的活法，有隐士的形象；我陶渊明立志做东晋第一隐士，菊花怎么会不是我的伙伴呢？”

Tao replied with a smile: “If you knew my life experience you would know why I lovethese chrysanthemums. The reason I returned to till my field in retirement was disappointmentwith the situation in officialdom. Do you know how much courage and resolve ittook for me to quit my official post and take up the unaccustomed work of the hoe? Thosechrysanthemums growing so brightly in the wild gave me so much encouragement! Theydon’t grow in the gardens of government offices, but here in the countryside – just likemyself, Tao Yuanming. Chrysanthemum blossoms can withstand frost and severe cold.They can preserve their own integrity. How are these qualities unlike those Tao Yuanmingpursues? Chrysanthemum blossoms are not flamboyant; they lead their own private lives,just like hermits. I, Tao Yuanming, have resolved to be the leading hermit of the EasternJin, so naturally chrysanthemum blossoms are my companions.”

陶渊明作诗称赞菊花与青松一样开遍树林冠岩间，面对秋霜，依旧开得挺拔。菊花的形象既然和隐士的形象相关联，那么陶渊明爱菊也就不难理解了。

In his poems, Tao Yuanming praises both chrysanthemums and pine trees: They bothadorn the forests and crown the crags, and both stand straight in the face of the autumnfrosts. Because the chrysanthemum symbolizes the hermit, it is not difficult to understandwhy Tao Yuanming loved chrysanthemums.

在陶渊明的影响下，菊花高洁、不羁的形象被文人雅客传承了下来。许多人都把自己清高的品格寄托于菊花，菊花也就成了清高傲骨的象征。

Under the influence of Tao Yuanming, the image of the noble, unbending chrysanthemumhas been passed down among literary men and scholars. Many people have attributedthe chrysanthemum with their own pure and lofty characteristics, and so the chrysanthemumhas become a symbol of uprightness and aloofness from worldly considerations.

来源丨《用英语讲中国故事（基础级）》返回搜狐，查看更多