shī诗 qī七shí十jiǔ九

现代文翻译

世人的眼神眨巴急切，心中的路却看起来宽阔坦荡。

一类人追逐世俗亲缘，一类人吝惜自身性命，一类人忧虑生命终结。

侧身拉长脸皮装出恭敬勤勉的样子，长生路上跪拜那如羊般愚痴的本性。

口里说不清什么道理，情欲之下却忙得昏天暗地。

怎么忍心刺伤杀害他人，心中竟没有一丝一毫的惶恐。

若是牛头鬼卒抓住你，就要在沸水锅里把你煮熟煎熬。

词语注释

文学赏析

WANG FANZHI's poem "Shi 79" (Poem 79) frequently incorporates colloquial language, pointing directly at human nature. This piece is a typical representative of that style. The structure is unusual; it appears to be a persuasion for good, but is actually a vivid sketch of "a world of all beings," ending with a nearly terrifying reversal, highly impactful.

Opening with "The world's eyes gaze with intent, the mind's path is very open." The phrase "gazings intent" does not mean the fluttering of eyelids, but describes the state of focused and urgent gaze. The phrase "very open" uses "very" as an adverb of degree, emphasizing "extremely," combined with "open" to write the mind's path as extremely wide and straight. This seems contradictory: the gaze is so urgent, yet the mind's path is so open? In fact, it reveals the norm of the world's people—outwardly looking proper and sanctimonious ("open"), while internally desires roll and urgent seeking ("gazings intent"). This tension of inconsistency between surface and substance lays the foundation for the satire.

The middle part, "One kind pities parents, one kind cherishes life, one kind worries about death," classifies the human heart, pointing out that the world's people either chase secular kinship ("parents" meaning parents/secular kin), or fear death, or anxiously worry about the end, entangled by secular ties. The imagery of "sides long bow respectfully, long kneel worship sheep" is peculiar; "sheep" in Buddhist contexts often refers to foolishness or beings (like "flock of sheep"), suggesting the masses are foolish and obedient like sheep. "Long kneel" here should be interpreted as long-time kneeling or maintaining a kneeling posture, not a mistranslation of "long life path." It implies that all beings have confused their ends and means, kneeling long before foolishness or secular authority. Even more startling is "in the mouth cannot resolve speech, emotions below extremely chaotic"; the world's people cannot speak any clear truth in their mouths ("unresolvable speech" referring to Buddhist principles or truth), but their emotional desires are busy without stop. This description of the separation between "words" and "actions," "surface" and "inside," precisely pierces the mask of hypocrisy.

The most brilliant and back-chilling ending is: "How can you endure to stab him to death, previously without any fear. If you are caught by the ox head, in the cauldron you will be boiled in soup." The poet suddenly shifts perspective, no longer preaching, but issuing a stern accusation: how can you be so wanton in harming others ("how can you endure to stab him to death," meaning "why do you have the heart to harm," actually condemning their cruelty), and actually without a hint of fear ("previously without any fear" meaning "previously without even a slight fear," see ancient commentaries like "Soshen Ji"). Once "ox head and horse face" catches you and throws you into the large pot to boil ("boiled in soup"), what will you do? The three characters "boiled in soup" have strong visual and sensory impact, transforming abstract karmic retribution into concrete, painful physiological experience. This technique of shifting from calm description to sudden shock is Wang Fanzhi's signature style, leaving the reader no room for maneuver, directly shocking the heart with hellish sights.