Special Memories (A letter to Shugu from Danyang) -to the tune of Xingxiangzi written by Su Shi (11th AC, social name 'Dongpo') En. trans. by Julia Min (Apr.2025) We have an outing to the river village at Jingkou. Plum petals adorn the sway of dress-hems in snow. Not the same company tho’ the same music notes. Old memories sing to me of places special -- Lake Tower, Goldrush Gate, and Solo Temple.   Some places saw hundreds of poems we composed. When dusted by the silk sleeve,  they’d be revealed. I wonder if anyone missed me since I left Hangzhou. Special friends, poetry buddies, and maybe more -- The peak clouds, the lake moon and the river willows. photo from zhuanlan.zhihu.com是但庵文“江上一犁春雨” For Appreciation: This is a nostalgic poem about the special memory of friendship triggered by an early spring excursion and similar scenery. No vocabulary like ‘friendship’ or ‘bond’ is mentioned, but the message is subtly hinted at in every line, making it more evocative and sophisticated.  The silk sleeve here refers to the traditional dress robe of dancing and singing girls, made of silk with intricate embroidery. It was customary in the Song Dynasty to include them in the excursion team for entertainment purposes. According to Fu Zao's "Dongpo’s Chronicles", Su Shi composed this poem in his letter to Shugu on his return journey from Jingkou to Danyang in February 1074. Shugu (official name Chen Xiang), the governor of Hangzhou and Su Shi's superior and poetry buddy, was also marginalised from the Court for opposing Wang Anshi's new law. In November 1073, Su Shi was on an official trip with his son-in-law, Liu Jin, to Changzhou and Runzhou, where he carried out a Disaster Relief order. The following year, he passed Danyang and visited Jingkou to bid farewell to Liu Jin. According to Fu Zao's "Dongpo Chronicles", Su Shi composed this poem in his letter to Shugu on his return journey from Jingkou to Danyang in February 1074. 行香子.   丹阳寄述古 原作: 苏轼（字子瞻, 号东坡居士; 11世纪北宋） 英译及赏析: 闵晓红(2025) 携手江村，梅雪飘裙。 情何限、处处消魂。 故人不见，旧曲重闻。 向望湖楼，孤山寺，涌金门。 寻常行处，题诗千首。 绣罗衫、与拂红尘。 别来相忆，知是何人。 有湖中月，江边柳，陇头云。 Reference: baike.baidu.com

Sonorous, like Pebbles Dancing on Stones --to the tune “The Drinking Lord” （Langya Valley is a green paradise of rolling mountains and flowing streams, where my mentor Ouyang Xiu (affectionately known as 'The Drinking Lord'), relished the natural melodies and the company of friends over wine. It was here that he penned his famous prose, “The Drinker’s Pavilion.” A decade later, the musician Shen Zun was inspired by Xiu’s work and visited the valley with his qin, leading to the creation of the successful ci-tune “The Drinking Lord”, which sensationally captured the sound of the running stream. Xiu loved the music and wrote a beautiful ci-poem for the tune. However, the rhyming lines seemed to drift apart from the musical notes. According to “The Ci-songs of Chu State”《楚词》, many musicians tried to create new tunes for the ci poem, but the music was often overshadowed by the verses. Now, over thirty years since their passing, Cui Xian, a master of qin music and Daoist monk from Lushan Mountain (Daoist name ‘Jade Stream’), came to me in Huangzhou seeking a ci-poem to fulfil his desire to complete Zun’s ci-tune.） written by Su Shi (11th AC, social name 'Dongpo') En. trans. by Julia Min (Mar.2025) Sonorous, like pebbles dancing on stones， Softened in echo thru the valley, it’s fulfilled. The soothing breeze whispers in moonlit hills. Who’s playing? Only our Drinking Lord knows. The music vibrates the hearts of dreaming dews. Even the best ears on earth can be overwhelmed. It’s a silent symphony on Someone’s fingers, -- a grace of the celestial, a solace for sleepless souls.   Xiu chanted here to the stream’s high and low. Now he’s gone, his vibes linger on silent notes. Mountains rejuvenate bare areas here and there. Rivers could run backward, though very rare. Xiu has left us forever to the isle of immortals, Though we miss him here chanting his ci-poems. photo from www.aboluowang.com  Appreciation:   Dongpo composed this song in memory of his beloved mentor Lord Ouyang Xiu. It’s another showpiece where an ordinary theme is made unique with the background story of this famous man. Not to mention, the sensational short phrases were wisely chosen to imitate the running rhythm of the stream through the valley – waterfalls on rocks, cascading flow over stones… Such a treat for the eye and the ear. The renowned music “The Drinking Lord” could have enriched readers’ imagination further with a yearning for a symphony with the earth melody and Xiu’s chanting. Apparently, the repeated 2-word structure in the initial two lines creates a rushing pace (maybe Shen used short musical notes in his tune) that immediately draws the readers to the loud waterfalls at Langya Valley. I have to admit that this is the first time I’ve ever read Su’s ci-poem with such an impressive start. It’s a rafting journey that starts on a rocky stream just before reaching a waterfall. A quick engagement is deliberately created for the artistic and natural effects.   醉翁操·琅然 （琅琊幽谷，山水奇丽，泉鸣空涧，若中音会，醉翁喜之，把酒临听，辄欣然忘归。既去十余年，而好奇之士沈遵闻之往游，以琴写其声，曰《醉翁操》，节奏疏宕而音指华畅，知琴者以为绝伦。然有其声而无其辞。翁虽为作歌，而与琴声不合。又依《楚词》作《醉翁引》，好事者亦倚其辞以制曲。虽粗合韵度而琴声为词所绳的，非天成也。后三十余年，翁既捐馆舍，遵亦没久矣。有庐山玉涧道人崔闲，特妙于琴，恨此曲之无词，乃谱其声，而请于东坡居士以补之云。） 原作: 苏轼（字子瞻, 号东坡居士; 11世纪北宋） 英译及赏析: 闵晓红(2025) 琅然，清圆。 谁弹? 响空山。 无言，惟翁醉中知其天。 月明风露娟娟，人未眠。 荷蒉过山前，曰有心也哉此贤。   醉翁啸咏，声和流泉。 醉翁去后，空有朝吟夜怨。 山有时而童颠，水有时而回川。 思翁无岁年，翁今为飞仙。 此意在人间，试听徽外三两弦。 Reference: baike.baidu.com

A Message to Huangzhou --to the tune of Rumenglinling written by Su Shi (11th AC, social name 'Dongpo') En. trans. by Julia Min (Apr.2025) Pass my regards to my pals by East Slope. Tell them I’m close to the Throne, doing well. Let me know if any friends to my Snow Hall, And if the little bridge were buried in snow. How I wish to return, back to East Slope, To plough my spring field as river rain grows.  photo from zhuanlan.zhihu.com是但庵文“江上一犁春雨” For Appreciaiton: This poem, composed with colloquial language, reads just like the tone of a short message to the Head of Prefecture. It reveals interesting vibes under the lines, where you can easily sense the bright and breezy spirit of Su Shi after he finally got pardoned by the Emperor and reclaimed his voice at the Court, working in Hanlin Academy (翰林院) which was the centre of administration comprised of Song’s most prestigious men in the gentlemen’s society.  There is a change of sentiment in the last two lines, showing his longing to be away from the busy centre for a farming life in the country, which was a persistent longing throughout his official career.  It makes you suspicious that his experience at the Royal Court was not without challenges. Or, it could simply be a friendly message meant to warm the hearts of his friends at Huangzhou. 如梦令·有寄 原作: 苏轼（字子瞻, 号东坡居士; 11世纪北宋） 英译及赏析: 闵晓红(2025) 为向东坡传语：人在玉堂深处。 别后有谁来？雪压小桥无路。 归去，归去！江上一犁春雨。 Reference: baike.baidu.com

初到黄州 原作: 苏轼（字子瞻, 号东坡居士; 11世纪北宋） 旧版英译:戈登.奥赛茵, 闵晓红, 黄海鹏(1990) 新版及赏析: 闵晓红(2023) 自笑平生为口忙， 老来事业转荒唐。 长江绕郭知鱼美， 好竹连山觉笋香。 逐客不妨员外置， 诗人例做水曹郎。 只惭无补丝毫事， 尚费官家压酒囊。 Upon Arriving at Huangzhou written by Su Shi (11th AC, social name 'Dongpo') old En. trans. by G. Osing, J. Min & H. Huang (1990) Revision+ annot. by Julia Min (2023) My whole world’s like an eventful stage Getting strangely funny now I’ve aged. A busy life with the mouth, for the mouths, And a lousy outcome by my big silly mouth. Oh well, the Yangtse embraces the town in a loop, Where the river fish should taste just as good. There are also bamboo groves over the hills, Where I should find many sweet and earthy shoots. An attendant role cannot do much harm anyway. An outcast is seen to do great on local waterways. And the work I do can hardly touch the pay I get. The bag of wine grain my Lord gave is such a waste! Notes: 1. In a loop: the town of Huangzhou was then surrounded on three sides by the Yangtse River, like a peninsular in a river loop. Today, after a thousand years of change, the river has become much narrower, and its route must have changed as it is about a mile away from the ancient town wall and the Red Cliff. 2. That bag of wine grain: referring to Su Shi’s wage as a banished official, usually 2/3 paid in materials and only 1/3 in cash. The material he received was just a bag of grain for making wine. Appreciation: It was February 1080 when Su Shi and his family arrived in exile at the remote town Huangzhou, a long trip from the capital after being released from his 130 days in prison. It was a new birth for him and his family, just like the promising spring landscape as they went further south from the Yellow River to the Yangtse River, the land of fish and rice. You would think he might have become a different person of a more docile and obedient nature, which would have disappointed us. No, the near-death experience actually built up his stoicism and fortitude with a sense of dark humour, the rich source for his heroic vibes played in many romantic poems yet to come, actually a frenzy and the peak of his writings both in poetry and prose. From my many visits to the Red Cliff where his calligraphy is carved in stones, I’d say his calligraphy shows a liberated spirit from his previous works. He has always been so much loved for his optimistic character. Yes, he was bright and breezy again dreaming about the tasty fish and the sweet bamboo shoots despite the dramatic changes in his political career and financial status. The underlining satire is so obvious that you could even wish he could hold his tongue to avoid future misfortune by the mouth, as we all know he was later banished, twice, further away from the Central Kingdom, even to “the end of the world” (Hainan Island), the furthest border the emperor could find in the Song map to keep Su Shi’s mouth shut. Imagine how influential he was at the time. Reference: 1. Blooming Alone in Winter by Gordon Osing, Julia Min, and Huang Haipeng， published by the People's Publication House Henan Province in 1990 (《寒心未肯随春态》戈登.奥赛茵，闵晓红，黄海鹏) ( “ Upon Arriving at Huangzhou -- My mouth’s always busy -- eating, composing, or speaking out, / And now I’ve aged and my position turned ridiculous. / Oh well, the fish taste just as good on the edge of town, / Where the bamboo groves and the sweet shoots are the earthiest. / It matters little that I’m useless, banished, barely a guest; / Poets are known to make great inspectors of waterways. / And the work I do can’t touch the pay I get. / That bag of wine they send is surely wasted.”) 2. picture from Google

A Farewell Toast to the Spring Season (a poem with borrowed verses) --to the tune of Nanxiangzi Chinese original: Su Shi (11th AC, social name 'Zizhan', art name 'Dongpo') English translation & annotation: Julia Min (Feb. 2025) A farewell toast to the spring season, An ancient grief on fallen crimsons.  In a poor sap invisible on the margin, A heart drains away, not to mention the sorrows coupled at a Chu town by a tune chasing on the flute and Qin!   On the Homeview stage, all music ends. The vibe lingers, stirring homesick longing. For an outcast forgotten, not yet pardoned, The view is more evident in the distance; Every inch of his burning expectation Has now turned into cold ash of incense.. from Bilibili (哔哩哔哩） For appreciation: This poem reveals Dongpo's despairing moments as an outcast in Huangzhou. The longer he stayed here, the less hope he felt of being called back to the Court. The first stanza concerns his career, while the second stanza concerns his family's return to his hometown.   A unique way of intellectual entertainment at social gatherings in the Song Dynasty where a gentleman composed a poem with each line borrowed from a famous verse in history. It requires a good memory of many poems before you can spontaneously retailer them into a new poem serving a new theme. It is a very sophisticated effort that can be more difficult than creating a new piece in your own words.  Every line in this poem was borrowed except two linking words in the 1st stanza and two in the 2nd. The reader is tricked over familiar lines, but the rich association feels cleverly intertwined for a good laugh. The original lines came from eight poems by famous Tang Dynasty poets: Du Mu, Du Fu, Xu Hui, and Li Shangyin. 南乡子. 集句 原作: 苏轼（字子瞻, 号东坡居士; 11世纪北宋） 怅望送春怀，渐老逢春能几回？花落楚城愁远别，伤怀 ；何况清丝急管吹！ 吟断望乡台，万里归心独上来。景物登临闲时见，徘徊；一寸相思一寸灰！ reference: 1.baike.baidu.com

惠崇春江晚景 （第二首） 原作: 苏轼（字子瞻, 号东坡居士; 11世纪北宋） 英译及赏析: 闵晓红(2025) 两两归鸿欲破群，依依还似北归人。 遥知朔漠多风雪，更待江南半月春。 On “A River Spring Dawn” （ Poem two) --an inscription for the painting by Monk Hui Chong written by Su Shi (11th AC, social name 'Dongpo') old En. trans. by G. Osing, J. Min & H. Huang (1990) Revision+ annot. by Julia Min (2025) A flock of wild ducks set off, heading north; but two were lagging behind the flight form. The desolate desert is in snow and wind; So better stay longer in River South spring. 宋人《芦雁图》著录于《石渠宝笈》 Appreciation: Hui Chong（965- 1017）was a Song Dynasty monk, and a painter particularly famous for his landscape paintings with mountains and water features often enriched with geese, ducks and birds – an expression of everyday life in the country, or in an academic word, humanism. It could be a collector seeking for an inscription from Su Shi on the painting. Unfortunately, like many artistic works lost to the invasion of the Jin and the Liao, or later in history, the painting is no longer found. Fortunately, the picture has lived through this poem, and has been very well-known ever since. Every school pupil in China can recite it. The 2nd line is often quoted in literature. Indeed, Su Shi has successfully put into living words the moment when all of nature come to life where other dimensions of physical sensations are technically built into the one surface of a painting. The painting pleases the eye like poetry, whereas the poem presents the picture in rhyming motion. The Song people would say: you can paint poetry, and also, you may compose a painting with words. For your interest, the western landscape paintings didn’t start as a genre until a few hundred years later, starting during the renaissance and peaked in industrial revolustion period.

My Sick Recovery to Early Spring --to the tune of “A Patch of Flowers” written by Su Shi (11th AC, social name 'Dongpo') En. trans. by Julia Min (Mar.2025) This spring comes early to a world of snow, Hard to see but her east wind starts to blow. She gives subtle signs with pussy willows, And gentle grace even on drums and bells. Only one quilt can keep me warm in bed, Tho’ the night feels like winter long n cold.   When the town’s still dreaming in misty air, A new sun rises, biting the tip of the hill. Peach and apricot boughs will sprout out there. The juice for spring outings will boil bubbles.  There’ll be nothing for me, sick and weak. I’ll keep the bed from running away at home.       photo by Cathy Hampton For Appreciation: This poem offers a unique perspective to appreciate the coming of a new spring from a 40-year-old man recovering in his sickbed. A cheerful vibe dances in the air as a new sun rises, bringing new hope for himself after enduring a long illness, and for the townspeople who embrace the traditional spirit of spring outings to the countryside after a long and cold winter. It was the year 1076 when he served as the governor of Mizhou ( in today’s Zhucheng City, Shandong Province). The ending lines show a restrained self-pity revealed with a sense of humor. The readership can’t help but feeling sorry for a man with such romantic sentiments who had to see himself confined to his sickbed, totally out of the picture in the spring landscape. Well, at least he found solace in composing this ci-poem.   一丛花·初春病起 原作: 苏轼（字子瞻, 号东坡居士; 11世纪北宋） 英译及赏析: 闵晓红(2025) 今年春浅腊侵年， 冰雪破春妍。 东风有信无人见， 露微意、柳际花边。 寒夜纵长，孤衾易暖， 钟鼓渐清圆。   朝来初日半衔山， 楼阁淡疏烟。 游人便作寻芳计， 小桃杏、应已争先。 衰病少悰，疏慵自放， 惟爱日高眠 Reference: baike.baidu.com

江城子·墨云拖雨过西楼 原作: 苏轼（字子瞻, 号东坡居士; 11世纪北宋） 英译及赏析: 闵晓红(2024.08) 墨云拖雨过西楼。 水东流，晚烟收。 柳外残阳，回照动帘钩。 今夜巫山真个好， 花未落，酒新篘。   美人微笑转星眸。 月华羞，捧金瓯。 歌扇萦风，吹散一春愁。 试问江南诸伴侣， 谁似我，醉扬州。 Over the West Pavilion Clouds of Ink Pass by Chinese original: Su Shi (11th AC, social name 'Zizhan', art name 'Dongpo') English translation & annotation: Julia Min (Aug. 2024)   Over the west pavilion clouds of ink pass by, Dragging pebbles of rain across the sunset sky. Yangtse River runs eastward in waves of white, Taking with it the last breath of cloudy climes. Along the banks willows bow to golden light That touches curtain hooks to shimmer and shine. It’s a blooming garden with freshly filtered wine, All sweetly tuned for a lushy venue of delight. My beauty has a smile like the starry night. The silver moon, now pale and shy, has to hide. Her singing is like the gentle whispers of night. A fair fan in hand she soothes my moody mind. To River South my peers in the endless fight right: Such fun in Yangzhou I wouldn’t change for thine.   Appreciation: It’s a sentimental poem, a spur-of-the-moment yet well-structured with a yin-yang revolving pattern for a dynamic outcome built with words. Your imaginary eye would follow the poet from west to east, then from the distant to the near only to highlight the main role - the beauty, then to friends afar, and back to ‘me’ here. This could be quite impressive to many people but nothing unique in literature among the Chinese literati. It has been a habitual mindset, like a code pattern set in the Chinese ideology bloodline. And Su Shi was a master of the format.   Let’s dig a little deeper. The readers here are entertained by a passing storm over the west pavilion/chamber which implies, in Chinese literature, the room for ladies / beautiful lovers. Here it foreshadows the singing girl who kept him company during the occasion. Then we are led to the east with the river flowing to the East Sea, suggesting his cloudy days were over, or were supposed to be over for a clearer and freer world. The spring view, the beauty, the wine, and the music were supposed to put him on the moon. Yet, something was bothering him, which was revealed, as usual, in the last couplet that undertones the endless fight between the conservative old party, and the new party, pointing to the miseries of the people even after a prosperous year as they were compelled to pay a lot more debt and tax according to the New Law.   Dongpo was the Magistrate/Mayor of Yangzhou from March to August 1092 after he served as the Secretary-General to the Emperor and Governor of Zhejiang. He was likely greeted by the local officials and gentlemen's society at a garden party where he was invited to compose a poem for the occasion. It was a short stay at Yangzhou but the local people have since loved him for, among other achievements, his huge effort trying to reduce their debt which was finally waived for one year by the emperor. Reference: 2.     baike.baidu.com

浣溪沙 . 簌簌衣巾落枣花（其三） 原作：苏轼 英译：戈登.奥赛茵，闵晓红 簌簌衣巾落枣花， 村南村北响缲车。 牛衣古柳卖黄瓜。 酒困路长惟欲睡， 日高人渴漫思茶， 敲门试问野人家。 Blossoms of date trees rain down on shirts and kerchiefs （Poem One） - to the tune of Huanxisha written by: Su shi ( 11th century) translated by: Gordon Osing and Julia Min Blossoms of date trees rain down on shirts and kerchiefs, and everywhere in the village hears the spinning wheels; - An old man in hemp sells cucumbers by an old willow tree. And me, drinking wine along the way drowsing in fatigue. The sun is high and I feel dry, really, for a cup of real tea; - Good as home is the first door here in the hills I can see. Appreciation: In the spring of 1078, there was a drought around Xuzhou area where Su Shi, as the governor, led local people in prayers before altars for rains – a traditional service in China even in some remote countryside today. By early summer, the land was relieved by rains and followed with a harvest, so it was time to show gratitude to the gods. A series of five short poems were composed there and then to the simple but intense lives of the villages he experienced during his stay there, a glimpse of the lives of common subjects are depicted in artistic works for a change from the Tang’s ‘Glorious Grace’. It’s also a major shifting trend during this Renaissance of the East. For your information, the smell of the cocoons’ being boiled actually is anything but inviting, but it is fragrant to the people in times of good harvest after the long dry spell is lifted. Reference: 1. 古诗文网https://so.gushiwen.cn/ 2. All pictures are selected from google search.

浣溪沙 . 麻叶层层苘叶光（其二） 原作：苏轼 英译：戈登.奥赛茵，闵晓红 麻叶层层苘叶光， 谁家煮茧一村香? 隔篱娇语络丝娘。 垂白杖藜抬醉眼， 捋青捣麨软饥肠， 问言豆叶几时黄? What’s better than coming into a village （ PoemTwo） - to the tune of Huanxisha written by: Su Shi ( 11th century) translated by: Gordon Osing and Julia Min What’s better than coming into a village filled with the fragrance of boiling cocoons, and travel through piemarker’s dense foliage, shining and luxuriant in a sunny afternoon. Women go on chatting through the fences, while winding the cane giant katydids to the full. An elder raises his tipsy eyes on a goosefoot cane. collecting grain yet green to pound them for food. I asked if the bean leaves would go golden soon. Appreciation: For appreciation, please go to the last poem in this series: Blossoms of date trees rain down on shirts and kerchiefs . Reference: 1. baike.baidu.com (百度百科) 5. All pictures are selected from google search.

Royal Banquet on Lantern Festival Chinese original: Su Shi (11th AC, social name 'Zizhan', art name 'Dongpo') English translation & annotation: Julia Min (Feb. 2025) Gathered around Palace Jianzhang, The moon and stars begin to fade. A gentle wind down the censer sends A scent with only Heaven it associates. At Bright Hall courtiers craned their heads, like a red cloud tending Palace of Jade. from bakke.baidu.com For appreciation: Su Shi crafted this 4-line, one stanza poem (jueju 绝句) in response to the Emperor's request for a poem on a festive occasion. In 1093, he was called to the Court from Yangzhou. At that time, he served as the Minister of the Military Department and was newly appointed as the Minister of Rite. As the Emperor's favored courtier once more, he was experiencing a gratifying moment near the Throne. The poem is a simple piece of praise, yet it captures the vibrant atmosphere of the Bright Hall and offers a glimpse into how courtiers attended to the Throne—a portrayal of a unified central government during a flourishing era of the Song Dynasty. It was a joyful world akin to Heaven. 上元侍宴 原作: 苏轼（字子瞻, 号东坡居士; 11世纪北宋） 淡月疏星绕建章， 仙风吹下御炉香。 侍臣鹄立通明殿， 一朵红云捧玉皇。 reference: 1.baike.baidu.com

Flaky Delight Chinese original: Su Shi (11th AC, social name 'Zizhan', art name 'Dongpo') English translation & annotation: Julia Min (Feb. 2025) With a gourd bottle on my thigh, Without any care in my mind, I sat down for a sip of wine to flowers blooming in the wild. Pan’s water wine kills my daytime; Now I desire your Flaky Delight. from wapbaike.baidu.com (“舌尖上的苏东坡”） Analysis:   There’s an interesting story behind this little poem. One day Su Shi was invited to a dinner hosted by Scholar Ho at Huangzhou. A local pastry was served for tea. Dongpo really loved the flaky flavor and asked Ho: “what’s the name and how they made it so flaky. It’s delightful.” Ho replied: “It doesn’t have a name, but now it does. You’ve given it one. How about ‘Flaky Delight’?” Then Ho served Dongpo with a local rice wine from Pan’s, Su Shi tasted it and laughed: “Pan must have mixed it with water by mistake.” His humour was shared by other quests, hence Pan’s wine was named ‘Water Wine’. This poem was likely written when he was enjoying a carefree moment before his favorite capapple tree at Huangzhou, a very poor period when he could hardly afford enough food for his family. He loved drinking a bit of wine, and got used to Pan’s Water Wine. The flaky pastry has become a famous local specialty in the name of ‘Dongpo’s Flaky Delight’ which you can buy from the local supermarket today.   The first impression of the poem seems pretty plain like many art pieces from the Song Dynasty. The hidden message could be profound depending on the reader’s understanding of the poet. Su Shi became famous ever since he was 21 years old. His works were widely sought after. Even his political opponent Wang Anshi would keep asking for his new creation. Imagine how his political oppenents would feel after reading this one, maybe they would say: Okay he’s cast aside from any official work at Huangzhou, doing nothing at all there. Let him stay just like that. I can carry out The New Law without interference.   Su Shi knew this poem could also serve as a satire to his ambition to achieve more for the people. Wandering without a care in the world is surely not what he’s after.  A bit dark humour in the taste, do you agree? 为甚酥诗 原作: 苏轼（字子瞻, 号东坡居士; 11世纪北宋） 野饮花前百事无，腰间唯系一葫芦。 已倾潘子错注水，更觅君家为甚酥。