Retirement Record: A Collection of Masterpieces by Famous Artists of Different Dynasties

Author: Ouyang Xiu [Song Dynasty]
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-01-01
Features: The Record of My Return to the Countryside (Guitianlu) contains court anecdotes that are not recorded by historians, as well as humorous tales among scholars and officials worth preserving for leisurely reading. Someone heard and chided me, saying, "How quaint! What you study is to cultivate benevolence and righteousness as your profession, to recite the Six Classics as your words, and how should you conduct yourself? You have been favored by the sovereign, held a position in the court, and been privy to state affairs for eight years now. You have neither risen with the times to act, nor taken up grievances to propose beneficial measures; nor have you compromised to curry favor with the world. As a result, resentment, jealousy, slander, and anger have gathered upon you, and you have been mocked by petty men. When you were tossed in the stormy seas, suddenly rising from an unexpected abyss, the monsters like dragons, crocodiles, and alligators were already head-to-head, watching for an opportunity to pounce. Yet you placed yourself in their midst, risking certain death. Thanks to the benevolence and wisdom of the sovereign, he felt pity and saved you from the jaws of those who coveted you, granting you a second life. Yet you have never heard of repaying it by spitting pearls or swallowing rings, like the gratitude of snakes and sparrows. When you were young, you had nothing to do, but now you are old and ill. If you continue to fail to repay the sovereign’s favor and merely waste the money of the imperial treasury, like a rat in the granary, what is the point? If I were to advise you, I would say you should resign from the court, withdraw from glory and honor, and enjoy the fields, fulfilling your days as a wise man who knows when to stop. Yet you linger and hesitate, unable to decide for a long time. If you do not think about this, then what is the point of The Record of My Return to the Countryside?" I stood up and replied, "All that you have accused me of is true. Should I return? Please wait."
In the ninth month of the fourth year of the Zhiping era, the day of Yiwei, in Luling, Ouyang Xiu wrote this preface.