Bao Hu lao Biography Library · Giant Hundred -- Peng Si

Author: Ji Youzhi (Compiler)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1998-01-01
Features: We are delighted to recommend the "Giant Biographies Series" to young friends. In this era of transition, having such a premium series accompany you is a joy in wisdom. We believe that from the footsteps of these giants and masters, you can learn how to handle success and failure, comfort and hardship, joy and pain, smoothness and adversity, and understand how to approach life, how to be a person, how to pursue knowledge, and how to shape oneself and the future.
Principal of Peking University: Zhao Yulin
Party Secretary: Dong Lingsheng
Principal of Tsinghua University: Zhao Qinggang
The giants of humanity are the elite who have made outstanding contributions to the progress and civilization of human society. Their spirit of struggle and extraordinary achievements are deeply admired and serve as role models for people to learn from. Giants are human, not gods; they come from ordinary people yet surpass them. Their lofty ideals and the belief in bringing happiness to the motherland and humanity are the driving forces behind their relentless efforts and fearlessness in the face of difficulties.
Principal of Tianjin Nankai: Kang Xiuyan
To carefully read this series of books is like seeing their appearance, speech, and actions, and feeling their ideals, beliefs, ambitions, and moral integrity. This will help you learn how to be a person, how to pursue knowledge, and how to build a career.
Principal of Fudan University: Cao Tianren
Paisley, a Scottish poet, was born on January 25, 1759, in the village of Auchinleck, Ayrshire, to a farming family. He worked in the fields from a young age and toiled for 20 years, yet his family remained in poverty. From childhood, he loved poetry and began writing in 1783. In 1786, he published "Poems Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect," intending to use the proceeds to travel to the West Indies. However, this new work, with its rustic themes and fresh style, received widespread praise, and he was invited to Edinburgh to become a guest of nobles and dignitaries. Yet he remained true to his farmer's roots. After a short tour of the north of Scotland, he returned to his hometown to farm and later became a tax collector. In addition to continuing his creative work, he collected and compiled folk songs for two periodicals, preserving many songs that were on the verge of being lost (approximately 300 in total). He died on July 21, 1796, in poverty and illness. Yet the hardships of life were not the main impression his works left. Most of his poems are filled with a love for life, brimming with vitality, and primarily express the daily life of rural young Scots and the poet's pursuit of freedom and equality.
Paisley drew heavily on folk songs to write numerous love poems, covering various aspects of love, from passionate praise: "Oh, my love is like a red, red rose," to sorrowful elegies: "The grass is so green, the earth so cold, they have covered my Highland love!" ("The Mary of the High Hills") His love poems include not only youthful passion but also the deep affection of elderly couples, as seen in "John Anderson, My Jo." Beyond tender emotions, his poems often express a disdain for social hypocrisy: "If he meets a she, walks through the mountain path, and if he kisses a she, who will ever know!"—"Through the Fields We Go"—this is Paisley's response to the Scottish Church and the upper class who interfered with young people's love lives, showing that even in his love poems, there was the democratic thought of the late 18th century. This new idea was a product of the European Enlightenment, emphasizing freedom, equality, and brotherhood.
At the age of 16, the American Revolution broke out; at 30, the French Revolution erupted. Though living in the countryside, he was deeply concerned about events in Scotland and Europe. Especially after the French Revolution began, his rhetoric became fierce, and he associated closely with those deemed dangerous by authorities as traitors. Taking advantage of his position as a tax collector, he purchased four small cannons from a confiscated smuggler's ship and sent them to the French National Assembly, though they were intercepted by British authorities en route and did not reach their destination. For these activities, Paisley was questioned by his superiors at the tax office, but he remained steadfast in his support of the French Revolution. Moreover, he recognized that not only did individuals lack freedom in Scotland but the nation, under English control, also lacked freedom. This realization led him to write poems like "The Scotsman," filled with fervent passion, calling for a free and equal society. In "What Can I Care," he mocks nobles and praises individuals with "independent spirits": "Let them have their ways, what with the pride of nobles—what matters truth, what matters character that stands tall and proud, far more than any title!" He further looks to the future, hoping for a new world of brotherhood where all people become brothers, regardless of their differences. These poems are lively and exuberant, fully embodying the oral style and musicality of Scottish folk literature.
Paisley's poetry spans various forms, including lyrical poems, satirical poems, epistles, and narrative poems. His satirical poems fall into two categories. One type uses a mocking tone to depict social realities, such as "Hallowmas Fair," which portrays the people of the market and includes satire of religious figures. The other targets specific individuals, with the most famous being "The Prayer of Elder William." It satirizes not only a church elder but also the Scottish Church. The solemn tone of the prayer contrasts sharply with the dirty and vulgar content, enhancing the satirical effect. His epistles are also outstanding, with well-structured compositions. They often begin by setting the time, place, and atmosphere, followed by lively discussions on life and art or heartfelt expressions of friendship, ending with witty remarks. Throughout, there is a bold and lively style. "Letter to La" is a prime example. In this work, he proposed the Romanticist view that poetic inspiration comes from nature and the value of poetry lies in moving the heart with sincere emotions, countering the neoclassical British poetic trend that emphasized refinement and restraint.
Equally impressive are Paisley's longer narrative poems. "The Two Dogs" uses the perspective of dogs from two families—one poor, one wealthy—to contrast two rural lifestyles: the debauchery of the gentry and the endless toil of farmers. Meanwhile, the two dogs show friendship, playfulness, and even tease others, adding depth and richness to the poem. "Tom O'Shanter" tells an ancient tale of a drunkard's night encounter with a ghost, treated with humor. The poem shines with folk wisdom while eliminating the superstitious elements of the original legend. The use of dialect in this poem reaches new artistic heights in both rhythm and rhyme, making it a favorite for recitation to this day. Another long poem, "The Happy Beggar," depicts a group of men and women travelers gathering in a tavern for drinking and revelry. All are weathered yet unrestrained, with one poet among them being a "free-spirited roamer." Each sings a song with a unique personality and tone, such as the licentious "Soldier's Farewell," the satirical "Old Sir Simon," the cheerful "A Whistle Binds a Hundred Sorrows," and the call of a craftsman in "The Tinker," turning the poem into a treasure trove of folk music.