Classical Prose
黄州快哉亭记
苏辙
江出西陵,始得平地,其流奔放肆大。
南合沅、湘,北合汉、沔,其势益张。
至于赤壁之下,波流浸灌,与海相若。
清河张君梦得,谪居齐安,即其庐之西南为亭,以览观江流之胜。
而余兄子瞻名之曰“快哉”。
盖亭之所见,南北百里,东西一舍。
涛澜汪洋,风云开阖。
昼则舟楫出没于其前,夜则鱼龙悲啸于其下。
变化倏忽,动心骇目,不可久视。
昔楚襄王从宋玉、景差于兰台之宫。
有风飒然至者,王披襟当之,曰:“快哉此风!”
宋玉曰:“此独大王之雄风耳,庶人安得共之!”
夫风无雄雌之异,而人有遇不遇之变。
士有遇而不自得者,则外物不能以为乐。
有自得者,则所往而不乐者。
今张君不以谪为患,窃会计之余功,而自放山水之间。
江山之胜,风俗之美,足以娱其心。
使其情超然,无所不快。
今余所命者,盖谓此也。
Translation
When the Yangtze leaves Xiling, it first reaches level ground, and its current becomes vast and unrestrained. To the south it joins the Yuan and Xiang; to the north it joins the Han and Mian, and its force grows greater. Below Red Cliff, its waves spread wide and deep, almost like the sea. Zhang Mengde of Qinghe, exiled to Qi’an, built a pavilion southwest of his dwelling to view the beauty of the river. My elder brother Zizhan named it “Kuaizai,” “How Delightful.” From the pavilion one can see a hundred li north and south, and thirty li east and west. Waves stretch boundlessly; wind and clouds open and close. By day boats appear and disappear before it; by night fish and dragons cry beneath it. The changes are sudden, stirring the heart and startling the eyes. Long ago, King Xiang of Chu felt a wind arrive and called it delightful. Song Yu replied that it was the king’s own mighty wind, not something common people could share. Su Zhe argues that wind itself has no noble or common nature; the difference lies in human circumstances. If a scholar cannot find contentment within himself, external things cannot make him happy. If he has inner contentment, wherever he goes can bring delight. Zhang Mengde does not treat exile as misfortune. In the leisure left from official work, he releases himself among mountains and waters. This inner freedom is the true meaning of “Kuaizai.”
Analysis
“Record of Kuaizai Pavilion in Huangzhou” begins as a landscape essay but becomes a meditation on inner freedom. The Yangtze River’s grandeur gives the pavilion its visible delight, but Su Zhe’s deeper concern is how the mind responds to circumstance. The story of King Xiang and Song Yu shifts the essay from scenery to philosophy. Wind itself is the same, yet people experience it differently according to their position and inner state. The key idea is self-contentment. External things cannot make one happy if the mind is not at ease. Zhang Mengde, though exiled, finds joy among rivers and mountains. This is the true meaning of “How Delightful.”
About the Author
Su Zhe was a Northern Song writer, statesman, and one of the Eight Great Prose Masters of the Tang and Song. The son of Su Xun and younger brother of Su Shi, he was one of the famous “Three Su.” His prose is calm, balanced, and reflective. “Record of Kuaizai Pavilion in Huangzhou” shows his ability to turn landscape writing into philosophical reflection.