Yuan Dynasty
四块玉·闲适·意马收
### 标题
槐阴午梦谁惊破？
Translation
I rein in the horse of desire and lock up the monkey of the mind, leaping beyond the vicious storms of the dusty world. Who will disturb my noon dream beneath the locust tree’s shade? Leaving the arena of profit and fame, I slip into a nest of ease — idle, free, and happy.
Analysis
Compared with the earlier “Leisure” piece, this lyric carries a stronger sense of withdrawal from worldly turbulence. The “horse of desire” and “monkey of the mind” are Buddhist-Daoist images for restless consciousness. To rein them in is not to deny life, but to escape the compulsion of fame, profit, and social struggle. The noon dream under the locust tree suggests ease, but also the old motif of worldly glory as dream. Guan’s tone remains practical and colloquial: leave the arena of gain, find a small nest of peace, and live freely.
About the Author
Although Guan Hanqing is best known for drama, his sanqu reveals the complex mentality of Yuan literati: close to urban life and theater, yet often skeptical of fame and official ambition. The “Si Kuai Yu: Leisure” sequence is central to understanding his vision of freedom outside worldly competition.