Yuan Dynasty
鹦鹉曲·山亭逸兴
冯子振
嵯峨峰顶移家住，是个不唧溜樵父。
烂柯时树老无花，叶叶枝枝风雨。
故人曾唤我归来，却道不如休去。
指门前万叠云山，是不费青蚨买处。
Translation
I have moved my home to the top of a rugged peak, becoming a plain, unworldly woodcutter. The trees of the old “rotten axe-handle” tale have grown ancient and flowerless, their leaves and branches weathered by wind and rain. Old friends once called me back to the world, but I thought it better simply to let it go. Before my door lie ten thousand folds of cloud and mountain — a place of peace that costs not a single coin.
Analysis
This piece presents mountain reclusion as both a physical retreat and a spiritual choice. The speaker moves to a high peak and calls himself an awkward woodcutter, a self-mocking phrase that rejects worldly cleverness. The allusion to the “rotten axe-handle” story suggests the long passage of time and the fading of human affairs. Friends may call him back, but he chooses withdrawal. The final image of “ten thousand folds of cloud and mountain” contrasts sharply with money and career: what truly sustains him cannot be bought. The tone is light, colloquial, and quietly philosophical.
About the Author
Feng Zizhen was a Yuan dynasty writer and sanqu poet, styled Haisu. He was known for broad learning, quick literary talent, and a distinctive command of colloquial song form. His sequence of “Yingwu Qu” pieces combines historical allusion, landscape, reclusion, and personal reflection, showing both scholarly depth and the lively tonal freedom of Yuan sanqu.