An Account of the Peach Blossom Spring (桃花源記): A Translation from Classical Chinese

Portrait of Tao Yuanming by Chen Hongshou. Image courtesy of Wikipedia.

Introduction

First recorded in 5th century BCE, Classical  Chinese (文言文) was the language of written media in China until the early 20th century. 

“An Account of the Peach Blossom Spring (桃花源記)” is by Tao Yuanming, one of the most influential literary figures of the Six Dynasties period (220 - 589). The story itself relates a fisherman’s account of a strange and wonderful land outside of time, fitting into a larger literary genre referred to as “tales of the strange” (志怪小說). In fact, the modern Mandarin term for ‘utopia’ derives from the title of the story––桃花源 (A Peach Blossom Spring). And, like this work, other ‘tales of the strange’ were not thought of as stories but, rather, as documentations of a break from the normal workings of the world. 

I chose to translate this genre-defining short as it offers us perspectives from a time and place different from ours, though nevertheless is distinct in that it gives us insight into how we might approach our own storytelling. My younger brother, Ved Bathina, contributed the art at the bottom of this article, for which I am truly grateful.

An Account of the Peach Blossom Spring (桃花源記)

晉太元中，武陵人，捕魚為業，緣溪行，忘路之遠近。忽逢桃花林，夾岸數百步，中無雜樹，芳草鮮美，落英繽紛，漁人甚異之；復前行，欲窮其林。林盡水源，便得一山，彷彿若有光，便舍船，從口入。

初極狹，纔通人；復行數十步，豁然開朗。土地平曠，屋舍儼然。有良田，美池，桑，竹之屬。阡陌交通，雞犬相聞。其中往來種作，男女衣著，悉如外人；黃發垂髫，並怡然自樂。

During the Jin Dynasty, in the Tai Yuan cycle (376-397), there was a man of the Hunan province who was a fisherman by trade. He was traveling along a stream when he began to lose his way. Suddenly, he came upon a forest of peach blossoms on both sides of the river, several hundred paces away. There were no other trees among them. The fragrant grass was fresh and beautiful, the fallen blossoms scattered about in their myriad ways. The fisherman thought that it was all very strange. But still, he travelled further, hoping to exhaust these woods. Where they ended, he found the spring from which sprang the stream. Here he came upon a mountain through which a light seemed to shine. He abandoned his boat and walked into the mouth of the mountain. 

At first it was extremely narrow, just wide enough for a person to slip through. Then he walked a short distance when, all of a sudden, it opened up to a vast expanse. The land was flat and vast with houses and buildings neatly arranged. One could see things like fertile fields, beautiful ponds, trees of mulberry and bamboo. The footpaths between the fields met at intersections. One could hear the cries of the dogs and the chicken. As for the men and women who went by and those who were at work in the fields, their clothing was very much like those on the outside. There were both elders and children who were all content. 

見漁人，乃大驚，問所從來，具答之。便要還家，設酒，殺雞，作食。

村中聞有此人，咸來問訊。自云：「先世避秦時亂，率妻子邑人，來此絕境，不復出焉；遂與外人間隔。」問：「今是何世？」乃不知有漢，無論魏、晉。此人一一為具言所聞，皆嘆惋。

餘人各復延至其家，皆出酒食。停數日辭去。此中人語云：「不足為外人道也！」

Upon seeing the fisherman, one of the villagers was greatly surprised and he asked him from where he had come. The fisherman in turn completely answered his questions. Then, he invited him to return to their home to arrange for wine, kill the chicken, and cook food. 

In the village, they had heard that there was this person who had come from the outside and they all came to inquire. They said of themselves, “Our ancestors, to avoid the chaos of the Qin period, led their wives, children and fellow villagers and came to this isolated place never to leave again; before long they were separated from the people outside.” They asked, “What age are we currently in?” At that moment it became clear that they did not know that there had been a Han dynasty, let alone a Wei or a Jin. The fisherman considered each of the words he heard and let out a sad sigh. 

Those who remained at this time again invited him to their home and they all brought out wine and food. He stayed several days before he decided to go. Among themselves, the villagers said, “It cannot be as the foreigner says!”

既出，得其船，便扶向路，處處志之。及郡下，詣太守，說如此。太守即遣人隨其往，尋向所誌，遂迷不復得路。

After leaving, he found his boat and followed the stream back the way he had come, marking various locations. Upon reaching the provincial capital, he went to see the senior official and told him all he had seen. The official promptly dispatched people to follow the fisherman’s path and seek what he had previously marked. However bewilderingly, they did not again find that way.

南陽劉子驥，高尚士也，聞之，欣然規往，未果，尋病終。後遂無問津者。

Liu Ziji of Nanyang was a distinguished scholar and he heard of this. Joyfully, he planned to go. His plans, however, did not materialize as he soon died of a sickness. After that, there was no one who inquired about the way to the village.

“桃花源記” by Ved Bathina, the author’s younger brother.