Righteous Song

Wugu. Written by Wen Tianxiang. See Volume 14 of "The Complete Works of Mr. Wenshan". It was written in the prison of Yanjing (today's Beijing) in the 18th year of the Yuan Dynasty (1281) by Shizu of the Yuan Dynasty. The preface to the poem describes the seven foul smells of the dungeon, indicating that while in prison, he relied on "great righteousness" as his spiritual pillar to overcome the dangerous environment. The whole poem is divided into four sections. The first paragraph describes the understanding and belief of "righteousness", focusing on the manifestations of "righteousness" when the country is in crisis, in order to allude to the reality of the demise of the Southern Song Dynasty. The second paragraph lists the "righteous" people in ancient times to encourage themselves, using three groups of different parallelisms, scattered sentence patterns, and rapid rhythm, forming a majestic language potential. The third paragraph discusses the importance of "righteousness". Although the author's "righteousness view" cannot escape the shackles of feudal ethics, it is far better than that of Song Confucianism because he regards morality and justice as spiritual power. The last paragraph narrates his own situation to show his "righteousness" and the influence of the historical figures he admires on himself, and to express his determination to sacrifice his life for the country. The language of the poem is not artificial, it expresses the heart directly, and it is written in a majestic, impassioned, desolate and tragic way. The poem expresses the kind of high moral integrity that cannot be lusted after wealth, poverty cannot be moved, and power cannot be surrendered, as well as the strong patriotism and lofty national spirit. It is touching, deeply touching, inspiring and encouraging people to move forward. Wang Wenru, a recent scholar, commented on this poem: "The righteousness of the world, the sound of heaven and earth, can make ghosts and gods weep, and can open gold and stone." ("Comments on Poems of the Song, Yuan, and Ming Dynasties")