司马元稹笔下的通州风土人情

About Local Customs and Practices in Tongzhou from the Writings by Sima Yuanzhen

唐元和十年闰六月至十四年正月,大诗人元稹在通州(今四川达州市)做了三年半的司马。作为贬谪闲官,他"闲诞无事,遂专力于诗章"。在他的诗文中,有不少是状写通州的地理环境、社会现状、虫蛇猛兽、食货物产和民俗风情的。这些描写染上了他个人的感情色彩,流露了他独特的通州情怀,为我们留下了一幅当年的"通州印象"。

From the second June in the tenth year to the fourteenth year of Yuanhe in Tang Dynasty, the famous poet Yuan Zhen had been appointed ＂Sima＂ （a name of the highest rank of military officer） for three and a half years in Tongzhou （now Dazhou, Sichuan province）. He was relegated and had no important things to deal with, so he ＂devoted himself to writings＂. His poems have a lot of descriptions about the geography, society, animals, food and customs in Tongzhou, which presents his feelings and gives us the impressions about Tongshou at that time.