Ode to New Year's Day
By Cangsan Muyun
Preface
Yuan denotes the genesis of heaven and earth; Dan signifies the dawn of sun and moon. The handle of the Big Dipper turns to the Tiger position, and heaven and earth renew their order; the armillary sphere tracks the passage of time, and all things take on a new look. I compose this Ode to New Year's Day not merely to eulogize the shift of seasons, but truly to trace the root of civilization, uphold the aspiration of heaven and earth, and give rein to the soul of the times. This serves as the preface.
The Yuan of Astronomy, the Prime of Yin and Yang
The stars align with the Big Dipper, its pointer resting on the Tiger position, stirring the vital force of spring; the pitch pipes resonate with the Yellow Bell tone, awakening the first lunar month and nurturing the ascent of yang energy. In remote antiquity, Xihe fixed the calendar by observing celestial phenomena to tell time; in the Han court, Zhang Heng crafted astronomical instruments to measure shadows and calculate the sundial. Once, the Taichu Calendar rectified the lunar year, establishing the first spring month as the start of the year; today, the whole world shares a common calendar, blending Chinese and Western wisdom into universal clarity. I hold this truth: Heaven moves with immutable regularity, and the seasons proceed with impartiality. Man abides by the way of heaven, and civilization endures thereby.
The Vitality of Humanity, the Origin of Purity and Virtue
The three ancient dynasties observed different lunar epochs, yet the Xia Dynasty set the first spring month as the new year; hundreds of kings reformed the calendar, and Emperor Wu of Han unified it as one. On New Year's Day, virtue was proclaimed in the Hall of Brightness, and all people prayed for blessings in their villages. Peach wood talismans warded off evil spirits, spicy pepper wine prolonged longevity; ancestors were honored to cherish the past, and court gatherings fostered harmony. Though rituals and customs differ across ages, the sincere heart behind them remains the same: to honor the end and bid farewell to the old, to reverence antiquity and usher in the new. Today, two calendars coexist, the old and the new interweave; the past and present enlighten each other, and our civilization stands in unshakable confidence. To honor tradition is not blind conservatism, but the pivotal wisdom of adapting to change.
The Heart of Heaven and Earth, the Course of Sun and Moon
Ice thaws and fish swim upward, geese return and grass buds sprout. Yin fades to the utmost, and yang rises anew—heaven’s way cycles unceasingly like a ring; cold reaches its peak, and warmth follows—vitality surges silently like a spring. The I Ching states: "The hexagram of Fu reveals the heart of heaven and earth." The true meaning of New Year's Day lies in gathering strength in quietude, ready to bloom in its destined hour. Thus, the hibernation of winter is the foundation of spring’s growth, and serene stillness is the prelude to vigorous vitality. All things in nature are complete within this law, and all lands under heaven follow this eternal rhythm.
The Nature of the Soul, the Root of Life
Of old, Zengzi reflected on himself thrice a day, and Master Cheng contemplated his inner heart. The essence of New Year's Day is to cleanse the stains of the past and paint a new blueprint for the future. We burn the old calendar to bid farewell to days gone by, unfurl a new scroll to greet the light ahead; we shed our flaws like a snake casting its skin, and embrace the present truth as if reborn. We should follow the inscription of King Tang: "Renew yourself each day", and uphold the Great Learning’s teaching: "Renovate the people". A pure and bright heart can illuminate the darkest corners of mountains and rivers; lofty aspirations that pierce the clouds can transcend the bounds of heaven and earth. The renewal of each individual converges into the surging tide of the times.
The Wind of the Times, the Momentum of the Present
Once, we observed the stars to tend the farmlands; now, we navigate the world by the Dipper’s light. Once, we sacrificed to heaven to pray for a bountiful year; now, we erect stations in the firmament. The Yuan of antiquity meant aligning with heaven and heeding the people; the Yuan of today means shaping heaven and earth with wisdom and courage. The BeiDou satellites cruise the sky, continuing the epic of reaching for the moon; quantum entanglement subtly echoes the law of Yin and Yang. I proclaim this: Civilization never perishes, for it inherits the torch of the past and forges ahead with reform; a prosperous age endures forever, only through self-strengthening and adaptation to change. New Year's Day is not merely a marker of the passing year, but a clarion call for forging ahead, a war drum for national rejuvenation! Pan composed a couplet in praise, which reads:
As stars shift and the Dipper turns, a new year dawns;
A mighty long wind sweeps away the dust of the old.
Yang stirs beneath the ice, spring surges in silence;
Man holds a colored brush, to rewrite the annals of history.
Ancient and modern converge in the flame of civilization;
Heaven and earth unite to uphold the stage of fate.
May we turn the first light of dawn into an eternal blaze,
Its radiant glow shining forever over the nine heavens!
Postscript
This ode blends astronomy, humanity and natural principles into one; it embodies the grandeur of Han fu, and embraces the profound philosophy of Song Neo-Confucianism. Five dimensions of Yuan stand united—astronomy, humanity, heaven and earth, the soul, and the times—bound by an unbroken vital force. Once, Lu Ji said: "Fu depicts all things with clarity and radiance." Today, I compose this ode to New Year's Day, not only to depict the things of the four seasons, but more so to polish the discerning eye of millennia, and ignite the eternal lamp of all ages. Yuan is the beginning, and also the root; Dan is the dawn, and also the rise. To uphold the root and embrace the new—this is the eternal way of China. This serves as the postscript.
作者：蒼山牧云
序
夫元者，天地之始；旦者，日月之晨。斗柄回寅，玄黃更序；璇璣運(yùn)晷，萬象更新。今賦元旦，非惟頌時(shí)序之遷，實(shí)欲溯文明之本、立乾坤之心、騁時(shí)代之魂也！為序。
天文之元者，陰陽之辰也。夫星分北斗，指寅位而春機(jī)動；律應(yīng)黃鐘，啟子月而陽氣生。觀象授時(shí)，羲和定歷于上古；測影推晷，張衡制儀于漢庭。昔者《太初》正朔，定孟春為歲首；今朝寰球共歷，融中西而通明。吾謂之：天行有常，歲序無私；人以法天，文明以繼也。
人文之氣者，三清之始也。三代異朔，夏正建寅；百王改制，漢武歸一。元日布德于明堂，萬民祈福于閭里。桃符驅(qū)魅，椒酒延齡；祭祖追遠(yuǎn)，朝會輯睦。然禮俗雖殊，其心一也：慎終而辭舊，尊古以開新。 今者雙歷并存，舊新交響；古今互鑒，文明自信。非徒守舊，實(shí)乃通變之樞機(jī)也！
天地之心者，日月之行也。冰泮魚陟，雁歸草萌。陰盡陽生，天道循環(huán)如環(huán)；寒極暖至，生機(jī)暗涌若泉。《易》曰：“復(fù)見天地之心。”元日之義，正待蓄力于微，向時(shí)而發(fā)。故冬藏為春生之基，靜默乃勃發(fā)之始。 萬物皆備于我，四海同此節(jié)律也。
心靈之性者，生命之本也。昔曾子三省，程子觀心；元日之要，在滌舊染而繪新圖。焚歷辭往，展卷迎明；去非如蛻，今是若生。當(dāng)效湯銘“日新”，承《大學(xué)》“新民”；心體光明，可照山河之暗；志氣凌霄，堪破乾坤之局。 個(gè)體之新，匯聚為時(shí)代之潮流也！
時(shí)代之風(fēng)者，當(dāng)下之勢也。昔觀星以農(nóng)，今導(dǎo)航以斗；昔祭天祈歲，今建站蒼穹。古之元者，順天應(yīng)人；今之元者，經(jīng)緯天地。北斗巡天，續(xù)寫奔月之章；量子糾纏，暗合陰陽之理。吾謂之：文明不絕，在薪傳而鼎革；盛世長存，惟自強(qiáng)以通變。 元日非徒紀(jì)歲，實(shí)為奮進(jìn)之號角、復(fù)興之鼓鼙也！潘子聯(lián)句贊之，辭曰：
星移斗轉(zhuǎn)歲新開，浩蕩長風(fēng)掃舊埃。
陽動冰層春暗涌，人持彩筆史重裁。
古今交匯文明火，天地同襄氣運(yùn)臺。
跋
此賦熔天文、人事、物理于一爐，攝漢賦之宏闊，取宋理之精深。五元并立（天文、人文、天地、心性、時(shí)代），一氣貫通。昔陸機(jī)言“賦體物而瀏亮”，今賦元旦，非惟體四時(shí)之物，更欲擦亮千秋之慧眼、燭燃萬世之明燈也。元者，始也，亦本也；旦者，朝也，亦興也。守本開新，中華之道存焉！是跋。
中國著名作家:蒼山牧云（潘成稷）四川省政府文史研究館特約研究員、職業(yè)作家。
Renowned Chinese Writer: Cangsan Muyun (Pan Chengji), Special Research Fellow of the Literature and History Research Institute of Sichuan Provincial Government, Professional Writer.
