后记

前岁丧妻，去年哭子，颓唐老境，排忧无从，唯“以园为家，以曲托命”，终日徘徊周旋于泉石歌管间，解我何人？是稿前数年作也，兴移随笔，非为述著，亦聊志触景之所感耳。见仁见智，未必强求人同，存一家之说而已。流年逝水，花落鸟啼，今日视之，顿同隔世矣。

园林贵自然，记园之文亦宜然，其理一也。小颓风范，丘壑独存。乱头粗服，未失真相。无心藻饰，倦意增修。草草付梓，颇能见真情也。过眼行云，动人幽思，从古几人省。兹方余营上海豫园东部成，与此书之刊出，留鸿爪于雪泥，听雅曲于园林，余愿已足。此记之所以赘言也。秋月当窗，怀人天际，虫声四壁，搁笔凄然。

陈从周

于豫园谷音涧之南轩(https://www.daowen.com)

Afterword

I lost my wife the year before last year, and I lost my son last year.Being old and dispirited, there was no way for me to escape from the hollowed sadness but to “indulge myself in gardens and save my life with music”.I lingered around the streams and stones amid melancholy tunes, but who could take me out? I composed the scripts several years ago just to note down my personal interest as records of my reflections upon the scenes, but not to write a book for publication.As different people have different opinions, I expressed my own personal opinions here with no intent to attract agreement with me.Time flows away like water, as followers wither and birds weep.It seemed to have depicted a different world when I read the scripts again today.

The essence of a garden lies in its naturalness, so do writings of the garden.They both follow the same principle.A man may no longer have perfect manners, but the hills and valleys in his heart remain unchanged; my nature remained unchanged though I was in plain clothes with hair untrimmed.My true feelings were conveyed albeit the scripts were submitted without revisions for I did not intent to polish the scripts.Clouds floated by and stirred peple’s heart; but how many people reflected upon them? This book was published upon completion of the restoration project of the eastern part of Yuyuan Garden in Shanghai which I led, I was satisfied for having left my humble footprints on a snow path and appreciated tuneful music in gardens, This postscript was, therefore, something unnecessary.With moonlight of autumn shining into my windows, and crickets chirping through the walls, I put down my pen in sadness, lost in memory of my beloved in heaven.

Chen Congzhou

at Nanxuan Chamber by Guyin Valley in Yuyuan Garden