'An Account of the Old Toper's Pavilion') is a semi-autobiographical essay by Ouyang Xiu (1007–1072 CE).
The title refers to himself and the Zuiweng Pavilion (Zuiwengting) near Chuzhou City, Anhui, China.
[1] The essay's most well-known line is: The Old Toper cares not for the wine, his interest lies in the landscape (醉翁之意不在酒,在乎山水之間也), an idiom still used in modern Chinese to describe someone with an ulterior motive.
Imagine the rising sun and the parting of the forest mist, the return of clouds and the darkening of cliff-side caves.
The country fragrance is faintly redolent; fine trees flower and flourish in the shade; the wind is high and the frost is pure; the water level lowers and the riverbed rocks come forth: these are the four seasons amid the mountains.
Hunched over old folks and those leading children by the hand, coming without stopping, these are the outings of the people of Chu.
Mountain game meat and wild vegetables are laid out in an assortment for the Grand Warden's feast.
Wine cups and game tallies cross back and forth, and people sit and stand in an uproar.