Guangling Guest, Please Play the Qin

- Appreciation of Ancient Poems about Music (2)

Wang Chuanxue

Li Qi, a poet of the Tang Dynasty "Qin Song" expresses the feeling of homesickness:

The master has wine to enjoy the evening, please play the qin Guangling guest.

The moon shines on the city, half of the crows are flying, and the frost is desolate and the wind is blowing into the clothes.

The candles in the copper furnace increase the brightness, and the concubine Chu after the first play of Lu River.

After a sound, all the animals fell silent, and the four silent stars became more and more distant.

Qinghuai sent envoys for more than a thousand miles, and dared to tell Yunshan from now on.

This poem was written by the poet after listening to the piano at a friend's farewell banquet when he was sent as an envoy to Qinghuai. The poem uses wine to sing the harp, and the harp intoxicates people; hearing the harp reminds one of hometown, and looks forward to returning to seclusion. The first two sentences are about drinking wine to accompany playing the piano; the third and fourth sentences describe the night scene before playing: the moon and stars are sparse, the crows and magpies are half flying, the cold wind blows the clothes, and the thousands of trees are solemn. Five or six sentences describe the scene of the first play; the copper stove is filled with incense, the candles are shining, "Lushui" is played for the first time, and "Concubine Chu" is played later. The seven or eight lines of the qin song are touching; when one sound is played, everything is silent, the stars disappear, and the four people are speechless. The last two sentences are written after listening to the sound of the piano, and I suddenly felt homesick: I went to Qinghuai, thousands of miles away from home, and returned to Yunshan, my thoughts this night. When writing the whole poem, he writes about the scenery, the piano, and the people, step by step, every link is linked, the composition is neat, and the layers are clear. Describing the sound of the piano is more important than contrasting it, making the sound more sublime and moving.

Li Qi also wrote another poem "Listening to Dong Da playing Hujia and sending messages to the room", which is also a poem about listening to the qin:

? There are eight beats.

? The foreigners shed tears and weeded the grass, and the Han envoys broke their hearts to return visitors.

? The ancient garrison was green and beacon fire was cold, and the wilderness was heavy and snowy.

? First brush the Shang string and then the corner feathers, and the autumn leaves in the surrounding suburbs are shocked.

? Mr. Dong, a clairvoyant, eavesdropped on the deep pine trees and summoned fairies.

? No matter how late it is, it will be faster than it is, and it will spin back and forth as if it were affectionate.

? Hundreds of birds disperse and gather in the empty mountain, and the clouds thousands of miles away are cloudy and clear.

? The sour young geese lost their flock at night, cutting off Hu Er's Oedipus voice.

? The river is still and its waves are still, and the birds have stopped singing.

? The Wusun tribe’s hometown is far away, and they are filled with sorrow and sadness.

? The quiet sound changes its tone and drifts suddenly, and the long wind blows the forest rain and the tiles fall.

? The springs are rustling, the trees are flying, and the wild deer are walking down the hall.

? Chang'an City is connected to Dongye Yuan, and Phoenix Pond is connected to Qingsuo Gate.

? Talented people don’t care about fame and fortune. They look forward to you arriving with your qin every day and night.

This poem by Li Qi was written approximately in the sixth or seventh year of Tianbao (747-748). Dong Da, also known as Dong Tinglan, was a famous luthier at that time. The so-called "Hujia Sound", also known as "Hujia Nong", is translated into Qin music according to the Hujia tone. So Dong Da played the harp instead of the Hujia. The poet listened to Dong Da playing the piano and wrote this poem to appreciate his superb and moving playing skills. He also used it to send his room to Shi (Fang Guan), feeling happy that he had found a close friend.

At the beginning of the poem, "Dong Da" is not mentioned but "Cai Nu" is mentioned, which is an abrupt start. The third and fourth sentences are about the scene where the barbarians and Han envoys were heartbroken when Wenji played the qin, which contrasted the touching charm of the qin music. The fifth and sixth sentences complement each other, describing the desolate and lonely environment when Wen Ji played the piano. The ancient garrison, the heavy wilderness, the beacon fire, and the white snow intertwined into a bleak and sad atmosphere, making people feel the sadness and movingness of the music even more. . The above six sentences are the first paragraph. The poet gives a very vivid description of the origin and artistic effect of the "sound of Hujia", leading the readers into a profound artistic realm. Dong Tinglan, a famous teacher of his generation, is not sure how well he can play "Hujia Nong", which is such a profound and affectionate song. Therefore, the poet followed the trend and turned to a positive narrative. From Cai Nu to Dong Da, hundreds of years apart, a piece of piano music cleverly connected the two.

"First brush the Shang string and then the horn feathers", ending with "The wild deer walks down the hall" is the second paragraph. Dong Da plays the piano with extraordinary skill. The sentence "whistle first" describes the action at the beginning of playing the piano. Dong Da gently brushed the strings, from Shang Xian to Jiao Xian, which means that the tune starts slowly and low.

With the sound of the piano, "Autumn Leaves in the Four Suburbs" was so frightened that they fell down. The word "surprise" is fascinating and extremely vivid. The poet couldn't help but praise "Master Dong", saying that his performance was like "connecting with the gods", which not only shocked the world, but even the fairies in the mountains quietly came to eavesdrop. "Yan Chi" summarizes Dong Da's skills. "Late words come faster" and "will spin back and forth", the fingering is so skillful and easy to use, and the ups and downs of the piano sound are overflowing with passion, as if flowing from the chest of the player.

Dong Da’s fingering is dazzling, and one wonders what the sound of the piano is like. The poet does not start from the front, but uses various image descriptions to highlight the sad and beautiful voice. When the sound of the piano suddenly stops, it is like a flock of birds scattering and gathering in an empty mountain. When the tune is low, it is like clouds covering the sky; when it is clear, it is like clouds opening and the sun rising. The hoarse sound of the piano is like a lost goose, emitting a bitter cry in the dark night. The sour tone is the continuation of Hu Er's Oedipus voice. The poem suddenly breaks off at this point, recalling the scene when Wenji and Hu'er said goodbye. It echoes the sound of Cai Nu's piano in the first paragraph, and the use of young wild geese as a metaphor for Hu'er makes people feel the sadness of the piano sound. The next two sentences introduce natural scenery to contrast the great charm of the sound of the piano. The sound of the piano echoes, the rivers are stagnated by it, the birds stop chirping, and everything in the world is moved by the sound of the piano. This is exactly "connecting with the gods". The river will never be really quiet, and the birds will never stop chirping. It is just because the sound of the piano captivates the listener. It is "overwhelming and filling the ears". There is only the sound of the piano. The poet went on to point out that Dong Da's playing of the piano was not only beautiful, he could also perfectly convey the charm of the music. If you listen carefully, you will find that the sobbing sound is full of the sorrowful feeling of a foreign land like Princess Wusun of the Han Dynasty who traveled to a foreign country, or Princess Wencheng of the Tang Dynasty who traveled far away from the dust to Luosuo. This is very consistent with Cai Nv's mood when she created "Hujia Nong".

It is not until the following four sentences of "Secret Sound" that the poet describes the sound of the piano from a positive perspective, and uses many vivid metaphors. "Youyin" is a deep sound, but once the tone changes, it suddenly "floats". Sometimes it's like "long wind blowing in the forest", sometimes it's like rain hitting the roof tiles, sometimes it's like spring water rushing down the treetops, sometimes it's like a wild deer running down the hall and making a chirping sound. It is light, melodious and endlessly changing, making the listener enchanted.

In this section, the poet is eloquent and hearty, expressing the scene of Dong Da playing "Hu Jia Nong" from different angles. Due to Dong Da's superb skills, the rich charm of Cai Nu's "Eighteen Pai" was fully reflected. The poet's admiration for Dong Da is self-evident. The last four sentences are about "lending a house to others". In Chang'an, the imperial capital of the Tang Dynasty, the imperial palace faced south and faced north. The left and right sides of the imperial palace were divided into two provinces: Menxia and Zhongshu. "Phoenix Pond" refers to Zhongshu Province, and Qingsuo Gate is the gate of Menxia Province. It is the important position of the minister in the matter. The poem does not mention people, but people are among them, and it also hints at its close palaces and enviable official positions. Finally, the poem ends with a hymn of praise. Fang Guan is not only talented, but also does not value fame and wealth, and is aloof and free. Such an expert is looking forward to you carrying the piano away day and night. It also implies that Dong Tinglan was lucky enough to meet a close friend. As for the poet's appreciation of Dong Datan's "Hujia Nong" and his vivid description, it is natural that he must have a close friend.

This poem is related to three aspects-Dong Tinglan, Cai Yan and Fang Guan. To write about Dong Tinglan's skills, we should write about his performance of "Hujia Nong". When writing "Hujia Nong", it is naturally related to Cai Yan, not only to her creation, but also to her life experience, experience and the special environment in which she lives. The characteristic of the whole poem is that it skillfully combines acting skills, the sound of the piano, the historical background, and the emotions of historical figures reproduced by the sound of the piano. The writing style is vertical and horizontal, and it is in the sky, underground, history, and the present. It is both thorough and meticulous yet natural. In the end, the implicit praise of Fang Guishi not only congratulates Dong Tinglan, but also expresses a little admiration of the author. Although Li Qi had resigned from office a long time ago, he had not forgotten his love affair with the eunuch. He very much hoped to meet a close friend and show off his skills.

"Listening to Master Ying Playing the Qin" by Han Yu, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, is vivid and vivid, with a strange feeling:

Children and daughters speak affectionately, and you share your grudges and grudges.

Suddenly the situation became tense and the warriors went to the enemy's field.

Floating clouds and willow catkins have no roots, and the sky and the earth are vast and far away.

A flock of birds chirped noisily, and suddenly a lone phoenix was seen.

If you can't reach the upper limit, you will lose your strength and plummet.

I have two ears to sigh, but I don’t know how to listen to the silk bamboo.

After hearing Master Ying play, he got up and sat aside.

Pushing the hand to stop suddenly, wet clothes and tears.

You are sincere and capable, but you can’t put ice and charcoal in my intestines.

The whole poem starts from the beginning of the performance and ends with the end of the sound of the piano. The poet first used a variety of techniques to depict the image of music, and then he wrote about the effects of the music, using his own profound feelings of restlessness, tears, and icy coal to illustrate the touching power of music. The depiction of the image provides the basis for the description of the effect, and the description of the effect proves the authenticity and credibility of the depiction of the image. The two do their best, interact with each other, and complement each other.

Joy, fear, sorrow, sudden changes, mixed feelings, indescribable, this is what Han Yu felt when he listened to Master Ying playing the piano. After reading the whole poem, Master Ying's superb piano skills can be heard and heard.

The whole poem is divided into two parts. The first ten lines are a direct copy of the sound. The beginning of the sentence is unusual. It does not mention the person who plays the piano, nor does it explain the time and place of playing the piano. Instead, it sticks to the word "listening" in the title, goes straight to the point, and introduces the reader to the wonderful realm of music. The sound of the piano rises up, soft and fine, as if children are whispering and expressing their feelings to each other while rubbing their ears together. There are some scolding sounds mixed in, which is just an informal way to express your love for each other. Just as the listener is immersed in the tender and sweet atmosphere, the sound of the piano suddenly becomes high-spirited and exciting, just like a brave soldier waving his arms and leaping horse into the enemy camp, showing extraordinary momentum. Then the sound of the piano changed from hard to soft, rising and reverberating. Just like after a bloody battle, the enemy atmosphere has been wiped out. At this time, the sky is clear, the wind is gentle, a few white clouds are floating in the distance, and a few catkins are swaying nearby. They are floating uncertainly, if they are there or not, It's elusive, but it makes people think. The artistic conception displayed by the sound of the piano is lofty and vast, making people feel that the sky is far away and endless.

Suddenly, hundreds of birds chirped in unison, and the peaceful environment was replaced by a noisy scene. Among the birds, a phoenix was raised high and sang loudly. "If you can't climb high enough, you will lose your strength and plummet." This arrogant phoenix, unwilling to be associated with ordinary birds, was determined to make progress and suffered a lot of climbing, but in the end it still fell, and it fell so fast and miserably. In addition to using vivid metaphors to show the ups and downs of the sound of the piano, there seems to be another sustenance here. Connected with the following sentences such as "wet clothes and tears", it is likely to contain the poet's lament about his own situation. He wrote several memorials to analyze the gains and losses of political affairs, hoping that the authorities would be alert, eliminate the shortcomings, and work hard to govern. However, he was repeatedly criticized, and he could not help but feel a sense of anger and injustice in his heart. The sentence "wet clothes" is quite similar to "Jiangzhou Sima's green clothes are wet" in Bai Juyi's "Pipa Xing", except that the latter is expressed more directly and openly.

The last eight sentences describe your own feelings and reactions when listening to the piano, highlighting the beauty of the piano sound from the side. The two sentences "域yu" are words of self-effacement, indicating that one does not understand music and cannot fully understand its mysteries. Despite this, I was still deeply moved by Master Ying's music. First I felt restless, and then I burst into tears, which soaked my clothes and kept dripping. This kind of strong emotional stimulation was really unbearable, so I pushed my hands to stop it and couldn't bear to listen. The last two sentences further exaggerate Master Ying's superb piano skills. Ice and coal are not the same furnace, but Master Ying's piano music can lead people to a paradise of joy at one moment, and throw people into a hell of misery at the same time. It is like throwing ice and coal into the listener's chest at the same time, making people unable to withstand this kind of emotional torment. Violent fluctuations.

The whole poem rises and falls like the tide of the Qiantang River, with turbulent waves, layer upon layer, and endless changes. The first couplet and the second couplet, and even the upper and lower sentences, have great ups and downs. For example, the first couplet "Intimate children's words, grudges and grudges between you" is written with the soft sound of the piano, full of harmonious tones, and there is a line in the middle. The word "resentment" makes the waves rise steeply and the gestures are full of gestures. The meaning of intimacy is stronger and it is full of life.

Another example is that the first couplet is compared to the love of children, and the second couplet is intended to be heroic. These are two completely different voices, one soft and one strong, forming a disparate situation. If the third couplet changes again, from hard to soft, it will easily overlap with the first couplet. While realizing this ups and downs, the poet opened up another new realm. It is lofty, vast, peaceful and pure, which is in sharp contrast to the intimate and personal feelings of the first couplet. The voice it displays is also different from the first couplet. Similarly, one (the first couplet) is soft and fine, which is purely a finger sound; the other (the three couplets) is melodious and melodious, which is the so-called overtone. Although both are relatively soft, they have their own characteristics, accurately reflecting the rapid changes in the sound of the piano.

Most of the poems written to music have made use of the synaesthesia function of the human five senses to transform sounds that are difficult to capture into visual images that are easier to feel. This poem imitates the sound in a subtle way and has a clear image, but it does not stick to the skin and flesh, so it appears elegant, ethereal, and mellow. The outstanding performance is: while copying the rhythm of the sound, he pays great attention to exploring the emotion contained in it. A good piano sound can be both pleasing to the ear and pleasing to the heart, and can empathize with one's emotions. A good piano sound can not only depict the sound, but also "paint emotions" and "paint aspirations", and describe the situations expressed by the piano sound one by one. While imitating the sounds, the poems may express the tenderness of children, imitate heroic ambitions, be full of attachment to nature, or contain otherworldly thoughts and sadness of hardships, etc., all of which reveal profound emotions. affection.

Han Yu is a very creative literary giant. When he wrote poems and essays, he was able to get rid of restraints and find his own way. This poem is unique in both the setting and the wording. It shows readers two major realms in terms of creating realms: one is the realm within the music, that is, the situation composed of the sound and rhythm of the music; the other is the realm outside the music, that is, the realm where the music sounds in the listener (poet) the response received from oneself). The two are also separated and combined, just like shadow and form. This makes the artistic conception of the whole poem appear profound, meaningful and affectionate. Based on the choice of words and expressions, many of the poems are novel and appropriate, carefully polished and highly contagious. For example, the first two sentences rhyme with a thin tone. The words "女" and "语" in them have similar sounds to "er" and "ru", which makes it a bit convoluted to read. This peculiar phonological arrangement is exactly suitable for expressing the entangled mood between children. Later, when the high-spirited and exciting piano sounds are written, the Hong rhyme "ang", "chang", "yang", "huang", etc. are used instead. These all accurately express the emotions of the player and the impression of the listener. In addition, the interlaced use of five-character and seven-character poems coordinates with the rapid and intermittent sound of the piano, which also greatly enhances the expressive power of the poem. And so on, it is clearly shown that the poet is ingenious and does not stick to the rules and ink, but all the words are written in an orderly manner and each performs his own duties. The so-called "hard words, appropriate and powerful" is actually a major feature of Han Yu's poetic language.

Su Shi, a great writer in the Song Dynasty, highly appreciated Han Yu's poem. He said: "Ouyang Wenzhonggong once asked Yu: 'Which of the qin poems is the best?' He replied that the best is to listen to Master Ying's qin poems. The Duke said: 'This poem is the most beautiful, but it is not to listen to the qin, but to listen to the pipa.' Yu Shenranzhi. Jian'an Zhangzhi's husband was good at playing pipa, so he didn't compose the lyrics for a long time, so he took some of the words he left behind and added them to the rhythm."

The following is the lyrics of "Shui Tiao Ge Tou" that Dongpo adapted from "Listening to Master Ying Playing the Piano":

? The children are talking to each other, and the lights are dimly lit at night. Gratitudes and grievances come and go, and you cry in harmony with a snap of your fingers. Suddenly he became a mighty warrior, and he was so full of energy that he never left a trace for thousands of miles. Looking back at dusk, the clouds are far away, and the flying catkins disturb the blue sky.

? Among all the birds, the truly colorful phoenix alone does not sing. There are many dangers in climbing up every step, and you will find nothing but lightness when you fall. The wind and rain between Fanzi's fingers put ice and charcoal in my intestines, making me unable to sit upright. I pushed my hands back and fell in love with you without tears.

Through association, Su Shi uses images to describe different styles of music in the upper column. From the soft and charming at the beginning, it instantly becomes majestic and high-spirited, and then returns to the melodious and far-reaching; in the lower column, he compares the music itself. First, it is the same. The contrast between the complex sounds and the clear sounds within time, and the second, the contrast between the ups and downs of the music at different times, coupled with my own emotions, give the whole poem a different artistic charm from the original.

The lyrics are written first and the music begins to sound, as if a young man and woman were whispering intimately under the dim light of a quiet night, talking about love and hate, and going back and forth. "Fingertips Tears Harmony" is the last line, and the playing begins, with a soft and plaintive tone. In the three lines of "Sudden Change", the melody is written from low to high, just like a soldier galloping on the battlefield under the sound of drums, unstoppable. The two sentences "Looking back" at the end use scenery to describe sounds and emotions, and visualize the music to give people a sense of ethereal and remoteness. "Looking back at the twilight clouds" is reminiscent of Wang Wei's "Looking back at the Eagle Shooting Point, thousands of miles away from the twilight clouds" of the soldiers. It is also connected with the "Arrogant Warriors" mentioned above, stringing together independent musical fragments. White clouds and catkins float, appearing and disappearing, sometimes far and sometimes near, elusive but intriguing.

Then came the commotion of hundreds of birds, the bright spring scenery accompanied by the sound of chirping, but the colorful phoenix did not sing. It is written here that the phoenix does not cry, which has a special effect of "blank space" and also points out a profound philosophy: the true meaning is never eye-catching with words. After that, the sound of the piano suddenly rises to a high pitch, twists and turns, and the tune turns difficult, as if walking into a steep cliff, climbing with feet and hands, and it takes a lot of effort to move forward even an inch. When he was struggling, the sound suddenly dropped, as if plummeting, falling into the abyss, and the string sound stopped abruptly. At this point, the poet has indeed used language to vividly reproduce the musician's superb playing skills. The last five sentences reflect the emotional excitement of the listener and the touching artistic effect produced by successful playing. "Wind and rain between fingers", the writer is so skilled that he can stir up wind and rain; "Ice charcoal in the intestines", writes about the deep feeling of the listener, with sudden cold and scorching heat in the intestines; and "fanzi", "put me in trouble" "" and other words closely connect the two parties. The sound was so shocking that it not only made people restless, but also was simply unbearable. As I cried continuously, there were no more tears to shed. "Pushing the Hand Back" describes the luthier's action of pushing the qin away after playing, and also hints at the poet's feelings of retreat. "Without tears to lean on you" shows the depression in the poet's intestines at this time. Compared with the "wet clothes and tears pouring down" in the original poem, it is more subtle and deeper. Although there are no tears, it expresses his mood better. of depression.

It is difficult to capture and describe the beauty of music that appeals to hearing and lacks the distinctness and certainty of spatial images. But the poet is skillful in using examples. He uses natural and life phenomena such as men and women talking about love, warriors shouting for advancement, floating evening clouds and flying catkins, birds singing in harmony, climbing high and dangerous steps, etc., to try his best to imitate the ups and downs of the sound rhythm. and changes to convey the emotional tone and content of the music. This series of metaphors with rich meanings transforms abstraction into concreteness, and transforms syllable combinations that appeal to hearing into vivid images that appeal to vision. It is not difficult to evoke an analogous association, thus creating a touching appeal. Later, from the perspective of music effects, we will further describe the high level of playing skills and the exquisiteness of pen and ink. It can be said that it has the same spirit and spirit as Korean poetry.

Su Shi's "implicit inclusion" of this poem is to cut and change Han Yu's poem "Listening to Master Ying Playing the Qin" into music and lyrics. Although the overall concept and some wonderful descriptions of the Korean poem are retained, it also It shows its own creativity in content, form and the combination of the two, thus giving this word a new artistic life and unique aesthetic value.