Cai Yan, also known as Wenji and Zhaoji. The year of birth and death is unknown. A native of Yuxian County, Chenliu County, Eastern Han Dynasty, she was the daughter of Cai Yong, a great writer of Eastern Han Dynasty. She first married Wei Zhongdao. After her husband died, she returned to her home. Later, due to the invasion of the Huns, Cai Yan was kidnapped by King Zuoxian of the Huns. She married the Huns and gave birth to two sons. Twelve years later, Cao Cao unified the north, redeemed Cai Yan with a large sum of money, and married her to Dong Si. Cai Yan is also good at literature, music, and calligraphy. "Sui Shu·Jing Ji Zhi" records a volume of "Cai Wenji Collection", but it has been lost. The only works of Cai Wenji that can be seen now are two "Poems of Sorrow and Indignation" and "Eighteen Beats of Hujia". There are not many records of Cai Yan's deeds in history, but the story of "Wen Ji returning to the Han Dynasty" has been widely circulated in all dynasties.
Let’s enjoy Cai Wenji’s most famous poems and articles:
Eighteen Beats of Hu Jia
When I was born, I was inactive, but after I was born, the Han Dynasty declined. The heaven is unkind and brings chaos and separation, the earth is unkind and brings me to this moment. The roads are dangerous when fighting, and the people are in exile, and the country is sad. The smoke and dust cover the fields, barbarians are abundant, and the will and integrity are at a loss. It is not appropriate for me to deal with the secular world. Who should I sue if I suffer humiliation? The zither plays for a while, the harp plays, and no one knows the resentment in my heart.
Rong Jie forced me to become a family member and led me to the end of the world. Thousands of clouds and mountains are on my way home, and the wind is blowing thousands of miles away, and the dust and sand are flying. When there are many people, they are violent and fierce like adder; when they control strings and are covered with armor, they are arrogant and extravagant. The two beats are stretched and the strings are broken, the ambition is broken and the heart is broken, and I feel sad.
Crossing the Han Dynasty and entering the city of Hu, it would be better to lose one's family and lose one's virginity than to live without one. The felt fur is used as clothing and my flesh and bones are shocked, and the odor is used as a taste, which is in vain to contain my feelings. The sound of drums and drums has been rising since the night, and the roaring wind has made the camp dark. The sad feeling of Jin Xi was made three times, and when will the sorrow and hatred of Xi Xi be calmed down.
There is no day or night when I don’t think about my hometown. I am the most miserable when my temperament and energy are combined. The country is in chaos due to natural disasters and the people have no masters, but I am miserable and have no soldiers or captives. The world is different, the mind is different, the body is in trouble, the desires are different, who can talk to him! There are many difficulties and obstacles in thinking and going through it, and it becomes more and more miserable when the four shots are completed.
The geese marching south want to send side sounds, and the geese returning north want to get the Chinese sound. The wild geese fly high and are hard to find, and I feel empty and heartbroken, thinking about it. I raise my eyebrows towards the moon and caress the elegant harp, and the five beats are lulling and the meaning is profound.
The body is bitterly cold due to the biting frost, and I am hungry and unable to eat meat and cheese. At night the sound of the Long River is whimpering, and the road towards the Great Wall is long and winding. Reminiscing about the past, it is difficult to carry luggage, and the six beats are sad and I want to stop playing.
At dusk, the wind makes sad sounds everywhere, I don’t know who the sad heart is talking about! The wilderness is desolate and the beacons are garrisoned for thousands of miles. The old and weak are vulgar and the young and strong are beautiful. Wherever there are water and grass, homes and fortresses are built, and the fields are full of cattle and sheep, gathering like bees and ants. The grass has dried up and the water has dried up, the sheep and horses have all moved away, and Qipai Liu hates living here.
Since God has eyes, why not see me drifting alone? If God has a spirit, why should I be so far away from home? I don't live up to the sky. How can the sky be worthy of me? If I don't live up to God's will, why will God punish me by crossing the deserted state? I made eight beats here to relieve my worries, but I didn't know that when the song was completed, my heart turned to worry.
The sky is boundless and the earth is boundless, and I feel sad again. Life is fleeting, like the passing of a white horse, but I will not be happy until I am in my prime. I am resentful and want to ask the sky, but the sky is blue and there is no chance. Looking up at the clouds and smoke in the sky, who can convey the sentiments of the nine shots?
The beacon fire on the city wall has never been extinguished. When will the battle on the battlefield stop? Murderous aura rushes towards the door, and Hu Feng blows the moon every night. There is no sound in my hometown, and there is no sound when I cry. I will lose my breath. A life of hard work brings separation, and deep sorrow brings tears of blood.
I don’t want to eat life but hate death. I can’t sacrifice my body because my heart is full. If you are still alive, you still hope to return to your hometown. If you die, your bones will be buried for a long time. The sun lives in the moon, Zhu Xi lives in the military base, and the barbarians dote on me. I have two sons. If you cultivate it without shame, you will grow up with contempt. There are ten beats, and the sound of mourning is lingering and piercing the heart.
The east wind blows and there is a lot of heat. I know it is the emperor of the Han Dynasty who comes to Buyanghe. The Qiang and the barbarians are dancing and singing, the two countries are having fun and are not fighting. Suddenly I met an envoy from the Han Dynasty and called me Jinzhao. He left me a thousand gold coins to redeem my concubine. I am happy to be alive and meet the sage, but I regret to say goodbye to the childish child for no reason. Ten times out of ten, there are both sorrow and joy, but it is difficult to describe the two emotions.
It doesn’t matter that I have to live a long life, but I have to return home, caress my beard and put my clothes on it. The envoys of the Han Dynasty came to welcome me, and who knew the number of Hu'er? At this time of my life and death, I am worried about being a son and the sun will not shine. How can I have wings to bring you back? One step at a time, it's hard to move, the soul disappears and the shadow is gone, the love is left behind. Three times out of ten, the beat of the strings is urgent and sad, and the liver and intestines are stirred and stabbed. I don't know.
When I return to my country, I won’t let my children follow me, and my heart will be hung up as if I’m hungry. All things in the four seasons have their ups and downs, but my sorrow will not change for a while. The mountains are high and vast, so I can't wait to see you. Even late at night, I dream of you. When I hold my hand in the dream, I am happy and sad, and when I feel it, my heart aches and there is no rest. Four times out of ten, tears will fall down and the river will flow eastward, and my heart will be full of thoughts.
Fifteen beats, the rhythm is fast, and the breath fills the chest. Who knows the music? The place is in the dome of the hut and there are special customs. I am willing to come back, God will follow my desires, and I will be happy and contented to return to the Han Dynasty. My heart is pregnant but my sorrow becomes deeper. The sun and moon are selfless but never come. It’s no wonder that mother and son are separated. They are in the same sky and separated by the distance like ginseng. If we don’t know each other about life and death, where can we find them?
Sixteen-year-old Xi is thinking a lot, and my son and I are on separate sides. The sun in the east and the moon in the west look at each other, but we cannot follow each other. We are empty and heartbroken. I will never forget the day lily, but it will hurt my love to play the piano! Farewell now, I return to my hometown. Old grievances are settled, but new grievances are growing! Weeping blood, I raise my head and complain to the sky, Hu Weisheng is the only one who has suffered from this disaster!
Seventeen beats make my heart and nose sore, and the mountains are blocking the way to repair it, making it difficult to travel. When I left, I felt homely and careless, and when I came back, I was filled with thoughts of farewell. Stuffed with dried branches and leaves of mugwort, the bones of the battlefield are covered with scars from swords and arrows. The wind and frost are biting and the spring and summer are cold. The people and horses are hungry and their muscles are weak. Little did he know that when he entered Chang'an again, he sighed and burst into tears.
The original version of Hujia comes from Huzhong, and it has the same melody when translated by Yuanqin. Although the song ends in eighteen beats, the sound is lingering and the thoughts are endless. This is how we know that silk and bamboo are delicate and all the work of nature. Sadness and joy are all according to people's hearts. If they change, they will be normal. Hu and Han are in different lands and have different winds. The sky and the earth are separated by the west and the east. My bitterness and resentment are as vast as the sky. Although the heaven and earth are vast, I cannot tolerate them!
Wang Can’s ten most famous poems!