Pipa Xing
"Pipa Xing·Preface" by Bai Juyi
Original text
In the tenth year of Yuanhe, he moved to the left to Sima Jiujiang County. Next autumn, I will see off guests at Penpukou and hear someone playing the pipa in the boat at night. Listening to its sound, it sounds like the sound of Kyoto. Asked about the person, I was originally from Chang'an and advocated women. I tried to learn pipi from two talented people named Mu Cao. As she aged and lost beauty, she committed herself to being a wife of a noble lady. Then he ordered the wine envoy to play several songs quickly. After the song ended, he narrated the happy things in his childhood. Now he is drifting and haggard. He has been a disciple in the rivers and lakes for two years, and he has been in office for two years. He is peaceful and at peace. Thanks to the words of this person, he began to feel the intention of relegation in the evening. Because I gave him a long song, six hundred and twelve words long. The name is "Pipa Xing".
The Xunyang River sees off guests on the first night, and the maple leaves and flowers are rustling in autumn.
The master dismounted and was on the boat. He wanted to drink wine but there was no orchestra.
We will say goodbye sadly when we are too drunk. When we say goodbye, the vast river is soaked in the moon.
Suddenly I heard the sound of pipa playing on the water, and the host forgot to return the guest.
Looking for the sound, I secretly asked who was playing the pipa. The sound of the pipa stopped and I was too late to speak.
Moving the boat closer to invite us to meet each other, adding wine, turning back the lights, and re-opening the banquet.
After calling for a long time, he came out, still holding the pipa and half covering his face.
The three or two sounds of the strings being plucked by the rotating shaft indicate feelings before the tune is formed.
The strings muffle the sounds and thoughts, seeming to complain of failure in life.
The formalities of the letter were continued with a low eyebrow, telling all the infinite things in one’s heart.
Lightly gathered, slowly twisted and wiped, and then picked again, at first it was a colorful dress and then it was six pieces.
The big strings are noisy like the rain, and the small strings are like whispers.
Noisy and jumbled bullets, big and small beads falling onto the jade plate.
The orioles in Guan Guan are talking about the slippery bottom of the flower, and it is difficult to swallow the flowing spring under the ice.
The ice spring is cold and the strings are condensed, and the condensation will never pass and the sound gradually stops.
Don’t feel sad and resentful. Silence is better than sound at this time.
The silver bottle bursts out, and the water slurries burst out, and the cavalry stands out with swords and guns.
At the end of the song, the plucked strings are carefully stroked, and the four strings sound like cracking silk.
The east boat and the west boat were silent, except for the white autumn moon in the middle of the river.
While he was chanting and plucking strings, he straightened his clothes and tightened his features.
She said that she was originally a girl from the capital city, and her family lived under the Xia Toad Mausoleum.
On the 13th, he learned the pipa and became the first member of the teaching group.
Qu Ba often teaches talented people how to dress well and make up so that Qiu Niang is jealous of her.
When Wuling was young, he was struggling with his head, and there were countless red silk songs.
The silver grate on the tin head was smashed into pieces, and the bloody skirt was stained by wine.
This year’s laughter will bring back the next, and the autumn moon and spring breeze will pass easily.
My younger brother left to join the army, and my aunt died.
There are few cars and horses in front of the door, and the boss is married to a businessman.
Businessmen value profit over separation. The month before last, they went to Fuliang to buy tea.
Going back and forth to the mouth of the river to guard the empty boat, the moon is shining brightly around the boat, and the river is cold.
Late at night, I suddenly dreamed about my youth. I cried and cried, and my eyes were red with tears.
I sighed when I heard the pipa, and I sighed again when I heard the words.
We are both fallen people at the end of the world, so why should we have known each other before meeting.
I resigned from the Imperial Capital last year and was relegated to Xunyang City where I was sick.
There is no music in the remote place of Xunyang, and the sound of silk and bamboo is not heard all year round.
The land near the Huanjiang River is low and humid, and yellow reeds and bitter bamboos grow around the house.
In the meantime, I heard something at dawn and dusk. The cuckoo sang and the blood ape screamed.
When the flowers on the spring river face the autumn moonlit night, I often drink wine alone.
How can there be no folk songs and village flutes, which are hard to listen to?
Tonight I hear your pipa music, and my ears are temporarily bright as if I were listening to fairy music.
Mo Cigen sat down to play a piece of music and translated it into a pipa line for you.
I feel like I have been saying this for a long time, but sitting down makes the strings turn sharply.
The sad sound is not like the forward sound, and everyone in the house is crying after hearing it again.
Who cried the most in the audience? Jiangzhou Sima’s green shirt was wet.
Notes
1. Moving to the left: demoting an official.
2. Fan: ***.
3. Jianguan: Birdsong.
4. Xia Toad Tomb: Xiama Ling, near which is a gathering place of singing girls.
5. Qiuniang: the general name for singing girls.
6. Fighting: competing to give away property.
7. Tin-tou silver grate: an ornament on women’s heads.
8. Fuliang: Jingdezhen, Jiangxi.
9. vomiting and vomiting: describing a hoarse, messy and harsh voice.
10. Forward: just now.
11. Green shirt: Officials in the Tang Dynasty wore clothes of different colors according to their rank. Green shirt is the lowest level of clothing color.
12. 湓: (pén)
13. 谪: (zhé)
14. 荻: (dí)
15 , Cao: (cáo)
16. Grate: (bì)
17. Tin: (diàn)
Translation
Yuan In ten years, I was demoted to Jiujiang as a Sima. One night in the autumn of the second year, I was seeing off a friend at Penpukou and heard someone playing the pipa in the boat. The sound was tinkling and full of charm, very much like the capital city. After asking that person, I found out that she was originally a singer from Chang'an. She once learned to play pipa from two famous teachers, Cao and Mu. As she got older, her beauty declined, so she had to be the wife of a businessman. I ordered the wine to be served and let her play a few tunes happily.
She finished playing and was very sad. It describes the joyful scenes of youth; but now, wandering and haggard, wandering among the rivers and lakes! It has been two years since I was demoted from the capital. I feel calm and content with the status quo. After listening to her words, I felt the feeling of being relegated that night, so I wrote this long poem for her, totaling 612 words (actually the whole poem is 616 words). , called "Pipa Xing".
In the evening, I bid farewell to my friends by the Xunyang River. The maple leaves and flowers rustled in the autumn wind. The master dismounted and walked into his friend's boat. He picked up the wine and wanted to drink it, but there was no music to cheer him up. Drunk and miserable, we were about to say goodbye miserably. When we were about to say goodbye, the vast river was immersed in the bright moon. Suddenly I heard the sound of pipa floating on the water. The host forgot to go back, and the guest refused to get up.
Following the sound, I quietly asked who was playing the pipa. The sound of the pipa stopped. I wanted to speak but did not speak. Move closer to the ship and ask the person to meet you. Add wine, light the lamp, and serve a banquet. After repeated calls, she was willing to walk out of the cabin, still holding the pipa and covering half of her face. I turned the axle and plucked the strings two or three times. It was already full of emotion before it was played into a tune. Every string is sighing, every sound is meditating, as if it is telling a dissatisfied life experience. With lowered eyebrows, I continue to play and play with my hands, telling all the infinitely sad events. Gently gather it, slowly twist it, rub it and pick it up. At first, I played "Neon Shang", and then I played "Liu Mo". The thick strings were noisy, like a strong wind and rain, and the thin strings were slicing, so good. Like children whispering. The jade plate is covered with noisy noises and jumbles, big and small beads. The oriole at the bottom of the flower is buzzing in and out - how fluently it calls, and the spring water under the ice swallows quietly - how hard it flows! The running water froze, and also the strings of the pipa. The strings froze, and the sound temporarily stopped. In addition, it reveals a kind of sadness hidden deep in the heart. There is no sound at this time, but it is more exciting than the sound. Suddenly a silver bottle exploded, water slurry rushed in, and a group of iron cavalry suddenly appeared, with swords and guns roaring. After finishing playing the music, the plectrum was withdrawn and passed through the middle of the strings. The four strings made the same sound, as if tearing silk. The boats in the east and west were all quiet and no one was talking. Only an autumn moon could be seen shining like silver waves in the heart of the river.
He put down the plectrum hesitantly and inserted it into the string again. He straightened his clothes and stood up looking very respectful. She told: "She was originally a girl from the capital city, and her family lived near the Tomb of Xiabao. She learned the skill of playing the pipa at the age of thirteen, and her name was registered in the first section of the music studio. After playing the music, she won the praise of the music master. The compliments and dressing up often aroused the jealousy of Qiuniang. The young man from Wuling rushed to give gifts. In exchange for a song, he got countless pieces of Wu Ling and Shu brocade. Bloody skirt. Laugh this year, laugh next year, and spend many autumn nights and springs gently; my brother has joined the army, my aunt has bid farewell to this world, and the ruthless time has taken away the beautiful carriages and horses in front of the door. , more and more rare, married a businessman, and came here with him. The businessman only cares about profit, and he didn't care about separation. Last month, he went to Fuliang to buy tea and do business, leaving me alone in this empty place. In the cabin, the moonlight surrounding the boat was as white as frost, and the river was so cold. In the middle of the night, I suddenly dreamed about the past of my youth, and my face was filled with tears. I woke up even more sad..."
I heard. He already sighed after hearing the sound of the pipa, and became even more embarrassed after hearing these words. The same frustrated people wandering far away meet each other. It doesn't matter if they didn't know each other before! I have been ill since I bid farewell to the capital last year and was demoted to Xunyang. Xunyang is a desolate and remote place, where there is no music, and no orchestral music can be heard all year round. I live near the Huanjiang River, which is low-lying and humid. There are some yellow reeds and bitter bamboos growing around the yard. What do you hear here in the morning and evening? Apart from the cuckoo's cry, there is only the mournful cry of the ape. In the spring morning and the autumn moonlit night, I bring out the wine, but I often drink it by myself. Could it be that there are no folk songs? No village flute either? Wow, that voice is really ugly! After listening to the music you played on the pipa tonight, it was like listening to the fairy music from the sky, and my ears suddenly became clear. Don't say goodbye. Please sit down and play another piece of music. I will compose the lyrics for you. The title is "Pipa Xing".
After listening to my words, he stood for a long time, sat down again and plucked the strings more quickly. It was so sad and so unlike the voice just now that the whole audience couldn't help but cry. Which one of them cries the saddest? Jiangzhou Sima's tears soaked his blue shirt!
Commentary
In this poem, the poet strives to create the image of the pipa girl, which profoundly reflects the tragic fate of musicians and artists who were insulted and damaged in feudal society. , expressing the feeling of "we are all fallen people at the end of the world". The beginning of the poem is "Send off guests on an autumn night", "suddenly heard" the "pipa sound", then "searched for the sound", "asked secretly", "moved the boat" and "invited to meet", after "thousands of calls", and then the singer He came out with his face half-covered. This reverberating and tortuous description lays the foundation for the theme of "The End of the World".
Then it describes the pipa girl playing music to reveal her inner world. First, the "affectionate" part of the "unfinished melody", and then the "string strings" and "sounds and thoughts", tell the story of "failure in life" and "infinite things in the heart", showing the ups and downs of the pipa girl's heart.
Then it goes on to write about the pipa girl's personal life experience: in those days, her skills were taught to "good talents", her appearance was "made up so that Qiu Niang was jealous of her", Kyoto teenagers "struggled over her head", "I don't know how to sing a song of red silk" number".
However, as time goes by, "the beauty comes and goes", and in the end she has no choice but to "marry a business woman". This description of resentment, admiration, and crying complements each other with her playing and singing above, completing the creation of the image of the pipa girl.
In the end, the poet's emotional waves were excited by the fate of the Pipa girl, and he sighed, "We are both fallen people at the end of the world, why should we have known each other before we meet", expressing the feelings of sympathy for the same illness and the same voice. The poetry has a bright rhyme, reflecting each step and embellished everywhere.
It is both endless and focused on the theme. It is like the surging tide of a river, with ups and downs and endless waves. Reciting it repeatedly will sway people's minds and have infinite emotions. The language is sonorous and the metaphorical images are used. "Like heavy rain", "like a whisper", "water slurry bursting out", "swords and guns ringing", "beads falling on a jade plate", "orioles whispering at the bottom of flowers". Reading it feels like hearing its voice and being there.