The Zhongshan boy relies on his new makeup, while Zheng’s daughter Yanji is good at playing alone. ——Li Mengyang of the Ming Dynasty, "Yuan Xi in Bianjing" A child in Zhongshan relies on his new makeup, while Yanji, the daughter of Zheng, is good at playing alone. A child in Zhongshan relies on his new makeup, while Yanji, the daughter of Zheng, is the only one who excels in the field.
Singing together at King Xian’s Chun Yue Mansion, the moon outside the Golden Liang Bridge is like frost. Lantern Festival, Zaju Performance Translation and Notes
Translation
The actors from Zhongshan have bright costumes, while the female concubines from Zheng Yan have superb skills.
They came to Bianjing from different places. They all sang the script written by King Zhou Xian. They sang and performed from day to night. When the moon came out, the silver light poured out, as if a layer of frost had been spread on the ground of the Golden Beam Bridge. The lights on earth and the bright moon in the sky complement each other, creating an unprecedented spectacle. Creation Background Appreciation
This poem was written by the author when he was watching the grand occasion of the Lantern Festival in Bianjing. The scene of singing on a moonlit night is described with wonderful imagery, which is very vivid and has a leisurely charm. There is no positive description of the singing in the whole poem, but every sentence is related to the singing. In the euphemistic wording, the singing is expressed in a very moving way.
The first two sentences of this poem start with the appearance of actors from all over the world. First, we write about the young men in the north - the "Zhongshan Boys". These young men selected to participate in singing are already handsome, and then they put on fashionable new clothes and dress up to become even more handsome. Let's talk about the northern women - "Zheng Nu Yanji". Of course, these women who participated in the singing were also selected beauties. They were better than everyone else and overwhelmed the audience. Both the Zhongshan boy and the Zheng Yan girl were good at performing operas, which illustrates the great spread of Zaju at that time. Although the first two sentences are intended to identify the singers, they are not purely objective introductions. The words "relying on new makeup" and "being good at the scene" in the poem should be intertextual, and the "relying on new makeup" in " The word "reliance" and the word "du" in "being good at playing alone" all imply a kind of competition with each other, competing for beauty and beauty. The mood of men and women is vividly expressed, that kind of warm, joyful and exciting scene, also highlighted. Although their singing has not yet been written about, people can imagine that the singing voices of these handsome men and beautiful women should be very beautiful. The young men and women vying to play the characters of King Zhou Xian also gave readers a good idea of ??the atmosphere in the drama industry at that time. It reflects from the side that Bianjing, as an ancient city, recovered from the disasters of the Jin and Yuan Dynasties and recuperated in the early Ming Dynasty, regaining its prosperity. Its folk customs are also revealed through these two sentences.
The third sentence is an expansion of the first two sentences. "Singing together at King Xian's Chun Yue Mansion" is the center of the whole poem. It finally touches on singing, mainly showing the situation when male and female voices sing together. However, the poem does not mention the singing voice. It only states that the form of singing is "singing in unison" and the content of the singing is "Xian Wang"'s "Chun Yuefu". According to "History of the Ming Dynasty: Biography of Kings", King Xian is Zhu Youdun, who is known as King Xian of Zhou in the world. He was good at poetry and painting, and was well versed in music. He was an influential Sanqu and dramatist in the early Ming Dynasty. He composed thirty-one plays, collectively named "Chengzhai Yuefu", and what is sung here is one of his Yuefu. The Yuefu of such a prominent and accomplished person is naturally very wonderful. Singing with male and female voices "singing together", the sound is not only grand, but also strong and soft, vigorous and crisp. The word "sing together" deliberately exaggerates the scene of Lantern Festival celebrations and the joy of all people. It gives the impression that the singing of the actors on the stage and the chorus of the audience off the stage are going on together. The scene must be extremely lively. This is still just a hint, there is no direct description of the singing voice, but it makes people feel like hearing its voice.
Until the last sentence, not only did I not write about the singing, but I started writing about the night scene outside the Jinliang Bridge next to the opera performance venue and the moonlight in the sky. "Golden Liang Bridge" is in Bianjing. Looking from the bridge, the bright moon is hanging in the sky, casting a frosty clear light, covering the entire Bianjing city with a thin veil, and the whole city becomes Hazy and profound, it shows even more moving charm. The coldness and tranquility of "the moon is like frost" does not seem to match the joyous and lively scene described above. However, this sentence is actually the poet's magical strokes. It uses light ink to set off strong colors, and the lingering rhyme and the aftertaste of the song are deeply loved. The beauty of the Tang Dynasty's Zhuzhi poems. At this time, the voices of the men and women singing "Chun Yue Fu" not only resounded throughout the city, but also became clearer in the moonlight, as if floating straight from the ground to the moon palace. In this sentence, the author uses the scenery to set off the sound. In the moonlight that appeals to vision, it secretly contains the singing that appeals to hearing. In this way, the singing seems to be "visualized", as if it can be seen and touched. It gives people a clear and profound impression. The author's ingenious arrangement makes the poem more mouth-watering at the end, with a meaningful flavor and endless charm.
Li Mengyang (1472-1530), whose courtesy name was Xianji and whose nickname was Kongtong, was of Han nationality and came from Anhua County, Qingyang Prefecture (now Qingcheng County, Gansu Province). He moved to Kaifeng and became a calligrapher and master of Yan Zhenqing’s brushwork. He is proficient in ancient Chinese poetry, advocating that "literature must be based on the Qin and Han Dynasties, and poetry must be based on the prosperous Tang Dynasty", emphasizing the retrospect. "Self-written Poems" learned from Yan Zhenqing, with a neat and rigorous structure, not following rules and regulations, and a strong academic spirit. He was a writer in the mid-Ming Dynasty and the leader of the first seven disciples of the Restoration School.
Li Mengyang The willow tree in front of the gate is not tied to the carved saddle. The jade face is lonely and the flowers are shy. The cold wind blows the rain after dusk. The colorful sleeves hold the jade bell diligently. Back then, I was so drunk that I was so beautiful. Lu Family *** Yujintang, petrels inhabit the tortoiseshell beams. The lonely lamp is full of thoughts and sorrow, and rolls up the curtains to look at the moonlit sky and sighs.
Beauty is like a flower in the clouds! Self-pity for more than fifteen years, color peach and plum red. The old man walked over the wall, and the old woman went out to see. The fishing girl by the pond follows her every day, and she comes to take a look in her makeup. Ximen Qin's daughter is as beautiful as a flower. Withered phoenixes and green willows have pale brows, while dew-stained yellow flowers have deep smiles. Why are the officials angry when they shout, and what pain is there when women cry. The white-headed palace maid is here, sitting around talking about Xuanzong. If you don’t believe that I have a broken heart, come back and look in front of a bright mirror. This is Jiangshang Village, Qingjiang. Who can look at the lonely boudoir? What a haggard person. There are many words of farewell and love, and a desire to fight, leaving traces of jade and pink face. The beautiful woman in the orchid tent is sleeping, wearing strange spring clothes and snow-covered flowers.