The charm of music lies in melody, but melody is invisible, intangible, and more difficult to describe than other things. Among the works of the Tang and Song Dynasties, some poems describing music are relatively famous, with unique writing methods and their own merits. The works describe sounds, shapes and effects from multiple angles, allowing us to feel the beauty of music.
Using metaphors to describe and render the characteristics of sounds can turn unfamiliar melodies into familiar sounds and make abstract sounds concrete and visual. For example, Li Bai's "Listening to the Shu Monk Playing the Qin" "Waving your hand for me is like listening to thousands of pines." This sentence positively describes the Shu monk playing the piano. "Waving" is the movement of playing the piano. Using the pine waves in thousands of mountains and valleys as a metaphor for the sound of the piano, it describes the clear, grand and far-reaching sound of the piano, sonorous and powerful.
Another example is Bai Juyi's "Pipa Play": "The big strings are noisy like the rain, and the small strings are like whispers. The noises are mixed, and the big and small beads are falling on the jade plate. The orioles are whispering at the bottom of the flowers. It's so slippery that it's hard to go under the ice. The icy spring is so cold that the sound never stops. There's no sound at all. The silver bottle breaks and the water bursts out, and the iron cavalry screams. Finally, draw carefully, and the sound of the four strings is like a crack of silk." From "The sound of the big strings is like a cracking of silk" to "The sound of the four strings is like a crack of silk", there are fourteen sentences, using the sound of rushing rain, whispers, and the sound of beads falling on a jade plate. , the sound of orioles, the sound of gulping springs, the sound of cracking silver bottles, the sound of swords and guns, and the sound of cracking silk are compared with the sound of pipa. Write it from fast to slow, to weak, to silent, to the sudden violent storm, and finally to the end. One stroke and it came to an abrupt end. The poet uses a series of vivid metaphors here to make the more abstract musical image suddenly become vivid. It makes the listener sometimes sad, sometimes soothing, sometimes refreshing, and sometimes shocking. Appropriate use of metaphors and sound metaphors makes the sound appear on the paper, allowing people to hear it and be immersed in the scene.
Synaesthesia is to communicate the feelings of different senses and cause sensory transfer through association, "writing feelings with feelings". "Synesthesia" will turn invisible sounds into visible things, allowing readers to "see" their sounds and remember them vividly. In synaesthesia, colors seem to have temperature, sounds seem to have images, and coldness and warmth seem to have weight.
For example, Li He's "Li Ping Konghou Yin" "Kunshan jade broken phoenix screams, hibiscus weeps and dew fragrant orchid smiles." These two sentences are full of music, and each has its own characteristics. "The broken jade phoenix of Kunshan screams", which is written in voice. Sometimes all the strings of the harp and harp sound in unison, making a noisy noise, like broken jade and a landslide, which makes people unable to distinguish it; sometimes a single string sounds alone, like the cry of a phoenix, vibrating the trees and stopping the moving clouds. "Jade Broken" refers to its clear and sweet sound; "Feng Ming" refers to its gentle and melodious sound. "The hibiscus weeps and the dew fragrant orchid laughs" uses synaesthesia to write sounds in form. The dewy hibiscus seems to be crying with tears, and the blooming orchid seems to be smiling with its mouth open. The poet uses "Hibiscus weeping dew" to describe the melancholy and depression of the piano sound, and "Fragrant Orchid Smiling" to show the beauty and joy of the piano sound. These descriptions turn hearing into vision, and can not only be heard, but also witnessed. It’s really wonderful to have both form and spirit.
Another example: Han Yu's "Listening to Master Ying Playing the Qin" "The affectionate words of children and grievances are between you. Suddenly it becomes high-spirited, and the warriors go to the enemy's field. The floating clouds and catkins have no roots, and the sky and the earth are vast and far away. . "The sound of the piano rose up, soft and fine, as if children were whispering and expressing their feelings to each other while rubbing their ears together. Suddenly, the sound of the piano suddenly became high-spirited and passionate, just like a brave soldier waving his arms and leaping horse and charging into the enemy's formation, 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 whole poem rises and falls like the tide of the Qiantang River, with turbulent waves, layer upon layer, and endless changes. It may show the affection of children, or imitate heroic spirit, or embody extraordinary and refined thoughts, or it may express the sadness of ups and downs, one is soft and one is strong, one is happy and one is sad, forming a situation of great disparity, making people feel The endless feeling of seeing the distant sky. Here, the musical sounds that appeal to hearing are transformed into moving pictures, making people immersed in the scene and feel the same.
Rendering is a method of side description, which uses rendering to set off the main object and make the things represented more vivid and prominent. In the description of music, scenery is often used to set off the atmosphere and express the touching effect of music.
For example, in Bai Juyi's "Pipa", "The boats in the east and west are silent, only the white moon in the autumn is seen in the heart of the river." The performance has ended, but the listener is still immersed in the realm of music, and there is silence all around. A bright moon is reflected in the water.
Another example is Li Bai's "Listening to the Sichuan Monk Playing the Qin", "Unexpectedly, the blue mountains are dusk, and the autumn clouds are so dark." The crisp and smooth sound of the piano gradually fades away, and the sound of the bells at dusk*** Ming, then realized that it was already getting late. After listening to the Shu monks playing the piano, the poet looked around. I don't know since when, the green mountains have been covered with a layer of twilight, and the gray autumn clouds overlap and fill the sky. It feels like time flies by so fast.
Another example is Su Shi's "Picking Mulberries: Encounter with Sun Juyuan at Duojinglou in Runzhou": "Stop the cup and listen to the pipa, and twist it gently. The drunken face is full of spring, and the river and sky are slanting with a touch of red." The concluding sentence of the poem, "The river and the sky are shining slantingly with a touch of red", is exactly the language of scenery. It can be regarded as a realistic representation of the "waning glow of the evening glow" at that time, and can also be regarded as a way to describe the "drunk face" of the Huqin girl, and its wonderful The key point lies in the "confusion that makes it interesting", which is elusive and makes people ponder over and over again.
"The river and the sky are shining red" is written. After the performance, the audience was still immersed in the aftertaste of the music. At this moment, there was a moment of tranquility. They only saw the setting sun slanting on the river, and the water and sky reflected the red light of the setting sun. From the side, it shows the wonderful and fascinating sound of the pipa, the music is endless but the rhyme is endless, the words are endless but the meaning is endless, leaving readers with a broad space for chanting and aftertaste.
Side description is like an "echo wall" that maps out the "voice" being described, allowing readers to savor its voice from "looking back". This effect cannot be achieved by direct description.
The poet uses imagination to bring readers into a vast, profound, magical and magnificent realm. The combination of virtual and real, complementary and non-complementary, creates an implicit and ethereal artistic realm.
For example, Li He's "Li Ping Kong Hou Yin" "Where Nuwa was refining stones to mend the sky, the stones shook the sky and made the autumn rain fall. In the dream, he went to the sacred mountain to teach the goddess, and the old fish danced with thin dragons. Wu Zhi stayed awake and leaned on the osmanthus. "Nu Wa is making stones to mend the sky, and the rocks are shaking the sky." The music spread to the sky, and Nu Wa, who was mending the sky, was so fascinated that she forgot her duties. The result was earth-shattering and the autumn rain poured down. This kind of imagination is so bold and extraordinary, unexpected and touching. The word "funny" closely links the powerful charm of music with the above-mentioned wonderful sights. Moreover, the scenes of earth-shattering and autumn rain can also be regarded as manifestations of musical images.
"I dreamed of entering the sacred mountain to teach the goddess, and the old fish danced on the thin dragon dance." The wonderful music came to the sacred mountain, and the goddess was also moved by it; the music was so profound that she even "The old fish dances the thin dragon dance." The poet uses the words "old" and "thin" to modify the fish and dragon, which seem to be flat and dry, but have completely opposite artistic effects, making the musical image more plump. The old fish and the thin dragon, who were originally weak and unable to move, actually jumped and danced along with the melody of the music. This unexpected image description made the invisible and beautiful sound of the harping sound appear in relief in front of the readers' eyes.
"Wu Zhi was sleepless and leaned on the osmanthus tree, flying wet cold rabbits with his feet exposed." To further illustrate: Wu Gang, who was cutting osmanthus all day long and exhausted, leaned on the osmanthus tree and stood there for a long time, forgetting Sleep; Jade Rabbit crouched aside, refusing to leave even though the late night dew kept falling on his body and soaked his sweater.
These beautiful images full of thoughts and feelings are deeply imprinted in the hearts of readers, just like the bright moon projected on the water, appearing deep and distant, intriguing and thought-provoking.
Using allusions to write music is to use some historical figures, myths and legends, fables, etc. to express wishes or emotions. It appears to be elegant, interesting, and subtle. It can make the language more concise, concise and concise, and the words are close and far-reaching. .
For example, the sentence "The guest's heart is washed by running water" in Li Bai's "Listening to the Sichuan Monk Playing the Qin" is literally said to mean that after listening to the Sichuan monk's playing the qin, one's heart feels as refreshed as if it had been washed by running water. Pleasure. But it also has a deeper meaning, which contains an ancient allusion, that is, the allusion of "high mountains and flowing water" in "Liezi Tangwen", which uses it to express the feeling of confidant established by the Shu monks and themselves through the medium of music. The five words "customer's heart is washed by running water" are implicit and natural. Although they are allusions, they are not difficult at all, which shows Li Bai's excellent language skills.
"The lingering sound of the frost bell" also uses classics. "Frost Bell" comes from "The Classic of Mountains and Seas·Zhongshan Jing": "Fengshan... there are nine bells, so we know the sound of frost." Guo Pu's note: "When frost falls, the bells ring, so it is known." The word "Frost Bell" It highlights the season and echoes the "darkness of autumn clouds" below. "The lingering sound enters the frost bell", which means that after the music stops, the lingering sound lasts for a long time, blending with the temple bells at dusk. This poem describes the symphony of the sound of the piano and the sound of the bell, and also contains the meaning of close friends.
Write about the audience’s subjective feelings and reactions when listening to the piano, and highlight the beauty of the piano sound from the side.
For example, Han Yu's "Listening to Master Ying Playing the Qin" "I groaned with two ears, but I didn't know how to listen to the silk bamboo. When I heard Master Ying playing, I got up and sat aside. I pushed my hands and stopped suddenly, and my clothes were wet with tears. "You are so sincere, but you can't put ice in my heart!" The two sentences "嗟我" are self-effacing words, indicating that I don't understand music and don't understand the mystery of it. 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 charcoal 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 charcoal into the listener's chest at the same time, making people unable to withstand this kind of emotional torment. Violent fluctuations.
The realm of music is, first, the realm within the music, the musical world composed of the sounds and rhythms of the music; the first is the realm outside the music, that is, the reaction of the music to the listener's own feelings. The two complement each other, making the artistic conception of the poem profound and meaningful. The poets used a variety of expression techniques to transform the sounds of nature, create the best songs in the world, and create a touching musical world for us. Let us walk into the music in ancient poetry and feel its infinite charm together.