"Pipa Tour" by Bai Juyi of the Tang Dynasty
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 board the boat. He wanted to drink wine, but there was no orchestra. It's too late to be drunk and happy to say goodbye. 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 home.
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. Move the boat closer to invite us to meet each other, add wine, turn back the lights, and resume the banquet. After calling for thousands of times, he came out, still holding the pipa and half covering his face. There are three or two sounds of the strings being plucked by the rotating shaft, and there is emotion before the tune is formed. The strings muffle the sounds and thoughts, seeming to complain of a life of failure.
The formalities of the letter were continued with a low eyebrow, telling all the infinite things in one’s heart. Lightly gathered together, slowly twisted and wiped, then picked again, first "Neon Shang" and later "Liu Yao". The big strings are noisy like the rain, and the small strings are like whispers. The bullets are noisy and mixed, and big and small beads fall on the jade plate. The orioles in Guan Guan are talking about the slippery bottom of the flowers, and it is difficult to go under the ice of the Youyan Spring. The ice spring is cold and the strings are condensed, and the condensation will never pass the sound for a while. Don't worry and hate yourself. Silence is better than sound at this time. The silver vase was broken, water slurry burst out, and the cavalry stood out with swords and guns. At the end of the song, the plucked strings are carefully drawn, and the four strings sound like cracking silk. The east boat and the west boat were silent, only the white autumn moon could be seen in the middle of the river.
While chanting and plucking the strings, I straightened my clothes and gathered my features. She said that she was originally a girl from the capital city, and her family lived under the tomb of shrimp. At the age of 13, he learned the pipa successfully and became the first member of the teaching group. Qu Ba once taught good people how to dress well, and Qiu Niang was always jealous of her makeup. The young people in Wuling are struggling with their heads, and there are countless red silk songs. The silver grate on the tin head was broken 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, so I went to see you in the morning. There are few horses and pommels in front of the house, and the boss is married to a businessman. Businessmen value profit over separation. The month before last, they went to Fuliang to buy tea. We go to and from the mouth of the river to guard empty boats, and when we go around the boats, the moon shines brightly on the river, and the water 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 playing, and I groaned 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? I resigned from the imperial capital last year and was relegated to Xunyang City where I was sick. There is no music in Xunyang, a remote place, and the sound of silk and bamboo is not heard all year round. I live near the Huanjiang River, where the land is low and humid, and yellow reeds and bitter bamboos grow around my house. What did you hear during the day and night? The cuckoo cries and the blood ape moans. On a spring river with flowers facing the autumn moonlight, I often drink wine alone while drinking. Are there no folk songs and village flutes? It's hard to listen to the vomiting and muttering. Tonight, hearing your pipa music makes my ears suddenly bright as if listening to fairy music. Mo Cigeng sat down to play a song and translated it for you, "Pipa Xing". I feel that I have been saying this for a long time, but sitting down makes the strings turn sharply. It's so sad that it's not like the forward sound, and everyone in the house weeps when they hear it again. Who among you cried the most? Jiangzhou Sima's green shirt is wet.
Translation:
On an autumn night, I went to see off a returning guest at the head of the Xunyang River. The cold wind blew the autumn leaves and reed flowers rustling. My guests and I dismounted and held a farewell banquet on the boat. We raised our glasses to drink, but the music did not entertain us. I was not happy after drinking the wine and was even more sad that I was about to say goodbye. When I said goodbye, the bright moon was reflected in the vast river at night. Suddenly I heard the crisp sound of pipa playing on the river; I forgot about the returning guests and didn't want to leave.
Look for the source of the sound and ask who is playing the pipa? The pipa stopped for a long time but there was no movement. We moved the boat closer and invited her to come out to meet her; we asked the servants to add wine, put back the lights, and start the banquet again. After calling her out for a long time, she walked out slowly, still holding the pipa in her arms and half covering her face. I tightened the piano shaft and plucked the strings to play a few test sounds; before the tune was formed, the shape was very sentimental. The sad and sad voice of Xianxian implies deep contemplation; it seems to be telling her life's frustration.
She lowered her head and played continuously, using the sound of the piano to tell all the infinite memories in her heart. Gather it gently, twist it slowly, apply it for a while, and pick it for a while. The first performance was "The Song of Colorful Feather Clothes" and then the "Liu Yao". The big string is loud, long and noisy like a storm; the small string is gentle and quiet, like someone whispering. The noisy sounds are intertwined with each other; like big beads and small beads falling from a jade plate in a string. The sound of the pipa is sometimes like the smooth and smooth sound of birds singing under the flowers, and sometimes it is like the deep, low and intermittent sound of water flowing under the ice. It was as if the sound of the pipa played by the cold water in the spring began to condense, and the condensed and unsmooth sound gradually stopped. It's like another kind of sadness and hatred is secretly growing; at this time, the silence is more moving than the sound.
Suddenly it was like a silver bottle breaking and water splashing everywhere; it was also like armored cavalry fighting with swords and guns. At the end of the song, she aimed at the center of the strings and plucked them; the fourth string made a roar that seemed to tear the fabric. People on the east and west boats listened quietly; they saw the white autumn moon reflected in the middle of the river.
She pondered, put away the pick and inserted it into the strings; she straightened her clothes and still showed a solemn face. She said that I used to be a famous singer in the capital; my hometown lived in Xia Tooling, southeast of Chang'an City. I learned how to play the pipa at the age of thirteen; my name was listed in the first team of the Jiaofang Orchestra. Every time she plays a song, she is impressed by the art masters; every time she puts on makeup, she is jealous of her fellow singers. The rich and powerful children of Kyoto rushed to present gifts; after playing a song, they collected countless red ribbons. The silver grate on the tin head is often broken and smashed; the red skirt is stained by wine stains, but I don't regret it.
Year after year is spent laughing and playing; the beautiful time from autumn to spring is wasted in vain. My brother joined the army, the old bustard died, and the family fortune has been ruined; as the evening passes and the court comes, I gradually grow older and lose appearance. There are fewer cars and horses in front of the door and fewer visitors; my youth is gone and I have no choice but to marry a businessman. Businessmen who value profits rather than love often leave easily; last month he went to Fuliang to do tea business. He left and left me alone to guard the empty boat at the river mouth; the autumn moon accompanied me around the cabin, and the autumn water was cold. Late at night, I often dream of having fun and reveling in my youth; I wake up crying in my dreams, staining my pink face with tears. I had already shaken my head and sighed when I heard Pipa's sobs; and hearing her words made me even more miserable.
We are both miserable people who have fallen to the end of the world; why should we ask if we have known each other before when we meet today?
Since I left the bustling capital of Chang'an last year, I was demoted to live by the Xunyang River and often fell ill. Xunyang is a desolate and remote place with no music; no orchestral instruments can be heard all year round. Living in a low-lying and humid place in the Huanjiang River, the house is surrounded by yellow reeds and bitter bamboos. What can you hear here sooner or later? It's all the sad cries of cuckoos and monkeys.
Please don’t refuse to sit down and play another song; I want to compose a new poem for you, "Pipa Song". Moved by my words, she stood for a long time; turned around, sat down, and tightened the strings to make an urgent sound. The mournful sound was no longer the same as before; everyone present covered their faces and cried non-stop. I, Sima Jiangzhou, am soaked in my blue shirt with tears! I, Sima Jiangzhou, am soaked in my blue shirt with tears!
Extended information:
"Pipa Xing" is one of the long Yuefu poems by the Tang Dynasty poet Bai Juyi. It was written in the eleventh year of Yuanhe (816). By describing the pipa girl's superb playing skills and her unfortunate experiences, this poem exposes unreasonable phenomena such as bureaucratic corruption, poor people's livelihood, and buried talents in feudal society. It expresses the poet's deep sympathy for her, and also expresses the poet's innocence towards himself. Resentment at being demoted.
"Pipa" creates two characters. In the living environment of the mid-Tang Dynasty when the commercial economy was developed and the cities were abnormally prosperous, and in the political background of mutual strife and treacherous career paths at that time, the image of the pipa girl and the image of the poet both had their typical realistic significance. This poem uses image analogy to compare the sadness, indignation, misfortunes and other aspects between the two people, and finally merges them into one, thus inferring the conclusion that both artistic images have lamented that their talents were not appreciated and they were reduced to the end of the world. Image analogy, lyrical expression of ambition, full of strong artistic appeal.
About the author:
Bai Juyi (772-846), whose courtesy name was Letian, also known as Xiangshan Jushi, and Mr. Zuiyin, was originally from Taiyuan, Shanxi, and moved to Xiagui when his great-grandfather , born in Xinzheng, Henan. He was a great realist poet in the Tang Dynasty and one of the three major poets in the Tang Dynasty. Bai Juyi and Yuan Zhen jointly advocated the New Yuefu Movement, known as "Yuan Bai" in the world, and "Liu Bai" together with Liu Yuxi.
Bai Juyi's poetry has a wide range of themes, diverse forms, and simple and popular language. He is known as the "Poetry Demon" and the "Poetry King". He became a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy and a doctor of Zuo Zanshan. In 846 AD, Bai Juyi died in Luoyang and was buried in Xiangshan. There is "Bai's Changqing Collection" handed down from generation to generation, and his representative poems include "Song of Everlasting Sorrow", "Charcoal Seller", "Pipa Play" and so on.
Reference: Baidu Encyclopedia-Pipa Xing