Tang poetry? Dance of the Seven Virtues? Bai Juyi
? "Dance of the Seven Virtues - Beauty Diverts Chaos, King Chen Ye" [1]
"Dance of the Seven Virtues", "Song of Seven Virtues" was passed down from Wude to Yuanhe[2].
Bai Juyi, a junior minister of Yuanhe, knew how happy he was by watching dances and listening to songs.
In the 18th year of Taizong's reign, he raised righteous soldiers, and Bai Yan and Huang Yue secured the two capitals[4].
Capture Chong and kill Dou, the world will be clear, and four of the twenty will be accomplished [5].
Nine out of twenty is the throne, and five out of thirty is peace.
The success of the theory is so fast, the speed is to convince people's hearts[6].
The remains of the dead soldiers were scattered and collected in silk, and the hungry people sold their sons to pay for the ransom [7].
Wei Zheng dreamed that he was crying at midnight, and Zhang Jin sadly heard that he was crying at midnight[8].
Three thousand resentful women were released from the palace, and four hundred prisoners on death row returned to prison[9].
After cutting off his beard and burning medicine to reward the meritorious officials, Li Ji sobbed and thought of committing suicide[10].
He sucked the blood and caressed the soldiers, while Simo screamed and begged for death [11].
Then you know that when you are good at fighting and riding well, you can touch everyone's hearts with your heart [12].
You have been here for one hundred and ninety years, and the world is still singing and dancing.
Singing the seven virtues, dancing the seven virtues, the saint’s works are endless[13].
It’s not just about showing off your divine skills, nor is it just about boasting about the sacred writings[14].
Taizong's intention was to reveal Wang's industry, but the difficulties of Wang's industry were revealed to his descendants.
Reference notes:
[1] Qide Dance: The name of Tang music and dance. In the seventh year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty personally produced the "Broken Formation Music and Dance Picture", and later ordered Wei Zheng, Yu Shinan and others to reform it. Lyrics, officially renamed "Seven Virtues Dance".
"Seven Virtues" comes from "Zuo Zhuan. "Xuan Gong Twelve Years", that is, seven things: prohibiting violence, fighting troops, protecting the country, establishing meritorious service, calming the people, harmonizing the people, and increasing wealth.
To bring order out of chaos: to restore normalcy and stability to troubled times. Chen Wangye: State the emperor's achievements.
[2] Wude to Yuanhe: Wude is the reign name of Emperor Gaozu Li Yuan of the Tang Dynasty, and Yuanhe is the reign name of Emperor Xianzong of the Tang Dynasty.
[3] Jishou: ancient etiquette: the worshiper must kneel down, hold his left hand against his right hand, and support it on the ground. Then, he slowly kowtows to the ground and stays for a long time, with his hands in front of his knees and his head behind his hands. , this is the most important etiquette among the "nine prayers". It is generally used for courtiers to pay homage to the king and to worship ancestors.
[4] Bai Yan Huang Yue Ding Liang Jing: Yan: (mao) a kind of flag, made of yak tail and tied to the head of the flag. Yue: (yue) ancient weapon, made of bronze or iron, shaped like an ax but larger. Two capitals: Luoyang and Chang'an.
[5] Capture Chong and kill Dou Sihaiqing: "Chong" refers to Wang Shichong. "Dou" refers to Dou Jiande.
[6] Theorem: political stability. To confide one's heart to others: To give one's sincere heart to others is a metaphor for treating others sincerely.
[7] Collection of scattered remains of dead soldiers: In the early years of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty ordered that the remains of all those who died in the war be collected and buried after sacrifice; because he could not bear to have them scattered and unburied, additional ones were added later. An order was issued that the government would give cloth and silk as a reward to anyone who collected and buried the ownerless corpses.
Redeem the sold children and return them to their parents.
[8] Wei Zheng dreamed of crying at midnight: Minister Wei Zheng was critically ill, and Taizong was worried about his condition. He dreamed in the middle of the night that Wei Zheng came to say goodbye, so he woke up and couldn't help crying.
Zhang Jin cried sadly when he heard that Chen Ri: Another wise minister Zhang Gongjin passed away, and Taizong personally attended to the funeral. He couldn't help but feel sad. A secretary said: The sun is now in the Chen position. According to the taboo of yin and yang, it is unlucky to cry. . Taizong said: The relationship between our monarch and his ministers is as deep as that of father and son. My grief comes from my heart, no matter what time it is!
[9] Three thousand resentful women are released from the palace: A resentful woman refers to a woman of marriageable age who has no partner. "Mencius, His Majesty King Hui of Liang": "There are no resentful women inside, and no unruly husbands outside."
Taizong once said to his courtiers: I pity the maids in the palace who live in seclusion in the palace, and now let them leave. Palace, find a good match to marry! So he ordered his ministers to select thousands of palace ladies and let them go home.
Four hundred prisoners on death row returned to prison: In the sixth year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong personally managed the prison and finally determined that nearly 400 prisoners should be sentenced to death. However, Taizong felt compassion and let them return to their hometowns, asking them to come back next fall for execution. In the autumn of the following year, all four hundred prisoners returned and no one escaped, so Taizong ordered them to be pardoned.
[10] Cutting beards and burning medicine to give meritorious officials, Li Ji sobbed and thought of killing himself: Taizong personally went to war in his early years and had a deep relationship with the generals. General Li Ji was ill for a long time and could not be cured. The doctor told him to burn dragon beards to make a medicine, so Taizong cut off his beard himself. After Li Ji took the medicine, his condition improved. He was so moved that he choked and asked to kill himself in return.
[11] Sucking blood to caress the soldiers, Simo begged for death: General Li Simo was injured by an arrow in the battle of Liaodong. Taizong was afraid that he would be poisoned, so he helped him suck blood. Li Simo raised his arms and shouted his wishes. All the officers and soldiers were moved when they heard that he had sacrificed his life to serve his life.
[12] Chengshi: take advantage of the opportunity; take advantage of the trend.
[13] Chui Wuji: spread forever.
[14] Holy texts: articles and classics left by saints, the emperor’s literary virtues.
Reference translation:
"Dance of the Seven Virtues" and "Song of the Seven Virtues" were circulated from the Wude period of Emperor Gaozu to the Yuanhe period. Bai Juyi, a minor official during the Yuanhe period, experienced the profound meaning of music and dance when watching it. After the music ended, he kowtowed and recounted the story in the music and dance:
Emperor Taizong led the army of justice at the age of eighteen. He personally held Bai Yan and Huang Yue and led an army to capture the two capitals; he captured Wang Shichong alive and killed Dou Jiande, clearing out the separatist forces in the country and bringing peace to the world. When Taizong was twenty-four years old, he accomplished the great feat of unifying the world. He ascended the throne as emperor at the age of twenty-nine. At the age of thirty-five, the country was strong and the world was at peace. Why was Taizong able to pacify the troubled times and pacify the people so quickly? The reason is that he can be honest with others and treat them sincerely.
He took out cloth to collect the remains of fallen soldiers for burial, and used large sums of money to redeem his children who had been sold by the hungry people. In the dream, he cried bitterly after bidding farewell to his good minister Wei Zheng. The good minister Zhang Gongjin passed away, and Taizong personally attended the funeral and cried bitterly. Three thousand palace maids of marriageable age were released from the palace and asked to find good marriage partners. Let the four hundred prisoners return gratefully and not one of them escape. He cut his own beard and burned it into medicine and gave it to the heroes. General Li Ji was so grateful that he wanted to kill himself in return. He personally sucked the dirty blood from the arrow wound to comfort the soldiers. General Li Simo was moved and shouted for him to die in repayment.
Emperor Taizong was not only good at fighting but also good at adapting to the weather. He moved people with his sincerity and made people's hearts return. One hundred and ninety years have passed since then, and people all over the world are still singing and dancing to commemorate Emperor Taizong's deeds. Singing the "Song of the Seven Virtues" and dancing the "Dance of the Seven Virtues", the music and dance composed by the Holy Master will be passed down forever and serve as an endless model for future generations. Is it just to show off your martial prowess and virtue? The purpose of Emperor Taizong passing down this music and dance was to tell his descendants about the emperor's deeds and achievements, and to pass on the difficulties of founding a country and governing the world to his descendants, as an eternal model!
Explanation and appreciation:
Author: Bai Juyi (772-846 AD), also known as Letian, was a great poet of the Mid-Tang Dynasty after Li Bai. His poems are approachable and clear. It is smooth, and there is a saying that "an old woman can understand it".
The period when he was active was after the Anshi Rebellion. At that time, the Tang Dynasty had entered a period of decline, with constant party disputes between the DPRK and China, frequent wars in various places, and people's lives in misery. He believes that articles should be combined with world conditions and reflect people's livelihood, so he has a large number of narrative poems, whose vivid storylines and characters are a major feature, including dozens of works about music and dance.
Bai Juyi worshiped gods and Buddhas. In his later years, he lived in Xiangshan Temple in Luoyang and called himself "Xiangshan layman". During this period, he also fasted with more than 80 believers, praying to be reincarnated in the Buddhist world of Maitreya in the next life. He even left a vow: when the Buddha comes to this world, he will follow Ci, go through tribulations, and achieve countless things. Take the right path. His works also reflect many implications of Buddhist practice and education.
In terms of content, this poem should have been written during the Yuanhe period of Emperor Xianzong of the Tang Dynasty (AD 805-820). Bai Juyi was inspired by this poem after watching "Dance of Seven Virtues".
"Seven Virtues Dance" originated from "The Music of King Qin Breaking the Formation" and is the most famous large-scale comprehensive palace music and dance in the Tang Dynasty that integrates singing, dancing and music. It was developed based on the original military song "Breaking Formation Music" in the early Tang Dynasty. In the seventh year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty personally produced the "Broken Formation Music and Dance Picture", and ordered Wei Zheng, Yu Shinan and others to rewrite the lyrics and officially rename it "Seven Virtues Dance". After nearly two hundred years of circulation, the national power of the Tang Dynasty has been greatly inferior to that of the prosperous Tang Dynasty. The music and dance that Bai Juyi enjoyed at that time may not be as grand and vigorous as they were back then, but judging from the text, it still retains its profound cultural meaning. The whole poem describes It reflects the literary and martial arts of Taizong of the Tang Dynasty throughout his life, and the core lies in Taizong's virtue and touching people with his heart.
At the beginning of the article, Bai Juyi used a word: "Ji Shou". Jishou is an ancient etiquette. The worshiper must kneel down, press his left hand on his right hand, and support it on the ground. Then, he slowly kowtows to the ground and stays for a long time. His hands are in front of his knees and his head is behind his hands. This is the etiquette of kneeling and worshiping: "Nine Bows." The most important etiquette. It is mainly used for the etiquette of ministers visiting the king and worshiping ancestors.
After watching the music and dance left by the Holy King, Bai Juyi couldn't help but kowtow and tell the story of the music and dance:
Taizong treated people with sincerity, took cloth to collect the bones of the fallen soldiers, and used He used money to redeem his children who were sold by the hungry people, cried bitterly after bidding farewell to Wei Zheng in his dream, resettled the resentful palace maids, released the condemned prisoners to go home so that they could return to prison automatically, burned his own beard to make medicine for his ministers... The words and deeds of the Holy Lord should be for future generations. Infinite examples do not just boast about themselves.
Bai Juyi finally realized: Taizong’s purpose of passing down this song and dance was to tell future generations about the difficulties of founding and governing the country, and to spread the teachings of the holy king to the world. He saw the teachings of the Holy King in the "Seven Virtues Dance", so he bowed his head in fear.
The basic concepts of Chinese music and dance are also reflected in the whole poem. Classical music and dance show the epitome of history and the examples left by the saint kings to their descendants. Behind the traditional Chinese classical music and dance are Its profound historical connotation has profound cultural heritage and educational effect.