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12. Cranes Cry from the Nine Marshbanks
- Standard tuning:2 5 6 1 2 3 5 6 played as 1 2 4 5 6 1 2
鶴鳴九皋 1
He Ming Jiugao
   
A poem in the Xiao Ya section of the Shi Jing (Book of Poetry) begins, "Cranes Cry from the Nine Marshbanks and their voices are heard in Heaven".
4 However, the lyrics with the Taigu Yiyin version are not from the Shi Jing; they are also not in the Yuefu Shiji. Their repetitious and colloquial nature suggests they might be quite late.

This title survives in nine handbooks, from the He Ming Jiugao that is #31 in Zhu Quan's Shen Qi Mi Pu (1425) to the one in Qin Shu Daquan (1590).5 All melodies are related. Only Shen Qi Mi Pu, Taigu Yiyin (1511) and Taiyin Buyi (1557) have commentary. The latter says that Zhu Quan "amended Cranes Calling from Nine Marshbanks to illustrate the beauty of qin sounds."

Taigu Yiyin indicates section breaks in this melody only through the use of circles in the tablature. These are unnumbered and irregular in length. The lyrics are thematically similar but completely different from those in Fengxuan Xuanpin (1539), the only other surviving version with lyrics.

 
Original preface (Preliminary translation)6

As for the melody Nine Marshbanks, it comes from the (Book of) Poetry. Its words are lofty, its music is joyful. The (famous) lines, "Cranes Cry from the Nine Marshbanks and their voices are heard in Heaven," say that (these cries) do not stop there in the wilderness. Nevertheless, cry out and it doesn't come, give a long call and it hastens down, roaming in the hidden feelings of midnight. Its movement is rhythmic, its call is controlled. White clothing (feathers?) mix with black, jerking about or standing still in the clear wind under a white moon: all from this the melody describes it. How can such cracked and withered sounds be like this?

 
Music and Lyrics: Nine sections (Preliminary translation)
Lyrical phrases, irregular in length, continue throughout without repeat
7

1.
The wilderness is broad, autumn grand; the wind and dew are making the sound xiao xiao.
The chilly wind and dew are making the sound xiao xiao
The waters are distant, the riverbanks are remote.

2.
Alas! There is a crane, a crane standing in a dip between banks, calling for its colleagues;
calling colleagues, calling colleagues, again calling colleagues.
Preening snowy feathers, thinking it wants to ascend into the mist.
Stopping, deathly cold bones stand as a clear symbol.
Body clean and no dust and clamor.
Whirling leisurely high in the distant autumn sky.
The top cinnabar sand seems newly roasted.
Clothing, dark clothing, put on frosty feathers,
often with the leader together going all around.

3.
Feast at the jade pond, dance enjoying the divine immortal's laughter.
a long life without age, fluttering together then suddenly coming here,
so that towards people wander the edge of the pond.
Silver flowers of one color, and it is hard to have worries.

4.
Spreading and flying together before the wind, fluttering straight upwards in one move.
Whirling in distant snow flakes, entering the cloudy mist.
One sound clearly crying out, penetrating the nine heavens.
One sound clearly crying out, moreover moving the heavenly immortals.
The birds go to the head, the birds become immortals,
settling all the species first years.

In one move traversing the nine heavens,
the natural substances are not accidental,
not so accidental, increasing essential spirit, again essential spirit.
Laugh at supernatural powers, again supernatural powers.
Turning over in the mind and asking life's sad clarity.
Heavenly immortals' jade talismans, how can they be used lightly?

5.
Alas, the cranes call from the nine marshbanks,
crying brightly, the sounds heard in heaven.
Crying, crying, brightly, brightly, the sounds heard in heaven.
Crying brightly, the sounds heard while roaming the four seas.
Again returning to heaven, returning to heaven,
returning to heaven, again returning to heaven.
Alas, cranes call from the nine marshbanks,
crying brightly, the sounds heard in the wilderness.
Crying, crying, brightly, brightly, the sounds heard in the wilderness.
Crying brightly, the sounds are heard, crying, crying, "li", "li".
Cranes, cranes, wandering the four seas.
Returning, again returning to heaven,
returning to heaven, returning to heaven, again returning to heaven.
Forever they accompany the immortals' 1,000-year lives.

6.
Mornings wander the southern depths, wander the southern depths.
Evenings stand on hoary wu trees, (stand on hoary wu trees.)
Wander among the Eight Caves, in greeting dance and flutter,
in greeting dance with palace immortals.
Soar in the clouds, soar in the wind, soar 10,000 li, soar and soar.
Soar, soar 8,000 feet in height;
so high, so high, again so high,
a long time following the celestial path and coming down to Penglai.

7.
Dance in the clear wind, roost in a hoary pine,
look at the bright moon, call to the layered cliffs.
Think of the heavenly pool, recall the moon goddess,
gather on the clear jade terrace, together gather on the clear jade terrace.
Raise feathers up to the clear vastness, and visit the third terrace.

8.
Distant soaring, crossing the Great Void's clarity.
The nine mists are resplendent, in a gentle breeze they fly high;
the nine mists are pure, twittering "li, li", in a high voice they call.
Whirling and whirling, spinning and spinning,
spinning and whirling for nine revolutions around the heavenly palace.
Holding the basic nature's true essence,
clasping spiritual transformation and longevity.

(9.)8
A splendid silk cap of cinnabar, twirling feathers and wings flapping lightly.
The arranged clouds secrete and pour out red nectar,
offered to the goddess of heaven in a visit to the jade emperor.
Flying and flying, soaring and soaring,
ride the hazy colored clouds, mount the smoky brightness.
I come to masters cultivating themselves vastness;
forever wandering in the autumn sky.

10.
Cranes, immortal cranes, I am about to, like the masters, come to a stop.
Pass through Penglai, go out through the Hole in the Sky,
then the Mysterious Orchards and as far as the Blue Fields.

Closing harmonics
I am about to, like the Masters, develop feathers and ascend into heaven.

 
Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a separate page)

1. He Ming Jiugao 鶴鳴九皋
48157.155-59 has various He Ming... references, but none to He Ming Jiu Gao. 173.389 jiu gao refers to the Shi Jing passage, but has nothing about music or qin.
(Return)
2. Tuning and mode
Taigu Yiyin does not group melodies by tuning or mode.
(Return)
4. Cranes Cry from the Nine Marshbanks ("鶴鳴于九皋,聲聞于天" Mao #184)0
This begins the second of the two verses. The first verse begins, "Cranes cry from the nine marshbanks, their voices are heard in the wilderness...."
(Return)
5. Tracing He Ming Jiu Gao
See chart based on Zha Fuxi's Guide (5/51/72).
(Return)
6. Original preface
Original Chinese not yet online.
(Return)
7. Original lyrics
One section division is added here (section 9). The original lyrics are as follows:

1
野闊秋高,風露正瀟瀟,淒然風露正瀟瀟。
水迢迢,江皋洲渚遙遙。

2
噫嘻,有鶴有鶴,立汀坳,呼其曹;
呼曹,呼曹,復呼曹。
整雪翮,思欲上青霄。
停停兮瘐骨立清標,
體潔淨兮而無塵囂。
飄然意閑兮,悠悠秋天高。
頂中丹砂如新燒。
衣玄裳兮披霜毛,
常與甲子同週遭。

3
宴瑤池,舞樂神仙之笑,
長生不老,聯翩乎暫來茲,
以向人間遊汀沼。
銀花一色,亦難尋討。

4
展趐風前,縱一舉之翩翩。
飄遙雪片,入雲煙。
一聲清唳兮徹九天。
一聲清唳兮多感呼神仙。
禽之首,禽之仙,
奪眾類之先年。

一舉兮遍乎九天,
天生斯物非偶然,
非其偶然,益精神兮,復精神。
啞通靈兮復通靈。
展轉聞其生悽清。
神仙瑞,豈可以輕?

5
噫嘻,鶴明九皋,
嘹亮兮, 聲聞于天。
嘹嘹亮亮兮, 聲聞于天。
嘹亮聲聞兮,遨遊四海。
復歸于天,歸天,歸天,復歸天。
噫嘻,鶴明九皋,
嘹亮兮,聲聞于野。
嘹嘹亮亮兮,聲聞于野。
嘹亮聲聞兮,嘹嘹嚦嚦也。
鶴兮,鶴兮,遨遊四海。
歸來兮,復歸于天,
歸天,歸天,復歸天。
永陪仙子之千年。

6
朝遊南溟,遊南溟也兮,
暮立蒼梧,(立蒼梧)也兮。
遊乎八洞之間,揖舞翩遷,
揖舞朝仙。
翔兮雲,翔兮風,,翔萬里,翱翔兮也。
翔兮,翔千仞之高,
高哉,高哉,復高哉。
昔從華表下蓬萊。

7
舞清風兮,棲蒼松,
望明月兮,鳴層崖。
思天池,憶素娥,
會乎瑤臺,共會乎瑤臺。
舉翮上清溟,而朝三台。

8
悠悠颺颺,凌太空之青青。
九霄燦兮,拂拂兮高飛,
九霄淨兮,哳嚦嚦乎高鳴。(口拆?)
週將週,旋將旋,
旋週九轉呼天庭。
含元氣之真精,
包神化而長生。

(9)
赫綸巾之丹,搖羽翅兮翽翽之輕。
斟雲液兮,而酌瓊漿,
奉王母兮而朝玉皇。
翱兮翱,翔兮翔,
馭霞彩,駕煙光。
吾之子修修乎之渺茫,
吾之子永消遙乎旻蒼。

10
鶴矣,鶴仙矣,吾將隨子兮,之留連。
歷蓬壺,出洞天,
就玄圃,而迢乎藍天。

Closing harmonics
吾將隨子羽化而昇天。 (Return)


8. A new section should probably begin here.
(Return)

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