Rhapsody on Playing the Qin

This section consists of excerpts from the Rhapsody on the Qin (comments) by Xi Kang (223 - 262). However, some of these are quite altered from the complete original text as included in Qinshu Daquan, Folio 18 (V.386), discussed further here. Tbe text here also adds four text commentaries (音釋 Yinshi) not in the original text. These are as follows:

峻 (jun)，高也。嶽，五嶽也，英蕤梧桐蒼翠之色。旻蒼，天也。
㳙子 (Xuanzi): 任命，齊人也。隱逸之士。錯，雜也，犀象琴輪鴈足之類。藉（子夜切）翠綠琴薦、琴囊之屬。
委蛇，音限移，自得之貌。
摟，音婁。....

Published translations include:

Van Gulik, Hsi K'ang and his Poetic Essay on the Lute; and
Knechtges, Wen Xuan III, p.279ff The excerpts continue through the fourth column on QQJC I/81 bottom. Here they are given largely as they occur in the text at right. "...." indicates passages skipped. Some but not all of the differences in characters are indicated in brackets. "The original" means "this original Chinese text" and "VG#" gives the section # number in Van Gulik's translation.

The first excerpt gives a good idea of the textual differences. It contains verses one, three and four of a poem near the beginning (VG3) of the standard text of Qin Fu, but a character is omitted form eacher phrase, so that here the structure is (6+6)x3, as follows,

緊椅桐之所生，託峻岳之崇圖。....
含天地之醇和，吸日月之休光。
鬱紛紜以獨茂，飛英蕤於昊蒼。....

Continuing with the QQJC I/81 text, after the first yinshi it continues (original; VG4),

其山川形勢，則盤紆隱璘，磪嵬岑嵒。丹崔巉巖，.... 青壁萬尋。若乃.... 春蘭被其東，沙棠植其西。涓子宅其陽，玉醴涌其前。玄雲蔭其上，翔鸞集其巔。.... 乃斲孫枝，准量所任。至人攄思，制為雅琴。錯以犀象，籍以翠綠。....

Then after the second yinshi the text here continues (compare original; VG9),

絃以園客之絲，徽以鍾山之玉。爰有龍鳳之象，古人之形。伯牙揮手，鍾期聽聲。華容灼爚，發采揚明。（何其麗也！）伶倫比律，田連操張。進御君子，新聲憀亮。（何其偉也！）及其初調，則角羽俱起，宮徵相證。參發並趣，上下累應。....

(Skip to [VG12]) 若乃高軒飛觀，廣夏閑房；冬夜肅清，朝月垂光。新衣翠粲，纓徽流芳。於是器洽絃調，心閑手敏。觸換如雲，唯意所擬。初涉淥水，中奏清徵。....拊絃安歌，新聲代起。....

(Skip to [VG14]) （雅曲）向闌....改韻易調，（音）弄乃發。.... 或徘徊顧慕，擁鬱抑按。盤桓毓養，從容秘翫。牢落凌厲，布濩半散。.... 英聲發越，采采粲粲。.... 穆溫柔以怡懌，婉順敘而委蛇。

Here, having skipped to the middle of (this section [VG16], there is the third yinshi, then text continues

或乘險（授）會，邀隙（趍）危。譻若離鵾鳴清池，翼若游鴻翔曾崖。....或摟、批、擽、捋、縹、繚、潎、冽。

Then here just before the next section (VG17), there is the final yinshi. Then in the middle of v17 the final extracts begin,

遠而聽之，若鸞鳳和鳴戲雲中；迫而察之，若衆葩敷榮曜春風。....
(VG19)若次其曲引所（宜），則《廣陵》《止息》，《東武》《太山》，《飛龍》《鹿鳴》，《鵾雞》《游弦》。更唱迭奏，聲若自然。....下逮謠俗，蔡氏五曲。王昭楚妃，千里別鶴。.... （淪）其體勢，詳其風聲。器和故響逸，張急故聲清。間遼故音庳，絃長故徽鳴。性絜靜以端理，含至德之和平。誠可以感盪心志，而發洩幽情（也）。

This ends the excerpts, omitting everything from here on.

Go to Part 3 or return to the Folio 4 ToC

Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a separate page)

1. 太音大全集 Taiyin Daquanji Folio 4, Part 2 (QQJC 30 Volume edition I/81-88; QF/75)
See the Comment on the different editions.
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2. Explanations by translator
See comments concerning the structure of the original text.
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