Yu Ge, Ruibin tuning
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Zheyin  ToC   Melody of the Fisherman's Song   Standard tuning Yu Ge   Yu Ge Scroll 聽錄音 My recording/transcription / 首頁 
09. Fisherman's Song ("Ao Ai")
- Ruibin mode,2 from standard tuning raise the 5th string: 2 3 5 6 1 2 3 		漁歌 ("欸乃") 1
Yu Ge
  From the Shanghai Museum: Wu Zhen, The Fisherman 3  
The earliest surviving version of the present melody (today more commonly called "Ao Ai" or "Ao Ai Ge", an onomatopoeic representation of sounds made by fishermen4) occurs in Zheyin Shizi Qinpu (<1505), where it follows the short song Yuge Diao (Fisherman's Song Melody). This Yuge Diao is a setting to music of a poem called Yu Weng (The Old Fisherman). Yu Weng is by the famous poet Liu Zongyuan (Liu Zihou, 773-819), and apparently for this reason the melody Yu Ge has also often been attributed to him.5

In fact, there are two Fisherman's Songs, the present one using the raised fifth string tuning (tonal center 6 [la], secondarily on 3 [mi], but in many passages the tonal center changes to 1 [do] and 5 [sol]), and another using standard tuning (zhi mode, tonal centers 5 and 2 [re]). Both remain in the current repertoire, the standard tuning one still called Yu Ge. There are over 30 published versions of each,6 with most having 18 sections.7

In addition, there are also many recordings of the standard tuning Yu Ge (for example there are 10 listed here) as well as of the raised fifth Yu Ge now called Ai Nai (though just 2 of these are listed here). Within each tuning all melodies are clearly related, though there are also very significant differences.8

Both the Yu Ge (Ao Ai) using ruibin tuning and the Yu Ge using standard tuning survive in about 35 handbooks, the former from >1505 to 1876, the latter from 1525 to 1910. The earliest handbook with the standard tuning Yu Ge, Xilutang Qintong,9 is also the first handbook to call the ruibin version Ao Ai as well as the first one (of 10) to have versions with both tunings. It attributes its standard tuning Yu Ge to the late Song dynasty qin master Mao Minzhong, but this attribution is generally not repeated in later handbooks.

Commentary on Ao Ai Ge in at least two handbooks, Chuncaotang Qinpu (1744) and Erxiang Qinpu (1833), begins by saying that it is commonly called the "northern Yu Ge"; the writers then suggest this is a mistake, Erxiang Qinpu explaining that Ao Ai is pentatonic (5 tone scale) and Yu Ge is diatonic (7 tone scale).10 This is not actually true of these two versions, but several other factors also suggest that the ruibin tuning Yu Ge should be considered a southern counterpart to the standard tuning northern one. Section titles and lyrics of the present ruibin version associate it with the south (Chu), whereas the Xilutang Qintong standard tuning version has section titles with associations to the region around Jiangsu's Lake Taihu. In addition, other melodies with one of the raised fifth tunings are often associated with Hunan and the ancient kingdom of Chu.11 And Liu Zongyuan spent years of exile in Hunan.12

My recording of the Yu Ge in Zheyin Shizi Qinpu shows some rather exotic modality in the second part of Section 14, following a comment that says these are "oar sounds".13 First there is a passage which has the repeated sequences 1 3 4 3 4 6 4 3, very much like a Japanese scale. The phrase ends on repeated intervals of a diminished ninth chord (3 and 4) and the following phrase then ends with a strong cadence on another diminished ninth (6 and 7 flat). I interpret the flatted 7 as leading strongly into the next passage, which begins on 6 (the tonic).

As mentioned in Tuning the Qin, early qin music includes quite a few passages which don't fit into the modality expected today. This is perhaps the most idiosyncratic passage. At first when I encountered it I was quite convinced there was a mistake (the sample page shows some actual mistakes from that page), and I tried to get myself to "correct" it; but the more I tried, the more I kept coming back to these fanciful dissonances. For me they work.

 
Zheyin Shizi Qinpu preface

Zheyin groups this with the preceding piece, Yuge Diao, and so it has no separate preface.14

 
Music15
Timings follow the recording on my CD; 聽錄音 listen with my transcription.
Compare with my video recording and new transcription (links there also to my video of the sung prelude).
18 Sections, titled; lyrics throughout (see with tentative translation) but not sung on my recording.
This Illustrated Yu Ge Scroll has 18 images connected to the standard tuning Yu Ge.

00.00   1. Clouds over the Xiao and Xiang rivers
01.08   2. The autumn river shines like a ribbon of white silk cloth
01.51   3. Autumn thoughts by Dongting lake
02.16   4. Mist and waves on the Chu and Xiang
02.54   5. A brilliant moon in the broad firmament
03.30   6. The fishermen's songs echo back and forth
04.29   7. Wild geese call "yan yan"
05.01   8. An evening alongside the western cliffs
05.27   9. The fishermen sing in the evening
06.23   10. Drunkenly lying among the rushes
07.07   11. Evening rain on an overgrown lattice window
07.33   12. Leaves fall from the wutong tree
08.00   13. At dawn drawing water from the Xiang river
08.30   14. The fishermen in boats row their oars
09.04   15. Casting a net into the cool river
09.45   16. The sun comes out, dissolving the mists
10.12   17. The sound "ao ai" (oars splashing)
10.29   18. High mountains and long rivers.
10.49       Closing harmonics
11.02       End

Return to the Zheyin Shizi Qinpu index or to the Guqin ToC.

 
Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a separate page)

1. Yu Ge 漁歌
18588.87 "song sung by a fisherman"; 18589.88 漁歌子，Yu Gezi 詞牌名 name of a ci song poem pattern connected to a poem by Tang poet 張志和 Zhang Zhihe (730-782).
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2. Ruibin mode 蕤賓調
1=do, 2=re, etc.; in my transcription do is written as c, but the exact pitch depends on such things as the size and quality of the instrument and strings. For more information about 蕤賓調 ruibin mode see Shenpin Ruibin Yi. For modes in general see Modality in Early Ming Qin Tablature.
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3. Wu Zhen (1280-1354): The Fisherman 吳鎮，漁父圖
At top is an excerpt from the Shanghai Museum website, but currently this webpage has the copy shown below (expand) of the full painting from the Shanghai Museum, together with images from the painting on this same theme, also attributed to Wu Zhen, in the Freer Gallery, Washington, D.C., adding commentary comparing the two.
In contrast, the 18 titles and poetic text (lyrics?) of the standard tuning Yu Ge discussed on this page are less focused on the fisherman himself and more focused on the surrounding scenery. Given that the title of the first section of this standard tuning version is Clouds over the Xiao and Xiang Rivers, perhaps a scroll related to that topic could be used here. See, for example, 瀟湘八景 Eight Views of the Xiao and Xiang Rivers).
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4. The title "Ao Ai" or "Ai Nai" instead of "Yu Ge"
These syllables perhaps represent a fisherman's call rather than song, though perhaps fishermen would call out these words in a songlike manner. References include:

I have not heard sound samples of these syllables being called out.
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5. Liu Zongyuan, the Old Fisherman 柳宗元，漁翁
Liu Zongyuan was also called 柳子厚 Liu Zihou. Melodic settings of his poem, which survive in 12 handbooks up to Meian Qinpu (1931), are discussed under Yu Ge Diao. Xu Jian, Qinshi Chubian, p.75 discusses the connection between Yu Ge Diao and Ao Ai. Some handbooks also attribute Ao Ai itself to Liu, while some later ones even attribute to him the zhi mode Yu Ge.
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6. Tracing Yu Ge and Ao Ai
For details see appendix below. For printed and punctuated copies of prefaces, etc., see Zha 11/117/200 (Yu Ge) and 21/190/376 (Ao Ai). Zha generally puts all the Yu Ge together, even if they use ruibin tuning.
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7. Most have 18 Sections
The main exception is a 10 section standard tuning Yu Ge noted as following the Meixuewo revision.
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8. Transcriptions and recordings (other than my own)
Transcriptions of Yu Ge in the old Guqin Quji are all of one of the standard tuning versions. These are listed under the standard tuning version introduction.

As for transcriptions of the raised fifth tuning version of Yu Ge (later called Ao Ai), as yet the only published one I have seen is the 節本 abridged version that is #6 in Level 8 of the conservatory repertoire Guqin Quji (see below).

As for recordings of Ao Ai, these are almost all based on the abridged version, but there is also one by Guan Pinghu based on the 18 section version dated 1876. It can be heard on his CD 2, track 8, but there is also an mp3 copy here. Guan's recording follows 1876 version section by section but not note for note; timings are:

  1. 00.00 (related to the preludes such as Leji Yin that succeeded Yu Ge Diao)
  2. 01.01 (main melody of early versions begins)
  3. 02.31
  4. 03.42 (harmonics)
  5. 04.01
  6. 04.38 ("slow")
  7. 05.10
  8. 05.40
  9. 06.32
  10. 07.05
  11. 07.44 (harmonics)
  12. 08.00
  13. 08.35
  14. 09.19 (harmonics)
  15. 09.35 (includes comment "如䜭[浚]次第車上")
  16. 10.00
  17. 10.35
  18. 11.29 (quite slow)
    Coda: 12.14 (harmonics; end 12.30)

In the earliest version (see track 9 of my CD) the harmonic sections are #s 3, 10, 13 and the coda. One can see connections in the tablature between that version and this one, but they are difficult to hear.

The relationship between conservatory abridged version and the one played by Sun Yü-Ch'in is not clear. There were a number of abridged versions made, apparently in the 1980s and '90s, and recorded; it seems that no one else wanted to play the full version. The conservatory version is said to have been abridged by Li Xiangting, but it does not seem much different from these earlier abridged versions.
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9. Ao Ai and Yu Ge in Xilutang Qintong (1525)
Ao Ai is the 112th melody in Xilutang Qintong, compiled by Wang Zhi (王芝), who lived on the southeast side of Huang Shan mountain in Anhui province. Wang in the introduction of his handbook says he spent 30 years collecting the tunes. Some of these seem to be very early versions, some quite late. His Ao Ai is quite different melodically from the earlier raised fifth Yu Ge. In addition, the titles of the 16 sections are also quite different from those for Yu Ge in Zheyin Shizi Qinpu.

The preface for Ao Ai in Xilutang Qintong as follows,

In olden times gentlemen who set aside fame and embraced the Dao usually searched out fishermen and woodcutters in order to amuse themselves. This melody really has the passion of cool clouds and empty mountains as well as cold rivers and a white moon. There is no need to mention (Liu Zihou's lines about) "Drawing clear water from the Xiang River to make a bamboo fire below the western cliff."

The standard tuning Yu Ge is the 82nd piece in Xilutang Qintong. For it Xilutang Qintong has the following preface,

After the Qiwowen family took control (of China by capturing Hangzhou and initiating the Yuan dynasty in 1280), Mao Minzhong felt it was an insult to work for people with a barbarian surname, so he (resigned from office and) followed the winds and water, enjoying the Dao and escaping worldly affairs. He wrote this piece to attract others of similar intention. In a general way he imitated the idea of the Woodcutter's Song, but its melody seems somewhat newer. (6013.156 says Chiwowen was a the Yuan dynasty royal name.
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10. Northern and Southern Songs of the Fisherman
Chuncaotang Qinpu (1744) and Erxiang Qinpu (1833) both have statements about the raised fifth version of Yu Ge being incorrectly called "northern Yu Ge". 1744 says this is wrong and it does not know where the idea came from. 1833 seems to give some explanation. After saying that Ao Ai Ge is commonly called "northern Yu Ge" it first says that old handbooks such as 1589, 1596 and 1611 call it Yu Ge and that their harmonic closings end either with the sounds of the 3rd and 5th strings (so do; see 1589, 1596 [but note, e.g., that >1505 ends on la; 1539 and 1579 end on mi la) or on the first and sixth strings (mi mi; 1611 [as do 1525, 1552]). "These are other melodies. Later, 1689 closed with the second and fourth strings (mi la): this is a yu melody" (羽 yu is la). Moreover, the northern "一字" (do) is not seen (as an ending) in printed versions. The so-called 'northern Yu Ges' are different from the Yu Ges that are 正調商音 zheng diao shang yin (standard tuning)." It goes on to say that in China, northern music tends more towards being diatonic than does southern music, and that it wants to distinguish the two melodies by referring to the raised fifth tuning one as Ao Ai because of the line in the poem by Liu (Zongyuan). It may be that later versions of Yu Ge were more diatonic (using seven tone scale) and of Ao Ai were more pentatonic, but this is not evident in the earliest surviving editions. See also the footnote with the standard tuning Yu Ge.
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11. Chu connection to raised 5th tunings?
There is no information explaining this apparent connection, nor any evidence that ancient Chu melodies had this characteristic.
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12. Location of Dongting
The situation is made more confusing by there being a 洞庭 Dongting (an island, hill or cave) in Taihu as well as the more famous Dongting Lake in Hunan. There is a relationship between the section titles of the ruibin Yu Ge and those of Xiao Xiang Shui Yun, which also uses ruibin tuning. And several prefaces to later versions of Zui Yu Chang Wan suggest it has melodic relations to (the zhi mode version of) Yu Ge.
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13. Section 14: "Oar sounds" (櫓聲 lu sheng)
Another possible example of an apparent dissonance resolving to a tonal center seems to occur in Moufu Kuang Jun. For another depiction of "sounds" compare also the passage in Qiu Hong Section 16, said to be the sound of geese calling to the moon. In most versions of Ao Ai beginning with ca. 1700 this seems to corresponds with the concept of Section 15, this section also sometimes being singled out for comment (see in chart beginning with 1726), but the music is very different. In the modern abridged version that passage from Section 15 may have some connection to material in what is #6 in Level 8 of the conservatory version (Vol 2, p.81).

In the referenced first passage from >1505 (1 3 4 3 4 6 4 3), the "1" is actually written in a position producing 7 , but the fingering required for this followed by that for 3 is very awkward.
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14. Original preface
See the Yuge Diao Preface (Chinese). In later handbooks, commentary with this ruibin tuning Yu Ge, as with Ao Ai, often associates the melody with Liu Zongyuan, as here.
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15. Music and lyrics with tentative translation (QQJC I/218-222)
The original Chinese lyrics are as follows (they can also be seen under 漁歌); they are paired to the music following a largely syllabic formula, but there is no existing commentary on how or even whether they were ever actually sung. Punctuation here largely follows that in this .pdf file (from Zha Guide 200 [724]), but the line by line arrangement below follows the phrasing of my musical interpretation, which generally but not completely follows the rhyme scheme. Repeated punctuation marks such as ， ， mean that there were instructions for the previous musical phrase to be repeated; it is not clear whether it was intended that the lyrics also be repeated.

    (Note added 30 December 2024: As discussed here, silkqin.com got started so that I could document my reconstruction work in a way that allowed me easily to search what I had done. This is one reason why there is quite a bit of Chinese on the site that has not been translated - it awaits translation when I have the time and knowledge to do it properly. I originally put the following lyrics for Yu Ge here only in Chinese to help me better understand what I was reconstructing and then playing. Now here for the first time I am using ChatGPT for translation, in part to give me an even better idea, but also to help convey to others something of the meaning of the lyrics. So although the following translation should not be considered as a fully developed rendition, it does give a pretty good idea. Of course, improvements are always welcome.)

  1. 瀟湘水雲
    家住吳楚大江頭，浪花中一葉扁舟。
    輕畫槳，南北遨遊，無累的那亦無憂。
    老天有意難留，去年今日，蘭江渡口。
    今日湘浦也巴丘，任消愁。
    有那箇青箬笠，綠蓑衣，碧沙紅蓼白蘋洲。
    絲綸短放却長收，忘機也友愛鳧鷗。
    日月悠悠，水雲浮浮，湘江湘江兩岸秋。
    畫橋綠水也通天流。
    落霞孤鶩，宿兩方初收。
    睡齁齁，夢悠悠，遠迷蝴蝶到裝周。

    Xiao Xiang Water and Clouds
    Dwelling at the great river’s head in Wu and Chu,
    A lone leaf-like boat amid the waves’ froth.
    Lightly rowing, wandering north and south,
    Unburdened and carefree.
    Heaven intends to make it hard to stay;
    Last year today, at Lan River’s crossing.
    Today, at Xiangpu and Bachi,
    Letting sorrows dissipate.
    With a blue bamboo hat, green raincoat,
    Emerald sands, red smartweed, white duckweed isles.
    Fishing line cast short, yet retracted long,
    Unmindful, befriending wild ducks and gulls.
    Days and months drift by, water and clouds float on,
    Autumn on both banks of the Xiang River.
    Painted bridges, green waters flowing to the sky.
    Setting sun and solitary birds,
    Resting as dusk settles.
    Sleeping soundly, dreaming endlessly,
    Far-off butterflies lost in Zhuang Zhou’s dream.

  2. 秋江如練
    一天秋，那粧點出那鑑湖光，耽那風月駕舟航。
    如油澄淸綠水，帶連彭蠡，近接着荊湘， 。
    愛那蓴鱸江，好風涼，
    紅塵世累總相忘，煙水也白茫茫。
    棹破江心浪，扁舟蕩漾。
    明明皓月浸銀潢，綸竿高舞影，鈎餌細分香。
    渭水功名周呂望，富春山漢嚴光。

    Autumn River Like Silk
    A day in autumn, the river like white silk,
    Whose hand adorned the light upon this mirror lake,
    Luring the moonlight to sail its waves.
    Crystal-clear green waters reflect like oil,
    Stretching to Pengli and nearing Jingxiang.
    I adore the reeds and fish in this river’s breeze,
    Forgetting the dust of the world entirely—
    The misty waters stretch white and vast.
    The oar breaks the river’s waves,
    A small boat drifting and rocking.
    Under the bright moon, silver light washes the Milky Way,
    The fishing rod dances high, luring fragrance on its hook.
    Recall the fame of Lü Wang on Wei River,
    And the hermit Yan Guang at Fuchun’s mountains.

  3. 洞庭秋思 （泛音）
    海天萬頃波光浮，氷壺玉宇澄淸秋，
    自自在在中流，不繫扁舟。
    風與露，任蕭條，接長綸線，     （綸綠，？）
    直卻那金鈎。想他無心背漢，有意匡周。
    世事無憑，功名兩字，一似浮漚。

    Autumn Thoughts at Dongting Lake (in harmonics)
    Waves sparkle on the boundless sea and sky,
    Like a jade vessel holding the clarity of autumn.
    In the middle of the stream, carefree and unmoored,
    A lone boat drifts untethered.
    Wind and dew scatter with abandon,
    As the fishing line extends far,
    Holding no golden hook.
    Once, hearts abandoned Han yet hoped to aid Zhou,
    But worldly affairs are fleeting illusions,
    And fame is but a bubble on the water.

  4. 楚湘煙波
    漁歌悠悠，楚水湘波，煙藹藹，宿雨初過。
    見風帆的那賈客怕，來往爭逐去如梭。
    誰如漁夫漁婦，暢此中流，慢枻輕歌。
    無榮無辱，無福無禍。
    儒也無過，道也無過，儒釋道總無過。
    百家衆技 總總無過，權謀術數
        遠更無過，無過，無過。

    Misty Waves of Chu and Xiang
    The fisherman’s song drifts,
    Through the misty waves of Chu and Xiang.
    Smoke rises faintly, the rain has just passed.
    Merchant ships are swift and restless,
    Racing back and forth like weaving shuttles.
    Yet who compares to the leisurely fisherfolk,
    Drifting calmly in midstream,
    Paddling slowly and singing lightly?
    No honor, no disgrace,
    No fortune, no misfortune.
    Confucians find no fault,
    Daoists find no fault,
    All schools find no fault.
    Even strategies and calculations—
    What are they but distant, unnecessary pursuits?

  5. 天濶明朗
    天磨雲影，好風那寂靜，
    皓月明明，玉露泠泠。
    輸彼漁翁，鼓枻輕輕。
    天淸地寧，長笑一聲。一目中，
    舒義氣浩浩，小呑那巴蜀，
        空澗那洞庭。
    漁歌有狀無形，
    托他一箇討魚名，投閑養性怡情。

    Vast and Clear Skies
    The sky polishes clouds into shadows,
    The gentle breeze whispers in stillness.
    The bright moon gleams, the jade dew chills.
    The fisherman rows softly,
    Heaven clear, earth serene.
    Laughter echoes wide and free,
    His gaze sweeps vast, swallowing Sichuan and Dongting.
    Songs from fishermen carry no form,
    Under the guise of their trade,
    They retreat to peace and joy.

  6. 漁歌互答
    問彼漁郞，風波險處舟航，
        濤浪相舂撞，相舂撞，
    思量怎的去隄防。
        那漁郞抵掌，嘻嘻向我 行言其當。
    死生也有定，由天命。
    知我背，，卻無方。欸乃歌，和聲長，
    山隱映，那水微茫。纔聽大郞歌，
    又聽小郞相倡和，淸濁的那和滄浪。
    聲隨流水，轉壑悠揚，
    濯纓濯纓，濯足濯足，   和滄浪。
    響過你那行雲天蕩蕩，
    翩翩鷗鷺，驚起寒沙亂飛張。
    扁舟落日動鳴榔，魚吹浪，天昏黃。

    Fishermen’s Songs in Response
    A question to the fisherman:
    How do you sail through treacherous waves?
    Waves crashing, tumbling violently—
    What precautions could there be?
    The fisherman claps and laughs:
    “Life and death are preordained by heaven’s decree.
    Why ponder a directionless path?”
    Oars echo with long songs,
    Mountains hidden, waters faintly blurred.
    First, the elder sings;
    Then the younger joins.
    Clear and turbid voices merge,
    The melody flows like water,
    Washing head and feet,
    Harmonizing with the Canglang River.
    Echoes linger, filling skies and waters,
    Scattering gulls startled into flight.
    As the sun sets, the boat drifts,
    Fish leap through ripples,
    As dusk deepens to a golden haze.

  7. 嗈嗈鳴鴈
    蘋洲蘆岸蓼汀，漁驚那鴻鴈鳴，
    聽嗈嗈聲度那淒淸。
    漁翁鴻鴈也，
    兩相友愛，爲弟爲兄，
    念群弔影忘形，弔影忘形。
    欸乃的那聲相應，
    聽嗈嗈和聲相應，相應，相應。

    The Cry of Wild Geese
    On reed-filled shores and grassy islets,
    The geese cry mournfully,
    Their call resounds in melancholy tones.
    The fisherman and the geese,
    Are as brothers in camaraderie.
    They console shadows, forgetting forms,
    With their plaintive songs in harmony.
    Listen to the blending echoes,
    Resonating, resonating.

  8. 夜傍西巖
    漁翁夜傍你那西巖宿， 。
    酒醒無眠也和歌曲。
        漏深歌轉兮
    聲斷續，好夢呵從吉卜。
    紅日呵三竿足，
    睡也那不足，樂也那不足。 ，。

    Night by the Western Cliff
    The fisherman rests by the western cliff,
    Awake from drink, sleepless,
    He hums a tune.
    Through the night’s depth, songs rise and fall,
    Dreams follow the rhythm of fate.
    At dawn, the red sun rises high,
    Yet he feels the night’s joy insufficient,
    And laughter’s warmth incomplete.

  9. 漁人晚唱
    出桃花灘，離芳草渡，
    過蘆花洲，繫楊柳埠。
    聽漁歌，，夫唱婦相助，氣應聲相互。
    落日西斜，長天欲暮，
    月照蘆花，的那無寐還無寤。
    江天煙雨，黃昏綠樹，今夜也不知在那何處住。
    十里長灘，接着那野墅，
    聲逐西風，的那悠揚遠度，離愁如訴，
    會合無憑如訴，成歡成怒。
    遙想你那風月長春院，古樂府，
    吹也唱也，響遏繞梁聲，何足數，何足數。

    Fisherman’s Evening Song
    Leaving Peach Blossom Bank, crossing fragrant grass ferries,
    Passing through reed-filled isles, mooring at willow-clad harbors.
    Listen to the fishermen’s songs,
    Husbands and wives singing in unison,
    Voices blending harmoniously.
    The sunset tilts westward, the sky grows dim,
    The moon shines on reeds, sleepless and dreamy.
    Smoke rises over rivers and rain,
    Trees stand in the green dusk.
    Tonight, who knows where I’ll rest?
    The long beaches meet countryside cottages,
    Their songs drift far with the western wind,
    Resonating with unspoken sorrow,
    Longing for reunion, lamenting fate.

  10. 醉臥蘆花 （泛音起）
    漁翁得魚沽酒斜陽城，
    漁翁力拳沽酒輸還贏。
    醒還醉，醉還醒，蘆花月明，
    悠悠楊柳風淸，高枕外，有餘情。
    長呼吼，魚龍驚，更深夢寐（泛音止）無成。
    看他無拘無束，放浪放浪一身輕，
    向那閑中臥，老此昇平。

    Drunken Rest Amid Reed Blossoms
    The fisherman catches fish and sells them in the twilight town,
    Fate plays its games in loss and gain.
    Awake to drunkenness, and drunk to wakefulness,
    Under the moonlit reeds,
    The willow breeze drifts gently by.
    With a high pillow, he harbors lingering thoughts,
    Shouting aloud, startling fish and dragons.
    Deeper into the night, dreams pass uneventful.
    Carefree and unrestrained, he lives without ties,
    Reclining in idleness, content in this peaceful life.

  11. 蓬窓夜雨
    雨聲不息，一更不息，
    二更不息，三更不息，四更不息，
    五更點點滴滴。 蓬窓內，
    兒與媳，蘆花毯，無愁濕，
    好良宵，雖愛惜。
    水國兮，江鄉兮，
    風浪屏蹤跡。
    三唱雞聲天又白，尚愁天色。

    Night Rain on a Reed-Covered Window
    The rain falls incessantly, through the first watch,
    The second watch, the third, and so on,
    Until the fifth, with droplets ticking like clockwork.
    Inside the reed-covered window,
    The children and daughter-in-law sleep peacefully.
    Though the reed blanket doesn’t get soaked,
    The cherished night feels fleetingly short.
    In this watery land, this river-bound village,
    Winds and waves hide their tracks.
    With the third crowing of the rooster,
    Dawn breaks, yet still, the sky seems reluctant to lighten.

  12. 梧桐葉落
    金井梧桐葉飄，
    風颼颼，涼瀟瀟，
    任彼那漁舟樂得逍遙。 。
    月光浮，夜迢迢，寂寥。 ，，。
    敲直釣魚釣，煙水海天秋。
        抱着那七絃琴，
    悠悠輕奏，秋風調，怡情風月江頭。

    Fallen Leaves of the Wutong Tree
    Golden well waters ripple with fallen phoenix tree leaves,
    The wind sighs softly, a cool breeze stirs.
    The fisherman’s boat rocks gently in carefree delight.
    Moonlight glimmers on the vast, silent night.
    In solitude, he casts his fishing line,
    Amidst smoky waters, beneath an autumn sky.
    He cradles a seven-stringed zither,
    Playing softly to the rhythm of the autumn wind,
    Savoring the wind and moon by the river’s edge.

  13. 曉汲湘江（泛音起）
    輞川鷗鷺齊飛，吳江鱸鱖齊肥，
    湘江汲炊行竈。曉煙浮，
    楊柳糢糊抹翠，細劈江東（泛音止）魚鱠，
    醉飽陶陶穩睡。
    蘆荻灘頭， ？，
    舟橫的那網曬綸收，逍遙物外。

    Morning on the Xiang River (in harmonics)
    Gulls and herons fly together by the banks of Wangchuan,
    Fat bass and perch fill the Wu River.
    On the Xiang River, water is drawn, and meals prepared,
    As morning mist hovers faintly.
    Willow branches blur into smudges of green,
    And fish are finely sliced east of the river. (Harmonics End)
    Sated with drink and food, he sleeps soundly,
    By the reed-filled shoals,
    The boat steadies, nets dry, lines are gathered,
    Carefree and detached from worldly affairs.

  14. 漁舟盪槳
    咿啞咿啞的那櫓聲。
    和煙輕，撥進趨前程。
    江天空濶浪初平，
    （櫓聲）
    遙看盪漿行歌慢和 輕，深撥棹，作揖而行。
    月白風淸，高竿又向柳陰撐，
    忙驚散鷗鳥盟，遙思今夜宿江城。

    Oars on the Fisherman’s Boat
    The oar creaks softly—yi-ya, yi-ya,
    The sound mingles with light mist,
    Pushing the boat steadily forward.
    The river opens wide, waves calm and smooth.
    From afar, they row and sing, slowly harmonizing.
    Oars dip deeper, bowing gracefully in their rhythm.
    By the moonlight, a tall pole pushes off the willow’s shade,
    Scattering startled gulls.
    Thinking of tonight’s mooring in the riverside town,
    Their songs linger, lost in the vast skies.

  15. 寒江撒網
    江岸寒風輕刮，霜凜冽，看漁人
    舉網輕撒。發撒，扎撒，
    網收魚潑剌。
    槳催呵逐步孳，從前軋，
    斷續也聲咿啞。兩手輕輕的那提挈，
    水底輕撈月， ，
    風中輕捉雪。 。
    網收，網撒，魚鱖呵潑剌，
    網收呵網撒。

    Casting Nets on a Cold River
    Cold winds brush against the riverbank,
    Frost chills the air as the fisherman
    Throws his net lightly—out it goes!
    The net unfurls and falls,
    Splashing water, catching leaping fish.
    The oars creak as they push onward,
    Pausing briefly, then resuming.
    With gentle hands, he lifts the net,
    As if scooping moonlight from beneath the waves,
    Or catching snowflakes drifting through the air.
    Casting and retrieving,
    Fish thrash and splash in the icy water.
    Casting and retrieving,

  16. 日出煙消
    黑甜夢醒時，你那紅日曉，
    晴天四野煙消。 。
    從他網踈網密，無與有，任敎漏卻呑舟。
    恣遨遊，萍蹤梗跡，
    的那亂飄飄，浪花浮，
    只托個打魚名的那去爲由。

    Sunrise and Mist Disperses
    Awakened from a deep dream,
    The red sun rises at dawn,
    Clearing skies and lifting the mist.
    Whether the net is loose or tight,
    Whether there’s a catch or none,
    It matters not.
    He lets the day take him where it will,
    Adrift like floating reeds and wandering driftwood,
    Carried by the waves, carefree and aimless.

  17. 欸乃一聲
    那釣魚人原是靑雲客，
    人不識。
    罷絲綸，懶去釣王國，
    怕遭遇你那周西伯。

    "Ao Ai": The Call of the Fisherman
    The fisherman was once a scholar of lofty aspirations,
    Yet none recognize him now.
    He has abandoned his fishing line,
    Reluctant to cast for the kingdoms of the world.
    He fears encountering another King Wen of Zhou,
    Who might draw him back into the court.

  18. 山高水長
    山髙水長，輸他笑傲徜徉。
    屏屠龍手段，托個討魚的名，
    林泉晦跡韜光。

    High Mountains and Long Rivers
    High mountains and long rivers—
    He finds contentment in wandering freely.
    Abandoning the ways of slaying dragons,
    He takes up the guise of a humble fisherman.
    Among forests and streams, he hides his light,
    Dwelling in reclusive serenity.

(See again the note on translation above)
(Return)

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Appendix: Chart Tracing Standard and Raised Fifth Ao Ai / Yu Ge
Based mainly on Zha Fuxi's Guide, 11/117/200 Yu Ge and 21/190/376 Ao Ai
See also the Yu Ge Diao chart

      琴譜
    (year; QQJC Vol/page)		 Further information (QQJC = 琴曲集成 Qinqu Jicheng; QF = 琴府 Qin Fu)
Raised fifth tuning                         -           Not clear           -                         Standard Tuning
  1.  浙音釋字琴譜
      (>1505; I/217)		 18TL; ruibin diao (RBD); first version of melody later called Ao Ai
Yu Ge; "by Liu Zihou" (Liu Zongyuan), preceded by Yu Ge Diao, with which it shares a preface
2a.  西麓堂琴統
      (1525; III/206)		 16T; RBD; section titles different; melody also very different: e.g., opens with harmonics
Ao Ai (very different, though parts are clearly related)
2b.  西麓堂琴統
      (1525; III/165)		 18; zhi diao (ZD; has prelude)
I play this version; afterword mentions Mao Minzhong; Yu Ge
  3.  風宣玄品
      (1539; II/342)		 18T; RBD; similar music to >1505, with same section titles but no lyrics
Yu Ge (no Yu Ge Diao)
  4.  梧岡琴譜
      (1546; I/436)		 10; 徵調 zhidiao (ZD); no commentary
Meixuewo edition, 即山水綠 same as Shanshui Lü"; Yu Ge
  5.  琴譜正傳
      (1561; II/509)		 10; ZD; identical to 1546
Meixuewo edition, "即山水綠 same as Shanshui Lü"; Yu Ge
6a.  太音傳習
      (1552-61; IV/180)		 18; RBD
Ao Ai Ge; preceded by Leji Yin; preface mentions 山水綠之詩 poem of Shanshui Lü
6b.  太音傳習
      (1552-61; IV/126)		 12; ZD
Yu Ge; has preface
7a.  太音補遺
      (1557; III/399)		 18; RBD
Ao Ai Ge; preceded by Leji Yin; preface mentions 山水綠之詩 poem of Shanshui Lü
7b.  太音補遺
      (1557; III/371)		 10; ZD
Yu Ge; preface like 1552
  8.  步虛僊琴譜
      (1556; III/286)		 11; ZD
Yu Ge
  9.  五音琴譜
      (1579; IV/247)		 18; RBD (listed under wai diao)
Ao Ai Ge; no commentary
10. 新刊正文對音捷要
      (1573; #61--)		 #61; same as 1585?
Yu Ge; preceded by Yu Ge Diao
11. 重修真傳琴譜
      (1585; IV/472)		 18L; RBD; attrib. Liu Zihou; lyrics similar to >1505 but melody quite diff.;
Yu Ge; preceded by Yu Ge Diao
12. 玉梧琴譜
      (1589; VI/77)		 18; RBD
Ao Ai Ge; attrib. Liu Zihou
13a. 真傳正宗琴譜
      (1589; VII/138)		 18TL
Yu Ge; preceded by Leji Yin
13b. 真傳正宗琴譜
      (1609; facsimile)		 Repeat of 1589?
Yu Ge; preceded by Leji Yin
14. 琴書大全
      (1590; V/524)		 18; RBD; preceded by 神品蕤賓意 Shenpin Ruibin Yi (SPRBY)
Yu Ge; the SPRBY somewhat resembles the Yu Ge Diao melody
15. 文會堂琴譜
      (1596; VI/265)		 18; RBD
Yu Ge, "also called Ao Ai Ge"
16. 綠綺新聲
      (1597; VII/40)		 20L; RBD
Ao Ai Ge
17a. 藏春塢琴譜
      (1602; VI/430)		 18; RBD;
Ao Ai Ge; attrib. Liu Zihou, but no lyrics
17b. 藏春塢琴譜
      (1602; VI/385)		 13; ZD; commentary says only "古曲 old melody"
Yu Ge
18. 陽春堂琴譜
      (1611; VII/430)		 18; RBD; no commentary
Yu Ge; preceded by Leji Yin (Yu Ge Diao)
19. 琴適
      (1611; VIII/39)		 20L; RBD; lyrics are related, but very diff.; no commentary
Ao Ai
20. 松絃館琴譜
      (1614; VIII/129)		 18; zhi (diao); no commentary
Yu Ge
21. 思齊堂琴譜
      (1620; IX/51)		 18; 徵意 zhi yi; no commentary
Yu Ge
22. 太音希聲
      (1625; IX/223)		 18L; RBD
Ao Ai Ge
23a. 徽言秘旨
      (1647; X/222)		 18; RBD
Ao Ai Ge
23b. 徽言秘旨
      (1647; X/150)		 18; ZD
Yu Ge
24a. 徽言秘旨訂
      (1692; facsimile)		 18; RBD
Ao Ai Ge; should be same as 1647
24b. 徽言秘旨訂
      (1692; facsimile)		 18; ZD
Yu Ge; should be same as 1647
25. 友聲社琴譜
      (early Qing; XI/150)		 18; zhi (diao); 嚴譜 Yan tablature; no other commentary
Yu Ge
26. 愧菴琴譜
      (1660; XI/46)		 18; ZD
Yu Ge
27. 琴苑新傳全編
      (1670; XI/436)		 8; RBD; attrib. Liu Zihou
Yu Ge
28. 響山堂琴譜
      (<1700?; XIV/134)		 18; RBD; Section 2 is like Section 1 of earlier versions
Ao Ai Ge; earliest pu where Section 1 is like Leji Yin or a modal prelude
29a. 澄鑒堂琴譜
      (1689; XIV/333)		 18; RBD; seems identical to <1700
Ao Ai Ge
29b. 澄鑒堂琴譜
      (1689; XIV/252)		 18; ZD
Yu Ge
30a. 蓼懷堂琴譜
      (1702; XIII/???)		 1876 Ao Ai Ge says it is copied from here, but there is no pu and it is not in ToC
Presumably would also be Ao Ai Ge
30b. 蓼懷堂琴譜
      (1702; XIII/243)		 No lyrics or commentary; 18; ZD
Yu Ge
31a. 五知齋琴譜
      (1722; XIV/488)		 18; ZD; "熟、金二譜合壁，歌文錄未 compared Shu and Jin tablature; put lyrics at end"
Wu Zhaoji notation: GQQJ#1/104; Yu Ge
31b. 五知齋琴譜
      (1722; XIV/493)		 Lyrics of Leji Yin and a long Yu Ge Ci: no music (placed directly after standard tuning Yu Ge - see previous row)
(No tablature in 1722 for the ruibin versions!)
32. 存古堂琴譜
      (1726; XV/289)		 18; RBD (#15: "此段撥刺宜輕肥")
Ao Ai Ge; like <1700
33a. 春草堂琴譜
      (1744; XVIII/275)		 18; 無射均，羽音 wuyi jun, yuyin; afterword: "一派南音，並無北韻。俗呼為'北漁歌'，不知何指"
Ao Ai; like <1700;                         "completely southern sound, don't know why called 'Northern Yu Ge'"
33b. 春草堂琴譜
      (1744; XVIII/257)		 14; 中呂均 zhonglü yun (ZLY), 商音 shang yin (SY)
see afterword ("originally 18 sections...."}; Yu Ge
34. 蘭田館琴譜
      (1755; XVI/237)		 18; ZD
Yu Ge
35a. 琴香堂琴譜
      (1760; XVII/168)		 18; RBD; like <1700
Ao Ai Ge
35b. 琴香堂琴譜
      (1760; XVII/75)		 18; ZD
Yu Ge
36. 研露樓琴譜
      (1766; XVI/526)		 18; RBD; like <1700
Ao Ai Ge
37a. 自遠堂琴譜
      (1802; XVII/493)		 18; zhidiao shangyin
Ao Ai Ge; like <1700
37b. 自遠堂琴譜
      (1802; XVII/376)		 18; shangyin
Zha Fuxi pu in GQQJ#1/115; Yu Ge
38. 裛露軒琴譜
      (>1802; XIX/275)		 18; ZD
Yu Ge
39a. 琴譜諧聲
      (1820; XX/177)		 18L; 清變宮音 qingbian gongyin
Ao Ai; like <1700
39b. 琴譜諧聲
      (1820; XX/163)		 14; 角商 jiaoshang
Yu Ge
40. 鄰鶴齋琴譜
      (1830; XXI/71)		 18; NFI
Yu Ge (comes after XXSY but standard tuning)
41. 二香琴譜
      (1833; XXIII/170)		 18; 羽音 yu yin; like <1700
Ao Ai Ge; like 1744, says Ao Ai commonly called the "Northern Yu Ge"
41. 二香琴譜
      (1833; XXIII/136)		 short afterword; 18; 商音 shang yin
Yu Ge
42. 悟雪山房琴譜
      (1836/ XXII/340)		 19; 中呂均 zhonglü yun (ZLY)
Yu Ge
43. 行有恒堂錄存琴譜
      (1840; XXIII/202)		 18; has afterword and 眉批 (comments at top of two page)
Yu Ge
44. 張鞠田琴譜
      (1844; XXIII/280)		 18; attrib. Liu Zihou and comes after XXSY but standard tuning
宮調商音 gong diao shang yin; has commentary, gongche notes and marginal comments; Yu Ge
45. 稚雲琴譜
      (1849; XXIII/418)		 18; RBD
Ao Ai Ge; like <1700
46. 琴學尊聞
      (1864; XXIV/249)		 13; 商音宮調 shangyin gongdiao
standard tuning; Yu Ge
47. 蕉庵琴譜
      (1868; XXVI/57)		 18; shangyin
attrib. Liu Zihou but standard tuning; Yu Ge
48a. 天聞閣琴譜
      (1876; XXV/381)		 preface and afterword; ToC: "from 1722"; 18; ZY;
there are lyrics at end XXV/388 (also = 1722) but they are for ruibin version (see next)!; Yu Ge
48b. 天聞閣琴譜
      (1876; XXV/457)		 14; yuyin, shangdiao; commentary; "from 1744"
standard tuning; marginal comments, "originally 18 sections...."; Yu Ge
48c. 天聞閣琴譜
      (1876; XXV/561)		 18 + 尾音 coda (#15 has comment); RBD; starts like <1700 but then Section 2 adds a descending glissando;
Ao Ai Ge; ToC and margins: "1702", but not there. Recorded by GPH.
48d. 天聞閣琴譜
      (1876; XXV/578)		 8!; RBD; "琴苑譜" (almost same as 1670: corrections? Attrib Liu Zihou)
Yu Ge; not the source of the modern short Ao Ai
49. 天籟閣琴譜
      (1876; XXI/235)		 18; RBD; like <1700
Ao Ai Qu: "same as the old Yu Ge"
50. 響雪齋琴譜
      (1876)		 18; RBD
Ao Ai (Handbook not in QQJC)
51. 希韶閣琴譜
      (1878; XXVI/358)		 compare 1722; attrib Liu Zihou; "熟，金二譜合壁"; 18; ZY;
preface, comments between sections, at end adds lyrics of Leji Yin and Yu Ge; Yu Ge
52. 雙琴書屋琴譜集成
      (1884; XXVII/304)		 "邗江吳派 Wu School of Han River" (near Yangzhou?)； 19 (including 尾聲 weisheng); shangyin
No mention of re-tuning strings; Yu Ge
53. 枯木禪琴譜
      (1893; XXVIII/73)		 18; zhiyin
attrib. Liu Zihou; Yu Ge
54. 琴學初津
      (1894; XXVIII/292)		 19 including 收音 finale; shangyin
Guess standard tuning (Zha guide mentions no tuning changes for any piece here); Yu Ge
55. 琴學叢書
      (1910; XXX/232)		 18; gongdiao shangyin; from 1802
琴府/986; Yu Ge
56. 夏一峰傳譜
      (1957; #11)		 18; standard tuning
Yu Ge
57. 虞山吳氏琴譜
      (2001, p.74)		 said to follow Wu Jinglue's 1940s reconstruction from 1722; 18
Yu Ge
58. 古琴曲集 II (pdf)
      (2010, Level 8 #6, pp.78-82)		 7; abridged versions of Ao Ai have been popular since at least the 1980s, with quite a few modern recordings. Most seem to be based on this transcription from the Conservatory repertoire Guqin Quji; it abridges Guan Pinghu's reconstruction from 1876 (XXV/561; 18 sections) down to 7 sections.
59. 抄本   (pdf)
      (Undated handcopy)		 This abridgement of the Guan Pinghu version is in 9 sections; compared to the 7-section version, it splits the first and fourth sections in two, but expands the latter (becoming its sections 5 and 6). Its Section 7 (in harmonics) is like the Conservatory Section 5, but its sections 8 and 9 are somewhat different from the Conservatory 6 and 7.

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