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12. Qu Yuan Asks for Advice
- Qiliang mode: 2 4 5 6 1 2 3 2 |
屈原問渡
1
Qu Yuan Wen Du Meeting the Fisherman (from Zepan Yin) 3 |
Although all the melodies in Zheyin Shizi Qinpu have lyrics, most seem to be purely intended to be read, not sung. Qu Yuan Asks for Advice (from the ferryman) is one of the few melodies with lyrics clearly intended to be sung. This is underlined by the fact that most lines within each section rhyme.
"Wen du" literally means to ask someone for passage across a body of water. Here, though, it more fully means "asking how to get past the obstacles thrown up by life". This latter understanding of the phrase comes from the present story, wherein Qu Yuan, walking along a riverside, meets a man on a boat and has a philosophical conversation with him. Qu Yuan (or Ch'ü Yüan, 332-295 BC; see below) was famous as an upright minister not properly appreciated. His consequent suicide at the Mi-luo River is still commemorated in the Dragon Boat Festival of the 5th of the 5th lunar month.
As recounted in Chapter 84 of the Record of History, Qu Yuan, banished to the south, meets a fisherman on a riverbank. The fisherman, surprised at seeing a high official in such a low state, advises Qu Yuan to be more accommodating, but Qu Yuan says that the world has grown too foul for him to be able to live in it. He then writes the long poem Huai Sha Fu (Embracing the Sand),4 epitomized by the line "Phoenixes are penned up in cages while common birds soar free", embraces a rock, and leaps to his death. However, none of the lyrics here are related to those either of Huaisha Fu or of the more famous poem and melody Li Sao.
Versions of Qu Yuan Wen Du seem to have been quite popular during the Ming dynasty, surviving in at least 13 handbooks from that period, with all melodies clearly related; after this it is known to have been included in only two more handbooks.5 The last one, dated ca. 1802, was a near copy of the version dated 1589.
Qiliang, the mode of this melody, requires tuning the second and fifth strings one semitone higher than standard tuning; it is often used for melodies connected to Qu Yuan: at least two other pieces in this mode concern him, Li Sao (Falling into Grief, his best known poem); and Zepan Yin (Marshbank Melody), based on the Chu Ci poem Yu Fu.6 The theme of the latter is very close to that of Qu Yuan Wen Du.
Zheyin Shizi Qinpu makes no attribution for the melody. Zha Fuxi's Guide says it has Song dynasty folk origins. He does not not give the basis for this assertion, but there is some logic to claiming Song dynasty origins - this handbook aimed to collect earlier melodies and its pairing of lyrics and music also suggests there were earlier versions. However, saying "folk origins" was probably a comment required of the times.7
Other than my own, to my knowledge there has been one other modern reconstruction of a version of this melody. Apparently it was originally done by Yao Bingyan around 1979, but it only became widely available through performances by his son, Yao Gongjing.8 The Yao version is based on the tablature in Xilutang Qintong (1525), which is closely related to the >1505 version for the first six sections or so, after which it adds material. There are various other modern recordings now available but all seem to have been based on the Yao interpretation.9
The Beyond-Sounds Immortal says,
As for this melody, it is not known where it originated. It is not in the handbook of the Royal Ancestor. It is thought that while the sage (Qu Yuan) was exiled to the barbarous southern region, not knowing where to go, he asked a fisherman to take him (across the river), and so this was created.
Zheyin Shizi Qinpu music and lyrics
11
Timings follow the recording on
my CD;
聽錄音 listen with
my original transcription.
The setting is largely syllabic. Within each of the eight sections most phrases rhyme.
Section titles (timings: column 1: my CD; column 2: my 2016 online recording
(聽錄音 listen).
For the 2016 recording there are also two online transcriptions:
relative pitch (C = do) and
actual pitch (in Ab major)
CD 2016
00.00 00.00 1. Expelled to the barbarous south
01.03 01.13 2. The wilderness ferry is a dangerous obstruction
01.54 02.12 3. The old fisherman asks his name
02.24 02.51 4. (Qu Yuan) reports his bitterness
02.47 03.18 5. A lonely person in exile
03.19 03.54 6. The gentleman's grief extends 10,000 miles (, as he worries about the kingdom's ruler)
03.50 04.32 7. (Sounds of) the delicate Canglang river
04.13 05.08 8. The ever-changing situation
04.33 05.33 Closing harmonics (compare music of the last line with the first line of Chu Ge)
05.01 06.07 End
The Chinese lyrics from >1505 pair nicely with the melody, generally following the standard pairing method. The expressions "的那" and "你那" are used as filler, usually paired with the left hand technique 對起 and not intended for translation. See also the comments below about the structure of this melody. Further work is necessary here to explain some of the references.
屈原問渡 Qu Yuan Asks the Ferryman
離愁萬斛。力犯雷霆，身遭荼毒，萬里的那江山。
憂心反復，親親三族虛宗屬。
見國的那無期，難憑你那威福。
徒捋那虎鬚普，安你那蛇足。
身世累累的那同草木，徙處不毛也。
何由可贖？驥垂兩耳，竟向鹽車俯伏。
斷橋野渡也危磯，景凄景凄。
沙平岸曲人稀。霜凜也風悲。
去步遲遲，冒天威，保安社稷謹無虞。
空此也傾葵。
求全致毀也，悞君兮，悞君兮。
可恨譎詐張儀。
漁翁那問姓，子莫非屈平？
掌三閭，逆聖情，會武關黃棘之盟。
子曰不可，于以阻行，執於物而滯凝。
反辱而求榮，世事風燈，信少憑。
忠言鯁論，何可以伸？面折的那口陳。
空教披肝瀝膽。記劉蕡。
王室之親，安以皓皓的那潔白，蒙世俗之塵？
身之察察，受物汶汶。
一身的那逐客，憂君的那默默。
五嶺的那雲遮，三湘的那水隔。
征路風霜的那秋瑟瑟，東阡的那西陌。
有類海隅，無殊蠻貊。
卑暑地，江潭澤。
無憂遠謫也，謫還憂國。
身萬里也尙憂君。
王室的那宗親。傾危社稷。
忍傳聞，此心煩悶，奈無由，
可訴你那原因。
客卒於秦也，秦卒於秦。
聽和滄浪之聲，滄浪濁清水濁清。
濁斯濯足的那，清濯纓。
丘山誼重，一葉身輕的那，
舉世人那皆醉，而我獨醒醒。
秦楚兩無憑的那，兩無憑。
宗國也竟危顛，勢時任變。
天荒地老，滄海桑田。
搖尾恥誰憐？堪嗟矻矻窮年。
舉首的那褒然，無計而獲萬全。
任屍鞕，瞻天涕淚流漣，志空堅。
無所控訴，不得已而止焉。
1.
Qu Yuan Wen Du 屈原問渡 (QQJC I/265)
2.
Qiliang mode (淒涼調 qiliang diao)
In my own transcription I use relative note values, which in the Chinese system generally do not have accidentals; so whereas on the present recording the actual pitch of the first string is B flat on a piano, since the transcription has the key signature C this note is written as D, i.e., 2 (re). If one transcribes giving notes the modern Western concert pitch (A=440), then in this tuning if the first string (relative pitch 2 = re) is played as C (as is commonly done in Chinese conservatories) then a transcription will use the key signature for B flat major. If the first string is played as B then the key signature will be A major. If it is played as B flat, as on the present recording, then the key signature will be A flat major (as on this
alternate transcription).
3.
Illustration from Zepan Yin
4.
Embracing the Sand
5.
Tracing Qu Yuan Wen Du
6.
See the illustrations for the Chu Ci (楚辭, Songs of the South) poem Yu Fu.
7.
Folk origins
8.
Version of 姚丙炎 Yao Bingyan
9.
Other recordings of Qu Yuan Wen Du
Several recordings on YouTube do not identify their source but seem to be based on Yao's interpretation of the Xilutang Qintong version.
This one is by 陳慶燦 Chen Qingcan of the Taiwan 瀛洲琴社 Yingzhou Qinshe.
This one adds xiao and sheng (the guqin player, K.C. Chang, seems to be consulting an electronic score as he plays).
In contrast, this one (also here, but with annoying ads) features the Hubei Chime Bells Orchestra, including qin. It seems to have been included on several CDs, but I am not sure of the details (one YouTube version says 先秦、漢巍六朝 Ancient Classics of Qin Han and Wei Dynasties). This interpretation takes many liberties with the tablature. I have not seen information where it identifies the source, but any claim that the music dates from such an ancient period has no basis in fact.
10.
Original preface
11.
Original section titles and lyrics
Altogether these 26 permutations of the nine phrases give the melody an apparent coherence but also a complexity that makes it somewhat difficult to memorize. Memorizing the lyrics can help with this, but in solo performance following the melody precisely as written was not necessarily considered necessary.
As for the pairing of words and music, this generally follows the custom of putting meaningless syllables such as 的那 on the finger technique called 對起, though it sometimes pairs regular characters in this position. This and othere characteristics, such as the existence of musical phrases repeated on lyrics with differing structures seems to suggest that perhaps the original lyrics came from a somewhat different version of the melody. Of course it could also mean that the person(s) pairing the lyrics to the melody had only the tablature, and had never actually heard the melody itself, at least not as played according to the present tablature. It is also possible that the lyrics were added to help with memorization of the melody.
On the other hand, this structure of phrases repeated in flexible order and lyrics that do not always match may suggest that the melody had an improvisatory nature.
The original Chinese section titles together with the original lyrics are given
above with English translation.
In doing my original reconstruction I used this .pdf file copied from Zha Guide 216 [740]). However, there are some discrepancies there. For example in Section 4 phrase 5 a character that looks like 䀡(? 23769 chan: look) omitted here, and the next character, 記, is changed to 託.
Exiled to the southern wilds, my loyalty leaves me alone.
A thousand bushels of sorrow. I dared thunder itself, suffering bitter harm, for the empire far away.
Grief turns again and again, my kin and lineage cut off, my clan cast into doubt.
I see no hope for the state, its power and favor cannot be trusted.
I tugged a tiger’s whiskers: why cling to your snake’s tail?
My fate lies broken, like weeds or trees, I’ve been cast into a barren place.
What ransom could redeem me? The noble steed droops its ears; yoked to a salt-cart, it bows its head.
A Wild Ferry and a Perilous Shore
Broken bridge, desolate ferry, rocky bank: how bleak, how desolate.
Flat sands, winding shores, few souls appear. Frost chills, the wind mourns.
My steps falter beneath Heaven’s awe; I tried to guard the realm with all care.
But my devotion turns like a sunflower, now lost in vain.
Striving for perfection brought me ruin. I misjudged my lord, I misjudged him.
Curse that cunning Zhang Yi (a Qin diplomat known for his duplicity) and his lies!
The Fisherman Asks My Name
The fisherman asks my name, “Are you not Qu Ping?”
Once minister of the Three Clans, I opposed the royal will and denounced the thornbush pact at Wu Pass.
I said it must not be, and blocked its path. But clinging to things makes the spirit freeze.
To seek glory after disgrace, this world is a wind-blown lamp, not to be trusted.
Expressing My Intentions
Straight talk and blunt truth, how can they be expressed? Even frank speech turns bitter.
All for nothing: I exposed heart and liver. Remember Liu Fen (honorable Tang dynasty statesman)!
How can one who is pure and close to the throne be stained by worldly dust?
This body, so clean, is sullied by the filthy things of men.
A Banished Man Alone
A single banished man, I mourn in silence for my lord.
Clouds of the Five Ridges shroud me, waters of the Three Xiangs bar my path.
The road of exile shivers with frost: east lanes, west paths…
Like some ocean frontier, no different from the savage south.
A low, stifling land: rivers, swamps, and shallows.
I do not grieve to be exiled far, but in exile, I grieve for my country still.
Ten Thousand Li and Still I Grieve
Ten thousand li away, and still I grieve for my lord.
Once kin to the royal house, now the realm teeters on collapse.
I endure what I hear, but my heart is tormented, and I have no means,
To tell you the cause of this despair.
The envoy died in Qin, and so did the hopes placed in Qin.
Joining the Canglang Song
I listen and join the song of Canglang, the waters are muddy or clear.
If muddy, I wash my feet; if clear, I wash my tassel.
The weight of loyalty is like mountains, but I, one leaf, drift light.
The world is drunk, only I remain awake.
Neither Qin nor Chu can be trusted, neither, neither.
Let Power and Time Shift
My homeland lies in ruin, power and times change as they will.
Heaven grows desolate, the sea becomes farmland.
Who pities the wagging tail? I groan, laboring year after year.
I raise my head boldly, but no plan brings perfect safety.
Let my corpse stiffen, I gaze to Heaven, tears streaming, heart hollow but still resolved.
There is no one to accuse, I stop only because I must.
Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a
separate page)
7845.70 is only 屈原 Qu Yuan, with no longer entries. As for 問渡 wen du: 3840.xxx, 12/32xxx. The full title has also been translated as Qu Yuan Asking His Way At the Ferry, and Homage to Qu Yuan.
(Return)
2 4 5 6 1 2 3 is the relative tuning, achieved by raising the second and fifth strings a half step each from
standard tuning. There is more information about qiliang mode under Shenpin Qiliang Yi and Modality in Early Ming Qin Tablature.
(Return)
The two melodies tell very similar stories.
(Return)
11716.35 懷沙賦 Huaisha Fu is the fifth of the Nine Pieces (九章 Jiu Zhang, attributed to Qu Yuan) in the Chu Ci. See David Hawkes, The Songs of the South, Penguin Classics, p.169ff.
(Return)
Zha Guide 12/133/216. The 13th tablature is not yet seen. All 15 tablatures are included in the appendix below.
(Return)
(Return)
Zha Guide p. 12: "宋代民間".
(Return)
It was recorded by his son 姚公敬 Yao Gongjing in Yaomen Qin Music.
(Return)
The recording by Yao Gongjing is mentioned above. The CD 簫聲琴韻 (English title "Hard to Say Goodbye"; Hugo HRP 7229-2 [2001]) by 李鳳雲 Li Fengyun and 王建欣 Wang Jianxin (簫 xiao), which has it on track 4, seems largely to follow the Yao interpretation of the version in Xilutang Qintong, with the xiao closely following the qin except for the octave leaps.
(Return)
The original Chinese preface is:
Structurally Qu Yuan Wen Du introduces numerous melodic phrases that are then repeated with some variation and in differing orders. In my own reconstruction I have identified nine such phrases. If they can be labeled A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, then they appear in the following order:
(Return)
Appendix: Chart Tracing Qu Yuan Wen Du
Based mainly on Zha Fuxi's Guide,
12/123/216.
|
琴譜
(year; QQJC Vol/page) |
Further information
(QQJC = 琴曲集成 Qinqu Jicheng; QF = 琴府 Qin Fu) |
|
1. 浙音釋字琴譜
(>1505; I/265 [details]) |
8 sections; lyrics
First phrase is repeated with a glissando in between |
|
2. 西麓堂琴統
(1525; III/255) |
9; no lyrics;
"一名九歌 also called Jiu Ge"; see afterword |
|
3. 發明琴譜
(1530; I/353) |
8; similar melody but new lyrics
|
|
4. 風宣玄品
(1539; II/300) |
8; similar but no lyrics
|
|
5. 梧岡琴譜
(1546; I/454) |
6 sections; no lyrics
|
|
6. 琴譜正傳
(1561; II/474) |
6; same as 1546;
Preceded by 弔屈原 Diao Qu Yuan; 10 sections; same mode |
|
7. 太音傳習
(1552-61; IV/177) |
8 sections; no lyrics;
|
|
8. 太音補遺
(1557; III/397) |
6 sections; no lyrics;
|
|
9. 重修真傳琴譜
(1585; IV/500) |
8; first version not to repeat opening phrase
Lyrics similar to 1530; music still related but very different |
|
10. 真傳正宗琴譜
(1589; VII/153) |
9; lyrics similar to 1530
Repeats opening phrase with glissando in between |
|
11. 陽春堂琴譜
(1611; VII/442) |
9 sections; no lyrics
For music compare 1589 |
|
12. 理性元雅
(1618; VIII/291) |
9; lyrics similar to 1530
Music very different from all previous |
|
13. 義軒琴經
(late Ming; IX.5) |
Zha lists it, but I can't find it;
Also no other pieces in this mode |
|
14. 立雪齋琴譜
(1730; XVIII/36) |
9; 屈子問渡 Quzi Wen Du; 離憂調 Liyou mode: lower 1st string half step;
"改訂 revised" but music still seems related; lyrics similar to 1530 |
|
15. 裛露軒琴譜
(>1802; XIX/183) |
9T; "from Taigu Yiyin";
titles and music same as 1589, but no lyrics |
Return to the Zheyin Shizi Qinpu index or to the Guqin ToC.