Latter Red Cliff Rhapsody (Hou Chibi Fu)

In Taigu Yiyin the Latter Red Cliff Rhapsody shares the same preface as the former one, thus suggesting that here the two melodies were created as a pair. Later in the Ming dynasty settings for the former rhapsody were more common, and by the Ming dynasty both melodies seem largely to have gone out of circulation, with only one new entry, the Hou Chibi Fu of 1828.

The lyrics, again by Su Shi (Su Dongpo, 1036 - 1101), are found in only four handbooks (1511 [here], 1539, 1585 and 1828). All have different music (see tracing chart).

The date given in the first line of the latter rhapsody corresponds to 7 November 1082, two months after the first trip. The places named were near Huanggang, in modern Hubei province; Su Dongpo believed this to be the location of the Red Cliff battle (further comment).

The music, like the lyrics, were originally undivided. The earliest version with sectioning, the (musically unrelated) 1585 tablature divided it into six sections. Here I have divided it into 11 sections; the six sections from 1585 start at the beginning of sections 1, 3, 6, 8, 10 and near the middle of 11 below.

Original preface

None; see Qian Chibi Fu

Music and Lyrics: eleven sections ⁴ (preceded by the Former Red Cliff Rhapsody)
This translation is largely indebted to these earlier ones, the emphasis here being on a word for word understanding to help someone trying to follow the lyrics while listening.

是歲十月之望，步自雪堂，將歸於臨臯。
Shì suì shí yuè zhī wàng, bù zì Xuě Táng, jiāng guī yú Lín Gāo.
On the full moon of the 10th lunar month of the same year, I walked from Snowy Hall back to Lin Gao.
二客從予過黃泥之阪。
Èr kè cóng yǔ guò huáng ní zhī bǎn.
Two guests (hereafter "friends") accompanied me as we crossed over Yellow Clay Slope.
霜露既降，木葉盡脫，
Shuāng lù jì jiàng, mù yè jǐn tuō,
Frost had fallen, the trees' leaves were completely shed.
人影在地，仰見明月，
Rén yǐng zài dì, yǎng jiàn míng yuè,
Our shadows resided on the ground, looking up we saw the bright moon.
顧而樂之，行歌相答。
Gù ér lè zhī, xíng gē xiāng dá.
Looking around and enjoying this, as we walked we sang back and forth to each other.
已而歎曰：
Yǐ ér tàn yuē:
After a while I sighed and said,
「有客無酒，有酒無肴，
`Yǒu kè wú jiǔ, yǒu jiǔ wú yáo,
"There are friends but no wine, or wine but nothing to eat.
月白風清，如此良夜何！」
Yuè bái fēng qīng, rú cǐ liáng yè hé!'
The moon is white, the breezes gentle, on such a beautiful evening what can we do?"
客曰：
Kè yuē:
A friend said,
「今者薄暮，舉網得魚，
`Jīn zhě bó mù, jǔ wǎng dé yú,
"Today at twilight, I cast a net a caught a fish.
巨口細鱗，狀如松江之鱸。
Jù kǒu xì lín, zhuàng rú Sōngjiāng zhī lú.
It has a big mouth and and very fine scales, resembling a Pine River seabass.
顧安所得酒乎？」
Gù ān suǒ dé jiǔ hū?'
But where can we look for available wine?
歸而謀諸婦。婦曰：
Guī ér móu zhū fù. Fù yuē:
I returned home and asked my wife. She said,
「我有鬥酒，藏之久矣，
`Wǒ yǒu dòu jiǔ, cáng zhī jiǔ yǐ,
"I have a cache of wine, it has been in storage a long time,
以待子不時之需。」
Yǐ dài zi bù shí zhī xū.'
In case you suddenly needed some."
於是攜酒與魚，複遊於赤壁之下。
Yú shì xié jiǔ yǔ yú, fù yóu yú Chìbì zhī xià.
And so we brought along the wine and fish, and again went roving to the base of Red Cliff.
江流有聲，斷岸千尺；
Jiāng liú yǒu shēng, duàn àn qiān chǐ
The river's flow was audible, the riverbank sharply rose a thousand feet.
山高月小，水落石出。
Shān gāo yuè xiǎo, shuǐ luò shí chū.
The mountains were high, the moon looked small, the water level had fallen and rocks protruded.
曾日月之幾何，
Céng rì yuè zhī jǐ hé,
Since the previous (visit) how long had it been?
而江山不可複識矣。
Ér jiāng shān bù kě fù shí yǐ.
And yet the river and mountain we could no longer recognize.
予乃攝衣而上，履讒岩，披蒙茸，
Yǔ nǎi shè yī ér shàng, lǚ chán yán, pī méng rōng,
I thereupon lifted by robe and stepped up,
踞虎豹，登虯龍，攀棲鶻之危巢，
Jù hǔ bào, dēng qiú lóng, pān qī gú zhī wēi cháo,
Crouching on tiger- and leopard-(shaped rocks), climbing coiled dragon-(shaped trees), I scrambled up to a roosting falcons' precarious nest.
俯馮夷之幽宮。
Fǔ féng yí zhī yōu gōng.
And looked down at Pingyi's sunken palace.
蓋二客不能從焉。
Gài èr kè bù néng cóng yān.
(But) my two friends had not been able to follow me.
劃然長嘯，
Huà rán cháng xiào,
Suddenly there was a long howl.
草木震動，鳴谷應，風起水湧。
Cǎo mù zhèn dòng, míng gǔ yīng, fēng qǐ shuǐ yǒng.
Plants and trees tremored, resounding ravines echoed, winds arose and the water surged.
予亦悄然而悲，肅然而恐，
Yǔ yì qiǎo rán'ér bēi, sù rán ér kǒng,
I too was hushed and overcome, urgently fearful.
凜乎其不可留也。
Lǐn hū qí bù kě liú yě.
Shivering such that I could not remain there.
(泛起 harmonics begin)
反而登舟，放乎中流，
Fǎn ér dēng zhōu, fàng hū zhōng liú,
I returned and got back in the boat, and we set off for midstream.
聽其所止而休焉。
Tīng qí suǒ zhǐ ér xiū yān.
Accepting where it stopped, we then rested.
時夜將半，四顧寂寥。
Shí yè jiāng bàn, sì gù jì liáo.
The night was about half over, looking around everywhere it was still and silent.
適有孤鶴，橫江東來。
Shì yǒu gū hè, héng jiāng dōng lái.
Just then there came a solitary crane, crossing the river from the east.
翅如車輪，玄裳縞衣，
Chì rú chē lún, xuán shang gǎo yī,
Its wings seemed like wagon wheels, (seeming to have) a black lower garment and a white vest.
然長鳴，掠予舟而西也。
Jiá rán cháng míng, lüè yǔ zhōu ér xī yě.
Piercingly it let out a long cry, sweeping past our boat and heading west.
須臾客去，予亦就睡。
Xū yú kè qù, yǔ yì jiù shuì.
Soon my friends left, I also went to sleep.
夢一道士，羽衣蹁躚，
Mèng yī dào shi, yǔ yī pián xiān,
I dreamed that a Daoist master in a feather cape hovering nearby,
過臨臯之下，
Guò Lín'gāo zhī xià.
Passing by Lingao he descended.
揖予而言曰：
Yī yǔ ér yán yuē:
Greeting me he spoke, saying,
「赤壁之遊樂乎？」
`Chìbì zhī yóu lè hū?'
"Your Red Cliff trip was pleasurable?"
問其姓名，俯而不答。
Wèn qí xìng míng, fǔ ér bù dá.
When I asked him his name, he just looked down and did not answer.
「嗚呼！噫嘻！我知之矣。
`Wū hū! Yī xī! Wǒ zhī zhī yǐ.
Oh ho! Ah ha! I know this.
疇昔之夜，飛鳴而過我者，
Chóu xī zhī yè, fēi míng ér guò wǒ zhě,
Just last night, (the solitary crane that) flew and called out while passing me.
非子也邪？」
Fēi zi yě xié?'
Was that not you?
道士顧笑，予亦驚寤。
Dào shi gù xiào, yǔ yì jīng wù.
The Daoist master looked around and laughed; I thereupon was startled from my sleep.
開戶視之，不見其處。
Kāi hù shì zhī, bù jiàn qí chù.
I opened the door and looked for him, but could not see anyone.

Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a separate page)

1. Hou Chibi Fu 後赤壁賦 (I/330-1)
See under Qian Chibi Fu.
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2. Tuning and mode
Taigu Yiyin does not organize melodies by mode. See further comments under Qian Chibi Fu.
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3. Scroll: the Second Rhapsody (or "Prose Poem", or "Ode") on the Red Cliff Another Latter Red Cliff Rhapsody scroll (expand)
The image at top is from a page on the website of the National Palace Museum, Taiwan. It is an excerpt from a painting in their collection by 文徵明 Wen Zhengming (1470-1559) called Imitating Zhao Bosu’s Latter Ode on Red Cliff (仿趙伯驌後赤壁圖). It seems to have been cleaned up for use in a film animation, described here. The original painting has been said to have been divided into 8 scenes, but I am not clear as to what this means. There is further information on the website of Patrick Siu.

Another painting on this theme, shown here at right, is one by 喬仲常 Qiao Zhongchang in the Nelson-Atkins Museum, Kansas City, where it is entitled "Illustration to the Second Prose Poem on the Red Cliff". The museum website, which dates the painting to 1123, has commentary and an image that gives a sense of the whole painting, but perhaps more detail can be seen in the image at right, copied from Masterpieces of Chinese Paintings Overseas, Vol. I, pp. 112/3 (two page spread; at the top of this page is a clearer view of the image at the end of the scroll [lower right]). A careful comparison with the Wen Zhengming painting shows significant differences.

If the dates given for Zhao Bosu (1124-1182) are correct, then if the attribution on this painting to Qiao Zhongchang is correct, it would precede any one done by Zhao Bosu - indeed it would date to barely 40 years after Su Dongpo's outings.
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4. Original lyrics of Hou Chibi Fu (See also Qian Chibi Fu)
The translation above largely follows those listed here. In Taigu Yiyin the Chinese lyrics, which pair Su Dongpo's original poem (including the introduction) to the qin tablature using the standard method, are not clearly divided into sections. Here, guided in part by the sectioning in later settings for qin as well as by my own understanding of the flow of the music and lyrics, I have arranged the tablature and text into 11 sections, as follows:

是歲十月之望，步自雪堂，將歸於臨臯。二客從予過黃泥之阪。霜露既降，木葉盡脫，人影在地，仰見明月，顧而樂之，行歌相答。
已而歎曰：「有客無酒，有酒無肴，月白風清，如此良夜何！」
客曰：「今者薄暮，舉網得魚，巨口細鱗，狀如松江之鱸。顧安所得酒乎？」
歸而謀諸婦。婦曰：「我有鬥酒，藏之久矣，以待子不時之需。」
於是攜酒與魚，複遊於赤壁之下。江流有聲，斷岸千尺；山高月小，水落石出。曾日月之幾何，而江山不可複識矣。
予乃攝衣而上，履讒[山旁]岩，披蒙茸，踞虎豹，登虯龍，攀棲鶻之危巢，俯馮夷之幽宮。蓋二客不能從焉。
劃然長嘯，草木震動，鳴谷應，風起水湧。予亦悄然而悲，肅然而恐，凜乎其不可留也。
（泛起）
反而登舟，放乎中流，聽其所止而休焉。時夜將半，四顧寂寥。
適有孤鶴，橫江東來。翅如車輪，玄裳縞衣，戛然長鳴，掠予舟而西也。
須臾客去，予亦就睡。夢一道士，羽衣蹁躚，過臨臯之下，揖予而言曰：「赤壁之遊樂乎？」問其姓名，俯而不答。「嗚呼！噫嘻！我知之矣。疇昔之夜，飛鳴而過我者，非子也邪？」
道士顧笑，予亦驚寤。開戶視之，不見其處。
(Return)

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