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Scenes Illustrating Guqin Melodies    Standard tuning Yu Ge    Ruibin tuning Yu Ge Diao - Yu Ge    Image 1    More 首頁
Illustrations for the qin melody Yu Ge (Fisherman's Song) 1 漁歌圖
A long scroll by Bai Yunli Title beginning the Yu Ge scroll by Bai Yunli    

This long scroll, "Fisherman's Song" (Yu Ge Tu), was inspired by a Yuan dynasty scroll painting called "The Fisherman" (漁父圖 Yufu Tu) by 吳鎮 Wu Zhen (1280-1354),2 said in turn to have been 仿 made in the style of an earlier one by 荊浩 Jing Hao (850?—911? Wiki). Online one can read of at least four extant versions of this scroll, though after Wu Zhen they tend to say they are 仿 made in the style of Wu Zhen rather than Jing Hao. Three are in museums in Washington, Shanghai and Beijing, one was sold at an auction in 2024 (details below).3

The Hangzhou painter Bai Yunli based the scroll linked here specifically on the one in the Freer Gallery of the National Museum of Asian Art, Washington, D.C. At that time the Freer version was not online so he made his version based on several sources, including the copy printed in Masterpieces of Chinese Painting Overseas (see III/56).

As can be seen below, Wu Zhen's painting had 16 images of a fisherman, each inscribed with its own poem (each poem is numbered and listed below the copy of his painting). Because the standard tuning Yu Ge as published in Xilutang Qintong (1525) has 18 sections, Bai Yunli's scroll replaces Wu Zhen's 16 images and their poems with 17 images (no image for #18) and the 18 titles of the 18 sections of the qin melody. Note, further however, regarding these images on Bai Yunli's scroll, images 2 and 3 seem to share one title while image 6 seems to have two titles. Thus there is not a complete correspondence between the images and the 18 titles from the 1525 melody. Also, although the overall construction of Bai Yunli's scroll is quite similar to that of other existing scrolls, especially the one by Wu Zhen, the correspondences are not precise.4

Links to images corresponding to titles of the standard tuning Yu Ge Image 1 in the Yu Ge scroll by Bai Yunli
# 1 遯蹟滄浪 A secluded life along clear waters
# 2 放情煙水 Losing oneself in the misty waterscape
# 3 洗耳清湍 Cleaning one's ears along the rushing streams
# 4 濯纓迴漵 Washing one's cap in the whirling waters
# 5 緩棹溯遊 Rowing gently up the stream
# 6 高歌欸乃 Loudly sing a fisherman's song (harmonics)
# 7 響遏巖雲 The melody fills the cliffs and clouds
# 8 聲分淞浦 The sounds spread to the Songpu (river)
# 9 擊遠疝江 Striking the oars on a misty river
#10 扣舷雲渚 Hitting the side of the boat by a cloudy islet
#11 施罛橫渡 Turning the boat to stop and extend the fishing net
#12 撒網絕流 Casting a net at the bend in a river
#13 得魚沽酒 Having caught fish, buying some wine
#14 燃竹烹鮮 Burning bamboo to boil the fresh fish
#15 醉倚蓬窗 Drunkenly leaning on a boat window
#16 閒眠柳岸 Snoozing under the willows by the shoreline
#17 蠡和同志 Gathering people of similar intentions
#18 軒無軒冕 No interest in an official position 		See also 00-12
       and 13-18

In contrast, the 18 titles and poetic text (lyrics?) of the ruibin tuning Yu Ge are less focused on the fisherman himself and more focused on the surrounding scenery. Its titles and accompanying lyrics are listed here, with just the titles below.5

 
Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a separate page)

1. The scroll title: 漁歌圖 Yu Ge Tu: The Fisherman's Song
Distinguish the title of the present scroll with that of titles for the common earlier scroll: The Fisherman (漁父圖 Yufu Tu, literally "Father Fisherman", suggesting he has been around for a while).
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2. Wu Zhen (1280-1354): The Fisherman (吳鎮，漁父圖 Yufu Tu)
吳鎮，字仲圭。號梅花道人 Wu Zhen, courtesy name Zhonggui, nickname Meihua Daoren (see Wikipedia) was one of the most famous Yuan dynasty painters (one of the Four Masters of the Yuan).
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3. Other long scrolls with the present theme
Introductory information about the three paintings called "The Fisherman" that are now in museums came from from the shuge.org website, here and also here. The shuge.com websites (as of 2023) included some images and also some comparison of the three versions.

The three museum versions are as follows: https://www.shuge.org/view/yu_fu_tu/#to-tab-1-2

  1. In the Freer Gallery of the National Museum of Asian Art, Washington, D.C. (q.v.; "after Jing Hao")
    Image below; this version has the 16 inscriptions shown below; note that #8 adds "無船" because it has no boat (or fisherman)
  2. In the Shanghai Museum (see on their website?)
    15 fishing boats, 14 fishermen? Commentary on shuge.org apparently makes a connection between the Shanghai version and 柳宗元 Liu Zongyuan (773 - 819), but I am not sure if this is perhaps only a reference to his poem Song of the Fisherman, not to any scroll painting.
  3. In the "Palace Museum". Details of this are not quite clear. The shuge.org site shows the Palace Museum Beijing having only a single image on a vertical scroll (expand and compare here; I could not find it through the Palace Museum search page) rather than a long horizontal scroll, while the digital archive of the Palace Museum in Taiwan shows only fragmented images. (Could not find more in a search of their Collection).

To sum up, information on this is not yet clear to me.

Meanwhile, the Freer version (expand) is copied here but without some of the colophons at the end.
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4. Inscriptions on the Wu Zhen painting
These inscriptions, all poems in the form 7 7 3+3 7, cannot be paired using the standard pairing method to the tablature of the standard tuning Yu Ge of Xilutang Qintong (1525), which itself also has no lyrics. They are also not connected to the lyrics that Zheyin Shizi Qinpu (>1505) paired to its tablature. Instead the lyrics below can be found only with the paintings that have them as inscriptions. Here they are copied from this webpage, which seems in places to add some comparative commentary. Meanwhile a ChapGPT translation is added below.

  1. 洞庭湖上晚風生，風觸湖心一葉橫，蘭桌穩，草衣輕，只釣鱸魚不釣名。
  2. 重整絲綸欲桌船，江頭明月正明圓，酒缾倒，草花懸，拋卻漁竿踏月眠。
  3. 殘陽浦里漾魚船，青草湖中欲暮天，看白鳥，下平川，點破瀟湘萬里煙。
  4. 如何小小作絲綸，祗向湖中養一身，任公子，龍伯人，枉釣如山截海鱗。
  5. 極浦遙看兩岸斜，碧波微影弄晴霞，孤舟小，去無涯，[阿]那箇汀洲[是]下是家
  6. 雪色鬚鬚一老翁，能將短桌撥長空，微有雨，正無風，宜在五湖煙水中。
  7. 綠楊灣里夕陽微，萬里霞光浸落暉，擊桌去，未能歸，驚起沙鷗撲鹿飛。
  8. 月移山影照漁船，船載山行月在前，山突兀，月嬋娟，一曲漁歌山月連。（無船。）
  9. 風攪長江浪攪風，魚龍混雜一川中，藏深浦，繫長松，直待雲收月在[中]空。
  10. 舴艋為舟力幾多，江頭雲雨半相和，殷勤好，下長波，半夜潮生不那何。
  11. 殘霞返照四山明，雲起雲收陰復晴，風腳動，浪頭生，聽取虛蓬夜雨聲。
  12. 無端垂釣定潭心，魚大船輕力不任，憂傾側，繫浮沈，事事從輕不要深。
  13. 釣得紅鱗拽水開，錦鱗敤較逐鈎來，搖赬尾，噞紅腮，不羨嚴陵坐釣台。
  14. 五嶺風光絕四隣，滿川鳧鴈是交親，雲觸岸，浪搖身，青草煙深不見人。
  15. 舴艋舟人無姓名，葫蘆提酒樂平生，香稻飯，滑蓴羹，桌月穿雲任性情。
  16. 桃花波起五湖春，一葉隨風萬里身，釣絲細，香餌均，元來不是取魚人。

A ChatGPT translation of these poems is as follows:

  1. On Dongting Lake, the evening breeze stirs, A single leaf drifts where the wind prefers.
        With steady oar and clothes of grass, Fishing for perch, not fame that lasts.
  2. Preparing the lines, a boat set to roam, Under the moon, full and aglow at the dome.
        The wine jar tips, wildflowers sway, Abandoning the rod to sleep in moon’s ray.
  3. At sunset’s bay, the fishing boat floats, In verdant lake, twilight’s hues devote.
        White birds descend, lowlands meet, Breaking Xiang’s mist where rivers greet.
  4. Why weave this line for a humble shore, Just to sustain one’s life, no more.
        Let nobles and gods fish the vast, I’ll leave their quest for wealth unasked.
  5. Far off, banks slant by the utmost stream, Sunlit ripples reflect a dreamy gleam.
        A lone boat glides to endless skies, Is that sandbank a home that lies?
  6. An old man, beard as snowy as frost, With a short oar navigates the air he’s crossed.
        Light rain falls, no wind’s refrain, Content in Five Lakes’ smoky domain.
  7. Willow bay dims as sunset dies, Ten-thousand clouds stain twilight skies.
        The oar strikes forward, not yet home, Startling gulls into startled roam.
  8. The moon shifts, mountain shadows adorn, The boat carries hills where light is born.
        Mountains loom tall, moonlight pure, A fisher’s song and moon endure.
  9. Wind stirs the river, waves twist and churn, Fish and dragons in chaos discern.
        Hiding in coves, anchored to trees, Waiting for clouds to clear, moon’s tease.
  10. How little strength this skiff may lend, As rain and clouds with tides blend.
        Faithful in rowing, through waves vast, Midnight tides rise, unstoppable cast.
  11. Fading twilight paints mountains bright, Clouds gather, disperse, dark then light.
        Winds shift paths, waves arise, Listen: rain whispers in night skies.
  12. Unintentionally fishing in still waters found, A large fish pulls, the boat spins round.
        Fearing capsizes, afloat yet bound, Taking all lightly, no depth profound.
  13. A red-scaled fish bursts the water’s plane, Its shimmering form leaps toward the chain.
        Shaking red tails, breathing gills, No envy for Yenling’s famed hill.
  14. Five Ridges hold vistas none can vie, Flocks of ducks and geese are neighbors nearby.
        Clouds brush shores, waves rock the heart, In misted green smoke, men depart.
  15. This skiff has no name, nor does its man, A gourd of wine fulfills life’s plan.
        Scented rice, slippery water-shield stew, With moon through clouds, leisure imbues.
  16. Peach-blossom waves bring Five Lakes spring, A leaf adrift where winds may swing.
        Lines thin, bait laced in fragrant hue, Not fishing for fish—seeking truth anew.

Note the use of rhyme; and as yet I have made only a preliminary study of this translation.

The Jin Xuan version has the same 18 poems paired to images of the fisherman but, as can be seen on the Sotheby's site, they are all in a different order, as indicated:

  1. 舴艋為舟力幾多，江頭雲雨半相和，殷勤好，下長波，半夜潮生不那何。(10)
  2. 殘霞返照四山明，雲起雲收陰復晴。風腳動，浪頭生，聽取虛篷夜雨聲。(11)
  3. 綠楊灣裏夕陽微，萬里霞光浸落暉。擊棹去，未能歸，驚起沙鷗撲鹿飛。(07)
  4. 斜陽浦裏漾漁船，青草湖中欲暮天。看白鳥，下平川，點破瀟湘萬里煙。(03)
  5. 洞庭湖上晚風生，風觸湖心一葉橫。蘭棹穩，草花新，只釣鱸魚不釣名。(01)
  6. 無端垂釣定潭心，魚大船輕力不任。憂傾側，繫浮沉，事事從輕不要深。(12)
  7. 月移山影照漁船，船載山行月在前。山突兀，月嬋娟，一曲漁歌山月連。(08)
  8. 風攪長空浪攪風，魚龍混雜一川中。藏深浦，繫長松，直待雲收月滿空。(09)
  9. 桃花波暖五湖春，一葉隨風萬里身。釣絲細，香餌均，元來不是取魚人。(16)
  10. 釣得江鳞拽水開，錦鱗斑駁逐鈎來。搖赬尾，噞紅腮，不羡嚴陵坐釣臺。(13)
  11. 如何小小作絲綸，祇向湖中養一身。任公子，龍伯人，枉釣如山截海鱗。(04)
  12. 雪色髭鬚一老翁，能將短棹撥長空。微有雨，正無風，宜在五湖烟水中。(06)
  13. 五嶺煙光絕四鄰，滿川鳧鷹是交親。雲觸岸，浪搖身，青草煙深不見人。(14)
  14. 極浦遙看兩岸斜，碧波微影弄晴霞。孤舟小，去無涯，那箇汀洲不是家。(05)
  15. 舴艋舟人無姓名，葫蔗提酒樂平生。香稻飯，滑蒓羹，棹月穿雲任性情。(15)
  16. 重整絲綸欲棹船，江頭明月正明圓。酒瓶側，蓼花懸，拋却漁竿踏月眠。(02)

Here all 16 poems have images.
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5. Ruibin tuning Yu Ge titles
This is the earliest version of the melody later called Ao Ai:

  1. 瀟湘水雲 Clouds over the Xiao and Xiang rivers
  2. 秋江如練 The autumn river shines like a ribbon of white silk cloth
  3. 洞庭秋思 Autumn thoughts by Dongting lake
  4. 楚湘煙波 Mist and waves on the Chu and Xiang
  5. 天濶明朗 A brilliant moon in the broad firmament
  6. 漁歌互答 The fishermen's songs echo back and forth
  7. 嗈嗈鳴鴈 Wild geese call "yan yan"
  8. 夜傍西巖 An evening alongside the western cliffs
  9. 漁人晚唱 The fishermen sing in the evening
  10. 醉臥蘆花 Drunkenly lying among the rushes
  11. 蓬窓夜雨 Evening rain on an overgrown lattice window
  12. 梧桐葉落 Leaves fall from the wutong tree
  13. 曉汲湘江 At dawn drawing water from the Xiang river
  14. 漁舟盪槳 The fishermen in boats row their oars
  15. 寒江撒網 Casting a net into the cool river
  16. 日出煙消 The sun comes out, dissolving the mists
  17. 欸乃一聲 The sound "ao ai" (oars splashing)
  18. 山高水長 High mountains and long rivers.

The corresponding melody and its lyrics could work with the images in the above scroll, but perhaps better (especially given the title of the first section) would be a scroll more similar to one such as Eight Views of the Xiao and Xiang Rivers.
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