Lou Yue

Lou Yue (1137 - 1213), from an illustrious family on the upper reaches of the Qiantang River (which flows through Hangzhou), rose to a high official position in the Southern Song dynasty. After his death his writings were compiled into 攻媿集 Gongkui Ji in 120 folios, of which 112 are extant. This includes a travelogue of a trip he made to what is now Beijing, as well as poems that mention the qin, one in particular that gives an idea about how he played the melody Guangling San.

Wang Shixiang, in his article on Guangling San, discusses what we know of a version of Guangling San played by Lou Yue, based on this poem by Lou Yue. It has not yet been translated into English, but the original can be seen below.³ He apparently learned it from Lu Zijia.⁴ It is mentioned together with one described by Zhang Chong.⁵

His Feng Qin (Wind and Qin)⁶ begins,

(Tao) Yuanming had a qin originally with no strings,
白傳偏喜聽人彈....

Also not yet translated.

His poem With (Su) Dongpo's Old Toper's Melody Sing Along to Wind in the Qin (和東坡醉翁操韻詠風琴 He Dongpo Zuiweng Cao Yunyong FengQin) also mentions qin.⁷

Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a separate page)

1. Lou Yue (not Lou Yao)
樓鑰 15776.85; Bio/2395; Bio/2395; ICTCL p.938; Hans Frankel, Sung Biographies, p.668ff. Lou Yue was a nephew of 樓^王壽 Lou Shou (1090 - 1162; Bio/2395; drew the earliest known 耕織圖 Geng Zhi Tu: Illustrations of Farming and Sericulture). Attainted metropolitan degree during 1163-5.
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2. 樓鑰像 Image of Lou Yue
This image was copied here from 《浙江慈溪樓氏宗譜》. This source attests to his importance.
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3. Poem on Guangling San by Lou Yue (樓鑰：謝文思許尚之石函廣陵散譜)
The poem is preceded by brief commentary.

餘好彈廣陵散，比見周待制《清真集·序石函中譜》，嘆味不巳，念無從可得，文思許尚之中行云：“家有此本。”後日武昌錄寄。深歎雅尚，又以知然諾之不輕也。因作是詩以謝之。

叔夜千載人，生也當晋魏， Shuye (i.e. Xi Kang) though himself timeless, lived during the Wei Jin period.
君卑臣寖强，駸駸司馬氏，
幽憤無所泄，舒寫向桐梓，
慢商與宮同，慘痛聲足備，
規模既弘闊，音節分巨細，
撥刺洎全扶，他曲安有是？ "As for the finger techniques] boci and quanfu: where do other tablatures have them?"
昌黎贈穎師，必爲此曲製，
昵昵變軒昂，悲壯見英氣，
形容泛絲聲，雲絮無根蒂， To describe the floating (i.e., harmonics) silk sounds, he uses clouds and catkins without root or peduncle."
孤鳳出暄啾，或失千丈勢。
謂此琵琶詩，歐蘇俱過矣。
餘生無他好，嗜此如嗜芰，
清彈五十年，良夜或無寐，
向時幾似之，激烈至流涕。
素考韓皋言，神授托奇詭，
別姊取韓相，多用聶政事；
近讀清真序，始知石函秘，
賢哉許阿訥，自言家有此，
文君惜寶藏，人亡琴亦廢。
荷君重然諾，寫譜遠相寄，
按拍三十六，大同小有異， As for the 36 sections (from 10 to 45) [these are] mostly the same -- little different (i.e. are consistent?).
此即名止息，八拍信為贅。 But as for [the opening] called Zhi Xi, these eight sections [ from 2 to 9?] are I think redundant (convering the same material because added later?).
君遠未能來，我老從此逝，
何當篇君彈，更窮不盡意。

Although this poem has not yet been translated into English, it has been translated into German by Manfred Dahmer; see Der Lange Regenbogen, Die Solosuite Guanglingsan für Qin; Uelzen, Medinizinisch Literarische Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, 2009; pp.123-128 (pdf).
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4. Lu Zijia 盧子嘉
Wang Shixiang's foldout chart, #7, describes a version of Guangling San that Lou Yue learned from Lu Zijia.
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5. 張崇 Zhang Chong (see also in Rao)
Wang Shixiang's foldout chart, #4, outlines a version of Guangling San performed by 張研一 Zhang Yanyi, as described by Zhang Chong during 大定 Dading period of the 晉 Jin dynasty (1161-89; capital in Beijing). A note says the tablature is lost, but it quotes a preface. Wang first mentioned him as Song dynasty; Bio/1237 has a Zhang Chong only in the 5 Dynasties period. The story apparently came from Yelü Chucai: see Rao, Section 3.
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6. Poem 風琴 (Wind and Qin)
This version from QQJC Folio 20 (V/455) has some differences from its appearance in several other places. Some are marked below.

淵明有琴本無絃
白傳偏喜聽人彈
不如空中風度曲
窺風往耒聲斷續
非宮非商從君聰
不中律呂無辟臘
大如角韻耒睽城
細似封竅蒼蠅簾
華亭夜鴛圃沉清
顛動長引寒蟬馮
或疑鳳味畔霄漢
又恐仙佩雲中行
使其似曲無別調
安得自在聲黨姓
(睦)喧尚謂昧鼓牽(吹?)
(牛)嗚猶喜一鍾稱
絲不妒竹亦漫話
賴姓七竅俱隴玲
幽人院靜新涼立
八月不問耒縱橫
類簞六尺午晴足
彷彿神采傳廣陵 (妨拂)

文章齋光生究竹張絃聲碧空不勞抑救伴夭風莫誇有智戲聲足須信無心禍盧適明月夜深飄更遠閑憲人靜聽何窮知者一勿辨山烝水都在洪鈞臺中尺張方平露華月色澹軒庭忽聰風過眾簫嗚誰掛機心在繕熟宥絃寧更有全聲

No translations yet.
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7. 醉翁操 Zui Weng Cao
This is another poem by 樓鑰 Lou Yue that mentions qin, as follows:

茫茫。蒼蒼。
青山繞、千頃波光。
新秋露風荷吹香。
悠颺心地然，生清涼。
古岸搖垂楊。
時有白鷺飛來雙。
隱君如在，鶴與翱翔。
老仙何處，尚有流風未忘。
琴與君兮宮商。
酒與君兮杯觴。
清歡殊未央。
西山忽斜陽。
欲去且徜徉。
更將霜鬢臨滄浪。

No translation yet.
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