Cai Yan

Cai Yan, more commonly known as Cai Wenji, was a daughter of Cai Yong, style name Bojie. In about 195 CE the southern Xiongnu abducted her from her family's home in 陳留 Chenliu, south of Kaifeng in Henan province (the Han capital was then Luoyang), and took her to what is today the Gobi desert, where she was married to a Xiongnu prince and had two children. About 12 years later she was ransomed and returned home without her children. She then married a man from Chenliu in Henan. Her story became very popular and was found in various media including Chinese opera.⁴ There is also a tomb said to be hers at Sanli in Lantian County, near Xi'an in Shaanxi Province (see images at right, discussed further below).⁵

The story of Cai Yan's abduction is related in a number of surviving early qin melodies, including Xiao Hujia, Da Hujia, and Hujia Shibapai. The earliest surviving version of this last title has lyrics attributed to Cai Yan herself (see original lyrics and a related comment).⁶

More reliably attributed to her are the two Poems of Grief and Resentment (悲憤詩二章 Bei Fen Shi, Er Zhang).⁷ Most of the biography here consists of the entire text of both.

The biography of Cai Yan in Qin Shi is as follows,⁸

Cai Yan, style name Wenji, was a daughter of (Cai Yong). She was accomplished at music. One evening when her father was playing the qin a string broke. Cai Yan said, That was the second string. Cai Yong then intentionally broke a string and asked; she said, Fourth string. In neither case was she mistaken. Cai Yong said, Well-tuned ears! Cai Yan said, (Like) 吳札 Wu Zha (short for 吳，公子季札的省稱 Noble Scion Ji Zha of Wu; 6th c. BCE) observing music (of 周 Zhou) and knowing how countries rise and fall. When Shi Kuang played on the pitch pipes he realized the lack of quarrel in Southern Winds. Observing from this standpoint, of what can she not be aware?⁹

When young, (Wenji) was married to Wei Zhongdao of Hedong. When he died they were childless. The world was then being destroyed by disorder. Hu nomad cavalry abducted her and hid her away with the 左賢王 Left Honorable Prince of the Southern Xiongnu. She was with the Hu nomads for 12 years, giving birth to a child. Cao Cao, who had formerly been on good terms with her father, was unhappy about her having no (Han) heirs, so he sent and ambassador who used gold to ransom her. After she returned she was married again, this time to 董祀 Dong Si of Chenliu. However, she still mourned her period of separation and homelessness. In accord with her sadness and resentment she wrote a poem in two parts (or two poems), which said,

(See original)

All this mourned the destruction of the House of Han. Alas, the catastrophes grieving the people led to the sufferings at the hands of the Rongdi nomads; returning home caused separation from the natural instincts (of a mother). Listeners can sigh and lament about this. The Hujia (melody) transmitted through generations was created by her, and this is its significance.

(The biography of Cai Yan is then followed by a six-line biography of a woman named Chen Xiuming. There does not seem to be any connection between the two other than their gender and perhaps the period in which they lived.)

Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a separate page)

1. Cai Yan 蔡琰
32581.51; style name 蔡文姬 Cai Wenji.
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2. 陳脩明 Chen Xiuming (last 6 of the 54 lines in this entry)
42618.xxx; 22221.xxx; compare Chen Xiu. The last six lines of the entry on Cai Yan (see original) say,

During the Han period there was in Kuaiji a woman named Chen Xiuming who was a good qin player. She studied from a 李氏 Mr. Li of 上虞 Shangyu (17.626: also near Shaoxing; not 虞 33531.??) many beautiful sounds, and so was able to teach all her daughters as well as her son 由 You (陳由 ? 42618.xxx; 22221.xx). When You was 20 he was said to be a skilled artisan, well-known in the capital. His mother was not happy at this. She said, When You is 50 or 60 he can be an artisan, but if You dies young his Qin Dao will not include (help?) his mother....

(Translation incomplete).
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3. Images from 蔡文姬墓 Cai Wenji's tomb
Copied from the internet. See inparticular www.baike.com/wiki/
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4. Cai Wenji in opera
None seems to use the lyrics attributed to Wenji herself. The image at right, showing a scene from an opera called 文姬歸漢 Wenji Returns to Han, is from www.baike.com/wiki/.
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5. Later life and death
Since she is said to have been from Chenliu and to have returned there to marry a local man after being ransomed it is not clear why she is said to have been buried near Chang'an (Xi'an). The supposed gravesite is at 陝西省藍田縣三里鎮 Shaanxi Province, Lantian County, Sanli District is a few miles southeast of the center of Xi'an.
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6. 胡笳十八拍 Hujia Shibapai lyrics attributed to Cai Yan
These are also included in QSCM #14.
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7. Song of Grief and Resentment, two poems (悲憤詩二章 Bei Fen Shi, Er Zhang)
The original text of these twp poems is below. Both poems are translated in Paul Rouzer, Articulated Ladies, 2001. 11088.95 quotes from the poem, crediting 後漢書，列女董祀妻傳 History of the Latter Han, Exemplary Women, Biography of the wife of Dong Si. The second poem is said to be in the form of a 騷 sao.
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8. Original text
The original Chinese for the Cai Yan entry, with that of Chen Xiuming attached, is:

蔡琰，字文姬，伯喈之女，妙音律。邕夜鼓琴弦絕，琰曰：第二弦。邕故斷一弦問之，琰曰第四弦，皆不差謬。邕曰偶得之耳。琰曰：吳扎觀樂，知興亡之國，師曠吹律，識南風之不競，由此觀之，何不知也。少適河東衛仲道，夫亡無子。天下喪亂，為胡騎所獲，沒於南匈奴左賢王。在胡中十二年，生一子。曹操素與邕善，痛其無嗣，乃遣使以金璧贖之還，再嫁陳留董祀。嘗感傷亂離，追悼懷憤，賦詩二章。
- 其（第一章）辭曰，
  漢季失權柄，董卓亂天常。志欲圖篡弑，先害諸賢良。
  逼迫遷舊邦，擁主以自強。海內興義師，欲共討不祥。
  卓眾來東下，金甲耀日光。平土人脆弱，來兵皆胡羌。
  獵野圍城邑，所向悉破亡。斬截無孑遺，屍骸相撐拒。
  馬邊懸男頭，馬後載婦女。長驅西入關，迥路險且阻。
  還顧邈冥冥，肝脾為爛腐。所略有萬計，不得令屯聚。
  或有骨肉俱，欲言不敢語。失意幾微間，輒言弊降虜。
  要當以亭刃，我曹不活汝。豈敢惜性命，不堪其詈罵。
  或便加棰杖，毒痛參並下。旦則號泣行，夜則悲吟坐。
  欲死不能得，欲生無一可。彼蒼者何辜，乃遭此厄禍。
  邊荒與華異，人俗少義理。處所多霜雪，胡風春夏起。
  翩翩吹我衣，肅肅入我耳。感時念父母，哀歎無窮已。
  有客從外來，聞之常歡喜。迎問其消息，輒複非鄉裏。
  邂逅徼時願，骨肉來迎己。己得自解免，當複棄兒子。
  天屬綴人心，念別無會期。存亡永乖隔，不忍與之辭。
  兒前抱我頸，問母欲何之。人言母當去，豈複有還時。
  阿母常仁惻，今何更不慈。我尚未成人，奈何不顧思。
  見此崩五內，恍惚生狂癡。號泣手撫摩，當發複回疑。
  兼有同時輩，相送告離別。慕我獨得歸，哀叫聲摧裂。
  馬為立踟躕，車為不轉轍。觀者皆噓唏，行路亦嗚咽。
  去去割情戀，遄征日遐邁。悠悠三千里，何時複交會。
  念我出腹子，胸臆為摧敗。既至家人盡，又複無中外。
  城廓為山林，庭宇生荊艾。白骨不知誰，縱橫莫覆蓋。
  出門無人聲，豺狼號且吠。煢煢對孤景，怛吒糜肝肺。
  登高遠眺望，魂神忽飛逝。奄若壽命盡，旁人相寬大。
  為複強視息，雖生何聊賴。托命于新人，竭心自勖勵。
  流離成鄙賤，常恐複捐廢。人生幾何時，懷憂終年歲。
- 其二章曰：
  嗟薄祜兮遭世患。宗族殄兮門戶單。
  身執略兮入西關。歷險阻兮之羗蠻。
  山谷眇兮路漫漫。眷東顧兮但悲嘆。
  冥當寢兮不能安。饑當食兮不能餐。（冥﹕冖=宀？）
  常流涕兮眥不干。薄志節兮念死難。
  雖苟活兮無形顏。惟彼方兮遠陽精。
  陰氣凝兮雪夏零。沙漠壅兮塵冥冥。
  有草木兮春不榮。人似獸兮食臭腥。
  言兜離兮狀窈停。歲聿暮兮時邁征。
  夜悠長兮禁門扃。不能寢兮起屏營。
  登胡殿兮臨廣庭。玄雲合兮翳月星。
  北風厲兮肅泠泠。胡笳動兮邊馬鳴。
  孤雁歸兮聲嚶嚶。樂人興兮彈琴箏。
  音相和兮悲且清。心吐思兮胸憤盈。
  欲舒氣兮恐彼驚。含哀咽兮涕沾頸。
  家既迎兮當歸寧。臨長路兮捐所生。
  兒呼母兮啼失聲。我掩耳兮不忍聽。
  追持我兮走煢煢。頓復起兮毀顏形。
  還顧之兮破人情。心怛絕兮死復生。
此乃悼漢室之圮絕，嗟生民之羅災，往則遭戎狄之困辱，歸則痛天性之永隔，聞者可為之嘆息。世傳《胡笳》乃文姬所作，此其意也。
漢世有會稽女子陳脩明者，
善琴，寫上虞李氏數妙聲。以教諸女及其子由。由年二十，號為工，名聞京師。其母不善之。曰：由年五六十，乃當為工耳。由早卒琴道不及其母。然時人以為能。時郎有冷仲亦識音。善鼓琴。見由，自以為不如。乃譴之曰，年少率意，聲新而多離。如作肉羹，釀瓦石其中。豈可食哉。

Translation incomplete.
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9. Note Cai Yong's own skill in this regard.
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