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Li Bai
- Qin Shi Bu #73 |
李白 1
琴史補 #73 2 Image of Li Bai 3 |
A number of commentaries on this site connect Li Bai lyrics to specific qin melodies. Here is a sample:
The last four of these actually use poems of his as lyrics.
In addition, many Li Bai poems mention the qin. For example,
The original Qin Shi Bu essay begins as follows.
1.
Li Bai 李白
2.
Only source given is 蓴湖漫錄
Chunhu Manlu
3.
Li Bai image
4.
Li Bai plays qin in A Floating Life, a novel by Simon Elegant
"Treading the cloud ladder" is the translation in
Van Gulik's
Lore of the Chinese Lute of 步雲梯 Bu Yun Ti, the title of Section 1 of the
1556 version of the qin melody Wandering in a Lunar Palace
(Guanghan You). Elegant mentions other sections of his Treading the Cloud Ladder, but these in fact almost all refer to section titles of Guanghan You, specifically to Van Gulik's translations of them. The exception is Plain of the Skies: I am not sure of the source for that expression, unless it is his translation of Guanghan itself. It should be noted that Guanghan You is not on any of the pre-Ming dynasty melody lists, and for 步雲梯 Bu Yun Ti 16621.xxx and I have found no other reference.
Elegant has a section of Notes at the end giving some of his sources, but does not give sources for his qin information. Like Van Gulik, Elegant calls the qin a Lute.
5.
Other poems by Li Bai that mention qin
Another poem is 憶崔郎中宗之游南陽遺吾孔子琴,撫之潸然感舊
Recalling that when young Cui Zongzhi traveled to Nanyang he left me his Confucian-style qin; playing it brings tears as I recall the olden days
Not yet translated.
6.
贊琴 In Praise of Qin, by 李白 Li Bai:
秋思 Qiu Si (Autumn Thoughts), two poems included as part of 蔡氏五弄 Cai Shi Wunong (Five Melodies of the Cai Clan), but not set for qin
Folio 19A, #8
7 (V. 418)
Folio 19B, #31 - #32
8 (V. 424, two poems),
Folio 20A, #11
9 (V. 442)
一杯一杯復一杯; A cup, a cup, yet another cup.
我醉欲卿且去, Once drunk I long for sleep, so dear sir you must leave;
明朝有意抱琴來。 Tomorrow morning, if you please, take qin in hand and return.
Long ago I swallowed an elixer, and so have no more interest in worldly affairs;
When I expressed myself through the qin three times
(qinxin sandie), my Dao became actualized.
A se from Zhao has has just stopped resounding from its phoenix bridges,
And now a qin from Shu is about to begin playing on its mandarin duck strings.
Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a
separate page)
14817.284 蜀昌明人...字太伯號酒仙翁... from Changming in Sichuan, style name Taibo, nickname Jiuxianweng....
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Image from Assorted Pictures of the Three Realms (三才圖會
Sancai Tuhui, 1607) was taken from 14819.284.
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In the novel (published Hopewell, New Jersey, Ecco Press, 1997;
NY Times review), Chapter Eight begins with Li Bai telling his young disciple, Wang Long (Wang Lung), that most so-called qin lovers are really hypocrites who typically hang an instrument on the wall and quote classical sayings, but can play little, if at all. Li Bai then says he will play two melodies, "Treading the Cloud Ladder" and "The Barbarian Pipes", then teach them to Wang. From Elegant's description these are quite advanced melodies; Wang seems to be totally unfamiliar with a qin. Unfortunately there is no follow up to suggest how Wang might have dealt with such instruction. As for the melodies themselves, "Barbarian Pipes" is an obvious reference to some version of the famous qin melody title, e.g., Da Hu Jia; "Treading the cloud ladder" (which Li Bai proceeds to play) is more puzzling.
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There are many others. Sometimes the meaning "qin" is conveyed by a reference such as Lu Qi, the name of a famous qin, as in In Praise of Qin below; this is spelled out in 遊泰山詩 his poem "Traveling to Mount Tai":
Alone I carry my qin called Lu Qi, at night walking in the green mountains.
憶與崔宗之,白水弄素月。
時過菊潭上,縱酒無休歇。
泛此黃金花,頹然清歌發。
一朝摧玉樹,生死殊飄忽。
留我孔子琴,琴存人已歿。
誰傳《廣陵散》,但哭邙山骨。
泉戶何時明?長掃狐兔窟。
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嶧陽孤桐,石聳天骨。 |
Yiyang gutong: the solitary tong trees on the south side Yi mountain (8707.1/.7; 書,禹貢 [Legge, Shoo King, p.107]) in 邱縣 Qiu district, near 徐州 Xuzhou in Jiangsu (not the one in Shandong) had trees good for making qins. |
Translation by 劉成漢 Lau Shing Hon:
A se from Qi plays tunes from the east, (Qi is in the east)
Strings from Qin play tunes from the west. (Qin is in the west)
Fervently moving all the senses,
causing a fall into debauchery
That handsome wicked sweet talker ,
attracts young beauties over.
A pretty smile maybe granted a pair of white jade rings,
With a song maybe awarded a thousand tales of gold.
Beauty is much treasured over the Way (Dao),
Who cares if the sun or moon rises and falls.
Who cares if a celestial guest,
plays a pure qin aloft on a jade alter.
Line 5 elsewhere had "䛗" written "言臣"; elsewhere it is 詎 ju how?, abrupt
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8.
聽蜀僧濬彈琴 Listening to Monk Jun of Shu Play a Qin (僧濬 Seng Jun = "Monk Deep" [1111.xxx]);
one of the 300 Tang Poems; numerous translations, including Hinton, Selected Poems of Li Po, p.73; Ronald Egan, Controversy, p. 46;
Witter Bynner, 300 Tang Poems
(online); Ying Sun (also online).
And 月夜聽盧子順彈琴 On a Moonlit Evening Listening to Lu Zishun Play a Qin
Lu Zishun (23580.xxx; 7072.548xxx); translated in Hinton, Selected Poems of Li Po, p.28.
9.
酬裴侍御彈琴 Toasting Attendant Censor Pei for the Qin Playing, by 李白 Li Bai
(QSCB, Folio 20A, #11)
In Complete Tang Poems (全唐詩·捲178) this is called 詶裴侍御留岫師彈琴見寄 Toasting Attendant Censor Pei for hosting the qin play of Master Xiu (Xiu Shi):
10.
Lushan Ballad (廬山謠 Lushan Yao)
The full text of the poem is:
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11.
Endless Yearning, part 2 (長相思(二)Chang Xiang Si 2
There seems to be no connection between this Li Bai poem and the qin melody (and ci pattern) Chang Xiang Si. The full text of part two of Li Bai's poem is:
The first part of the poem is called Shu Roads are Difficult (蜀道難 Shu Dao Nan).
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12.
清夜聞鐘 Qingye Wen Zhong
18003.183; 18/178/--
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13.
玉關定 Yu Guan Ding
21296.850xxx; only 玉關 Yu Guan
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14.
遠望黃鶴樓 Yuan Wang Huanghelou
39908.178xxx; only 遠望
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15.
玉堂清 Yutang Qing
xxx; 21296.439 and 37/--/530 = 玉堂春
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16.
對月吟 Dui Yue Yin
7617.12xxx; only 對月 dui yue
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17.
幽澗泉 You Jian Quan (彈幽澗泉詩 Tan You Jian Quan?)
The lyrics (see translation) suggest Li Bai played qin. There are two melodic settings of these lyrics, in
The lyrics are the same, but two have completely different music. The compiler of 1739, Wang Shan says he wrote the melody himself. (9411.316xxx).
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