Pipa Xing with Preface is a long narrative poem written by Bai Juyi, a poet of the Tang Dynasty.
Translation of Pipa Xing
In the 10th year of Emperor Xianzong Yuanhe of the Tang Dynasty, I was relegated to the position of Secretary of Jiujiang County. One day in the fall of the following year, when I was seeing off a friend at the mouth of Penpu, I heard someone on a boat playing the pipa at night. Listening to the sound, it sounded like the popular lute in Kyoto. When I asked the person, it turned out to be a songstress from Chang'an, who used to learn from two pipa masters, Mu and Cao. Later, when she got old, she retired and married a merchant as her wife. So he ordered people to set up wine and asked her to play a few songs. After she played, some sullen look, talking about the joy of youth, but now wandering and sinking, emaciated, wandering between the rivers and lakes. I left the capital to transfer out of the post for two years, as the case may be, self-satisfied, and now by this person's words touched, this night before the feeling of being demoted. So I composed a long poem to present to her, *** six hundred and sixteen words, entitled "Pipa Xing". At night I went to the head of the Xunyang River to bid farewell to my guest, and the maple trees and reeds were blown by the autumn wind to make a soughing sound. My guests and I dismounted from our horses and hosted a farewell banquet on the boat. I raised my glass to drink, but there was no music to cheer me up. Drinking wine is not happy more sad to be separated, the parting of the vast river dipped in a round of cold moon. Suddenly heard a burst of pipa sound from the river; I forgot to return to the guests also do not want to move. I searched for the source of the sound and softly asked who was playing the pipa. The pipa stopped for a long time but was silent. We moved closer to the boat and invited her to come out to meet us, and told the servants to add more wine and return to the lanterns to re-establish the banquet. Only after a thousand calls did she slowly come out, half-covering her face with the lute she carried in her arms. She turned the tight shaft of the lute strumming the strings to try to play a few sounds, not yet played into the tune but first have feelings. The strings of the lute's mournful and sad voice implied contemplation, and seemed to be telling of her life's disappointments. She lowered her eyebrows and played slowly and continuously with her hands, pouring out her heart's infinite sadness. Gently gathered, slowly twisted, wiped and picked, first played "Nei Shang Yu Yi Qu" and then played "six youngest". The sound of the big strings is heavy and subdued like a storm, while the small strings are fine, light and quiet, eager and delicate, like a person whispering. The cacophony of voices interlaced with the sound of playing, like large and small pearls falling one by one from a jade disk. A moment like the oriole in the flowers under the cawing fluent, a moment like the spring water in the ice under the flow of stagnant not smooth. As if the ice spring cold pipa sound began to condense, condensation and not smooth sound gradually interrupted. Like another kind of sadness and hatred grows in secret, the sound of this moment is more moving than the sound of a break. Suddenly, the pipa's sound is steeply high, like a silver bottle exploding, water running burst; and like killing a team of iron cavalry, swords and spears roar. At the end of the song, the plectrum crossed from the middle of the strings, and the four strings roared as if they had torn the cloth. The east and west of the boat and cruise ships are quiet, only see the center of the river reflected in the autumn moon flooded with white light. She put away the plectrum and inserted it into the strings; she straightened her clothes and still showed a dignified face. She said she was originally a famous singer in the capital, and her hometown was in Toadstooling, southeast of Chang'an City. At the age of thirteen, she had already learned to play the pipa, and her name was registered in the first section of the Orchestra of the Church. She was admired by the masters of the art and was envied by her fellow kabuki for every song she played. The rich and noble sons of the capital competed to give me rewards, and every time I finished playing a song, I didn't know how many colored silks I had to give. Tin head silver grate beat beat often broken and shattered, red dress stained by wine stains do not regret. Year after year are spent in laughter and play, autumn and spring good time for nothing. The brothers of the church went to the army, the aunt of the house also died, the twilight to the morning to come I am also old and gray. The number of people who came to the door decreased, and I had to marry a merchant when I got older. The merchant only emphasizes profit, and takes parting lightly. Last month, he went to Fuyang to buy tea and make goods. He went and left me alone in the river mouth to guard the empty boat, the autumn moon with me as a companion, around the boat of the autumn water bleak and cold. The deeper the night often dream of youthful fun and revelry, woke up crying in the dream tears and tears stained the powdered face. I listened to the pipa sound has long shaken his head and sighed, and heard her say this more lamentable. The same are all the end of the world poor people, today meet why ask whether they have known each other! Since last year, I left the prosperous capital of Chang'an, was relegated to live in Xunyang River has been sick. Xunyang this place is desolate and remote no music, all year round can not hear the strings playing. Living near the Pen River, low-lying damp, around the yard, all grow some yellow reed bitter bamboo. What can be heard here in the morning and evening? All are cuckoo apes and monkeys those sad wailing. Spring river flower morning, autumn river moonlight night so good light; also can't help often take wine alone drink alone. Is there no mountain song and village flute here? It's just that the tone is hoarse and coarse, and it's really hard to hear. Tonight I hear you play the pipa and tell you your love, as if I were hearing fairy music, and my eyes and ears are bright. Please don't excuse yourself and sit down and play again; I'll compose a new poem for you, "Pipa Xing". Touched by my words, she stood for a long time; she turned back and sat down, then turned the strings tightly and plucked out a sharp sound. It was not as monotonous as the one she had just played, and all the people here who listened to it again covered their faces and wept incessantly. Who shed the most tears among the audience? Jiangzhou Sima's green shirt has been soaked with tears!
"Pipa Xing with Preface" is a long narrative poem written by the Tang Dynasty poet Bai Juyi. Through the description of the pipa girl's excellent playing skills and her unfortunate experience, the poem exposes the unreasonable phenomenon of bureaucratic corruption, the withering of people's livelihood, and the burying of talents in the feudal society, and expresses the poet's deep sympathy for her, as well as the poet's resentment towards his own innocence of being relegated to a position of power. The narrative and lyricism of the poem are closely integrated, creating a complete and distinctive character image; the language is flowing and well-proportioned, beautiful and harmonious, especially in depicting the pipa's performance, with apt metaphors, transforming the virtual into the real, and presenting a distinctive musical image. The original text is as follows:
Pipa Xing and PrefaceTang - Bai JuyiYuanhe ten years, I left to move to Jiujiang County Secretary. In the fall of next year, I sent my guest to the mouth of Penpu, and heard the pipa player in the boat at night, and listened to his voice, clanging with the sound of Kyoto. Asked the person, this Chang'an advocate girl, tasted learning pipa in Mu, Cao two good talent, old age, color decline, entrusted to the Jia people's women. He then ordered wine and played several songs. The song finished compassionate, recounting the joys of the young hours, now sinking and emaciated, migrating between the rivers and lakes. I have been out of the government for two years, quiet and at ease, feeling the words of the people, is the evening began to feel the intention of relocation and banishment. Because of the long sentence, song to gift, where six hundred and sixteen words, named "pipa line and preface". Xunyang River head night send guests, maple leaves and dirigible flowers in the fall. The master dismounted from his horse and the guest was in the boat, and he raised his wine to drink without pipa. Drunkenness is not joyful and miserable will be farewell, farewell to a vast river drenched in moonlight. Suddenly, I heard the sound of a pipa on the water, and the master forgot to return to his guest. The master had forgotten to return, but the guest did not speak. When I searched for the sound, I asked who was playing the lute, but the sound of the lute stopped and I was late. I moved the boat to invite them to meet each other, and added wine to the lanterns to reopen the banquet. After a thousand calls, the pipa player comes out, but he is still holding the pipa and half covering his face. The pipa is still holding the pipa, but its face is half-hidden. The pipa is turned around and strummed three or two times, and the tune is not yet ready for the music. The strings are hiding their thoughts, which seem to be complaining about the lack of ambition in their lives. Lowering the eyebrows and continuing to play the formalities, saying all the infinite things in my heart. The first one is "Nishang" and the second one is "Six Youngest". The big strings are as noisy as the rain, and the small strings are like whispers. The big strings are like rain, and the small strings are like whispers. The warbler's words are slippery under the flowers, and the spring's flow is difficult under the ice. The ice spring is cold and the strings are frozen, and the sound will not be heard for a while. There is no sound at this time that is better than sound. The silver bottle is broken at first, and the iron horsemen stand out with their swords and spears. At the end of the song, when the plucking is done, the four strings make a sound like cracking silk. The east boat and the west boat are silent, only the white moon in the center of the river can be seen. The song is played in silence and the strings are inserted into the song, the dress is straightened up and the face is restrained. She said that she was originally a woman from the capital, and her family lived under the Toadstools. She learned to play the pipa at the age of thirteen, and her name was the first one in the workshop. She was once taught to dress up in a good costume, and her make-up was always envied by the Autumn Lady. She was a young girl who had to compete with her husband to get her head wrapped around the lute, and she did not know the number of red raw silk in the song. I was a young girl who had a very good time with her hair, and I did not know the number of red silk. I was so happy to see you again next year, and I was so happy to see you again next year. I'm not sure how much I'm going to be able to do with it, but I'm sure I'm going to be able to do with it. The oldest married a merchant's wife. The businessman emphasizes profit over parting, so he went to buy tea in Fuuliang in the month before last. When I came to the mouth of the river to guard the empty boat, the moonlight around the boat was bright and the river water was cold. I suddenly dreamed of my youth in the depths of the night, and I cried and wept as the red appendage dried up. I heard the pipa already sighing, and then I heard the words again chirping. We are all at the same end of the world, why should we ever meet each other? I resigned from the imperial capital last year, banished to Xunyang City. Xunyang is a remote place without music, do not hear the sound of silk and bamboo all year round. Dwelling near the pen river low wet, yellow reed bitter bamboo around the house. What do you hear in the middle of the day and night? Cuckoo cries blood ape wailing. The spring river flowers towards the autumn moon night, often take the wine also pour alone. There are no mountain songs and village flutes, but they are hard to hear. Tonight, when I heard your pipa words, it was like listening to immortal music. I would like to play a piece of music for you, and I'll write "Pipa Xing" for you. I have been standing for a long time, but the strings of the pipa are turning rapidly. It is not like the sound of the previous one, and the whole audience is weeping when they hear it. Who wept the most? I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do that, but I'm going to be able to do it," he said.
Works Appreciation
The content of Pipa Xing with Preface, as stated in the preface, is about the author listening to a former advocate of Chang'an playing the pipa on a ship during his relegation from Chang'an to Jiujiang, and telling him about his life. As a long narrative poem, this poem has a rigorous and meticulous structure, with twists and turns and ups and downs in the plot.
The first part of the poem, from the "Xunyang River" to the "lute", describes the regret of the farewell banquet without music, invites the merchant woman to play the pipa, carefully depicts the tone of the pipa, and focuses on shaping the image of the pipa woman. The first sentence "Xunyang River head night to send guests", only seven words, the characters (master and guests), location (Xunyang River head), events (master to send guests) and time (night) for a general introduction; and then "maple leaves and dirigible flowers in the fall," a sentence for the environment for the coloring, and the The feeling of loneliness of sending guests on an autumn night has already been conveyed by the song. However, the feeling of loneliness has been conveyed by the song. The song "I want to drink without pipes and strings" has come out from this feeling of loneliness and despair. Because of the "no strings" and "drunkenness will not be happy and miserable will be parted", the padding has been very powerful, and then "parted in a vast river drenched in the moon" for a layer of environmental coloring, constituting a strong sense of oppression, so that "Suddenly heard the water on the water and the moon", the feeling of melancholy and loneliness has been conveyed. Suddenly heard the sound of pipa on the water" has a strong sense of empty valley footsteps, for the following sudden turnaround made preparations. From "sending off a guest at night" to "autumn depression", "no pipa strings", and "sad farewell", it turns into "Suddenly, I heard, I searched for the sound, I asked in secret, I moved the boat, until I was invited to meet him. This can be said to be a "thousand calls" for the appearance of the pipa girl. Just as "I" longed to listen to the sound of the pipa, which is like immortal music, and "wanted to set forth the hatred of falling from the ends of the earth", so she "came out after a thousand calls" because she had a stomach of "the hatred of falling from the ends of the earth". The same as she "called for a thousand times before coming out", it is also because she has a bellyful of "the hatred of the fall of the end of the world", it is inconvenient to say it explicitly, and also do not want to see people. Poet is to seize this point, with "pipa sound stop want to speak late" "holding pipa half cover face" portrait to show her unspeakable pain. This description of the pipa girl's appearance process has been moving, she has not seen her first heard the sound of her pipa, and has not heard her words first revealed her inner pain, creating a lot of suspense for the later development of the story.
The second part of the story, from "three or two strings plucked" to "only the white moon in the center of the river", describes the pipa woman and her pipa music, and reveals the inner world of the pipa woman in a concrete and vivid way. The following six lines of the song, "the strings hide the sound of thoughts", summarize the playing process of "six youngest after the first neon dress", which uses both "low-eyebrow letter formalities continue to play" and "gently and slowly twist and wipe and pick". Lightly twisted slowly wipe again to pick" describes the playing of the demeanor, but also with "seems to complain about the life of the uninspired" "say all the infinite things in the heart" sums up the pipa woman through the music by the ideological and emotional expression. In the following fourteen lines, when copying the music with the help of the sound of the language, various vivid metaphors are used to strengthen the image. "The big strings are noisy as the rapid rain", not only using "noisy" as a superimposed word to imitate the sound, but also using "as the rapid rain" to make it figurative. The same is true for "the small strings are like whispers". This is not enough, "cacophony and mismatch", has reproduced the "such as rapid rain" "such as whispers" two melodic interlude, and then use "the big pearl and the small pearl fall to the jade plate" to make it visualized. Pearls falling from a jade disk" than the visual image and auditory image is revealed at the same time, dazzling, ear to ear. The melody continues to change, appearing first "slippery" and then "astringent" two moods. The sound of the "interglottis" is light and fluent, and this sound is like "the sound of warblers and flowers", and the beauty of the visual image strengthens the beauty of the auditory image. The sound of "secret throat" is sad and choked, and the sound is like "spring flowing under the ice", the coldness of the visual image strengthens the coldness of the auditory image. Poet with "other dark sadness dark hatred born, at this time no sound is better than sound" of the best line depicts the sound curls, the rest of the meaning of the art world, it is amazing. Played to this point, thought it was over. Who knows that the "secret sorrow and hatred" in the "sound gradually rest" in the process of the accumulation of infinite power, can not be suppressed, and finally, such as the "silver bottle is broken at first", the plasma run burst, such as the "iron horsemen protruding", the "iron horsemen protruding". "Iron horsemen protruding", swords and spears roaring, the "condensation" of the dark current suddenly pushed to a climax. Although the end of a song, but the introspection, thrilling music charm, but did not disappear. The poet also used "the east boat west boat quietly no words, only see the river autumn moon white" environmental description for the side of the background, leaving the reader a broad space to swim in the aftertaste.
The third part of the story, from "meditating and plucking the strings" to "dreaming and crying and making up tears in the red appendage", describes the pipa girl's life, and her experience from a young girl to a businesswoman, which is also like the sound of the pipa's excitement and repression. Just as the details of the invitation to play the pipa are omitted after the "invitation to meet", the inquiry about her life is also omitted after the end of the song, and the transition to the "self-talk" is made with two sentences describing the portrait: "Contemplating" and "Sinking", which is obviously the same as "Sinking". The "pondering" gesture is obviously related to the inquiry, which reflects her inner conflict of wanting to talk; "playing the plucking", "inserting the strings", "fixing her clothes" A series of movements and expressions, such as "rising" and "restraining her face", show her mental activities of overcoming the contradiction and spitting it out. In the following part of the poem "Speaking to Myself", the lyrical tone of "Complaints and Admiration" and "Sobbing and Complaining" is used to compose a heart-wrenching sad song for the pipa woman's half-life encounter, which complements the music of "Speaking of Infinite Matters", and completes the portrayal of the female protagonist. The image of the heroine is very vivid and realistic, and highly typical. Through this image, the tragic destiny of the humiliated and damaged musical artists and entertainers in the feudal society is profoundly revealed.
The fourth part of the poem, from "I have sighed when I heard the pipa" to the last "Jiangzhou Sima's green shirt is wet", writes about the poet's deep emotion and expresses his pity for the pipa woman. The author reveals his self-image in the waves of emotions aroused by the fate of the pipa girl. The "I" in "I resigned from the imperial capital last year, and live in Xunyang City in banishment" is the author himself. The author suffered a blow to his demand for the abolition of tyranny and the implementation of a benevolent government, and was relegated from Chang'an to Jiujiang, where he suffered a great deal of anguish. When the pipa girl first played the mournful music and expressed her heartfelt feelings, she had already plucked his heartstrings and let out a deep and long sigh. When the pipa girl told her own life, said "late at night, suddenly dreaming of young people, dream cry makeup tears red appendage dry", it is even more stirred his emotional **** sound: "the same end of the world down people, why meet once known." The same disease, the same voice, can not help but say what happened to him. Pipa woman in the capital in the past, "the song is often taught to the good talent voluntarily, make-up is jealous of every autumn lady" and the author was deported before the situation when there are some similarities; similarly, he was deported after the situation and pipa woman, "the oldest married to a businesswoman," after the situation there are some similarities, otherwise it would not have issued the "the same place, why have we ever known each other". The same is true for his situation after his deportation and that of Pipa after her marriage to a businesswoman, or else he would not have expressed the sentiment that "we are all at the same end of the world".
This is a popular masterpiece of realism, the whole text to the character as a clue, not only write the pipa girl's life, but also write the poet's feelings, and then in the "the same end of the world downtrodden people" two lines on the convergence. The tragedy of the songstress is written in a very specific way, which can be regarded as a bright line; the poet's feelings permeate between the lines, with the lute woman playing the tune and her life changing and swinging waves, which can be regarded as a dark line. This bright line and dark line, the real one and the imaginary one, make the plot rise and fall. The story narrated by it is twisted and touching, the emotion expressed can cause people's ****ming, the language is beautiful but not flashy, refined but not obscure, the content is close to life and has a broad social, elegant and popular **** appreciation.
Background
Pipa Xing was written in the 11th year of the Yuanhe reign (816 A.D.), and is a seven-character poem. When Bai Juyi was an admonition officer, he was outspoken, sympathetic to the people's plight, and wrote a large number of satirical poems, which offended Emperor Xianzong of the Tang Dynasty and offended the powerful and rich. In the 10th year of Yuanhe's reign, the prime minister Wu Yuanheng was assassinated by Li Shidao, a feudal lord. Bai Juyi was accused of overstepping his bounds and was demoted to the post of assassin of Jiangzhou, and then he was falsely accused that his poems "Flower Appreciation" and "New Well" "hurt the reputation and religion", and he was demoted again to the post of secretary of Jiangzhou. At that time, Jiangzhou was regarded as a "miasmatic place", and although the secretary of Jiangzhou was nominally the secretary of the assassin, it was actually a kind of idle position, which was a great mockery to Bai Juyi. His deportation was in fact a case of injustice, and he was struck by a series of blows that left him in a bleak state of mind and full of pent-up anger. In the following year (the eleventh year of the Yuanhe era), when he was seeing off a guest at Penpukou, he encountered a pipa girl and composed this masterpiece, which has been handed down to the world.
About the Author
Bai Juyi (772-846), Le Tian, Xiangshan Jushi, also known as Mr. Drunkenness, was born in Xinzheng, Henan Province, and was a great realist poet of the Tang Dynasty. He was born in Xinzheng, Henan Province. He was a great realist poet of the Tang Dynasty, one of the three great poets of the Tang Dynasty. He was known as "Yuan Bai" together with Yuan Zhen and "Liu Bai" together with Liu Yuxi. He was also known as the "Poetry Devil" and the "King of Poetry". He and Yuan Zhen*** advocated the New Music Movement, and he became a minister of Hanlin and a left zanzhan dafu. His poems were on a wide range of subjects and in various forms, and his language was simple and popular. Bai's Changqing Collection has been handed down, and his representative poems include The Song of Long Hate, The Charcoal Seller, and Pipa Xing.