Thursday, November 21, 2013

Kimchi Recipe for the Lazy and the Picky

If you're like me, who consider yourself a potential snob at everything you come into contact with (yet you'll never let it slip), then you'll most likely cringe at the thought of grocery store prepared anything, especially when it comes to ethnic foods, such as kimchi. I mean, who doesn't like kimchi and wishes one had jars of it in the fridge so one can eat it straight from the jar like peanut butter? More awesomely, kimchi is made mostly of cabbage. Which makes it essentially a SALAD. (And you thought you could pat yourself on the back for upgrading to sorbet.)

To create the perfect kimchi for the lazy is simple; I have come up with the sacred union between self-indulgent purism and practicality in the art of kimchi making. It's an exact science. (Complete list of ingredients at the end of post.)

To create the best kimchi, you'll need a healthy head of napa cabbage. I'd suggest a medium sized head. Rinse, cut into small pieces approx. 1 x 2 inches.


Then take 1/3 cup of salt, sprinkle evenly over the cabbage, and put on a sandwich glove and rub/knead the leaves for a minute. (Korean sea salt would be optimal, but my lazy self just used normal fine salt.)

Once the leaves become wilted, next we will make the kimchi marinade sauce. This requires half an onion, diced; one crispy Korean pear (may substitute with Anjou pear; if you really don't have any pear, apple will do too); a piece of ginger, and a head of garlic, peeled.

 Then we'll make some stock that will go into the blending of the sauce. I recommend making the stock using either frozen seafood, dried fish, or shrimp. Or anything from the ocean that will give the stock an umami taste. I had a bag of frozen assorted seafood, so I grabbed a bunch and boiled it with a cup of water. Looks like some calamari, mussels/clam/various shellfish.



 While the stock is in the making, chop up a few stalks of green onion, a bunch of leek, and some daikon. This part really depends on your personal picky palate. If you like crunch, then daikon is a must. If you like the herbal oniony-ness of allium plants, then double up on the green onion. I've had baby bok-choy in kimchi and it totally worked too, just so long as the main ingredient is Napa cabbage. 





Put the diced onion and pear into a blender; press garlic and grate ginger over it. When the stock is done, add the liquid to everything else and VROOOOOOM.



  The white puree should fill up a medium sized bowl. Add a cup of korean chili flakes, adjust according to your spiciness tolerance. Then add approximately three tablespoons of Korean fish sauce, and Korean vinegar. May substitute with rice vinegar, but Korean fish sauce is essential.


The result is a warm bowl of vermilion pulpy mass.... there ought to be a "kimchi sauce test" a la the cinnamon test.



Now we can return to the salt-rubbed cabbage. Using a gloved hand, squeeze out as much liquid as you can, placing the squeezed cabbage into a big mixing bowl.


Toss in the green onion, leek, and daikon, and add about half of the kimchi sauce.

Using a gloved hand (unless you want a hydrating kimchi mask for your hand), rub the sauce all over the vegetable.

 Purty, ain't she? 



 Press the kimchi tightly into jars; mix about two tablespoons with half a cup of water and pour it over the kimchi. I'd recommend using glass containers, since kimchi stains plastic permanently. Unless you want your Tupperware to reek of garlic till the end of humanity, use glass. This makes about a quart and half.



Let it pickle for two to three days, and it will have just the right amount of crunch and flavor.


 Kimchi makes a perfect companion to anything, really. Pile it on top of your rice for a spicy flavor, or eat it straight from the jar with chopsticks or a fork in case of emotionally wrecking breakups. The leftover kimchi sauce can be used to make tofu stews, kimchi ramen, kimchi fried rice.... eat your heart out, Shin Ramen.

Happy kimching!


Ingredients: 

- Napa cabbage, 1 medium head
- Green onion, 3-4 stalks
- Leek, 1/2 a stalk
- Daikon, 1 medium
- Ginger root, 1 medium piece 
- Garlic, one head
- Yellow onion, 1/2 
- Pear (Korean), 1 medium
- Frozen seafood/shrimp/fish, a few small pieces
- Korean chili flakes, 1 cup
- Korean fish sauce, 3 tbsp
- Korean vinegar or rice vinegar, 3 tbsp 

Thursday, October 10, 2013

19 Portraits of the Late-Imperial Chinese Lady


 《寇眉像》清 吴宏 樊圻 纸本设色 南京博物馆藏

1. Wu, Hong (1615 —1680) and Fan, Qi (1616-1694). A Portrait of Koumei. Nanjing Museum.




《柳下佳人图》清 费丹旭 纸本设色 广东省博物馆藏

2. Fan, Danxu (1802—1850). Beauty Under the Willows. Guangdong Provincial Museum. 


  《罗浮梦景图》清 费丹旭 纸本设色 无锡市博物馆藏

3. Fan, Danxu.  Dreaming Scene of Luofu Mountain. Wuxi Museum.



《进酒图》清 周璕 绢本设色 中国美术馆藏

4. Zhou, Xun (1649~1729). Making a Toast. National Art Museum of China, Beijing.



《梅边吟思图》清 顾洛 纸本设色 南京博物院藏

5. Gu, Luo. (1763—c. 1837)Contemplation by the Plums. Nanjing Museum.


《弄莺图》清 王学浩 绢本设色 无锡市博物馆藏

6. Wang, Xuehao.  (1754—1832) Playing with the Oriels. Wuxi Museum.



《弄璋图》清 任颐 纸本设色 天津市艺术博物馆藏

7. Ren, Yi (1840-1896). It's a Boy! Tianjin Fine Arts Museum.


《乔元之三好图》清 禹之鼎 纸本设色 南京博物馆藏

 8. Yu, Zhiding(1647-1709). Three Hobbies of Qiao Yuanzhi. Nanjing Museum. 


《山鬼图》清 罗聘 纸本设色 清华大学美术学院藏

9. Luo, Ping (1733~1799). The Mountain Sprite. Academy of Arts and Design at Qinghua University, Beijing.


《武陵春图》明 吴伟 纸本白描 北京故宫博物院藏

10.Wu, Wei (1459—1508). Spring in Wuling. The Palace Museum at the Forbidden City, Beijing.


《小青小影图》清 顾洛 绢本设色 无锡市博物馆藏

11. Gu Luo. (1763—c. 1837)Painting the Slight Shadow of Xiaoqing. Wuxi Museum.

清 任熊 《瑶宫秋扇图》 绢本设色 南京博物院藏

12. Ren, Xiong (1823-1857)Autumn Fan in Jasper Palace. Nanjing Museum.
 


明 夏葵 《婴戏图卷》 绢本设色 美国克利夫兰美术馆藏

13. Xia, Kui (fl. 1405—1435). Scroll Painting of Infants' Play. Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio.




宋 王居正《纺车图》北京故宫博物院藏

14. Wang, Juzheng (fl. 1008-1016). The Spinning Wheel. The Palace Museum at the Forbidden City, Beijing.




宋 王诜 《绣栊晓镜图》团扇

15. Wang, Shen (c. 1048-1104). Clear Mirror by the Latticework. National Palace Museum, Taipei.



《乞巧图》清 丁观鹏 纸本墨笔 上海博物馆藏

16. Ding, Guanpeng (1736—1795). Festival of the Seventh Day of the Seventh Month. Shanghai Museum.



宋 《妃子浴兒》 美国大都会博物馆藏

17. Anonymous, c. 1127-1279. Concubine Baths Infant. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.




清 任熊 《洛神图轴》 绢本设色 上海博物馆藏

18.  Ren, Xiong (1823-1857). Painting Scroll of the Goddess of the Luo River. Shanghai Museum.


《蕉荫读书图》 清 吕彤 纸本设色 清华大学美术学院藏

19. Lu, Dan  (1682-1756). Reading in the Shadow of Plantain Leaves. Academy of Arts and Design at Qinghua University, Beijing.

Friday, September 6, 2013

Ruan Ji's (210-263) 阮籍 "On Music" 樂論: Thoughts of a Bibulous Eccentric

The period of transition between the Wei (220-265) and the Jin Dynasties (266-420) saw a wave of eccentricity and mischief among the famed literati, perhaps a form of escapism as protest against and renunciation from politics. The most renowned aesthetes of the mid-third century formed a coterie later known as the "Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove" 竹林七賢; they were writers, musicians, poets, philosophers, i.e. middle aged hipsters who sought a quiet space in nature for their artistic expression away from the bloody political world filled with internecine, murders, and regicides.

"Lofty Recluses." 高逸圖. Painted on silk scroll, 45.2x168 cm. Shanghai Museum.

This is a fragment of a painting from the late Tang, by the famed artist Sun Wei 孫位 (fl. 850s) whose only surviving work is the above "Lofty Recluses" (Gaoyi tu 高逸圖).  This is a depiction of four of the Seven Sages; from left to right respectively Shan Tao 山濤, Wang Rong 王戎, Liu Ling 劉伶, and Ruan Ji 阮籍.

A closer look at Ruan Ji, whose "On Music" 樂論 will be discussed shortly.



The nature of music has become a favorite subject of debate by the mid-third century. It was one of the topics of "pure talks" 清談, a dialectical form en vogue at the time, i.e. shunning speaking of contemporary political affair in favor of seemingly lighthearted and harmless banter, as a way of self-preservation. "On Music," however, is much more Confucian in tone in contrast to Ruan Ji's other writings, for "pure talks" was intimately engaged with the rise of Arcane Learning 玄學, or Taoist-mysticism associated with the writings of Laozi and Zhuangzi. While Taoism was not interpreted as oppositional to the teachings of Confucianism, it offered a much more attractive alternative to previously state-sponsored Confucian ideology, as the heavily Confucian Han empire gradually disintegrated into the hands of regional hegemons.

It is against such a backdrop of political turmoil that the Seven Sages retreated into the sanctuary of the verdant, lithe bamboo groves. By the brushes of writers from a few generations later, these seven have achieved legendary sage-hood by incessant drinking, streaking, music and merrymaking, and most notorious of all, drug abuse in the form of alchemist elixir-seeking. Thus a heavily Confucian treatise such as "On Music" has an odd place in the hedonistic zeitgeist of the Wei-Jin transitional period.

Historical truth, however, can never be grasped retrospectively across thousands of years; it is only from the writings with genuine authorship that we may glimpse into the minds of these aesthetes. Successive generations have romanticized Ruan Ji and his six friends for their unrestrained lifestyles, but it is documents like "On Music" that brings us closer to a historicization of their personalities.

This text takes the form of a fictional dialogue between an inquisitive interlocutor Liu Zi, who quotes Confucius' claim that the societal function of music is moral transformation of the people, and asks Ruan Ji to further explicate how music can be used for edification purposes when it does not seem to add nor take away anything from society. Then Ruan Ji launches into an exposition on the nature between music, ritual, social order, and emotional responses. Ruan Ji begins with a conservative portrayal of the normative nature of music, which is one of moderation and restrain; he then criticizes the dominant view that exquisite music is that which moves people to tears or emotional extremes, yet in conclusion ultimately leaves the choice of how to enjoy music up to the reader to decide for him/herself.

The full text of "On Music" is given in paragraphs below, with translation taken from Reed Andrew Criddle.


"On Music"       阮籍 樂論
 

劉子問曰:

孔子云「安上治民,莫善於禮,移風易俗,莫善於樂。」夫禮者,男女之所以別,父子之所以成,君臣之所以立,百姓之所以平也。為政之具,靡先于此。故安上治民,莫善于禮」也。夫金石絲竹鐘鼓管弦之音,干戚羽旄進退俯仰之容,有之無益於政,無之何損于化。而曰移風易俗,莫善於樂乎?

Liu-zi asked:

Confucius said, “When it comes to ensuring security to the upper-class and ruling the people, there is nothing better than rites; and when it comes to changing customs and altering habits, there is nothing better than music.” Now, rites are that which separates males from females, distinguishes between father and son, establishes master and servant, and creates peaceful stability among the masses. As no tool of government comes before this [rites], therefore when it comes to ensuring security to the upper class and ruling the people fairly, there is nothing better than rites. However, of what benefit to government are the sounds of metal, stone, silk, and bamboo (comprising bells, drums, woodwinds, and strings) and the appearance of shields, axes, plumes, and oxtails (combined with convoluted choreography)? If these were taken away, what harm would this incur to moral transformation? Furthermore, why did Confucius say, “When it comes to changing customs and altering habits, there is nothing better than music”?


阮先生曰:

善哉,子之問也。昔者孔子著其都乎,未舉其略也。今將為子論其凡,而子備詳焉。

Master Ruan replied:

What an excellent question you have asked! Formerly when Confucius addressed this topic, he laid out a general framework, but failed to raise its key points. I will now discourse on its main points, and you can fill in the details yourself.


夫樂者,天地之體,萬物之性也。合其體,得其性,則和。離其體,失其性,則乖。昔者聖人之作樂也,將以順天地之體,成萬物之性也。故定天地八方之音,以迎陰陽八風之聲,均黃鐘中和之律,開群生萬物之情。故律呂協則陰陽和,音聲適而萬物類,男女不易其所,君臣不犯其位,四海同其歡,九州一其節,奏之圜丘而天神下,奏之方丘而地祇上,天地合其德則萬物合其生,刑賞不用而民自安矣。

Now, music embodies the configuration of heaven and earth and the nature of all creatures. When the configuration of heaven and earth is in accordance, and the true nature of all creatures is obtained, there is harmony; when heaven and earth depart from this configuration, and the nature of all creatures is lost, there is discordance. Formerly, when the ancient sages created music, they followed the confi guration of heaven and earth, and sought the nature of all beings. Subsequently, they established pitches corresponding with the world’s eight directions to match the sounds created by the yin and yang forces in the eight winds; tempering the pitch of the Yellow Bell and thus initiating the emotional energies of all creatures. Thereupon when pitch pipes were balanced, yin and yang were in harmony; when musical sounds were complementarily tuned, beings were grouped in their kinds. Male and female did not seek to alter their status, master and servant did not transgress each other’s position, all within the four seas had the same views, and the nine provinces were unified in their metric standards. Performing music at the Round Hill altar caused the gods of heaven to descend. Performing at the Square Mount altar caused the gods of earth to ascend.  Heaven and earth were coupled in their life-giving power and all creatures were linked in their vitality. Punishments and rewards were not necessary because the citizens were naturally peaceful among themselves.

乾坤易簡,故雅樂不煩。道德平淡,故無聲無味。不煩則陰陽自通,無味則百物自樂,日遷善成化而不自知,風俗移易而同於是樂。此自然之道,樂之所始也。

Because the world was simple, refined music was not complicated. Since The Way and Virtue were plain, the five tones were likewise flavorless. This lack of complexity allowed the yin and yang to flow uninterrupted, and the flavorlessness of musical tones resulted in the spontaneous happiness of every creature. There was daily improvement and transformation, and they were not even aware of it, for the habits and customs of the people readily shifted in accordance with this music. This is the natural Way and the origin of music. 

其後聖人不作,道德巟壞,政法不立,化廢欲行,各有風俗。故造始之教謂之風,習而行之謂之俗。楚越之風好勇,故其俗輕死,鄭衛之風好淫,故其俗輕蕩。輕死,故有蹈水赴火之歌。輕蕩,故有桑間濮上之曲。各歌其所好,各詠其所為。歌之者流涕,聞之者歎息,背而去之,無不慷慨。懷永日之娛,抱長夜之忻,相聚而合之,群而習之,靡靡無已。棄父子之親,弛君臣之制,匱室家之禮,廢耕農之業,忘終身之樂,崇淫縱之俗。故江淮之南,其民好殘,漳汝之間,其民好奔。吳有雙劍之節,趙有扶琴之客。氣發於中,聲入於耳,手足飛揚,不覺其駭。

Thereafter, there were no more sages and The Way and Virtue were abandoned and corrupted. Government and justice were not institutionalized, cunning and intelligent men disturbed everything, moral reforms were discarded and passions pursued, resulting in disparate customs and habits for each region. Therefore, that which they began to teach, they called custom; that which they became accustomed to and practiced, they called habit. The custom of the states of Chu and Yue was to esteem military bravery, and thus their habit was to treat death lightly. The custom of the states of Zheng and Wei was to esteem wanton plea sure, and thus their habit was to treat unrestrained behavior lightly. Treating death lightly, Chu and Yue had songs about braving fi re and water; treating lasciviousness lightly, Zheng and Wei had the melodies “Sangjian” and “Pushang.” Each state sang about what it enjoyed, and each state recited those things it practiced. Those who sang shed tears, those who listened let out a sigh. When it was time to turn and go, there were none who were not moved with passion. Everyone was filled with emotion for the day’s pleasures, and stayed wrapped up in sighs all night long. Then they would again come together to sing, gathering in one place, and performing the songs effeminately without end. With disregard for intimacy between father and son, disrespect for the institutions of ruler and servant, an absence of ritual in the home, the abandonment of agrarian livelihood, they no longer sought life-long happiness, but rather to exalt habits of licentiousness and indulgence.

Thus, south of the Jiang and Huai rivers, the people indulged in violence, while those people between Zhang and Ru were fond of eloping. The state of Wu had the integrity of the two swords. The state of Zhao had the instance of the lute-playing retainer. Vital energy exudes from the center; sound enters in the ear. Hands and feet flit about, not knowing the harm they cause.


好勇則犯上,淫放則棄親。犯上則君臣逆,棄親則父子乖。乖逆交爭,則患生禍起。禍起而異愈異,患生而慮不同。故八方殊風,九州異俗,乖離分背,莫能相通,音異氣別,曲節不齊。

Inclinations toward military bravery brought uprisings against superiors whilst inclinations toward debauchery brought a lack of regard for kin. Uprisings against superiors led to distrust between kin and servant, while disregard for kin led to estrangement of fathers and sons. When estrangement and distrust combined, destruction arose and calamity was born. Out of arising destruction and calamity came extreme discrepancies in ideas and differences in thought. Therefore, the people of the eight directions had their distinctive customs, the nine provinces had their differing habits, and there was estrangement, separation, division, and avoidance such that no exchange could exist. Musical sounds differed, their vital essence separated, and tunes and rhythms lacked uniformity. 

故聖人立調適之音,建平和之聲,制便事之節,定順從之容,使天下之為樂者莫不儀焉。自上以下,降殺有等,至於庶人,咸皆聞之。歌謠者詠先王之德,頫仰者習先王之容,器具者象先王之式,度數者應先王之制。入于心,淪于氣,心氣合洽,則風俗齊一。聖人之為進退頫仰之容也,將以屈形體,服心意,便所修,安所事也。歌詠詩曲,將以宣平和,著不逮也。鐘鼓所以節耳,羽旄所以制目。聽之者不傾,視之者不衰。耳目不傾不衰,則風俗移易。故移風易俗莫善于樂也。

Thus, the sages established a proper temperament for pitches, a balanced and harmonious sound, rhythmic patterns for each task, and obedient bearing, in such a way that, among those who made music, none dared not follow their model. From top to bottom, passing through each stage until it reached the masses, everyone heard the sages’ music. Those who sang prophetic songs praised the former sage-kings’ virtue. Those who danced, raising and bowing their heads, exhibited the sage-kings’ bearing. The instruments and props they used resembled the sage-kings’ model. The decreed number reflected those instituted by the sage-kings. The sages’ music entered the people’s minds and permeated their vital energy. As their minds and vital energies harmonized, their customs and habits became unifi ed. The sages’ movements of advancing, retreating, raising, and bending over dictated the way the people bowed, causing them to be humble in spirit, aiding their self-cultivation, and bringing peace of mind in their affairs. Singing songs and intoning melodies proclaimed peace and also revealed shortcomings. Bells and drums functioned to control the ears; plumes and oxtails functioned to direct the eyes. Those who heard the music did not turn away; those who watched the dancing did not decline. As such, customs and habits were changed. Thus, “when it comes to changing customs and altering habits, there is nothing better than music.” 


故八音有本體,五聲有自然,其同物者以大小相君。有自然,故不可亂,大小相君,故可得而平也。若夫空桑之琴,雲和之瑟,孤竹之管,泗濱之磬,其物皆調和淳均者,聲相宜也。故必有常處。

The eight tones have their own instrumental timbre; the five sounds have distinct identities, and those of the same type are distinguished by their size and class. Because they have distinct identities, they cannot be confused; because they can be distinguished by size and class, they can be made even. For in- stance, the lutes of Empty Mulberry, the zithers of Harmonious Clouds, the  woodwinds of isolated bamboo stalks, and the chimes of the Si River’s shore are all pure and balanced with mutually apt sounds. As a result, it is necessary to have standard locations of production.

以大小相君,應黃鐘之氣,故必有常數。有常處,故其器貴重。有常數,故其制不妄。貴重,故可得以事神。不妄,故可得以化人。其物係天地之象,故不可妄造。 其凡似遠物之音,故不可妄易。雅頌有分,故人神不雜。節會有數,故曲折不亂。周旋有度,故頫仰不惑。歌詠有主,故言語不悖。導之以善,綏之以和,守之以 衷,持之以久,散其群,比其文,扶其夭,助其壽,使其風俗之偏習,歸聖王之大化。

When it comes to differing sizes and classes of instruments, they match the Yellow Bell’s resonant energy, so there must be a standard of measurement. With a standard location, the instruments become valuable; with a standard of measurement, their quality will not degenerate. As they become valuable, they are then worthy to be used to serve the gods; as they stay constant, they are worthy to be used to reform the people. Since these instruments are modeled after heaven and earth, they must not be made haphazardly. Their tones resemble those of faraway instruments, so they should not be haphazardly altered. Airs and hymns are distinguishable; therefore, secular music and sacred music are not mixed. There are rules of rhythm and tempo so the melodies do not fall into disarray. There are conventions for whirling dance movements so the choreography is not muddled. There is a director for singing and recitation so the words are not out of sync. Lead the people with excellent music, pacify them with harmony, protect them with genuine sincerity, and preserve them with what endures. By breaking up their cliques, comparing their cultural ways, decreasing infant mortality, and helping the elderly, society will be rid of the dubious practices that derive from customs and habits, and will return to the great transformation of the sage-kings.

先王之為樂也,將以定萬物之情,一天下之意也,故使其聲平,其容和。下不思上之聲,君不欲臣之色,上下不爭而忠義成。夫正樂者,所以屏淫聲也。故樂廢則淫聲作。漢哀帝不好音,罷省樂府,而不知制禮樂,正法不修,淫聲遂起。張放.淳于長驕縱過度,丙彊.景武富溢于世。罷樂之後,下移踰肆。身不是好而淫亂愈甚者,禮不設也。

The former sage-kings made music to control the emotive state of all creatures and to unify their wills, such that their voices were balanced, their appearances harmonious, subordinates did not long for the music of their superiors, and superiors did not lust after their subordinates. Superiors and subordinates did not quarrel, all of which perfected loyalty and righteousness. Now, rectifying music is to eliminate licentious music. When proper music is set aside, licentious sounds arise. Han emperor Ai was not fond of music and eliminated the Music Bureau,68 not knowing how to institute proper ritual. Because proper music was not cultivated, licentious music arose. Zhang Fang and Chun Yu Zhang were unrestrained and conceited beyond measure. Bing Jiang and Jing Wu’s wealth surpassed all others of their age. After proper music was eliminated, the empire only became more unbridled in its ways. Because of the emperor’s displeasure in music, wild lasciviousness got even worse, because rites were not established. 

刑教一體,禮樂外內也。刑弛則教不獨行,禮廢則樂無所立。尊卑有分,上下有等,謂之禮。人安其生,情意無哀,謂之樂。車服,旌旗,宮室,飲食,禮之具也。鐘磬,鞞鼓,琴瑟,歌舞,樂之器也。禮踰其制,則尊卑乖。樂失其序,則親疏亂。禮定其象,樂平其心。禮治其外,樂化其內。禮樂正而天下平。

Punishment and instruction are one body; ritual and music are complementary. If punishment was slackened, instruction could not proceed. Should ritual be discarded, music has nothing on which to stand. Performing ritual separates the honorable from the lowly, dividing superiors from inferiors. Playing music makes people content with their lives and dispels sadness. Chariots, apparel, banners, flags, palaces, rooms, food, and drink are tools of ritual. Bells, chimes, drums, lutes, zithers, song, and dance are instruments of music. When ritual goes beyond what has been fixed, the honorable and the lowly become confused; when the order of music is lost, close and distant relations become indistinguishable. Ritual fixes appearance, and music calms the heart. Ritual regulates the exterior, while music alters the interior. When ritual and music are correctly set, the world is at peace.

昔衛人求繁纓曲懸,而孔子歎息,蓋惜禮壞而樂崩也。夫鐘者,聲之主也。懸者,鐘之制也。鐘失其制,則聲失其主。主制無常,則怪聲並出。盛衰之代相及,古今之變若一。故聖教廢毀,則聰慧之人並造奇音。

In earlier times there was the story of a man of Wei who sought saddle girths, skins for his horse’s necks, and three-sided rack of bells of lords. This caused Confucius to sigh, since in former times ritual was abused and its instruments defiled. Now, bells are the master of sound, and the three-sided rack regulates the bells. If the bells lose their regulation, sound will lose its master. When the master and regulation are irregular, then strange combinations of noises arise. Generations that rise and fall all come to this; changes of former and modern times are all the same. So it is that when the sages’ teachings are discarded, clever, intelligent men combine to produce odd music.

景王喜大鐘之律,平公好師延之曲。公卿大夫拊手嗟歎。庶人群生踊躍思聞。正樂遂廢,鄭聲大興,雅頌之詩不講,而妖淫之曲是尋。延年造傾城之歌,而孝武思孊 嫚之色。雍門作松柏之音,愍王念未寒之服。故猗靡哀思之音發,愁怨偷薄之亂興,則人後有縱欲奢侈之意,人後有內顧自奉之,是以君子惡大陵之歌,憎北里之舞。

King Jing of Zhou took pleasure in the pitch of the larger bells. Duke Ping of Jin loved the Yin melody presented him. Nobles and ministers applauded and marveled at it. The common people tumbled over one another in their eager desire to hear it. Thus, proper music was rejected and the sounds of Zheng flourished. The lyrics of airs and hymns went unspoken; only the evil and base melodies were sought after. Li Yannian composed the song about a city-overturning beauty, and it made Han Emperor Wu become obsessed with female beauty. Yong Men played tunes from pines and cypress, which caused King Min of Qi [not to wear his winter clothing]. Therefore, when sounds of longing distress appear, words of sorrowful resentment burgeon, and the people lust after pleasures and extravagance, only looking after and serving themselves. For these reasons, a gentleman despises the songs of Da Ling76 and abhors the dances of Bei Li.

昔先王制樂,非以縱耳目之觀,崇曲房之嬿也。心通天地之氣,靜萬物之神也。固上下之位,定性命之真也。故清廟之歌詠成功之績,賓響之詩稱禮讓之則,百姓化其善,異俗服其德。此淫聲之所以薄,正樂之所以貴也。

When regulating music, the former sage kings did not seek to indulge in plea- sures of ear and eye or for greater enjoyment in their inner chambers. Their purpose was resolutely to transmit the vital energy of heaven and earth, pacify the spirits of all things, solidify positions of rank, and fi x the true essence of life. This is why the song of “Qing Temple” lauds their accomplishments and the song of “Guests Imbibing Wine” praises the principles of ritual and yielding. The people were transformed by music’s goodness and the varying cultural habits became aligned with its virtue. This is why licentious sounds were regarded as contemptible and proper music was considered valuable.

然禮與變俱,樂與時化。故五帝不同制,三王各異造。非其相反,應時變也。夫百姓安服淫亂之聲,殘害先王之正。故後王必更作樂,各宣其功德於天下,通其變使民不倦。然但改其名目,變造歌詠,至于樂聲,平和自若。故黃帝詠雲門之神,少昊歌鳳鳥之跡。咸池.六英之名既變,而黃鐘之宮不改易。故達道之化者可與審樂,好音之聲者不足與論律也。

Since ritual and music change with time, the Five Emperors had different methods of rule, and the Three Kings80 each devised their own system. It is not that they aimed to reverse one another; their changes reflect their time. Now, the people were accustomed to the lascivious sounds and also corrupted the propriety of the former-kings. Therefore later kings surely had to reinvent music, each proclaiming his merit and virtue to the world, and making it suitable for the times so that the citizens did not become weary. Therefore, they merely changed the names and contents of songs and thereby regained peace and harmony. This is why the Yellow Emperor sang of the spirits in “Gate of Clouds,” why his son Shao Hao sang about the miracle of the phoenix, and why the names of “Salty Pool” and “Six Talents” were changed, even though the tonic pitch of the Yellow Bell was not altered. Music can be investigated with those who have thoroughly mastered the Way’s transformation, but those who merely love music are not worthy of discussing the pitches’ temperaments.

舜命夔與典樂,教胄子以中和之德。「詩言志,歌依詠,律和聲。八音克諧,無相奪倫,神人以和。」又曰「予欲聞六律五聲八音,在治忽以出納五言,女聽。」夫煩奏淫聲,汨湮心耳,乃忘平和,君子弗聽。言正樂通,平正易簡,心澄氣清,以聞音律,出納五言也。

Shun commanded Kui and Long to use musical strains in teaching his sons the virtue of harmony, saying: “Poetry speaks of one’s will. Songs incant speech. Sound relies on recitation. Pitches harmonize sound. When the eight timbres are in accordance and are not interfering with each other, this brings harmony to the spirits and mankind.” He continued, “I want to hear the six pitches, the five tones, and the eight timbres, and with these observe the status of my ruling and with edicts and responses restore the five virtues. Take heed to this.” Complexly crafted, vulgar music that clouds the mind and stops86 up the ears causes one to forget peace and harmony. A gentleman will not listen to it. This says proper music is easy and straightforward and when the mind is clear, vital energy is pure. To listen to the fixed pitches and timbres, edicts and responses will be in line with the five virtues.

夔曰「戛擊鳴球,搏拊琴瑟以詠,祖考來格。虞賓在位,群后德讓,下管鼗鼓,合止祝敔,笙鏞以閒,鳥獸蹌蹌,簫韶九成,鳳凰來儀。」夔曰「於。予擊石拊石,百獸率舞。」

Kui said: “By banging the jade chime, pounding the fu drum, and reciting to lutes and zithers, the ancestors would come. The Guest of Yu was given rank and the feudal lords yielded to virtue. The Lower Flute and the small Zhao drum joined together and halted with the sounds of the zhu and wu. This was interspersed with the sheng and the yong drum, the patterned choreography resembling birds and beasts, nine verses of the Xiao Shao melody, and the phoenix come to dance.” Kui went on, “Oh, when I strike stones together, a hundred animals dance. The masses likewise fall into harmony.”

「庶尹允諧。詩言志,歌詠言,操磬鳴琴,以聲依律,述先生之德,故祖考之神來格也。笙鏞以閒,正樂聲希,治修無害,故繁毓,蹌蹌然也。樂有節適,九成而已,陰陽調達,和氣均通,故遠鳥來儀也。質而不文,四海合同,故繫石拊石,百獸率舞也。」

Poetry speaks of one’s will. Songs incant speech. The sounds of ringing chimes and resonating lutes rely on pitches and tell of former kings’ virtues. For this reason the ancestors appear. With the sheng and the yong drum interspersed, proper music fades out; when ruling is refined and not abusive, all flourish in dance-like bliss. The music is patterned with only nine verses, yin and yang are balanced and accessible, harmony is even, and vital energy easily flows. Thus, faraway birds come participate in the rite. The Shao music had substance, but not beauty. So the four seas were united. This is why when you strike stones together, a hundred beasts dance together."

言天下治平,萬物得所,音聲不譁,漠然未兆,故眾官皆和也。故孔子在齊聞韶,三月不知肉好。言至樂使人無欲,心平氣定,不以肉為滋味也。以此觀之,知聖人之樂和而已矣。

This means that the world was ruled peacefully. All things had their place, musical sounds were not extravagant, and there were no signs of disturbances. Thereupon, all offi cials were in harmony. Because of this, Confucius, when he heard the music of Shao in the state of Qi, “knew not the flavor of meat for three months.” This means music takes desire out of man, calming the mind and settling the qi, such that the flavor of meat becomes undesirable. From this perspective, we know that the music of the sages is simply a matter of harmony.
自西陵青陽之樂皆取之行,聽鳳凰之鳴,尊長風之象,采大林之□,當時之所不見,百姓之所希聞。故天下懷其德而化其神也。夫雅樂周通則萬物和,質靜則聽不淫,易簡則節制全,靜重則服人心。此先王造樂之意也。自後衰末之為樂也,其物不真,其器不固,其制不信,取於近物,同于人閒,各求其好,恣意所存,閭里之聲競高,永巷之音爭先,童兒相聚以詠富貴,蒭牧負戴以歌賤貧,君臣之職未廢,而一人懷萬心也。

Ever since the music of Qingyang from the state of Xiling, bamboo was picked for the pipes so men could listen to the call of the phoenix. For the statue honoring the Long Wind, wood columns96 were selected from the Great Forest. Because these things were never before seen at that time, the people having barely heard of them, the whole world treasured their virtuosity, and the people were converted by their spirits. Now, refined music was universally accessible such that all creatures were made harmonious. Its substance was calm such that listeners did not become wanton. Its simplicity was such that the whole spirit felt orderly and temperate. Its solemnity was such that men’s hearts became subdued. This was the former kings’ intent in devising music.

The music making of decadent later generations involved impure materials. They were weak instruments of unreliable mea surements made from nearby materials and made just like local folk instruments. Each sought after what pleased him, whatever his reckless thoughts fixed on. The village sounds competed for dominance; the tunes of the inner palace fought for supremacy. The children gathered to recite poetry praising the wealthy. The laborers in the field and on the roads sang of their destitute poverty. Although the ranks of lord and subject were not discarded, one man harbored the different minds of ten thousand men. 

當夏后之末,輿女萬人,衣以文繡,食以梁肉,端噪晨歌,聞之者憂戚,天下苦其殃,百姓傷其毒。殷之季君,亦奏斯樂,酒池肉林,夜以繼日,然咨嗟之音未絕,而敵國已收其琴瑟矣。滿堂而飲酒,樂奏而流涕,此非皆有憂者也,則此樂非樂也。

During the later years of the Lord of Xia there were more than ten thousand female musicians. Their dresses were adorned with fine embroidery; their food was the choicest98 meat. At dawn they would croon morning songs. Those who heard them were saddened. The world suffered in calamity and the common people were injured by its poison. The last lord of Yin also listened to this music while indulging in pools of wine and forests of meat, night after day. This music of sighs had no end, even when their lutes and zithers were confiscated by the enemy. People filled the courts, drinking wine, but when the music was played they shed tears. It is not that they had something to be sad about; rather, the music was just not happy.

當君臣之時,奏斯樂於廟中,聞之者皆為之悲咽。漢桓帝聞楚琴,悽愴傷心,倚扆而悲,慷慨長息曰「善哉乎,為琴若此,一而已足矣」。順帝上恭陵,過樊衢,聞鳴鳥而悲,泣下橫流,曰「善哉鳥聲」。使左右吟之,曰「使聲若是,豈不樂哉。」夫是謂以悲為樂者也。

When Wang Mang was prime minister, a new kind of music was played in the temple. Those who heard it were moved to tears. When Emperor Huan heard the lute of the state of Chu, misery inflicted his heart. Leaning against a screen and moved with emotion, he let out a long sigh, saying, “How brilliant! With lute playing like this, after just one song I am fully satisfied.” On his way up to his father’s tomb, Emperor Shun passed by Fan Qu, heard the call of a bird, and was saddened. Tears streaming down his cheeks, he exclaimed,  “What a brilliant bird noise!” He had his attendants sing it, saying, “If the sound of plucked strings could resemble this, would not that make everyone happy!” Now this is what is meant by taking pleasure in sadness.

誠以悲為樂,則天下何樂之有。天下無樂,而欲陰陽調和,災害不生,亦已難矣。樂者,使人精神平和,衰氣不入,天地交泰,遠物來集,故謂之樂也。今則流涕感動,噓唏傷氣,寒暑不適,庶物不遂,雖出絲竹,宜謂之哀。奈何俛仰歎息以此稱樂乎。

 If one truly takes pleasure in sadness, what happiness is there? A world without happiness, and yet one in which the yin and yang are balanced and harmonious and no disasters arise, is difficult to attain. Music brings peace and harmony to one’s spirit, keeping withering vital energies from entering the body. Heaven and earth together become tranquil, and faraway creatures come assemble. This is why it is called happy. Music nowadays moves us to tears, our sighs disrupt our vital energy, winter and summer are not proportional, and all creatures are unable to grow. Even though ours is music produced by strings and bamboo, it should be called sorrowful. With all of your heaving and sighing, how can our music be termed happy?

昔季流子向風而鼓琴,聽之者泣下沾襟。弟子曰「善哉鼓琴,亦已妙矣。」 季流子曰 「樂謂之善,哀為之傷。吾為哀傷,非為善樂也。」以此言之,絲竹不必為樂,歌詠不必為善也。故墨子之非樂也,悲夫以哀為樂也。比胡亥耽哀不變,故願為黔首。李斯隨哀不返,故思逐狡兔。嗚呼,君子可不鑒之哉。

 In former times, Ji Liuzi faced the wind and played the lute. Tears stained the garments of those who listened. His disciples exclaimed, “Brilliant! Your playing has already become exquisite.” Ji Liuzi replied, “Those who find it happy call it brilliant. Those who find it sorrowful call it distressing. I call it sorrowful and distressing, not brilliant and happy.” To speak like this, strings and bamboo are not necessarily music and the songs and chants are not necessarily brilliant. This attitude was Mozi’s reason for writing “Criticizing Music.” Sad are they who take plea sure in sorrow: Hu Hai’s indulging in sorrow unceasingly made him wish he could be a commoner. Li Si’s unremitting pursuit of sorrow made him think back fondly of when he hunted cunning rabbits. Alas, can a gentleman not learn something from them?

***

"Drunken Madness" (Jiukuang 酒狂)played on the seven-stringed zither guqin 古琴, a rather free and unrestrained interpretation from the contemporary guqin master Gong Yi 龔一 (b. 1941). This artful celebration of inebriation is attributed to the very same Ruan Ji, who could have composed this piece ad lib under the swaying lithe bamboo shoots while imbibing some sweet fine ale. The earliest score is traced only to 1425; the connection between the actual piece and Ruan Ji obviously exists in legends only; yet the bibulous mood of the piece is freely channeled to every man who has ever tasted that wonderful state of vertiginous disequilibrium.


Saturday, August 24, 2013

長安古意 "Chang'an City: Ancient Themes" - Lu Zhaolin 盧照鄰 (636-689)

Written approximately between 660-680, perhaps as an anxious response to Empress Wu's gradual solidification of power in court.


長安大道連狹斜,   Chang'an's broad avenues link up with narrow lanes,
青牛白馬七香車。      There black oxen and white horses, coaches of fragrant woods,
玉輦縱橫過主第,   Jade-fit palanquins go left and right, past the mansions of lords,
金鞭絡繹向侯家。      Gold riding whips in a long train move toward barons' homes.
龍銜寶蓋承朝日,   Dragons bite jeweled canopies, catching the morning sun,
鳳吐流蘇帶晚霞。      The phoenix disgorges dangling fringe, draped with evening's red clouds.
百丈遊絲爭繞樹,   A hundred yards of gossamer strands strain to enwrap the trees,
一羣嬌鳥共啼花。      While a single graceful flock of birds join their cries among flowers.
啼花戲蝶千門側,   Cries among flowers, playful butterflies, by the palace's thousand gates,
碧樹銀臺萬種色。      Emerald trees, silver terraces, in a thousand different colors.
複道交窗作合歡,   Double-decked passage ways, intertwined windows make the union of lovers,
雙闕連薨垂鳳翼。      Paired tower gates, rising layers of tiles sweeping as phoenix wings.
梁家畫閣天中起,   The Liang clan's mural tower rises into the skies,
漢帝金莖雲外直。      The Emperor of Han's golden columns jut straight beyond the clouds.
樓前相望不相知,   But those you gaze on before great buildings are those you do not know,
陌上相逢詎相識。     And those you meet upon the paths, no acquaintance of yours.
借問吹簫向紫煙,   Tell me of her who plays the pipes off into purple mists ---
曾經學舞度芳年。      She has spent her years of beauty studying dancing.
得成比目何辭死,   If we could become the sole fish, why would we flee from death?
願作鴛鴦不羨仙。      Could we but be the mandarin ducks, no yearnings to be immortals.
比目鴛鴦真可羨,   The sole fish, the mandarin ducks; they are truly worth of our yearning ---
雙去雙來君不見。     They come and go in pairs, can't you see them now?
生憎帳額繡孤鸞,   Most I hate that the single phoenix woven in the top of the drapery;
好取門簾帖雙燕。      Most I love the swallow pair fixed on the curtained door.
雙燕雙飛繞畫梁,   Pairs of swallows fly in their pairs around the painted beams,
羅幃翠被鬱金香。      There, gauze hangings, the kingfisher quilt, scent of tumeric.
片片行雲著蟬鬢,   Then one by one, hairdos like clouds, cicada-wing curls hanging,
纖纖初月上鴉黃。      Eyebrows slender like new moons above the tawny oils.
鴉黃粉白車中出,   Tawny with oil, white with powder, they step from coaches,
含嬌含態情非一。      Charms within, loveliness within, hearts not fixed on one.
妖童寶馬鐵連錢,   Bewitching boys on jeweled horses with ironblack spots,
娼婦盤龍金屈膝。      And courtesans, pins of coiling dragons, golden legs bent under.
御史府中烏夜啼,   In the office of the Censorate the crows cry by night,
廷尉門前雀欲栖。      By the Constabulary gate the sparrows go to roost.
隱隱朱城臨玉道,   Mightily rising Vermillion Walls look down on roads like jade, 
遙遙翠幰沒金堤。      In the distance, azure carriages sink behind gold-fasten bastions.
挾彈飛鷹杜陵北,   Slings are clasped, falcons flown north of Duling,
探丸借客渭橋西。      Lots drawn for killing by sworn companions west of the Wei.
俱邀俠客芙蓉劍,   Greeting each other the bravos with lotus-hilted swords,
共宿娼家桃李蹊。      Spending nights together on peach and plum roads, the houses of singing girls.
娼家日暮紫羅裙,   At sunset in the singing girls' houses are skirts of purple gauze,
清歌一囀口氛氳。      And a verse of clear singing comes swelling from their mouths.
北堂夜夜人如月,   In the northern halls night after night, people move as the moon,
南陌朝朝騎似雲。      On southern paths at every dawn, riders move as the clouds.
南陌北堂連北里,   Southward paths and northern halls link through the Northern Quarter,
五劇三條控三市。      Then great crossroads and wide highways rein in the Markets.
弱柳青槐拂地垂,   Plaint willows and green ash hang brushing the earth,
佳氣紅塵暗天起。      Sweet air and red dust rise darkening the skies.
漢代金吾千騎來,   Royal heralds of the House of Han come, a thousand outriders,
翡翠屠蘇鸚鵡杯。      Kingfisher colored liquors in parrot shaped goblets.
羅襦寶帶爲君解,   Blouses of gauze and jeweled sashes are taken off for you,
燕歌趙舞爲君開。      The songs of Yan, the dances of Wu for you performed.
別有豪華稱將相,   But there are others bold and splendid called "minister" and "general,"
轉日回天不相讓。      The day turns, the heavens roll, and neither will yield to the other.
意氣由來排灌夫,   Haughty spirits ever willing to push aside a [morally upright] Guanfu,
專權判不容蕭相。      A hold on power which cannot give in the least to a Minister Xiao.
專權意氣本豪雄,   Haughty spirits, hold on power, the stuff of ruthless heroes.
青虬紫燕坐春風。      Blue Dragon and Purple Swallow, great steeds in the spring wind. 
自言歌舞長千載,   They said themselves their songs and dances would last a thousand years,
自謂驕奢凌五公。      And claimed a pride and extravagance beyond the Great Lords.
節物風光不相待,   But the glory of each thing in its season was not to wait on them,
桑田碧海須臾改。      Mulberry fields and green oceans interchange in an instant.
昔時金階白玉堂,   Where once were the golden stairs, the halls of white marble,
即今唯見青松在。      We now see only the green pines remaining.
寂寂寥寥揚子居,   Silent there in the emptiness the dwelling of Yang Xiong,
年年歲歲一牀書。      Year after year, every year, his whole bed covered with books.
獨有南山桂花發,   Alone are the cassia flowers, blooming on South Mountain,
飛來飛去襲人裾。      They fly back and forth, fly into his sleeves.1





1 Translation taken from Stephen Owen, Poetry of the Early Tang, 1977.

Monday, June 10, 2013

Bronze Sparrow Terrace: Unsung Songs Echo in Sumptuous Palace, Haunted by Warlord's Ghost


The great warlord that seized control of the end of the Han dynasty, Cao Cao 曹操 (155-220) was at once a ruthless and quixotic character. He ruled as chancellor for the last years of his life over a puppet Han emperor, and decreed thus in his will to his ministers: 
 
"My consorts and concubines are all to remain on the Terrace of the Bronze Sparrow, and on that terrace set a six-foot couch surrounded by lace hangings. In the morning and late afternoon let them set out wine, meat, and grain and such things. At dawn on the fifteenth of every month they are to perform before the screen, and then from time to time climb the terrace and gaze toward my tomb in Western Mount." 1

魏武帝遺命諸子曰:‘吾死之後,葬於鄴中西崗上,與西門豹祠相近,無藏金玉珠寶。餘香可分諸夫人,不命祭吾。妾與伎人,皆著銅雀台,臺上施六尺床,下繐帳,朝晡上酒脯粻糒之屬。每月朝十五,輒向帳前作伎。汝等時登臺,望吾西陵墓田’2 

The actual terrace was built in 210; Cao Cao's sons all wrote poems commemorating the dedication of the terrace, and competed for his favor. Bronze Sparrow was but one of three such extravaganzas that Cao Cao constructed while in power; yet it remained the most well known due precisely to Cao Cao's bizarre posthumous behest. The Terrace has also become a favorite poetic/yuefu topic for generations of writers, fascinated by the literature-loving Cao Cao who rose above hundreds of vying warlords and claimed hegemony, thus ending the 400-year reign of the Han dynasty.

The Cao family was the most prominent literary patron of the times. The majority of what we now have from the third century are shaped by the tastes and activities of the Caos, many of them poets themselves. The big daddy of the family, Cao Cao, left his patriarchal mark on the literary scene with this poem, supposedly a rally to battle addressed to his soldiers:

對酒當歌,人生幾何?
譬如朝露,去日苦多。
慨當以慷,憂思難忘。
何以解憂?惟有杜康。


The wine before me as I sing:
   how long can a man's life last?
I liken it to mornings dew, 
   and the days now past are too many.
The feeling is strong in me, 
   brooding thoughts I can't ignore.
How can I banish melancholy? --- 
   by Du Kang's gift of wine. 

Thus such an image of Cao Cao was forever ingrained in posterity: flagon in hand, feasting and toasting to his generals right before they leave for battle, never to return home.


(Cao Cao as portrayed by Chen Jianbin 陳建斌 in the 2010 TV adaptation of Three Kingdoms directed by Gao Xixi 高希希)


The psychology behind the appeal of having singing girls performing and gazing at one's grave notwithstanding, the power of bad music or poetry is much more often said to make the dead turn in their grave rather than bringing them back to life. Below are three such compositions on Cao Cao's legacy, not bad but excellent poetry written by three renowned literatis from the Southern Courts three centuries later: He Xun 何遜, Xie Tiao 謝脁, and Jiang Yan 江淹, all contemporaries of each other.


He Xun 何遜 (480-520)

銅雀妓

秋風木葉落,蕭瑟管弦清。
望陵歌對酒,向帳舞空城。
寂寂檐宇曠,飄飄帷幔輕。
曲終相顧起,日暮松柏聲。



Performers on the Terrace of the Bronze Sparrow

Leaves fall from trees in the autumn wind,
   through its rustling are clear notes of flutes and harps.
They gaze toward his tomb and sing "Facing the Wine,"
   in an empty city they dance at the soul-screen.
In the lonely stillness beneath the broad roof,
   the curtains flap lightly in the wind.
Song ends, they look at each other and rise;
   the sun sets among sounds of cypress and pine.




Dead Poet Xie Tiao 謝朓 (464-499)


同謝諮議詠銅爵台 


繐幃飄井幹。樽酒若平生。
鬱鬱西陵樹。詎聞歌吹聲。
芳襟染淚跡。嬋娟空複情。
玉座猶寂寞。況乃妾身輕。



A Companion Piece For Xie Jing's "Terrace of the Bronze Sparrow" 

Lace curtains flap on the open frame, 
  the goblet of wine, same as it always was. 
The trees grow so thick over the Western Tomb, 
   how can he hear the sounds of songs and flutes? 
Traces of tears stain the gowns' sweet folds; 
   their tender feelings return in vain. 
Desolate and still is his throne of jade, 
   even more so is our beings of lightness. 



Jiang Yan 江淹 (444-505) 


銅雀妓


武王去金閣,英威長寂寞,
雄劍頓無光,雜佩亦銷爍。
秋至明月圓,風傷白露落。
清夜何湛湛,孤燭映蘭幕。
撫影愴無從,惟懷憂不薄。
瑤色行應罷,紅芳幾爲樂。
徒登歌舞台,終成螻蟻郭。


Performers on the Terrace of the Bronze Sparrow 

The Warlord has left the golden pavilion, 
   his mighty dominance is long silent. 
Gallant swords dull and lackluster, 
   jade pendants too have eroded away. 
Autumnal equinox, the moon bright and full, 
   wind pains the white dews into falling. 
How thick and wet is the clear night! 
   a lone candle shines on the orchid palls. 
Caressing shadows, they grieve having nowhere to go; 
   hearts plagued by countless sorrows. 
Jasper-colored ballads should be in abeyance, 
   how can these rouged beauties be happy? 
In vain they ascend the performance stage, 
    in the end all becomes tiny anthills.


The namesake of the Terrace allegedly originated from a dream that Cao Cao had while staying in the city of Ye, what is modern day Linzhang County 臨漳 in Hebei. In his dream Cao Cao saw a ray of golden light rise up from the ground, whereupon he dug and found a bronze-cast sparrow. His minister explained that the sage king Shun of yore was born as a result of Shun's mother dreaming of a sparrow flying into her bosom. This sycophantic explication not only greatly kissed Cao Cao's hegemonic ass, but also pleased Cao Cao into building the Bronze Sparrow Terrace, what has become the quintessential image of decayed splendor, abandoned women, fruitless longing, and creepily otherworldly music.


No picture of the remnants of the historical Terrace can be found; image search returns nothing but cheaply made TV and movie masterbations of the stories of Cao Cao. This picture below claims to be a screenshot from a documentary (most likely a "making of") on the Terrace.




What once dazzled the eyes of princes and entertained the ears of royalties in 210 is reduced to ashes merely a few generations later. I wonder, if every time the story of the Three Kingdoms is mutilated on screen and a third-rate actor mimes Cao Cao's supreme villany, the warlord kills a sparrow in his grave.   



1 This translation, as well as the translations of Cao Cao, He Xun and Xie Tiao's poems, are taken from Stephen Owen, An Anthology of Chinese Literature: Beginnings to 1911, pp.325-6. Translation of the last poem is mine.



2 This anecdote comes from a preface in the Yuefu shiji 樂府詩集, attributed to the quasi-anonymous "Tales of Old City of Ye" allegedly compiled by a late Western Jin Lu Hui 陸翙.