[updated October 2022]
Ancient Classical Musical Chant (Bai Tou Yin): Two Poems: No. 1
白 头 吟 ：二 首
锦 水 东 北 流
波 荡 双 鸳 鸯。
雄 巢 汉 宫 树
雌 弄 秦 草 芳。
宁 同 万 死 碎 绮 翼
不 忍 云 间 两 分 张。
此 时 阿 娇 正 娇 妒
独 坐 长 门 愁 日 暮。
但 愿 君 恩 顾 妾 深
岂 惜 黄 金 买 词 赋？
相 如 作 赋 得 黄 金
丈 夫 好 新 多 异 心。
一 朝 将 聘 茂 陵 女
文 君 因 赠 白 头 吟。
东 流 不 作 西 归 水
落 花 辞 条 羞 故 林。
兔 丝 故 无 情
随 风 任 倾 倒。
谁 使 女 萝 枝
而 来 强 萦 抱。
两 草 犹 一 心
人 心 不 如 草。
莫 卷 龙 须 席
从 它 生 网 丝。
且 留 琥 珀 枕
或 有 梦 来 时。
覆 水 再 收 岂 满 杯？
弃 妾 已 去 难 重 回。
古 时 得 意 不 相 负
只 今 唯 见 青 陵 台。
Bai Tou Yin: Er Shou
Jin shui dong bei liu
Bo dang shuang yuan yang.
Xiong chao han gong shu
Ci nong qin cao fang.
Ning tong wan si sui qi yi
Bu ren yun jian liang fen zhang.
Ci shi e jiao zheng jiao du
Du zuo chang men chou ri mu.
Dan yuan jun en gu qie shen
Qi xi huang jin mai ci fu?
Xiang ru zuo fu dei huang jin
Zhang fu hao xin duo yi xin.
Yi zhao jiang pin mao ling nu
Wen jun yin zeng bai tou yin.
Dong liu bu zuo xi gui shui
Luo hua ci tiao xiu gu lin.
Tu si gu wu qing
Sui feng ren qing dao.
Shei shi nu luo zhi
Er lai qiang ying bao.
Liang cao you yi xin
Ren xin bu ru cao.
Mo juan long xu xi
Cong ta sheng wang si.
Qie liu hu po zhen
Huo you meng lai shi.
Fu shui zai shou qi man bei?
Qi qie yi qu nan chong hui.
Gu shi dei yi bu xiang fu
zhi jin wei jian qing ling tai.
Ancient Classical Musical Chant (Bai Tou Yin): Two Poems: No. 1
Jin River flows to the northeast with many colors like the nearby makers of brocade silk
Joins another river like a pair of mandarin ducks, joined, separated, and
then back together again.
Male Han emperor nests in a tree
Plays with a Qin lady in grasses and flowers.
Both serene even if separated ten thousand times and suffer from exquisite,
broken wings
Do not have the heart to be separated by the clouds.
At this time E Jiao was too jealous and demanding of Si Ma
She sat alone at Changmen, melancholy as the sun set.
She still hoped that he could regain his grace and affections
Can Si Ma not write poetic words that he can buy with gold?
So Si Ma did write a poem worth all of the gold given
So typical for a husband to search for different hearts after a while.
One morning, Si Ma started a relationship with a Maoling lady
So E Jiao composed the music entitled Bai Tou Yin.
Rivers flowing to the east cannot suddenly flow back to the west
Fallen blossoms leave their twigs.
Old tusi vines without emotions attach themselves to their tree supports
They allow the winds to overwhelm them and force them down.
Who uses women like these vines and branches
Their power comes when they entwine and embrace.
Two grass roots are of one heart-mind
Human hearts not compassionate like the grasses.
No one should roll up their longxu summer mats
Need some empty space that begs to be filled.
For now, abalone shell decorated pillows good enough
Maybe in time, your dreams will return.
Spilled water difficult to retrieve without change?
Abandoned young ladies do not resume their innocence.
In the old days, intents were not ambivalent
Only see now, the uncontrolled and immoral do want what they want,
and get what they want.
Notes:
Bai Tou Yin (Music): The title refers to a story where two lovers regarded themselves as soul mates. They could have made music and poetry together till death. But she had to marry another for political and national reasons.
Jin River: Runs through the provincial city of Chengdu, Sichuan Province.
Qin lady: Nation state of Qin (897-221 BC) in western China.
Si Ma: (ca. 145-86 BC) Famous as the “Grand Historian” from the Han Dynasty.
E Jiao: Also known as Zhou Wenju, she was the niece of the Han Dyansty’s greatest emperor. Zhou was also very talented in the arts. She met the crown prince and was interested in him. He was so entranced with her, that he wanted to build her a golden house. But she later found out that he was to be wed to another for family reasons. This news made her suicidal.
Changmen: Probably refers the poem “Regret in Changmen Palace”, written by the Tang Dynasty female poet Xun Hui (627-650) that focused upon the plight of a neglected and abandoned lady.
Maoling lady: Probably refers to the mausoleum of Emperor Wu (157-87 BC) located about 30 miles of present day Xi’an.
Tusi vines: These vines had to have nearby trees to support their climbing branches. Likewise in ancient China, many women’s destiny was tied to that of their men.
Longxu: Mats designed and made for sleeping on during the hot summer months.