Our host, providing abundant wine to make the night mellow,
Asks his guest from Yang-chou to play for us on the lute.
Toward the moon that whitens the city-wall, black crows are flying,
Frost is on ten thousand trees, and the wind blows through our clothes;
But a copper stove has added its light to that of flowery candles,
And the lute plays The Green Water, and then The Queen of Ch'u.
Once it has begun to play, there is no other sound:
A spell is on the banquet, while the stars grow thin…
But three hundred miles from here, in Huai, official duties await him,
And so it's farewell, and the road again, under cloudy mountains.
Original Poem:
「琴歌」
李颀
主人有酒欢今夕，请奏鸣琴广陵客。
月照城头乌半飞，霜凄万木风入衣。
铜炉华烛烛增辉，初弹渌水后楚妃。
一声已动物皆静，四座无言星欲稀。
清淮奉使千余里，敢告云山从此始。
Interpretation:
This poem is a poem of speech, showing that he knows his master well and expressing his loyalty to him. The Song of the Zither was originally an old title of Lefu. Before the writer was ordered to go to Qinghuai, a thousand miles away, his master hosted a banquet to send off the writer.
One thing that is hard to understand about this poem is that music had a unique significance in ancient times; among friends and under heavy responsibilities, it was not simply used for entertainment, but to enlighten the soulmate. This was a consistent tradition in ancient China. The master asked the author to fulfil an important task, and at the time of parting, a thousand words were no match for a piece of moving and inspiring music. And the author can also understand the master’s intention, so the last line of the Mingzhi is precisely the place where this poem is intended.
The whole poem is written at the time, the scenery, the piano, the person, step by step in-depth, ring into the ring, chapter and verse neatly, clearly defined. The poet is good at using the effect of music to contrast the beauty of music, making the sound of the piano more and more subtle and moving. At the same time, through the music, the poet also implicitly implies the noble personality of the subject and object of aesthetics, which has a strong artistic influence.
Poem translator:
Kiang Kanghu
