Month: September 2020

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Chinese Poetry (II): More about “Guanju”

This entry is part 7 of 35 in the series Chinese Art Song

After posting “Classic of Poetry,” I went on writing the following installment of the series. An observant reader/friend wrote to me, wishing to hear a recitation of Guanju: “The translation was helpful in understanding the content. Yet, the beauty of the poem was not complete without the sound.” Since I was able to hear the words in my head, I completely forgot that many of my readers could not read them. Should I read the poem by myself? The answer is, “No.” And, here is the reason:

Languages are living things that constantly change. Ancient Han language is a far cry from Mandarin Chinese of today. Many believe that regional dialects, such as Cantonese or Taiwanese, are closer to the ancient tongue. That might be accurate for Middle Chinese but not so for rimes from the Zhou Dynasty.

Obliged, I did some search online. The most informative and interesting result—by far—is a YouTube video by linguist J. J. Xu: “那些年用上古漢語讀過的《關雎》.”[1]

Previously, Xu recited “Guanju” in Ancient Han language twice and posted them on YouTube. In the first video of 2009, the poem was presented in traditional Chinese characters with International Phonetic Alphabet. The second video of 2014 had a stylistically-correct image with Seal Script on a bamboo-scroll background.

In the recent post, Xu brought back both readings and discussed the challenges of recreating an ancient language based on existing sources and modern tools. He first explained that there was never a “pure” sound of any given language. Every person speaks with some accents based on his/her personal history. He then presented multiple readings of the first two verses of “Guanju” by speakers of various nationality using IPA as a route map.

I must admit that, upon the first hearing of Xu’s 2009 reading, I was, on the one hand, fascinated, and on the other hand, completely lost. If not for the Chinese characters and IPA, I might as well be listening to Na’vi, or for that matter, Quenya . After a few rounds of listening, I was able to pick up a few familiar sounds. Other than the glides and vowel clusters, what sounded foreign to me were the rolled “r”s, the “s” endings, and the frequent glottal stops—“ʔ.” Alas, the limits of IPA. They are after all merely symbols. The same symbol can turn out sounding so differently from language to language. I was very amused by the sound of the onomatopoeia that opens the poem. “kro:n-kro:n” brings some vividness that “gwan-gwan” lacks.

Today, “Guanju” is most likely to be recited in Mandarin Chinese, a derivative of the Beijing dialect which does not use glottal stops. The initial consonances are more articulated, and the vowel sounds pure: 《關雎》 [guān jū]

關關雎鳩、在河之洲，[guān guān jū jiū、zài hé zhī zhōu，]
窈窕淑女、君子好逑。[yǎo tiǎo shū nǚ、jūn zǐ hǎo qiú。]

參差荇菜、左右流之，[cān cī xìng cài、zuǒ yòu liú zhī，]
窈窕淑女、寤寐求之；[yǎo tiǎo shū nǚ、wù mèi qiú zhī。]

求之不得、寤寐思服，[qiú zhī bù dé、wù mèi sī fú，]
悠哉悠哉、輾轉反側。[yōu zāi yōu zāi、zhǎn zhuǎn fǎn cè 。]

參差荇菜、左右采之，[cān cī xìng cài 、zuǒ yòu cǎi zhī，]
窈窕淑女、琴瑟友之；[yǎo tiǎo shū nǚ、qín sè yǒu zhī。]

參差荇菜、左右芼之，[cān cī xìng cài、zuǒ yòu mào  zhī，]
窈窕淑女、鐘鼓樂之。[yǎo tiǎo shū nǚ、zhōng gǔ yào zhī。][2]

Many literary lovers in Hong Kong and Taiwan practice poetry readings in regional dialects. Sensitive audience should be able to hear the verses punctuated by glottal stops.[3]

I believe it is appropriate to round up this post by introducing a musical interpretation of “Guanju” by Zhoa Jiping, the renowned film composer. The elegant melody has been arranged for large orchestra and popularized in grand performances. One presentation that I found compelling, however, was sung by soprano Lee Min. In this particular performance, the Chinese bamboo flute obligato, played by Liu Yang, enhanced the ethereal beauty of the work.[4]

I will let the ancient poem speaks for itself.

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUwcLZ8XZig, posted on July 10, 2020. For comparison, here is another reading of “Guanju” in Ancient Han: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxhdW2yB-iQ. From the sounds, especially the noticeable glottal stops, the reader of the latter could have been a native speak of a southern Chinese dialect.
[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWGQu50Bx38 徐健順吟誦, Xu Jianshun reciting “Guanju” in Mandarin.
[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-t0zTbQHaLU “Guanju” in Cantonese.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3jOs61n3yg 廖秋蓁, 台語吟誦 “Guanju” in Taiwanese, recited by Liao Qiuzhēn.
[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhao_Jiping, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyFiX2rEe4s

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Chinese Poetry (I): Classic of Poetry 詩經

This entry is part 6 of 35 in the series Chinese Art Song

“Shi”- “ci” 詩詞 are the two Chinese words for literary works in verse forms. In general, the former refers to verses of fixed lengths while the latter refers to verses to be sung. Throughout Chinese history, music and poetry are inseparable.

Shijing 詩經or Classic of Poetry is the earliest anthology of Chinese poetry. The existing collection consists of three hundred and five anonymous poems and six additional titles without texts. According to various historical sources, rulers of the Zhou Dynasty dispatched agents throughout the country to sample folk songs as means of understanding regional customs and public sentiments. The compilation spanned from the West Zhou to the middle of the Spring and Autumn Period, roughly from eleventh centuries to sixth century BC.[1]

Interpreters of Shijing used six words to characterize the poems— fēng 風, yǎ 雅, sòng 頌, fù 賦, bǐ 比, xing 興. The first three words refer the nature of the contents:

• 風 fēng—airs or folk styles—folk songs:
Depicting life styles and cultural traditions of various regions.
• 雅 yǎ—proper or elegant—court music, further divided into:
“Greater yǎ,” worship hymns, acclamatory odes, and political satires;
“Minor yǎ¸” festive music and prayers.
• 頌 sòng—ritualistic rimes:
Often performed with ceremonial dances.

The others are three writing approaches:

• 賦 fù—narrative and descriptive.
• 比 bǐ—comparative, direct comparisons between different subjects.
• 興 xing—derivative, associating tangible things with intangible ideas.

The structures of these poems are simple. The lengths of verses vary from two- to eight-syllables, with four-syllable verses being the norm. Repetitions of words and phrases are quintessential features of these ancient poems. Verses are often paired. Longer poems are divided into parallel stanzas.

Confucius, credited for editing the anthology, said: “To wrap up three hundred poems in one statement: ‘no malicious thoughts.’”[2] He also called up his students: “Young fellows, ‘Why don’t you study poetry?’ Poetry can stimulate one’s thoughts; can make one more observant; can build camaraderie; can be a means of catharsis. In the narrow confines, they teach one how to take care of one’s parents; in a broader sense, they guide one how to serve the leaders. One learns many names of birds, animals, herbs and plants.”

He praised “Guan-ju,” the opening verse of the collection, as “joyous without being excessive, melancholy without being sad”:[3]

關關雎鳩、在河之洲，
“guan-guan,” calling a pair of ospreys, in the marsh by the river.
窈窕淑女、君子好逑。
Graceful and virtuous young lady, fine match for the gentleman.

參差荇菜、左右流之，
Undulating Nymphoides, gathering them from the left and from the right.
窈窕淑女、寤寐求之；
Graceful and virtuous young lady, he longs for her night and day. [4]

求之不得、寤寐思服，
Pursuing in vain, he thinks of her night and day.
悠哉悠哉、輾轉反側。
Anguishing, anguishing, he tosses and turns restlessly.

參差荇菜、左右采之，
Undulating Nymphoides, picking them from the left and from the right.
窈窕淑女、琴瑟友之；
Graceful and virtuous young lady, he plays the qin and the sè to befriend her.

參差荇菜、左右芼之，
Undulating Nymphoides, culling them from the left and from the right.
窈窕淑女、鐘鼓樂之。
Graceful and virtuous young lady, he plays the bell and the drum to please her.[5]

Originally named simply “Shi” — “Poetry,” the anthology later became one of the Five Classics during the Han Dynasty with the rise of Ruism and was referred in later sources as 詩經. The word 經 jing–”Scripture”—confirms its value and authority.[6]

[1] 詩經_Wiki (中文繁體), Classic_of_Poetry_Wiki
[2] 《論語．為政》子曰：「詩三百，一言以蔽之，曰：『思無邪』。」
《論語．陽貨》子曰：「小子！何莫學夫詩？詩，可以興，可以觀，可以群，可以怨。邇之事父，遠之事君。多識於鳥獸草木之名。」
[3] 《論語．八佾》子曰：「《關睢》，樂而不淫，哀而不傷。」
[4] 關關, “guan-guan,” onomatopoeia of bird calls. In the opening verse, “the river” refers to the Yellow River.
荇菜, Nymphoides, related to the water lilies. Nymphoides_Wiki
Its roots and stems are edible. Thus, “culling them”—selecting and harvesting them. The phrase 參差 means various lengths or heights. Since the leaves of the Nymphoides float on the water surface and the flower stems extend only slightly above the water, the word “undulating” seems to present a more realistic image.
[5] 琴 qin, Guqin_Wiki, 瑟 [sə̀], Se_(instrument)_Wiki. Qin and sè are considered instruments for the gentlemen. They are also symbols of harmonious relationships.
鐘 zhōng, zhong_britannica, 鼓 gǔ, 鼓_Temple_Drum_Wiki_image. Ancient bells and drums are ceremonial instruments. The mentioning of these instruments could have suggested the aristocratic background of the protagonist.
[6]The Bible is called 聖經 (“Holy Scripture”) in Chinese.