Month: October 2020

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Won’t you come into my garden?

余既滋蘭之九畹兮，又樹蕙之百畝。
畦留夷與揭車兮，雜杜衡與芳芷。 《離騷》
I had nurtured many hectares of Eupatorium— and planted hundreds of acres of Cymbidium.
Growing peonies and jiē-chē in rows—blending in Asarum and Angelica. . .. [1]

Thanks to the “radicals” 艸 (艹) and 木, it is impossible for a Chinese reader to browse through Songs of Chu without noticing the endless references to plants. 艸 (艹), “grass” radical, indicate the “herbaceous” nature of the characters; 木, “wood” radical, trees or woods. There are plenty descriptions of plants in Classic of Poetry. As Confucius told his disciples: one could learn numerous species of plants and animals while reading poetry. Yet, flowers and herbs came alive in the poetry of Chu. [2]

Qu Yuan frequently used elegant and fragrant plants as symbols of virtues.  Noxious and poisonous weeds represented villainous characters.[3] He equated nurturing attractive plants to cultivating personal values. From the species that he chose, we knew that he desired things of refinements, such as fragrant Eupatorium and graceful Cymbidium. We saw layers of colors in his garden: heart-shape Asarum covered the ground, pink peonies and white jiē-chē growing side-by-side, umbrellaed by Angelica.

Accessorized with Eupatorium branches and crowned with blossoms of exuberant colors, the poet wove sweetness into the air with his every move.[4] Scents of medicinal herbs—mugwort, sweet flags, and cinnamon—fumigated the surrounding, driving away insects and evil spirits alike.[5] In the morning, the poet drank dew drops from magnolia; in the evening, he dined on the falling petals of autumn chrysanthemum. Other than spiritual fulfilments, did he harvest peppers, Artemisia, and water caltrop for epicurean pleasures? [6]

Diligently, he maintained the ground: “I gather and pull tree roots, loosening the ground for the expansion of Angelica rhizomes; I string the falling flowers of climbing figs; I straighten cinnamon branches to fasten Cymbidiums on them; I rope dangling vines.”[7] As a fellow gardener, I thank the poet for sharing his labor of love. Meanwhile, I ask myself if I am as dedicated in self-betterment as the poet of ancient Chu.

[1]   “Why won’t you come into my garden? I would like my roses to see you.” – Richard Brinsley Sheridan, (1751-1816)
  Both 畹/wǎn and 畝/mǔ are area measurements. The former might have been twelve (or thirty) times of the latter. The number “nine” 九 was considered an auspicious symbol in Chu culture. Instead of the actual number, 九 simply means “multiple” or “a large number” here.
  蘭/lán and 蕙/huèi are the most quoted species in Chinese poetry. They often appear side by side in couplets. Today, they are recognized as synonyms and translated as “orchids.” However, in Qu Yuan’s poems, he seemed to have used 蘭 to indicate 佩蘭/pèi lán or 澤蘭/zé lán (Eupatorium fortunei). Eupatorium_fortunei_Wiki
  I translated 蕙 as Cymbidium based on its common name “一莖九花”—one stem with multiple flowers. 《楚辭芳草譜》蕙, 大抵似蘭, 皆柔荑, 其端作花, 蘭一荑一花, 蕙一荑五六花, 香次於蘭. Some believes 蕙 is Ocimum (basil). Yet, basil is not native to Chu region. It also seems strange to pair a culinary herbal plant with flowering type.
  Qu Yuan also mentioned 秋蘭/qiū lán (Cymbidium ensifolium) in his poems. Although its Chinese name literally means autumn-orchids, Cymbidium ensifolium is actually a four-season orchid.
留夷/liú yí , Chinese peony, Paeonia_lactiflora_Wiki
揭車/jiē-chē: The most detailed information on jiē-chē that I could gather was: “an herb of Chu, used as air freshener and insect repellent, a few feet tall, with white flowers.”
杜衡/dù háng, Asarum forbesii, wild ginger Asarum_Wiki
芷/zhǐ also named 辟芷/pì zhǐ, 白芷/bái zhǐ , and 茝/chǎi: Angelica dahurica, Angelica_dahurica_Wiki
[2] Index:Chinese_radical_en.Wiktionary,
艸_(radical 140)_en.Wiktionary, 木_(radical 75)_en.Wiktionary
Xie Áo 劉翱 of the Song Dynasty catalogued flora in Chu poetry:《楚辭芳草譜》.
《離騷草木疏》by Wú Rén Jié 吳仁傑 is another annotated source.
[3]   Qu Yuan disdained weeds such as 蒺蔾/jí lí (Tribulus terrestris), 菉/lù (Arthraxon hispidus) and 葹/shī, (Siberian cocklebur). Tribulus_terrestris_Wiki, Arthraxon_hispidus_Wiki, https://herbal.herbal.my/siberian-cocklebur-fruit.
[4] 扈江離與辟芷兮，紉秋蘭以為佩。. . . 佩繽紛其繁飾兮，芳菲菲其彌章。 《離騷》
江離/jiang lí, Ligusticum chuanxiong Ligusticum_striatum_Wiki
[5] 芷/zhǐ, Angelica duhurica; 艾/ài, Artemisia argyi; 荃/quán (昌蒲/chānɡ pú), Acorus calamus or sweet flag; and l. chuanxiong are among numerous medicinal plants quoted in Chuci. Most of these herbs have pungent scents. In addition to medical applications, they would have been used in shamanistic rituals. Artemisia_argyi_Wiki Acorus_calamus_Wiki
蔞/hāo (蒿蔞/lóu hāo), Artemisia verlotiorum, is harvested for both medicinal and culinary purposes.Artemisia_verlotiorum_Wiki
[6] 朝飲木蘭之墜露兮，夕餐秋菊之落英。 《離騷》
木蘭/mù lán, also named 辛夷/shīn yí, Magnolia denudate Magnolia_denudata_Wiki
秋菊/qiū jú, autumn Chrysanthemum
[7] 攬木根以結茝兮，貫薜荔之落蕊。矯菌桂以紉蕙兮，索胡繩之纚纚。 《離騷》
薜荔/bì lì, climbing fig, 薜荔_www.missouribotanicalgarden.org_PlantFinder
菌桂/jùn guì, cinammon

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Chinese Poetry (IV): “Song of the Yue Boatman” 越人歌

This entry is part 9 of 35 in the series Chinese Art Song

In the last post, I briefly mentioned “Song of the Yue Boatman”—”Yue-Ren-Ge”—in an endnote. The texts of this “song” was quoted in Chapter 11 of Liu Xiang’s Shuo Yuan, a collection of historical anecdotes.[1] The general title of Chapter 11, Shànshuō 善說, means “eloquent speeches.” The paragraph containing “Song of the Yue Boatman” is a story within a story:[2]

On the day Lord Xiang Chéng was to receive his fief, with splendid clothing and accessories, he stood by the river shore, surrounded by ministers. Provincial officer called out: “Who could cross the river with the Lord?” Chu minister Zhuang Xin, passing by, approached the Lord with admiration and asked: “Would it be all right, if I, your servant, hold your hands?” Angrily, Lord Xiang Chéng did not reply. Zhuang Xin retreated and washed his hands. Then, he returned to say, “Has the Lord never heard of the story of Prince È [ə], Jun Qi, on his boat excursion?”

* * * * * *

Prince Jun Qi, clad in gorgeous garments, sat on a boat decorated with bird-shape carvings, flowers, feathery canopy, and rhino tails. There was music of bells and drums. While resting, the boatman from Yue State held the oar and sang:

“濫兮抃草濫予昌枑澤予昌州州𩜱州焉乎秦胥胥縵予乎昭澶秦踰滲惿隨河湖。”

The Prince said: “I do not understand the song in Yue, would you gentleman explain it to me in Chu?” An interpreter was called. He recited the verses in Chu:

今夕何夕兮，搴舟中流。
What an evening this is, rowing the boat on the river.

今日何日兮，得與王子同舟。
What a day today is, I have the chance to share the same boat with the prince.

蒙羞被好兮，不訾詬恥。
Feeling unworthy of your adoration, yet I am not shamed by the mockeries.

心幾煩而不絕兮，得知王子。
Endless fluctuations in my heart: I made acquaintance with the prince.

山有木兮木有枝，心說君兮君不知。
There are trees on the mountain, and branches on the trees.
my heart desires for the Lord yet the Lord does not know.

Upon hearing this, Prince Jun Qi went up to the boatman, embracing him, wrapping him with embroidered cover.

* * * * * *

Zhuang Xin continued: “Prince È was the King’s younger brother. Lordly and powerful, yet he was willing to share his pleasure with a boatman from Yue. Why was it that you placed yourself above the Prince? Why was it that I could not equate myself to a boatman? Why was it inappropriate that I wished to hold your hands?” Lord Xiang Chéng reached out to Zhuang Xin and promised to always follow his advice.

Widely recognized as the earliest “translated” poem in Chinese history, “Song of the Yue Boatman” has been referenced in many later poems. The text has been the subject of many literary studies. Here, I like to use it an example to show the complexity of Chinese language.

I left the original transliteration of the Yue song as it appeared in Shua Yuan. Although it was written in Han characters, it was intended to be read with Chu sounds and not the Standard Chinese of today. I also did not make any attempt to punctuate the line. When hearing a language for the first time, it is unlikely that one would be able to group the sounds. Isn’t it always the case that we think foreigners all talk really fast? Even though these characters didn’t help with the comprehension of the words, it did record the sounds of the words—for its intended audiences.

Chu, as a spoken language, has been lost. Even its root is uncertain. However, as documented in many historical sources, it was clearly different than the language of the Central Plain. Some believe that it was a branch of the Sinitic linguistic family; others believe that it belongs to Hmong-Mien family, still spoken today in the mountainous regions of southern China.[3]

The territory of Yue State covered the coastal region of southeastern China. Ancient Yue was believed to have been spoken in the States of Yue and Wu. In written form, it was preserved in Yuejueshu, historical records of Yue, in addition to “Song of the Yue Boatman.”[4] Many linguists believe that ancient Yue was related to Zhuang-Tai language, a branch of Kra-Dai family.[5] Based on this concept, Wei Qing-Wen 韋慶穩 and Zhengzhang Shangfang 鄭張尚芳 reconstructed the transliterated characters.[6]

Yet, at least for me, the question remains: The reconstruction was based on Yue sounds. Wasn’t Liu Xiang’s transliteration intended for Chu sounds? At this point, let’s take a moment to imagine what would have happened to Chine culture, if there wasn’t a unified written language.

Shuo Yuan, with its emphasis in ethics and morality, was listed in the Ruism section of Siku Quanshu. Which, in a sense, means that it represents culture of the Central Plain. Nevertheless, it encompassed regional tales, evidence of interchanges of northern and southern cultures. Although “Song of the Yue Boatman” was not an original Chu song, from its translated form, personal and sensuous, we could still discern the characteristics of Chu poetry.

For the 2006 movie “The Banquet,” Tan Dun composed a theme song “Longing in Silence,” based on the translated version of “Yue-Ren-Ge,” sung in Mandarin. A version for piano and voice was written by Liu Qin.[7]

[1] Shuo_Yuan_Wiki
[2] Staying as close as possible with the original texts, my interpretation was not word-for-word. Shuo_Yuan_Shan_Shuo_ctext.org 《劉向·說苑·善說》(繁體中文)
[3] Chu_(state)#Linguistic_influences_Wiki, Sinitic_languages_Wiki
[4] Yue_(state)_Wiki, yuejueshu.html_chinaknowledge.de, 《越絕書》_Wiki_zh-tw (繁體中文)
[5] 壯侗語系_Wiki_zh-tw (繁體中文) , Kra_Dai_Languages_Wiki Tai_languages_Wiki
[6] Zhengzhang_Shangfang_Wiki
“Decipherment of Yue-Ren-Ge (Song of the Yue Boatman),” Zhengzhang Shangfang, C.L.A.O. Vol. XX, winter 1991, No, 2, pp. 159-168. (PDF)
[7] Longing_in_Silence_YouTube Tan Dun, The Banquet, Deutsche Grammophon
Song_of_the_Yue_Boatman_YouTube Yuanlong Li, countertenor, Pulignano, piano.