iii) fruit boiled into a liquid is also called lo.
Pan Ku 班固 (32 - 92), History of the [Former] Han (Han-shu 漢書), “Shih-huo chih”, says: “Grand-man-ministers and Receptionists (ta-fu yeh-che 大夫謁者) were separately despatched to teach the general populacce to boil wood and make lo.” A note to that says: “Ju Ch’un 如淳 says: ‘It means such as Apricot Lo (hsing-lo 杏酪).’”
507P’u-sa Man 菩薩蠻, Bodhisattva Southron, a tz’u-lyric tune-title. Wang Yi-ch’ing 王奕清 (fl. ca. AD 1710) and others, Tz’u-lyric manual (Tz’u-p’u 詞譜), produced in AD 1715 on imperial commission, says: “The title of a T’ang dynasty Instruction-ward melody (Chiao-fang-ch’ü 教坊曲). [Ou-yang Hsȕan 歐陽玄 (1273 - 1357) and others,] Sung history (Sung-shih 宋史 [AD 1345], “Yüeh-chih”, says: “The name of a female pupil of the dancing troupe (wu-tui 舞隊).”
Su E 蘇鶚 (fl. ca. AD 890), Miscellaneous compilations about Tu-yang (Tu-yang tsa-pien 杜陽雜編) says: “At the beginning of the reign-period 847 - 860, the State of Nü-man (Nü-man-kuo 女蠻國) sent in tribute to the T’ang dynasty emperor, high topknots and gold hats/crowns (kao-chi chin-kuan 高髻金冠), their bodies laced with pearls, bearing the title Bodhisattva Southron Troupe, (Pu-sa-man-tui 菩薩蠻隊). At the time, court-jesters (chang-yu 倡優) proceeded to compose BodhisattvaS outhron melody (Pu-sa-man ch’ü 菩薩蠻曲), and literary scholars frequently gave voice to its lyric.”
[Sun Kuang-hsien 孫光憲 (AD? - AD 968)], Fragmentary talk from northern dreams (Pei-meng so-yen 北夢瑣言), says: “Emperor Proclamation-progenitor (Hsȕan-tsung 宣宗) [reigned 847 - 860] was fond of singing the words to Bodhisattva Southron, and Ling-hu T’ao 令狐綯 commanded Wen T’ing-yȕn溫庭筠 [813? -870?] to author new ones, and present them to the emperor.’ [Wang Cho 王灼 (fl. ca. AD 1162)] Green-jade Cock’s free-ranging records (Pi-chi man-chih 碧雞漫志), says: ‘That being the fourteen verses of Wen T’ing-yȕn in the present-day [Chao Ch’ung-tso趙崇祚 (fl. ca. AD 940) (ed.),] Amid-the flowers collection (Hua-chien chi 花間集).’
We note that Wen T’ing-yȕn’s tzu-lyrics include the line, ‘The little hills are fold on fold, and the Gold Shine is extinguished’, which lyric is titled Fold on fold gold (Ch’ung-tieh chin 重疊金). Li Yü 李煜 [(937 - 978)] has a tz’u-lyric titled Tzu-yeh song (Tzu-ueh ke 子夜歌), another title for which was Bodhisattva Beautiful-hair (P’u-sa man 菩薩鬘); Han Hu’s 韓淲 [(1160 - 1224)] tzu-lyrics include one with the line, ‘Don’t depict in novel music thoughts amid blossoms’. which has the title Thoughts amid blossoms (Hua-chien yi 花間意). And there are also one with the line, ‘Before the breeze we seek and find plum-blossoms ‘which had the title Plum-blossom lines（Mei-hua chü 梅花句), one with the line ‘In mountain citadel gazing to the utmost at the jade-green of the blossomy brook’, which had the title Blossomy-brook jade-green (Hua-hsi pi 花溪碧), and one with the line ‘Evening clouds and toasting sun north of southern twigs’, which bore the title Evening clouds and toasting sun (Wan-yȕn hung-jih 晚雲烘日).
This tune, Bodhisattva Southron, takes Li Pai’s 李白 (701 - 762) tz’u-lyric Level forest spreading forth (P’ing-lin mo-mo 平林漠漠) as its standard form. Wan Shu 萬樹 [fl. ca. AD 1692], Tz’u-lyric prosody (Tz’u-lü 詞律): “This tune of Green Lotus [a name of Li Pai’s] with his Recalling a charmeuse of Ch’in (Yi Ch’in-er 憶秦娥) are the tz’u-lyric-progeniitors for all time (ch’ien-ku tz’u-tsu 千古詞祖), and in fact are also the ‘sublime singing of all ages’ (ch’ien-ku chȕeh-ch’ang 千古絕唱)’, and tonal metre should follow them.” It was also a ch’ü-aria tune-title, included in the Northern Aria High-palace Single Arias (Pei-ch’ü Kao-kung Chih-ch’ü 北曲高宮隻曲).
508Hung Sheng gives a note that this line derives from a poem by Hsȕeh Feng 薛逢 [fl.ca. AD 853].
509Hung Sheng gives a note that this line derives from a poem by Liu Yü-hsi 劉禹錫 [772-842]
510Hung Sheng gives a note that this line derives from a poem by Lo Pin-wang 駱賓王 [AD? - AD 684].
511Hung Sheng gives a note that this line derives from a poem by Hu Tseng 胡曾 [fl. ca. AD 877].
512i.e. the emperor be seduced by casual love affairs.
513Mei-ching 梅精, Plum-blossom Sprite, a disparaging nickname for Most-prized Empress Mei.
514Chiang Ts’ai-p’in 江采蘋, Chiang Cloverfern-culler, the name of Most-prized Empress Plum-blossom. 翠華
515Lou-tung 樓東, Bower-east, the name of a building in the T’ang dynasty imperial palace. .
516i.e. from outside her room, since he’ll not be visiting them.
517Ts’ui-hua Hsi-ke 翠華西, Kingfisher-/Emerald-florescence/-splendour West Villa, ts’ui-hua 翠華, “kingfisher florescence/splendour/bloom”, referring basically to kingfisher feathers used as flag-decorations. Pan Ku 班固 (32 - 92), Han history (Han-shu 漢書), “Ssu-ma Hsiang-ju chuan”, says: “Setting up kingfisher-florescence flags.” A note to that says: “Using kingfisher-feathers to make a cluster on top of a flag”. Liu Yȕn 柳惲 (465 - 517), in his poem Ascending Ching-yang Tower with Emperor Warrior (He Wu-ti teng Ching-yang-lou 和武帝登景陽樓), has the lines: “The kingfisher-florescences receive the Han from afar, the carving-decorated hand-carriage wanders with the wind.”
Tu Fu 杜甫 (712 - 770) has another poem that contains the lines: “Recall of old when emperor blessed with tour Hsin-feng Palace, His kingfisher-florescenses coming eastwards.” Both Liu Yȕn and Tu Fu are referring to the flags of the emperor’s procession or cortege. One commentator says: “emperor’s chariot canopy and banners”, but I find no support for that elsewhere.
518i.e. Empress Plum-blossom.
519i.e. know the emperor’s love.
520hu 斛, a dry measure of capacity, equal to ten (later five) tou 斗, tou being a dry measure now said to equal one decalitre, i.e. about 2.2 imperial gallons. So a hu was some 22 gallons. A bushel, being only eight gallons, is here just rough translation, but the original term is also perhaps here used as a vague one meaning “a lot of”.
521Ch’ang-men-kung 長門宮, Tall-door/Tall-gate Palace. Tall Gate/Long Door (Ch’ang-men 長門) was the name of a Han dynasty imperial palace. Ssu-ma Hsiang-ju 司馬相如 (179 BC - 117 BC), in his preface to his Tall-gate rhapsody (Ch’ang-men fu 長門賦), says: “Emperor Warrior’s (Wu-ti 武帝) [reigned 140 BC - 87 BC] Empress Ch’en (Ch’en huang-hou 陳皇后) was frequently favoured with his love, but was very shrewish, so was located apart, in Tall-door Palace, where in her sorrow and boredom she yearned sadly. Hearing that Ssu-ma Hsiang-ju of Ch’eng-tu 成都 in the province of Shu 蜀 was the most skilled literary writer in the world, she respectfully presented him with a hundred catties of yellow gold, and fetched wine for Hsiang-ju and [his wife] Refined-lady (Wen-chȕ 文君), so he then produced a literary piece to dispel her sadness and sorrows for her, and by writing the piece Hsiang-ju awoke the monarch’s realisation, and the empress was able to be favoured with his love again.” In the Ch’u-tune Melody (Ch’u-tiao-ch’ü 楚調曲) category of the Music Treasury Song (yueh-fu 樂府) genre of Chinese poetry, there was a tune title Tall-gate repining (Ch’ang-men yȕan 長門怨), also called Dear-dainty’s repining (A-chiao yȕan 阿嬌怨).
Elucidating the topics of Music Treasury songs (Yüeh-fu chieh-t’i 樂府解題) (Sung dynasty or earlier) says: “This Tall-gate repining was composed for Emperor Warrior of the Han dynasty’s Empress Ch’en. When the empress withdrew and dwelled in Tall-gate Palace, she was mournful and dejected, and longed sadly, and, hearing that Ssu-ma Hsiang-ju was skilled at literary composition, respectfully presented him with a hundred catties of yellow gold, and ordered him to compose a literary piece to dispel her sorrows. Hsiang-ju composed his Tall-gate rhapsody for her. On seeing it, the emperor was grieved by it, and the empress was once more able to receive the favours of his loving. Someone later followed the rhapsody, and made a Tall-gate repining.”
522i.e. Empress Plum-blossom.
523chin-wu �
��屋, “golden room/house, often refers to the story in Old matters of Emperor Warrior of the Han (Han Wu ku-shih 漢武故事.):
Ch’en Ying’s 陳嬰 great grand-daughter was named Dear-dainty (A-chiao 阿劉), and her mother was Emperor Warrior’s [reigned 140 BC - 87 BC] aunt, the Elder Princess of Kuan-t’ao (Kuan-t’ao Ch’ang-kung-chu 館陶長公主). When Emperor Warrior was a child, the Elder Princess once picked him up in her arms, put him on her knee, and asked him: “Do you want to have a wife, my son?” And she pointed at Dear-dainty, and said: “Would she do?”
“If I got A-chiao,” replied the future emperor with a smile, “I’d have to keep her in a gold room.”
The Elder Princess was most delighted at this, and later accordingly requested the emperor to bring about the marriage. When he ascended the throne, he set A-chiao up as his empress. From this story, later ages used the term “Keeping a Dainty [chiao 嬌] in a gold room” (chin-wu ts’ang-chiao 金屋藏嬌) to signify building a splendid room/house in which to lodge a lady.
“Gold(en) Room” can also mean in general “a splendid room in which a lady dwells”, as seemingly in this poem, but the more specific story is here no doubt also borne in mind.,
524hung-ssu 紅絲, Scarlet Silk-strand. Surely referring to hung-hsien 紅線, Scarlet Thread, which refers to the legend of the Old Man Under the Moon/In the Moonlight (Yȕeh-hsia Lao-jen 月下老人). Sequel to “Record of the supernatural weird” (Hsü “Yu-kuai lu” 續幽怪錄) tells us about this god in charge of joining people in destined marriage. When Wei Ku 韋固 of the T’ang dynasty was lodging on his travels in Sung City (Sung-ch’eng 宋城), he encountered an old man sitting lolling against a sack, and checking things in a book. He asked him about the crimson cord/string/rope (ch’ih-sheng 赤繩) that was in the sack, and was told that it was to tie husbands and wives’ legs together, and even if they were of feuding families or in different lands, once they were connected by the cord, they were just certain to be joined in affection. So a marriage-broker or matchmaker came popularly to be called an Old Man in the Moonlight. Sometimes the term is abbreviated to Moon Elder (Yȕeh-lao 月老).
Here Scarlet Silk-strand is a common colloquial equivalent of Scarlet Thread, perhaps a confusion in origin. Scarlet Thread most often refers to the eponymous talented and learned female knight-errant of that name, who is the heroine of the T’ang dynasty Wonder Tale (ch’uan-ch’i 傳奇) novella Scarlet Thread (Hung-hsien chuan 紅線傳) by Yȕan Chiao 袁郊 (fl. ca. AD 853).
525i.e. the too rapid passage of time.
526Hung Sheng gives a note that this line derives from a poem by Tai Shu-lun 戴叔倫 [732 - 789].
527Hung Sheng gives a note that this line derives from a poem by Wen T’ing-yȕn 溫庭筠 [ ca. 813? – ca. 870].
528Hung Sheng gives a note that this line derives from a poem by Liu Tsao 劉皂.
529Chiang-fei 江妃, Most-prized-empress Chiang. Presumably a wife of Emperor Dark-progenitor (Hsȕan-tsung 玄宗). I note that it was also the name of a goddess, the Goddess of the River Chiang/River Yangtse Goddess (Chiang-shui Nü-shen 江水女神), also known as Chiang Fei 江婓.
530Shang-yang-kung Tung-lou 上陽宮東樓, East Bower of Upper-sunlight Imperial Palace.
531yü-hu 玉戶, jade door, a euphemistic term for palace doors.
532tao p’u-t’ao-chia 倒葡萄架, “to topple/ overturn the grape-trellis”, a metaphor for “to create a storm of jealousy”.
533Tung-chȕn 東君, Lord of the East:
i) the name of a god, i.e. the sun-god (jih-shen 日神). Ssu-ma Ch’ien 司馬遷 (ca. 147 BC - 90 BC), Historians’ records (Shih-chi 史記). “Feng-shan shu”, says: “The State of Tsin held spring sacrificial services to such as the Five Gods (Wu-ti 五帝), the Lord of the East, Amid-the-clouds (Yȕn-chung 雲中), Fate Comptroller (Ssu-ming司命).” Wang Yi 王逸 (fl. ca. 114 - 142) (ed.), (who says that it was compiled by Liu Hsiang 劉向 [77 BC - 6 BC]), Ch’u elegies (Ch’u-tz’u 楚辭), “Chiu-ke”, has a poem entitled Lord of the East, to which Hung Hsing-tsu 洪興祖 (1090 - 1155), Supplementary notes to “Ch’u elegies” (Ch’u-tz’u pu-chu 楚辭補注), says: “[Chang Yi 張揖 (Northern Wei dynasty, fl. ca. AD 490), Expanded “Standards” (Kuang “Ya” 廣雅),] says: “Vermilion Shine (Chu Ming 朱明), Dazzling Spirit (Yao-ling 曜靈) and Lord of the East mean the sun.”
ii) Eastern Prince-lord (Tung-wang-kung 東王公). The name of another god Pai Chü-yi’s 白居 易 (772 - 846) poem Seeing off Taoist-priest Liu on a trip to Heaven Terrace (Sung Liu Tao-shihyu T’ien-t’ai 送劉道士遊天台) has the lines: “With solemn reverent heart I visited West Mother, With eyes shut, and bowing, I made homage in the court of the Lord of the East.”
iii) meaning the God of Spring (Ch’un-shen 春神). Wang Ch’u’s poem 王初 (fl. ca. AD 835), After Spring Start (Li-ch’un hou 立春後) has the lines: “Lord of the East’s k’e-jadewaist-ornaments tinkle jingle-jangle, Green Charioteer (Ch’ing-yü 青馭) for a long while goes down to Nine Passes.”
534i.e. love-making lair/nest and love-nest.
535meng-tieh 夢蝶, dreaming of a butterfly. The late Chou dynasty work Sir Chuang (Chuang-tzu 莊子), “Ch’i-wu lun”, says: “Of yore, Chuang Chou dreamed he was a butterfly, and he was a fluttering dancing butterfly, contented with itself and its heart’s desires fulfilled, unaware that it was Chuang Chou. Shortly, he woke up, and Chuang Chou lying there all stiff and motionless. I wonder whether it was Chuang Chou who’d dreamed he was a butterfly, or a butterfly who was dreaming it was Chuang Chou? There must be some way of distinguishing between Chuang Chou and the butterfly. This is what is meant by Transmutation into Objective Phenomena.”
This piece, often referred to as Dreaming one’s a butterfly (Meng-tieh 夢蝶), was a favourite allusion and topic in later Chinese writings and entertainments, sometimes as a starting-point for philosophical discussion, or, more often, for embellishing a reference to dreaming.
536Hua-e-lou 華萼樓, Florescence-calyx Tower, the name of a building in the T’ang dynasty imperial palace.
537The repetitions here reflecting her sobbing or distraughtness.
538Empress Yang’s surname meaning “willow”.
539Hung Sheng gives a note that this line derives from a poem by Ssu-ma Cha 司馬扎 [fl. ca. AD 853].
540Hung Sheng gives a note that this line derives from a poem by Ch'ien Ch'i 錢起 [fl. ca. AD 766].
541Hung Sheng gives a note that this line derives from a poem by Tuan Ch'eng-shih 段成式 [AD 803 - AD 863].
542Hung Sheng gives a note that this line derives from a poem by Lo Yin 羅隱 [833 - 909].
543chung-chȕn 中軍, Adjutant, being during the Ch’ing dynasty the title of the chief adninistrative officer on the staff of a field commander, or the head of the Office of Military Affairs (ying-wu ch’u 營務處) under a Provincial Governor (hsȕn-fu 巡撫) or Governor-general (tsung-tu 總督), in these latter cases normally with the status of Vice-general (fu-chiang 副將).
544T’ien-te-chȕn 天德軍, Heaven-virtue Army, i.e. T’ien-te-chȕn-shih 天德軍使, Heaven-virtue-army Commissioner, a post historrically held by Kuo Tzu-yi.
545ku-kung 股肱, “thigh-and-upper-arm”. A lofty term for “minister who is a right-hand man of the ruler”, “a minister who’s an essential assistant to the ruler”, “an important/vital minister for the ruler”. Found as early as K’ung Ch’iu 孔丘 (551 BC - 479 BC) (ed.), History classic (Shu-ching 書經), where the ruler is cited as saying” You, my minister are my thigh and upper arm, my ears and my eyes.” The same work also has the term being used in a song.
546Yen-shan 燕山:
i) Yen Mountains, the name of mountains south-east of present-day Chi county in Hopeh province, from where they meander eastwards, passing through Yü-t’ien and Feng-jun counties, and proceeding straight to the sea-coast. When Duke Shao (Shao-kung 昭公) of the Chou dynasty was enfiefed with Chi 薊, he gave his state the name Yen 燕, taking the name from these mountains.
ii) the name of a prefecture (fu 府). The Liao dynasty set up its capital as Yen Capital (Yen-ching 燕京). The Sung dynasty changed the prefecture to Yen-shan Prefecture (Yen-shan-fu 燕山府). At the beginning of the reign-period 1119 - 1125, a Yen-shan circuit (Yen-shan-lu 燕山路) was also set up, which included the region of the northern and north-eastern parts of present-day Hopeh province. The prefectural capital was used as the administrative capital of the circuit, that old city being located south-west of present-day Ta-hsing county.
547Questionable if physically possible. And surely not a singing position.
548Huang-t’ang 黃堂, Yellow Hall, a name for the place where a governor (t’ai-shou 太守) conducted his administration. Later ages used it to mean “prefect” (chih-fu 知府). He-shen 和珅 (1750 - 1799) and others, by imperial commission, Great Ch’ing dynasty Comprehensive geography of the empire (Ta-Ch’ing yi-t’ung chih 大清一統志) (AD 1764, revised version produced during the period 1796-1820), says: “The Yellow Hall is located east of Ch’ang-chou 長洲 county [i.e. present-day Wu county in Kiangsu province], and was the palace-hall of the son of the Lord of Ch’un-shen (Ch’un-shen-chȕn-tzu 春申君子) [Chou dynasty]. Later, a governor occupied it. It several times caught fire, and was painted with [yellow] orpiment (tz’u-huang 雌黃), and was consequently named Yellow Hall., being the main court-hall (cheng-t’ing 正廳) of the govenor. All the [regional] administrative seats of the world were called Yellow Hall, in imitation of that.” Record of appellations (Ch’eng-wei lu 稱謂錄) says: “The hall of the governors was painted with orpiment to retard fire, hence the appellation.”
Appendices and Endnotes Page 33
