The Heavenly Corpse Changes

Heavenly Corpse, Talisman Demon

Thirty-one

Wen Wenshan's lyrics had exceptionally lofty style and great depth, far surpassing those of such gentlemen as Sheng Yu, Shu Xia, and Gongjin. They were like the lyrics of the Earl of Chengyi from the early Ming dynasty—something Ji Di and Meng Zai could never hope to match.

Thirty-two

He Ning's The Long-Lived Girl went:

"The sky is about to dawn. The palace clepsydra drips through the flowers, its sound winding on. Beyond the window, few stars remain. The chill glow of the rosy clouds creeps beneath the canopy; the waning moonlight sinks beyond the treetops. The dream breaks, and the brocade chamber lies silent and empty. I force myself up, my brows knotted with sorrow."

The first half of this lyric was no less accomplished than Xia Yinggong's Joyful Orioles.

Notes:

(1) Xia Song's Tune of the Joyful Orioles: "The rosy clouds scatter like brocade; the moon hangs like a hook. The curtains roll up in the Weiyang Tower. The night is cool, the Silver River cleaves the sky, and the palace is locked in autumn's chill. Trees grow on the jade terrace; dew gathers on the bronze stems. The phoenix-pith incense coils in smoky clouds. Three thousand jeweled beauties surround the imperial progress; in the waterside palace, they play Liangzhou."

Thirty-three

In Remarks on Poetry, Song-dynasty writer Li Xisheng said: "Tang poets made lofty, archaic style their chief concern. Even when their meaning was distant and their language sparse, their works were all fine. Later writers may be precise and apt, but their spirit and style are commonplace and base, and in the end they make people detest them." I would say that Northern Song lyrics, too, could afford to be distant and spare. From Meixi onward, they were precisely the sort that were precise and apt, yet commonplace and base in spirit and style.

Notes:

(1) Quoted in Wei Qingzhi's Jade Chips of Poets, scroll ten.

Thirty-four

Since Zhu Yizun harshly disparaged Remaining Lyrics from the Thatched Hall and championed The Finest of Fine Lyrics, later writers had all followed suit. They did not realize that though Thatched Hall contained some vulgar, bawdy pieces, six or seven out of every ten lyrics in it were excellent. In The Finest of Fine Lyrics, by contrast, aside from the works of Zhang, Fan, Xin, and Liu, eight or nine out of every ten were utterly pointless. As the ancients said, "A little shame is called a little goodness; great shame is called great goodness"—a saying that was surely no empty talk.

Notes:

(1) Zhu Yizun, "Afterword to The Finest of Fine Lyrics": "Since Remaining Lyrics from the Thatched Hall became popular, lyricists' works have cast aside 'Jichu' and 'Yang'e,' and the songs of the 'Bashu' have advanced alongside them. Though Zhou Gongjin's anthology The Finest of Fine Lyrics is not entirely pure, it contains many brilliant lines; compared with the works collected in Thatched Hall, there is a clear divide between the elegant and the vulgar."

(2) Han Yu, "Letter to Feng Su on Writing": "When one writes commonplace pieces to meet the needs of the moment, one feels ashamed as soon as the brush touches paper. Yet when one shows them to others, they call them good. Those who feel a little shame are praised for a little goodness; those who feel great shame are surely praised for great goodness."

Thirty-five

Though Meixi, Mengchuang, Yutian, Caochuang, and Xilu all wrote different kinds of lyrics, they shared the same flaw: shallowness. This was partly the inevitable result of their times, but also of their limited talent. Modern people cast aside Zhou-dynasty bronzes and treasure crude gourds instead. It was truly hard to fathom.

Thirty-six

My friend Shen Xinbo sent me a lyric in the Butterflies in Love with Flowers tune from Paris:

"The east wind beyond the curtain follows the swallows here. Spring's colors come from the east, along the path I took when I came. In a blink, green grass springs up around the hunting grounds; returning late, I blame the early arrival of spring. A city embroidered in splendor is ringed by spring waters. In the courtyards, flutes and songs accompany the carefree days of youth. I set my heart on easing a lonely traveler's sorrow, unaware of the nameless flowers and birds at leisure."

This lyric belonged among the works of Yan Shu and his son. No Southern Song writer could have composed it.

Thirty-seven

"The ruler traded the Music of Pacifying Chen for a few acres in Leitang." This was the vision of a statesman. "The Changling tomb, too, is but a mound of leisure; who will know in another age that Zhongduo lies beside it?" This was the vision of a poet. A statesman's vision was bounded by one person and one affair. A poet's vision ranged across past and present. When lyricists observed the world, they had to use a poet's eyes, not a statesman's. Thus, lyrics about current affairs or the past should be as forbidden to lyricists as birthday odes.

Notes:

(1) Luo Yin, "The Sui Emperor's Tomb": "He enters the city, climbs the bridge, then boards a boat; red towers stand day after day, willows year after year. How could the ruler bear to trade the Music of Pacifying Chen for nothing but a few acres at Leitang?"

(2) Tang Yanqian, "Zhongshan" (the place where Zhongshan, elder brother of Gaozu, lived in seclusion): "For a thousand years, his traces have lain amid ivy and vines. In Pei's villages are the mountains and rivers of Han. The Changling tomb, too, is but a mound of leisure; who will know in another age that Zhongduo lies beside it?"

Thirty-eight

Many stories written by Song-dynasty authors were not worth believing. For example, Casual Jottings from a Snow Boat claimed that Tang Zhongyou, prefect of Taizhou, doted on the official courtesan Yan Rui. Zhu Huian had him arrested and imprisoned. After Huian was transferred away, investigating commissioner Yue Lin came to Taizhou on his circuit, and Rui begged to be allowed to leave. Yue asked, "Where will you go?" Rui composed the lyric The Diviner and sang, "How can I stay?" and so on. But according to the evidence, this lyric was written by Zhongyou's relative, Gao, an instructor, who had Rui sing it to accompany the wine. This can be found in Zhu Xi's "Memorials on the Case of Tang Zhongyou." So the account of the Zhu-Tang case in Tales from the Eastern Fields of Qidong may not be trustworthy either.

Notes:

(1) Tao Zongyi's Shuofu, scroll fifty-seven, quotes Casual Jottings from a Snow Boat: "Tang Yuezhai Zhongyou, courtesy name Yuzheng, was prefect of Taizhou. Zhu Huian was the Zhejiang Eastern Circuit intendant. They repeatedly disagreed, and their disputes reached the point of mutual accusations. Emperor Xiaozong asked his chief ministers which of the two was in the wrong. They replied, 'Two scholars quarrelling over a trivial matter.' Yuezhai doted on the official courtesan Yan Rui. Huian had her arrested and imprisoned. Investigating commissioner Yue Shangqing Lin came on his circuit to hear cases, and Rui begged to be allowed to leave. The commissioner asked where she would go. Rui sang The Diviner, whose final lines were: 'How can I stay? If I leave, I must go. If I could fill my hair with wildflowers, ask not where your slave will go.' The commissioner laughed and released her."

(2) Zhu Xi, Collected Works of Master Zhu, scroll nineteen, "Fourth Memorial on the Case of Tang Zhongyou": "At the banquet on the sixteenth day of the fifth month, Zhongyou's relative, Instructor Gao, composed a song called The Diviner. Its final section went: 'How can I leave? How can I stay? Wait until wildflowers fill your hair, then ask not where your slave will go.'"

(3) Zhou Mi, Tales from the Eastern Fields of Qidong, scroll seventeen, "The Beginning and End of the Memorials Exchanged by Zhu and Tang": "When Zhu Huian investigated Tang Zhongyou, some said Lü Bogong had once quarreled with Zhongyou at a literary gathering, and that Zhu favored Lü, so he suppressed Tang. This was not so. Tang had long relied on his talent and treated Huian with contempt, while Chen Tongfu had been promoted by Zhu and often clashed with Tang. When Tongfu visited Taizhou, he once had an affair with a registered courtesan and asked Tang to free her from her registration. Tang agreed. At a gathering in the prefectural city, Tang asked the courtesan, 'Do you really want to follow Official Chen?' She thanked him. Tang said, 'You must be able to endure hunger and cold.' The courtesan was furious. After that, when Chen visited her, she no longer welcomed him as before. Chen realized Tang had tricked him and hurried to see Zhu. Zhu asked, 'What has Little Tang been saying lately?' Chen answered, 'Tang says you don't even know how to read. How can you serve as a circuit commissioner?' Zhu took offense. He seized on a wrongful case in his jurisdiction as an excuse to request another inspection tour. When he arrived in Taizhou, Tang happened to be a little late in coming out to greet him, which made Zhu trust Chen's words all the more. He immediately demanded the prefectural seal and handed it to the next official. Then he gathered evidence of Tang's crimes and sent up a memorial, while Tang also hurriedly submitted one. At the time, Tang's fellow townsman Wang Huai was chief minister. After the memorials were presented, the emperor asked Wang. Wang replied, 'Two scholars quarrelling over a trivial matter.' The case was then settled in favor of neither side. The details can be found in Zhou Pingyuan's Diary of Wang Jihai. Yet the annals and records of the Way written by Zhu's followers blamed Jihai for siding with Tang and condemned him as well. That was not a fair judgment. I heard this account from Chen Boyu Shiqing, who had it directly from the Lü family of Wuzhou."

Thirty-nine

The two songs Canglang and Fengxi had already opened the way for the style of the Songs of Chu. Yet among the finest works of Chu poetry, Qu Yuan and Song Yu stood supreme; the lyrics of Wang Bao and Liu Xiang, who came later, did not belong in that company. Among the finest five-character ancient poems, the true masters were Ruan Sizong, Zuo Taichong, Guo Jingchun, and Tao Yuanming; Cao and Liu before them, and Chen Ziang and Li Taibai after them, did not belong in that company. Among the finest lyrics, the true masters were the Last Ruler, Zhengzhong, Yongshu, Shaoyou, and Meicheng; the Southern Song writers who came later did not belong in that company.

Notes:

(1) In Mencius: The Heart of the Matter, Part One, there is a song of a young boy: "The waters of Canglang are clear; I can wash my cap strings in them. The waters of Canglang are muddy; I can wash my feet in them."

(2) The Analects: Weizi: "The madman Jieyu passed Confucius, singing, 'Phoenix, phoenix, how your virtue has declined! What is past cannot be changed; what is to come can still be pursued. Enough, enough! Those who govern today are in peril!'"

Forty

Tang and Five Dynasties lyrics had fine lines but no complete composition. Those by the celebrated Southern Song masters had complete compositions but no fine lines. The only works with both complete compositions and fine lines were those written by the Last Ruler after his surrender to Song, along with works by Yongshu, Zizhan, Shaoyou, Meicheng, and Jiaxuan.