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051 李頎 聽安萬善吹觱篥歌 translation: Listening to An Wanshan Play a Bamboo Pipe Song, by Lǐ Qí

This is a translation and annotation of the poem 聽安萬善吹觱篥歌 (Tīng Ān Wànshàn Chuī Bìlì Gē), “Listening to An Wanshan Play a Bamboo Pipe Song”, by the Tang dynasty poet 李頎 (Lǐ Qí). The poem is #051 in the collection 300 Tang Poems.

歌 in the title probably refers to the music that 安萬善 is playing, but it could instead refer to the poem itself. Many other poems in the collection use 歌 as a label for the poem itself.

聽安萬善吹觱篥歌 Tīng Ān Wànshàn Chuī Bìlì Gē [listen] [peace] [ten-thousand] [kindness] [blow] [whistle] [bamboo pipe] [song] Listening to An Wanshan Play a Bamboo Pipe Song

南山截竹爲觱篥， nán shān jié zhú wéi bìlì [south] [mountain] [cut] [bamboo] [make into] [whistle] [bamboo pipe] In southern mountains cutting bamboo, making bamboo pipes;

此樂本自龜茲出。 cǐ yuè běn zì Qiūcí chū [this] [musical instrument] [origin] [from] [turtle] [thorn] [exit] this instrument in origin from Kucha emerged. 龜茲 was an ancient city state in Central Asia.

流傳漢地曲轉奇， liú chuán hàn dì qǔ zhuǎn qí [drift] [transmit] [Han] [earth] [melody] [turn] [wondrous] spread to Han lands, the melodies turned wondrous;

涼州胡人爲我吹。 liáng zhōu hú rén wèi wǒ chuī [cool] [prefecture] [barbarian] [person] [for] [me] [blow] a Liangzhou barbarian for me plays it. 胡人 refers to northern and western non-Han people in ancient China. Some translations choose “Tartar” for 胡人 but that’s inaccurate. “Barbarian” is more derogatory than 胡人 but is perhaps the best approximation.

傍鄰聞者多歎息， bàng lín wén zhě duō tàn xī [beside] [neighbor] [hear] [one-who] [many] [sigh] [breath] neighbouring listeners, many sighing;

遠客思鄉皆淚垂。 yuǎn kè sī xiāng jiē lèi chuí [distant] [visitor] [think] [homeland] [all] [tear] [hang-fall] distant travellers think of their homelands, all with tears falling.

世人解聽不解賞， shì rén jiě tīng bù jiě shǎng [world] [person] [understand] [listen] [not] [understand] [appreciate] ordinary people understand listening, not appreciation;

長飆風中自來往。 cháng biāo fēng zhōng zì lái wǎng [long] [whirlwind] [wind] [amid] [self] [come] [go] amid a long whirlwind, of itself coming and going.

枯桑老柏寒颼飀， kū sāng lǎo bǎi hán sōuliú [withered] [mulberry] [old] [cypress] [cold] [whistling-rushing] [wind-sound] Withered mulberry, old cypress, cold whistling soughing;

九雛鳴鳳亂啾啾。 jiǔ chú míng fèng luàn jiūjiū [nine] [chick] [cry] [phoenix] [chaotic] [chirp] [chirp] nine chicks, calling phoenix, chaotic chirping. This may allude to older texts comparing the sound of a phoenix to flute pipes, and a mother phoenix with nine chicks 鳳凰秋秋.

龍吟虎嘯一時發， lóng yín hǔ xiào yī shí fā [dragon] [call] [tiger] [roar] [one] [time] [emit] Dragon resonating, tiger roaring, at one moment sounding forth;

萬籟百泉相與秋。 wàn lài bǎi quán xiāng yǔ qiū [ten-thousand] [sound] [hundred] [spring] [mutual] [mingle] [autumn] myriad sounds, one hundred springs, together mingle into autumn. 萬籟 refers to various sounds of the natural world.

忽然更作漁陽摻， hū rán gèng zuò Yúyáng càn [sudden] [thus] [change] [compose] [fisher] [sun] [drum music] Suddenly changing composition — a Yuyang rhythm;

黃雲蕭條白日暗。 huáng yún xiāotiáo bái rì àn [yellow-brown] [cloud] [desolate] [thin] [white] [sun] [dark] ochre clouds desolate, white sun darkening.

變調如聞楊柳春， biàn diào rú wén yángliǔ chūn [change] [tune] [like] [hear] [poplar] [willow] [spring] The changing tune like hearing Willows in spring; This might refer to a specific melody like 折楊柳.

上林繁花照眼新。 shàng lín fán huā zhào yǎn xīn [upper] [forest] [lush] [flower] [shine] [eye] [new] Upland Woods' lush flowers, dazzling eyes anew. 上林 refers to 上林苑, an imperial park.

歲夜高堂列明燭， suì yè gāo táng liè míng zhú [year] [night] [high] [hall] [arrange] [bright] [candle] On New Year's Eve, in the high hall, arrayed bright candles;

美酒一杯聲一曲。 měi jiǔ yī bēi shēng yī qǔ [beautiful] [wine] [one] [cup] [sound] [one] [melody] of fine wine one cup, of sound one melody.


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