Author: CHUNG Yoon Ngan
Date: 02-28-12 21:02
唐朝詩 Poems from Tang Dynasty (618AD to 907AD) (01)
鄭畋之詩 A poem by Zheng Tian (825AD to 883AD)
馬嵬坡(*1A) The Slope of Mawei
玄宗回馬楊妃死,---Xuan Zong(*2B) hui2 ma3 Yang Fei(*3C) si3,
雲雨難忘日月新.---Yun2 yu3(*4D) nan2 wang4 ri4 yue4 xin.
終是聖明天子事,---Zhong shi4 sheng4 ming2 Tian Zi shi4,
景陽宮井又何人?--Jingyanggong(*5E) jing3 you4 he2 ren2?
..............................................................
The explanations in plain Chinese but without the English version
(1) 唐明皇從四川騎了馬回到京都時. 那楊妃早已在馬嵬坡下縊了.
When Emperor Xuan Zong returned from Sichuan province to the capital Changan,
he passed by the Slope of Mawei, but Yang Gui Fei, his favourite concubine
was already dead.
(2) 可是日月雖已改變, 而唐明皇對於楊貴妃當年的雲雨歡情,
始終不能忘記
Although the day and moon changed the Emperor's feeling towards the happiness
of love making to Yang Gui Fei could not be forgotten.
.
(3) 然而他在馬嵬坡下能夠用出斷然手段, 把貴妃縊死, 畢竟是
聖明天子纔能做到的事情,
However, at the slope of Mawei, he gave order to hang Yang Hu Fei to death
had showed that he was a wise ruler.
(4) 試觀帶了妃子逃避在景陽宮井裏的, 又是什麼人呢?
But who was that person who took his concubine and hid inside the well in
Jingyang Palace?
Notes:
(*1A) 馬嵬坡 =
地名. 卻馬嵬坡, 在陝西省興平縣西. 唐天寶間 (742AD), 安綠山舉兵反, 玄宗幸
蜀,
至馬嵬驛, 軍士不肯前行, 意在誅楊貴妃, 帝使高力士賜楊貴妃死.
(*2B) 玄宗 =
卻唐玄宗皇帝李隆基 (Emperor Xuan Zong Li Longji 713AD to 755AD). He was
the grandson of the first and only Empress in China 武則天 (Empress Wu)
690AD to 705AD.
(*3C) 楊妃 = 卻楊貴妃.
(*4D) 雲雨 = 喻情愛.
(*5E) 景陽宮 =
景陽宮中的井, 在臺城入, - [ 陳後主 (陳寶叔 Chen Baoshu 583AD to 589AD, the
last ruler of the Kingdom of Chen (陳朝 557AD to 589AD) of the North and
South Dynasties (南北朝 420AD to 589AD)] - 與張麗華貴嬪投其中, 以避隋兵
(soldiers of the Sui Dynasty 581AD to 618AD).
...................................................
.
The English version can best be explained in the background of the poem
which is stated as below.
The background of the poem
Emperor Xuan Zong Li Longji (玄宗皇帝李隆基) and Yang Gufei (楊貴妃)
In 713AD, Li Longji (李隆基) was crowned Emperor Xuan Zong (玄宗) of the
Tang Dynasty (唐朝 618AD to 907AD). Emperor Xuan Zong, who was also known
as Tang Ming Huang (唐明皇), reigned from 713AD to 755AD. The period of
his rule was regarded as the second golden age of the Tang Dynasty.
Emperor Xuan Zong had a passion for young and beautiful girls. Since his
coronation he had been searching, far and wide, but without success, for
the most beautiful girl in the land.
A family in his empire by the surname of Yang (楊) was to play an ominous
role during his rule. The Yang family had a very beautiful teenage daughter
called Yang Yuhuan (楊玉環), a fact not known to many people. Since she
was not about to be betrothed to any young man, her father sent her to work
as a lady-in-waiting in the Emperor's Palace. She was the most beautiful
girl ever to step foot in the palace. One of the many sons of the Emperor
soon married her.
A few years later, one day, Emperor Xuan Zong accidentally met his daughter-in-
law in the palace. At that time, Emperor Xuan Zong was already 61 years
old and Yang Yuhuan was only 26. He was immediately enamoured to her and
snatched her away from his son. He adored her so much that he made her a
Guifei (貴妃), first class concubine, and Yang Yuhuan was come to be known
as Yang Guifei (楊貴妃).
Just a smile from her was said to be enough to enchant and enrapture the
Emperor. He loved her dearly and more than anything else in the world. He
built her a natural warm spring pool so that she could take her bath at
Spring time. After her bath in the pool her body, reputedly, would look
as smooth as jade.
溫泉水滑洗凝脂, 侍兒扶起嬌無力.
During Spring time, court officials were made to wait lengthy periods to
get an audience with the Emperor as Yang Guifei took up almost all his time
and attention.
Yang Guifei's brothers and sisters were appointed to high offices by the
decree of Emperor Xuan Zong. Gradually members of her family gained enormous
power in the Tang Court. Yang Guifei's first cousin older brother, Yang
Guozhong (楊國忠), became the Prime Minister and held more than forty portfolios.
However, he was very corrupt and amassed great fortunes. People envied
the Yang family for producing such a beautiful daughter. Due to the glory
and wealth that Yang Guifei had brought to her family, many families preferred
to have baby girls than baby boys. They hoped that one day their daughters
could follow Yang Guifei's footsteps and became the favourite concubine
of an Emperor.
The Emperor's excesses and obsessions with his beloved concubine brought
about the gross neglect of affairs of the state.
An Lushan (安祿山), the non-Han Chinese commander-in-chief and governor
of Fanyang (范陽 the present day city of Beijing 北京 in Hebei province
河北省) had the occasion to visit the capital, Changan (長安 present day
Xian 西安 city in Shaanxi province 陜西省). An Lushan could clearly observe
the corruption among the Emperor's officials, especially the Prime Minister
and the decay of the Tang Court. He reported the matters to the Emperor
who, however, refused to believe him. The Prime Minister came to know about
this. An Lushan shortly went back to Fanyang but he had made a formidable
enemy, Yang Guozhong, who vowed to destroy him.
One day, in order to instigate a rebellion by An Lushan against the Tang
Court, Yang Guozhong, the Prime Minister sent troops to ransack a house
that belonged An Lushan. In the process the soldiers also killed a few of
An Lushan's friends. That enraged An Lushan who was left with no option
but to retaliate.
With 170,000 troops under his command An Lushan marched west to the Tang
capital, to take punitive action against Yang Guozhong who thought that
he could take this opportunity to get rid of An Lushan. However, it seemed
that An Lushan and his forces were unstoppable. An Lushan and his troops
crossed the Yellow River, overran Luoyang (洛陽) and turned west marching
towards Changan, the capital. The Tang Court fled in panic as Xuan Zong
Emperor ordered a mass evacuation. Soon after, An Lushan occupied the capital
and razed it to the ground.
Emperor Xuan Zong and his Court, together with thousands upon thousands
of residents from the capital, fled southwest towards Chengdu (成都 the
present day Chengdu city in Sichuan province 四川省).
Arriving at a place called Maweipo (馬嵬坡 in the present day county of
Xingping 興平縣 in Shaanxi province) about 100 kilometers from the capital,
the retreating army and the mass of people stopped and refused to go any
further. They demanded the death of the Emperor's concubine, Yang Guifei
and her elder brother Yang Guozhong, the Prime Minister. Under such extreme
circumstances Emperor Xuan Zong had no alternative but to issue an order
to have them executed.
The execution of the Prime Minister was carried out instantly. Yang Guifei
was to be executed by hanging from a tree in a nearby hill. While being
led up the hill Yang Gufei cried and begged,
"Save me, save me, Your Majesty! Save me, save me, Your Majesty!"
However, the exodus shouted,
"Hang her! Hang her! Hang her!"
There was a big commotion and the great multitude were looking at Emperor
Xuan Zong awaiting for his reaction. Emperor Xuan Zong was powerless to
help his Guifei and very reluctantly he gave the order to proceed. Suddenly
the crowd were quiet. Not a sound was heard when the noose was placed around
her neck. Emperor Xuan Zong hung his head and buried his face in his dragon
robes. He dared not look at the execution and tears welled in his eyes.
君王掩面救不得, 回看血淚相和流.
As soon as Yang Guifei had kicked her bucket the crowd roar. Her jewellery
was scattered all over, but no one bothered to pick them up. The people
had condemned her as well as the jewellery she wore.
While the Tang Court took refuge in Chengdu the lovelorn Emperor was pining
away. At times he could not bear to look at the full moon as it reminded
him of the joyous occasions he shared with his Yang Gufei. He lost his vitality
to continue as Emperor.
In 756AD, Emperor Xuan Zong abdicated the throne and his third son, Li Heng
(李亨), was installed as Emperor Su Zong (肅宗).
The rebellions, led by An Lushan, were eventually crushed and the Tang Court
began to move back to Changan. On the way back to the capital, at the spot
where Yang Guifei was hung, the ex-Emperor stopped and lingered for what
seemed like eternity. He seemed to be searching for his beautiful Guifei.
He could not find the place where she was buried. He recited the secret
phrases which no one knew except her and him,
在天願作比翼鳥, 在地願為連理枝.
"Up above the sky we wish we were a pair of birds,
On earth we wish we were the two branches of a tree."
Finally when the time came to be moving on, the Ex-Emperor left behind his
tears but not his sadness.
春風桃李花開日, 秋雨梧桐葉落時.
Back at the capital, the natural warm spring pool was still there and intact,
as were the flowers and trees. It was as if he had not left the palace
at all. But reality soon hit home. His beautiful Guifei was no more. He
grieved and longed for her and he was losing his will to live. He wished
he could see her in his dreams every night. He engaged a soothsayer to search
for her spirit but appear it did not, not even just once.
天長地久有時盡, 此恨綿棉無絕期.
A translation from the Tang poem
"Chang Hen Ge 長恨歌" by Bai Juyi (白居易 772AD to 846AD)
Posted to asiawind.com
By CHUNG Yoon-Ngan (鄭永元)
|
|
The Asiawind forums are provided to you by
InTechTra Inc.
