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Liu Yong. "To the tune “The Lost Soul”—"On a thin boat, the light sail is furled"." Global Medieval Sourcebook.Text based on Tang, Guizhang 唐圭璋 (ed.). Quan Song Ci 全宋詞. Vol 1. Beijing: Zhonghua shu ju, 1965, 44. .
迷神引 | To the tune “The Lost Soul”
Source Information
迷神引 | To the tune “The Lost Soul”
by Liu Yong
Text Source:
Text based on Tang, Guizhang 唐圭璋 (ed.). Quan Song Ci 全宋詞. Vol 1. Beijing: Zhonghua shu ju, 1965, 44.
Responsibility Statement:
- Text based on Tang, Guizhang 唐圭璋 (ed.). Quan Song Ci 全宋詞. Vol 1. Beijing: Zhonghua shu ju, 1965, 44.
- Translation by Qian Jia
- Notes by Nina Du, Runqi Zhang, and Dante Zhu
- Encoded in TEI P5 XML by Manya Bansal and Dante Zhu
Editorial Principles:
The original text of this ci is based on the edition by Tang Guizhang 唐圭璋 (Quan Song Ci 全宋詞. Vol 2. Beijing: Zhonghua shu ju, 1965). Punctuation follows the edition. Since ci poetry rarely includes personal pronouns, and gender-differentiated pronouns did not exist in Classical Chinese of this period, the gender of the speaker as well as their perspective (e.g. first, second or third person) must often be deduced by the translator from context.
Texts are translated into modern English with maximum fidelity to the original text, except where it would impair comprehension or good style. Archaisms are preserved where they do not conflict with the aesthetic of the original text. Creative translation choices are marked and discussed in the critical notes.
Punctuation follows the edition.Publication Details:
Published by The Global Medieval Sourcebook.
The Global Medieval Sourcebook is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
迷神引 To the tune “The Lost Soul”
一葉扁舟輕帆卷。 On a thin boat, the light sail is furled,
暫泊楚江南岸。 Temporarily stopped by the southern bank of the Chu River
c
. Critical note:
Refers to the segment of the Yangtze River by Chu.
孤城暮角， On the lonesome city walls, the evening horn blows,
引胡笳怨。 followed by the regretful barbarian lute
c
. Critical note:
The barbarian lute is a traditional Chinese instrument with two strings.
5
水茫茫， The water is vast and hazy. 平沙雁、 The wild geese lie on the plain;
旋驚散。 Suddenly startled, they scatter into the air.
煙斂寒林簇， The mist disperses and the cold forest emerges—
畫屏展。 a painted screen unfolds:
10
天際遙山小， at the distant edge of the sky, the mountains are small, 黛眉淺。 (like) her lightly-drawn black eyebrows
c
. Critical note:
In Chinese poetry, beautiful women’s eyebrows are often compared with mountains because of their shape.
舊賞輕拋， I have thrown away my old happiness too hastily,
到此成遊宦。 and come here as a drifting official.
覺客程勞， I realize the weariness of the traveler’s journey.
15
年光晚。 The year is late, 異鄉風物， the scenery is of a strange town.
忍蕭索、 How could I bear the desolation
當愁眼。 before my sorrowful eyes?
帝城賒， The capital is far away,
20
秦樓阻， And the way to the Qin building is blockedc
. Critical note:
The “Qin building” is a place for men to have sex with courtesands. According to legend, the original Qin building was built by the Qinmu King as a palace for his daughter and son-in-law. They were both so good at playing the vertical bamboo flute that their music attracted phoenixes, and the building where they played became famous. The meaning of the Qin building changed over time, and was later used to refer to brothels.
旅魂亂。 Souls in travel are muddled.
芳草連空闊， Fragrant grass blends into the spacious sky;
殘照滿。 the setting sun shines on all of them
c
. Critical note:
That is, the souls in travel mentioned in the previous line.
佳人無消息， There is no message from the fair one;
25
斷雲遠。 the solitary patch of cloud is distant. 迷神引 To the tune “The Lost Soul”
一葉扁舟輕帆卷。 On a thin boat, the light sail is furled,
暫泊楚江南岸。 Temporarily stopped by the southern bank of the Chu River
c
. Critical note:
Refers to the segment of the Yangtze River by Chu.
孤城暮角， On the lonesome city walls, the evening horn blows,
引胡笳怨。 followed by the regretful barbarian lute
c
. Critical note:
The barbarian lute is a traditional Chinese instrument with two strings.
5
水茫茫， The water is vast and hazy. 平沙雁、 The wild geese lie on the plain;
旋驚散。 Suddenly startled, they scatter into the air.
煙斂寒林簇， The mist disperses and the cold forest emerges—
畫屏展。 a painted screen unfolds:
10
天際遙山小， at the distant edge of the sky, the mountains are small, 黛眉淺。 (like) her lightly-drawn black eyebrows
c
. Critical note:
In Chinese poetry, beautiful women’s eyebrows are often compared with mountains because of their shape.
舊賞輕拋， I have thrown away my old happiness too hastily,
到此成遊宦。 and come here as a drifting official.
覺客程勞， I realize the weariness of the traveler’s journey.
15
年光晚。 The year is late, 異鄉風物， the scenery is of a strange town.
忍蕭索、 How could I bear the desolation
當愁眼。 before my sorrowful eyes?
帝城賒， The capital is far away,
20
秦樓阻， And the way to the Qin building is blockedc
. Critical note:
The “Qin building” is a place for men to have sex with courtesands. According to legend, the original Qin building was built by the Qinmu King as a palace for his daughter and son-in-law. They were both so good at playing the vertical bamboo flute that their music attracted phoenixes, and the building where they played became famous. The meaning of the Qin building changed over time, and was later used to refer to brothels.
旅魂亂。 Souls in travel are muddled.
芳草連空闊， Fragrant grass blends into the spacious sky;
殘照滿。 the setting sun shines on all of them
c
. Critical note:
That is, the souls in travel mentioned in the previous line.
佳人無消息， There is no message from the fair one;
25
斷雲遠。 the solitary patch of cloud is distant. Critical Notes
Translation
Line number 2
Critical note: Refers to the segment of the Yangtze River by Chu.
Translation
Line number 4
Critical note: The barbarian lute is a traditional Chinese instrument with two strings.
Translation
Line number 11
Critical note: In Chinese poetry, beautiful women’s eyebrows are often compared with mountains because of their shape.
Translation
Line number 20
Critical note: The “Qin building” is a place for men to have sex with courtesands. According to legend, the original Qin building was built by the Qinmu King as a palace for his daughter and son-in-law. They were both so good at playing the vertical bamboo flute that their music attracted phoenixes, and the building where they played became famous. The meaning of the Qin building changed over time, and was later used to refer to brothels.
Translation
Line number 23
Critical note: That is, the souls in travel mentioned in the previous line.
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