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Click to printYan Jidao. "To the tune “Six Beats”—"Green shades"." 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, .

六麼令 | To the tune “Six Beats”

Source Information

六麼令 | To the tune “Six Beats”

by Yan Jidao

Text Source:

Text based on Tang, Guizhang 唐圭璋 (ed.). Quan Song Ci 全宋詞. Vol 1. Beijing: Zhonghua shu ju, 1965, 34.

Responsibility Statement:
  • Text based on Tang, Guizhang 唐圭璋 (ed.). Quan Song Ci 全宋詞. Vol 1. Beijing: Zhonghua shu ju, 1965,
  • Translation by Dante Zhu
  • Notes by Dante Zhu
  • Encoded in TEI P5 XML by Dante Zhu
Editorial Principles:

Transcriptions and translations are encoded in XML conforming to TEI (P5) guidelines. The original-language text is contained within <lem> tags and translations within <rdg> tags.

Texts are translated into modern American 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. Scribal errors and creative translation choices are marked and discussed in the critical notes.

The original text of this ci is based on the edition by Tang Guizhang 唐圭璋 (Quan Song Ci 全宋詞. Vol 1. 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.

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.

Transcription
六麼令 To the tune “Six Beats”
綠陰春盡， Green shades of the trees mark the end of spring;
飛絮繞香閣。 catkins fly around the fragrant pavilion.
c
Critical note:

Here the “fragrant pavilion” (香閣) refers to the residence of the speaker.
晚來翠眉宮樣， As night falls, I paint my eyebrows in the style that is popular within the palace,
巧把遠山學。 which delicately resembles the curve of the faraway mountains.
5
一寸狂心未說， The wilderness in my heart is not spoken,
已向橫波覺。 but the waves radiating from my eyes
c
Critical note:

“Waves radiating from my eyes” (橫波) refers to the emotions of the woman expressed by her eyes.

tell you the secret.
畫簾遮匝。 Painted curtains shield me,
新翻曲妙， and my newly-written song is marvelous.
暗許閒人帶偷掐。 I secretly allow the passers-by to overhear it, snatch it away and learn its rhythms.
10
前度書多隱語， In your last letter you used many cryptic words;
意淺愁難答。 although not hard to decipher, I worry that it’s hard for me to answer.
昨夜詩有回紋， Yesterday night your poem had palindromes
c
Critical note:

This means that the lyrics she sang would have read the same forwards as backwards.

.
韻險還慵押。 The rhymes are precarious and tricky; I’m too lazy to follow.
都待笙歌散了， When the songs fade,
15
記取留時霎。 please remember the transience of your visit.
不消紅蠟。 No need to waste a red candle
c
Critical note:

This suggests that there is no need to carry a candle to light the way, because of the moonlight.

,
閒雲歸後， for as the idle clouds return,
月在庭花舊闌角。 moonlight shall light the old corner of the fences, just by the courtyard flowers.
Translation
六麼令 To the tune “Six Beats”
綠陰春盡， Green shades of the trees mark the end of spring;
飛絮繞香閣。 catkins fly around the fragrant pavilion.
c
Critical note:

Here the “fragrant pavilion” (香閣) refers to the residence of the speaker.
晚來翠眉宮樣， As night falls, I paint my eyebrows in the style that is popular within the palace,
巧把遠山學。 which delicately resembles the curve of the faraway mountains.
5
一寸狂心未說， The wilderness in my heart is not spoken,
已向橫波覺。 but the waves radiating from my eyes
c
Critical note:

“Waves radiating from my eyes” (橫波) refers to the emotions of the woman expressed by her eyes.

tell you the secret.
畫簾遮匝。 Painted curtains shield me,
新翻曲妙， and my newly-written song is marvelous.
暗許閒人帶偷掐。 I secretly allow the passers-by to overhear it, snatch it away and learn its rhythms.
10
前度書多隱語， In your last letter you used many cryptic words;
意淺愁難答。 although not hard to decipher, I worry that it’s hard for me to answer.
昨夜詩有回紋， Yesterday night your poem had palindromes
c
Critical note:

This means that the lyrics she sang would have read the same forwards as backwards.

.
韻險還慵押。 The rhymes are precarious and tricky; I’m too lazy to follow.
都待笙歌散了， When the songs fade,
15
記取留時霎。 please remember the transience of your visit.
不消紅蠟。 No need to waste a red candle
c
Critical note:

This suggests that there is no need to carry a candle to light the way, because of the moonlight.

,
閒雲歸後， for as the idle clouds return,
月在庭花舊闌角。 moonlight shall light the old corner of the fences, just by the courtyard flowers.
Critical Notes
Translation
Line number 2
Critical note:

Here the “fragrant pavilion” (香閣) refers to the residence of the speaker.

Translation
Line number 6
Critical note:

“Waves radiating from my eyes” (橫波) refers to the emotions of the woman expressed by her eyes.

Translation
Line number 12
Critical note:

This means that the lyrics she sang would have read the same forwards as backwards.

Translation
Line number 16
Critical note:

This suggests that there is no need to carry a candle to light the way, because of the moonlight.

Sorry, but there are no notes associated with any currently displayed witness.