Song Ci

Overview

Song Ci (宋词) is a form of Chinese classical poetry that originated during the Tang Dynasty and reached its zenith during the Song Dynasty (960-1279 CE). As a type of music literature (音乐文学), its development, creation, and dissemination were directly related to music. The music that Ci poetry accompanied was known as Yan Yue (燕乐), also called Yan Yue (宴乐), which was primarily used for entertainment and banquets during the Sui and Tang dynasties. The origins of Ci poetry can be traced back to the Sui Dynasty when Yan Yue music began to gain popularity.

"Since the Sui Dynasty, what we now call 'quzi' (曲子) gradually emerged, and became quite prosperous by the Tang Dynasty." - Wang Zhuo, "Bi Ji Man Zhi" (碧鸡漫志), Volume 1.

Initially, Ci poetry was mainly popular among common people. The "Dunhuang Quzi Ci Ji" (敦煌曲子词集) contains more than 160 works, most of which are folk songs from the prosperous Tang to the late Tang and Five Dynasties period. By the mid-Tang Dynasty, poets such as Zhang Zhihe, Wei Yingwu, Bai Juyi, and Liu Yuxi began writing Ci, introducing this literary form into the literary world.

History

Origins

Quzi Ci (曲子词) originated from folk sources, with its natural tendency being vulgar and coarse. With the rediscovery of numerous "quzi ci" in the Dunhuang caves, the view that Ci originated from folk literature has been widely accepted.

During the Sui and Tang dynasties, quzi ci was originally created to accompany a completely new form of music - "Yan Yue" (燕乐). "Yan" is homophonous with "yan" (宴), meaning Yan Yue was entertainment music popular at banquets, performed and sung by lower-class musicians and courtesans who had limited formal education.

During the Tang Dynasty, a large amount of music from the Western Regions flowed into China, known as "Hu Bu" (胡部). The "Jia Lu Lu" (羯鼓录) records 131 pieces, nearly half of which were foreign tunes. Many later used as Ci tunes can be identified as foreign music by their names, such as "Wang Yue Po Luo Men" (望月婆罗门), which was originally an Indian melody, and "Su Mo Zhe" (苏幕遮), originally a Kucha tune.

Many Tang quzi were originally folk songs. Ren Erbei's "Jiao Fang Ji Jian Ding" (教坊记笺订) examines one by one those folk songs among the Jiao Fang tunes. For example, "Zhu Zhi" (竹枝) was originally a folk song from Sichuan and Hunan. Liu Yuxi's "Zhu Zhi Ci Xu" (竹枝词序) states: "When I came to Jianping (now Wushan, Sichuan), the local boys sang 'Zhu Zhi' in chorus, playing short flutes and beating drums to keep time. The singers waved their sleeves and danced vigorously, considering those who could sing more songs as more talented. Listening to their tunes, they match the羽 mode of the Yellow Bell scale, and the final section is intense like the Wu dialect."

Development

Ci poetry appeared during the Tang Dynasty, initially popular among common people. After developing through the Five Dynasties to the Northern and Southern Song dynasties, Ci poetry underwent significant development and became the primary literary form of the Song Dynasty. Ci poetry was mainly focused on describing romantic themes.

Zhang Yan commented: "Playing with wind and moon, expressing one's temperament, Ci is more subtle than poetry. This is because the sound comes from oriole's throat and swallow's tongue, which is closer to emotions." ("Ci Yuan" Volume 2) This summarizes this characteristic.

Song Ci was the first literary form in Chinese literary history specifically dedicated to expressing romantic love and feelings. "Shi Yan Zhi Ci Yan Qing" (诗言志词言情) and "Ci Wei Yan Ke" (词为艳科) are both summaries of this mainstream creative tendency of Song Ci.

The themes of Song Ci focused on sorrow over spring and autumn, parting and reunion, natural scenery, and romantic love, all having direct or indirect relationships with "romantic themes" (艳情). Even Su Shi, later revered as the founder of the "heroic and unrestrained" (豪放) school of Ci, wrote mostly within the scope of "romantic themes." Even themes outside of romance were influenced by this mainstream tendency, more or less carrying a "romantic" flavor.

The mainstream tendency of Song Ci creation belongs to the "Zheng Wei" (郑卫) style abandoned by Confucius, which runs counter to the elegant and proper tradition. It only has a superficial pursuit of enjoyment of life, without deep meaning for reflection. Therefore, Song Ci poets indulged in the pleasure of sound and color while also concealing and justifying themselves, "cleaning up their own tracks." Later generations "avoided shame for the respected and concealed faults for the virtuous," also interpreting their works favorably.

Peak Period

Su Shi (苏轼) can be considered the final establisher of the lyrical Ci tradition. Some believe this also marked the beginning of its historical decline, as Song Ci became merely a vehicle for expressing feelings about landscapes or stating ambitions. Chen Shidao's evaluation of Su's Ci as "taking poetry as Ci" (以诗为词) reveals the essence of Su's innovation. From a holistic perspective, the "elegance" process of Ci was also a process of gradually moving closer to poetry, striving to cross the boundary between "expressing ambition" (言志) and "expressing emotions" (言情).

Su Shi's Ci expanded the scope of Ci. His temperament, breadth of mind, and learning were all evident in his poetry and were equally integrated into his Ci. Liu Chenweng's "Xin Jia Xu Ci Xu" (辛稼轩词序) states: "When it comes to Ci, with Dongpo, it is bold and unrestrained, like poetry, like prose, like the magnificent spectacle of heaven and earth." When he went hunting, he exclaimed with heroic spirit: "I will draw my carved bow like a full moon, gaze northwest, and shoot the Sirius." ("Jiang Cheng Zi: Mi Zhou Chu Lie"). When he gazed at the moon thinking of his brother Su Zhe, he thus realized a philosophical truth: "People have sorrow and joy, separation and reunion; the moon has its phases, fullness and emptiness. This has been difficult since ancient times." ("Shui Diao Tou: Ming Yue Ji Shi You"). When he visited historical sites, he sighed: "The great river flows east, its waves washing away the heroes of a thousand ages." ("Nian Nu Jiao").

Liu Xizai's "Yi Gai" (艺概) Volume 4 summarizes: "Dongpo's Ci is quite similar to Du Fu's poetry, because there is no mood he cannot enter, no matter he cannot speak of." Second, Su Shi's Ci elevated the status of the genre. Su Shi's "taking poetry into Ci" (以诗入词) combined the "expressing emotions" of Ci writers with the "expressing ambition" of poets, with both moral principles and private feelings appearing in his Ci, establishing a dignified and proper stance even when writing about love. Even when writing about boudoir themes, his style was particularly high.

Hu Yin's "Jian Bian Ci Xu" (酒边词序) therefore praised Su's Ci for "washing away the style of silk and fragrance,摆脱ing the manner of winding and turning, making people climb high and look far, raise their heads and sing loudly, with a free and unrestrained spirit beyond the mortal world." With Dongpo, the status of Ci was finally elevated. Third, Su Shi transformed the style of Ci. What appeared in Su Shi's Ci was often fresh and magnificent scenery, with the poet's broad-mindedness gradually revealed within it. The traditional classification of Song Ci style includes the "graceful and restrained" (婉约) and "heroic and unrestrained" (豪放) schools, with Su Shi being the founder of the "heroic and unrestrained" style.

All these "poetic" innovations rapidly changed the inner quality of Ci. Kuang Zhouyi therefore affirmed: "During the Xifeng era, Ci studies reached their peak. Su Changgong advocated elegance and became a master of the generation." ("Hui Feng Hua Hua" Volume 2). Liu Xizai evaluated from another perspective: "Li Bai's 'Yin Qin E', with its tragic and magnificent sound and emotion, was only followed by graceful beauty in the late Tang and Five Dynasties. It was not until Dongpo that it could return to the ancient style." ("Yi Gai" Volume 4). Su Dongpo's return to antiquity was precisely Ci's approach to poetry, emphasizing "the direction of ambition" (志之所之), and also a return to the ancient elegance of Tang poetry.

Key Information

Cultural Significance

Song Ci represents one of the highest achievements in Chinese literary history, standing alongside Tang poetry as a pinnacle of classical Chinese literature. The saying "Tang poetry, Song Ci" (唐诗宋词) reflects how these two literary forms are regarded as complementary peaks of Chinese literary achievement.

The cultural significance of Song Ci lies in several aspects. First, it represents the "elegance" process (雅化) of Chinese literature, transforming from a folk art form to a sophisticated literary genre. Second, it expanded the expressive possibilities of Chinese poetry, moving beyond the constraints of regulated verse (律诗) of the Tang Dynasty to create a more flexible and expressive form. Third, it provided a vehicle for expressing a wide range of emotions and experiences, from romantic love to patriotic sentiments, from philosophical reflections to descriptions of daily life.

The development of different schools of Song Ci, particularly the contrast between the graceful and restrained school (婉约派) and the heroic and unrestrained school (豪放派), reflects the diversity of Chinese aesthetic traditions and the complexity of Chinese cultural values.

Modern Status

Today, Song Ci continues to be studied and appreciated as an important part of China's literary heritage. It is taught in Chinese schools and universities, and numerous scholarly works are devoted to its study. Modern poets and writers continue to draw inspiration from Song Ci, and its influence can be seen in contemporary Chinese poetry.

The musical aspect of Song Ci, however, has largely been lost, as the original melodies have not been preserved. Modern performances of Song Ci typically focus on the literary aspect, with the poems being recited or set to new musical compositions.

Several famous contemporary Chinese writers, including Yu Kwang-chung and Bei Dao, have acknowledged the influence of Song Ci on their work. The form continues to inspire new creative works in various media, including visual arts, music, and dance.

References

1. Liu, James J.Y. The Art of Chinese Poetry. University of Chicago Press, 1962.

2. Chang, Kang-i Sun. The Evolution of Chinese Tz'u Poetry: From Late Tang to Northern Sung. Princeton University Press, 1980.

3. Yeh, Chia-ying. Studies in Chinese Poetry. Harvard University Press, 1994.

4. Mair, Victor H. The Columbia Anthology of Traditional Chinese Literature. Columbia University Press, 1994.

5. Plaks, Andrew H. The Four Masterworks of the Ming Novel. Princeton University Press, 1987.