ABC of Sound Meters in Chinese Poetry 声(shēng)律(lǜ)启(qǐ)蒙(mēng) Section Three of Part I
三江The Third”jiāng”
The third the character that pronounces with the sound of “jiāng” and its groups: 江(jiāng)缸(gāng)窗(chuāng)邦(bāng)降(xiāng)双(shuāng)泷(shuāng)庞(pāng)撞(zhuàng)豇(jiāng)扛(káng)杠(gàng)腔(qiāng)梆(bāng)桩(zhuāng)幢(zhuàng)蛩(qióng)[冬韵同same as in the “dōng” section.]
楼对阁，户对窗，巨海对长江。 Lóu duì gé ，hù duì chuāng ，jù hǎi duì chāng jiāng 。 (Literal Translation of the line: A building vs. a two-storey pavilion; door vs. window; a vast sea vs. Yangtze River.) The last character pronounces as “jiāng.” Obviously there are four pairs in the line: a building vs. parvilion; a door vs. a window; giant vs. long; sea vs. river.
A building vs. a two-storey pavilion
蓉裳对蕙帐，玉斝对银釭。 Róng shang duì huì zhàng ，yù jiǎ duì yín gāng 。 (Literal translation of the line: Flower skirt vs. a net made of fragrant grass; jade wine cup vs. silver candle stick.) The fifth character pronounces as “zhàng” and the last character pronounces as “gāng.” There are four pairs: flower vs. fragrant grass; skirt vs. net; jade vs. silver; wine cup vs. candle stick.
青布幔，碧油幢，宝剑对金缸。 Qīng bù màn ，bì yóu zhuàng ，bǎo jiàn duì jīn gāng 。 (Literal translation of the line: Dark blue net vs. green curtain on the vehicle. A precious sword vs. a golden wine vessel.) The sixth character pronounces as “chuáng” and the last character pronounces as “gāng”. There are apparently four pairs.
忠心安社稷，利口覆家邦。 Zhōng xīn ān shè jì ，lì kǒu fù jiā bāng 。 (Literal translation of the line: Loyalty would pacify the deities of land and crops, a sharp tongue would overturn the family and the state.) The last character pronounces as “bāng”. There are such pairs in the line: loyalty vs. a sharp tongue; to pacity vs. to overturn; land vs. family; crops vs. state.
世祖中兴延马武，桀王失道杀龙逄。 Shì zǔ zhōng xìng yán mǎ wǔ ，jié wáng shī dào shā lóng páng 。 (Literal translation of the line: To rise again in the middle period of the dynasty Emperor Wǔ of Hàn invited Mǎ Wǔ to join him; Jié, the King of Xià became so atrocious, he killed Long Páng.)
A sculpture of Ma Wu.
The last character pronounces as “Páng”. There are four pairs: the clan ancestor (Emperor Wǔ of Hàn) vs. the King of Xià; rise in the middle vs. lost of just cause (becoming so atrocious); to invite vs. to kill; Mǎ Wǔ vs. Lóng Páng. Mǎ Wǔ was a highly capable general in the Eastern Hàn period and was most meritorious in fighting for Emperor Wǔ of Hàn.
Long Páng bravely opposed the King’s atrocity and lost his life.
秋雨潇潇，漫烂黄花都满径； 春风袅袅，扶疏绿竹正盈窗。 Qiū yǔ xiāo xiāo ，màn làn huáng huā dōu mǎn jìng ； Chūn fēng niǎo niǎo ，fú shū lǜ zhú zhèng yíng chuāng 。 (Literal translation of the lines: When autumn rain is pattering, the bright colored yellow flowers fell and covered the path; when leaves are waving with spring wind, the view through the window is the luxuriant and well spaced green bamboo branches.) The last character pronounces as “chuāng”. There are five pairs: autumn rain vs. spring wind; pattering vs. waving in the wind; bright colored vs. well spaced; all over the path vs. view out of the window.
旌对旆，盖对幢，故国对他邦。 Jīng duì pèi ，gài duì zhuàng ，gù guó duì tā bāng 。 (Literal translation of the line: banner vs. flag; umbrella like cover vs. a canopy tent; motherland vs. others’ country.) Then sixth character pronounces like “chuáng” and the last character pronounces as “bāng”. There are apparently three pairs. The banner here used to have a tassel of feathers in five colors at the top; the flag here used to end with a wild goose tail.
a canopy
千山对万水，九泽对三江。 Qiān shān duì wàn shuǐ ，jiǔ zé duì sān jiāng 。 (Literal translation of the line: One thousand mountains vs. ten thousand rivers; nine lakes vs. three rivers.) The last character pronounces as “jiāng”. According to some records, the nine lakes were in the place where the old State of Yuè was; there are several opinions on where the three rivers were, one of them refers to Qiántáng River, the Yángzǐ River and the Sōngjiāng River.
山岌岌，水淙淙，鼓振对钟撞。 Shān jí jí ，shuǐ cóng cóng ，gǔ zhèn duì zhōng zhuàng 。 (Literal translation of the line: The Mountain is towering up; the water is gurgling. The vibrating drum vs. the striking bell.) The last character pronounces as “zhuàng”. There are such pairs in the line: mountain vs. water; towering vs. gurgling; vibrating vs. striking; drum vs. bell.
清风生酒舍，白月照书窗。 Qīng fēng shēng jiǔ shě ，bái yuè zhào shū chuāng 。 (Literal translation of the line: Clear wind is blowing towards the wine shop; the white moon light is casting on the window of the study.) The last character pronounces as “chuāng”. There are such pairs in the line: clear vs. white; wind vs. moon; blowing vs. casting; wine vs. study; shop vs. window.
阵上倒戈辛纣战，道旁系剑子婴降。 Zhèn shàng dǎo gē xīn zhòu zhàn ，dào páng xì jiàn zǐ yīng xiáng 。 (Literal translation of the line: The soldiers changed sides at the battle and fought again King Zhòu of Shāng; Zǐ Yīng surrendered by hanging his sword on the cart by the roadside.)
Zǐ Yīng surrendered by hanging his sword on the cart by the roadside.
The last character pronounces as “xiáng”. The first half talks about the soldiers of King Zhòu of Shāng, who lost support of his people and committed suicide at the battle after his men turned coat; the second half talks about how the grandson of the first emperor of the State of Qín surrendered to Liú Bāng. There are four pairs: on the battle fields vs. by the roadside; change sides vs. hanging the sword; King Zhòu vs. Zǐ Yīng; fighting vs. surrender. The posthumous name of King Zhòu of Shāng was “Xīn”. Zǐ Yīng is the grandson of the first emperor of the Qín.
