ABC of Sound Meters in Chinese Poetry 声(shēng)律(lǜ)启(qǐ)蒙(mēng) Section VIII of Part I
徐稚榻，鲁班梯，凤翥对鸾栖， Xú zhì tà ，lǔ bān tī ，fèng zhù duì luán qī ， (Literal translation of the lines: A long, narrow and low bed of Xú Zhì, a scaling ladder of Lǔ Bān. A phoenix is flying high and a male phoenix is resting.) The sixth character pronounces as “tī” and the last character pronounces as “qī”. The long, narrow and low bed was made by Chén Fān (陈蕃) for the exclusive use by Xú zhì. Lǔ Bān was a famous craftsman at the Spring and Autumn period, he made the scaling ladder for the State of Chǔ for attacking the State of Sòng. There are such pairs in the line: Xú Zhì vs. Lǔ Bān; the long, narrow and low bed vs. the scaling ladder; phoenix vs. male phoenix; flying high vs. resting.
A long, narrow and low bed of Xú Zhì, a scaling ladder of Lǔ Bān. A phoenix is flying high and a male phoenix is resting.
有官清似水，无客醉如泥。 Yǒu guān qīng sì shuǐ ，wú kè zuì rú ní 。 (Literal translation of the lines: There was such an official whose heart was as clear as water; there was such a man who had a drop too much even without any visitors to drink with him.) The fifth character pronounces as “shuǐ” and the last character pronounces as “ní”. The official here is Zhèng Chóng (郑崇), a Deputy Prime Minister, who opposed appointments of the relatives of the Emperor of the Hàn, the Emperor then questioned him, “How come the hangers-on at your home is as many as those in the market?” Zhèng replied “despite the big number of hangers-on at my place, my heart is as clear as water.” The one who always got drunk was Shān Jiǎn (山简) of the Jìn, who was mocked at by Lǐ Bái as soaked by wine as mud. There are such pairs in the line: there was vs. there wasn’t; official vs. guest; clear vs. drunk; like vs. as; water vs. mud.
截发惟闻陶侃母，断机只有乐羊妻。 Jié fā wéi wén táo kǎn mǔ ，duàn jī zhī yǒu lè yáng qī 。 (Literal translation of the lines: We only heard that it was the mother of Táo Kǎn who cut and sold her hair to buy wine for her son’s guest; there was only the wife of Lè Yáng who cut open the cloth she had been weaving.) The last character of the lines pronounces as “qī”. Táo Kǎn was the Duke of Chángshā. When he was younger, his family was very poor, and one day Fàn Kuí (范逵) came for a visit. To entertain the friend, his mother used the straw on her bed to feed the visitor’s horse; she also cut her hair and sold it to buy wine for the visitor. When Fàn Kuí found out what the mother had done, he exclaimed: A great mother of a great son. Lè Yáng’s wife cut open the cloth she had been weaving, because her husband returned home from one year studies at a far place, she indicated to him that once the cloth is cut, the weaving could not be continued, and that also applied to studies. So, Lè Yáng left again and only returned when he had completed all his studies. There are such pairs in the lines: to cut hair vs. to cut cloth; only heard vs. there was only; Táo Kǎn vs. Lè Yáng; mother vs. wife.
We only heard that it was the mother of Táo Kǎn who cut and sold her hair to buy wine for her son’s guest;
秋望佳人，目送楼头千里雁； 早行远客，梦惊枕上五更鸡。 Qiū wàng jiā rén ，mù sòng lóu tóu qiān lǐ yàn ； Zǎo háng yuǎn kè ，mèng jīng zhěn shàng wǔ gèng jī 。 (Literal translation of the lines: The beauty who is looking afar in the autumn is seeing off the wild goose that was flying pass the building for a destination one thousand li away; the early traveler to a far place was woken up from his dream in the bed at the cock’s crow in the fifth hour.) The last character pronounces as “jī”. There are such pairs in the lines: looking afar in the autumn vs. early on the road; a beauty vs. a traveler; seeing off vs. woke up from dream; at the building vs. on the pillow; one thousand li vs. the fifth hour; a wild goose vs. a rooster.
熊对虎，象对犀，霹雳对虹霓。 Xióng duì hǔ ，xiàng duì xī ，pī lì duì hóng ní 。 (Literal translation of the lines: A bear vs. a tiger; an elephant vs. a rhinoceros; a thunder vs. a rainbow.) The sixth character pronounces as “xī” and the last character pronounces as “ní”. There are apparently three pairs in the line.
A bear vs. a tiger
杜鹃对孔雀，桂岭对梅溪。 Dù juān duì kǒng què ，guì lǐng duì méi xī 。 (Literal translation of the lines: A cuckoo vs. a peacock; an osmanthus ridge vs. a plum brook.) The last character pronounces as “xī”. There are apparently three pairs in the line.
萧史凤，宋宗鸡，远近对高低。 Xiāo shǐ fèng ，sòng zōng jī ，yuǎn jìn duì gāo dī 。 (Literal translation of the lines: Xiāo Shǐ’s phoenix vs. Sòng Zōng’s rooster; distance vs. height.) The sixth character pronounces as “jī” and the last character pronounces as “dī”. Xiāo Shǐ in the Spring and Autumn period was good at playing the Chinese vertical flute, which could attract phoenix, one day when he was playing the flute, a phoenix came, he and his wife then ride on the phoenix and left. It was said that Sòng Zōng of the Jìn had a rooster who could talk, and through talking with the rooster, he made head ways in his studies. There are apparently three pairs in the line.
水寒鱼不跃，林茂鸟频栖。 Shuǐ hán yú bú yuè ，lín mào niǎo pín qī 。 (Literal translation of the lines: The fish wouldn’t jump when the water is cold; birds come to rest frequently when the forest is thick.) The last character pronounces as “qī”. There are such pairs in the line: water vs. forest; coldness vs. thickness; fish vs. bird; not to jump vs. frequent resting.
杨柳和烟彭泽县，桃花流水武陵溪。 Yáng liǔ hé yān péng zé xiàn ，táo huā liú shuǐ wǔ líng xī 。 (Literal translation of the lines: Poplar and willow trees are mixed with fog at the Péngzé County; peach flowers fall into the water along the Wǔlíng Brook.) The last character pronounces as “xī”. Péngzé County is where the famous Jìn poet Táo Yuānmíng (365-427, 陶渊明) served as the magistrate and the Wǔlíng Brook was in his article “Original Peach Land” where people sought shelter from wars. There are such pairs in the line: poplar and willow vs. peach flowers; fog vs. running water; Péngzé vs. Wǔlíng; county vs. brook.
peach flowers fall into the water along the Wǔlíng Brook
公子追欢，闲骤玉骢游绮陌； 佳人倦绣，闷欹珊枕掩香闺。 Gōng zǐ zhuī huān ，xián zhòu yù cōng yóu qǐ mò ； Jiā rén juàn xiù ，mèn yī shān zhěn yǎn xiāng guī 。 (Literal translation of the lines: To seek pleasure, the son of a rich family in his leisure is galloping on the white horse through beautiful streets; the beauty is tired of embroidery, and in her low spirit, she is resting her head on a coral pillow in the scented space behind the closed small door.) The last character pronounces as “guī”. There are such pairs in the lines: son of a rich family vs. beauty; to seek pleasure vs. tired of embroidery; in leisure vs. in low spirit; to gallop vs. to lean on; a white horse vs. a coral pillow; through beautiful streets vs. scented space behind a door.
