This solo guzheng night song was recorded yesterday, performed by me. It has been cloudy in Nashville the past a few days. The sunlight gets squeezed through the cracks of the thick clouds when there is a chance. The layered colors of the trees change constantly (photo below). It reminds me of a section of the Song Cí (宋词) poem — Shui Diao Ge Tou (水调歌头) by poet Sū Shì (苏轼 1037-1011).
Shui Diao Ge Tou is the name of a traditional Chinese melody to which a poem in the cí (词) style can be sung. Different poets have written different lyrics to the melody which are usually prefixed by this melody's title. This one is my favorite.
Cí (词) is one of the literary genres that are unique to the Song dynasty (960-1279), and can be sung to melody. Many ancient melodies are lost to history, but modern composers often compose new melodies for cí.
“我欲乘風歸去，又恐瓊樓玉宇， 高處不勝寒。 起舞弄清影， 何似在人間！”
Translation:
“I'd like to ride the wind to fly home. Yet I fear the crystal and jade mansions are much too high and cold for me. Dancing with my moonlit shadow, it does not seem like the human world!”
Wu Fei 吴非
Wufeimusic.com | hellogoldmountain.com
