The Time Tunnel of Love Songs: Appreciating Ancient Popular Love Songs Today

Author: Li Jingjia
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-10-01
Features: Before the compilation of the "Book of Songs", China's earliest collection of poetry, most of the ancient poems known today, with uncertain authorship and dating, were considered spurious. For example, the "Song of the Mound Hoe" attributed to an old man from the time of Emperor Yao:
"The sun rises, we work; the sun sets, we rest;
We dig wells to drink; we plow fields to eat.
What has the Emperor's power to do with me?"
Traditionally, scholars believed this to be a forgery from the Warring States period. However, even considering the works included in the "Book of Songs", the origins of Chinese poetry are undeniably ancient. Today, when referring to the concept of poetry, we use the term "poetry" because ancient poems were originally sung, meaning they could be performed with music. Thus, poetry was also called "lyrics."
According to records in the "Book of Han" and other historical texts, ancient and pre-Qin dynasties had officials dedicated to collecting folk songs, while the Han Dynasty established the "Yuefu" bureau, an official agency responsible for music and songs. As a result, a significant portion of early extant poems were folk songs. Later, literati consciously learned from folk songs to create their own poetry, leading to the gradual development and maturation of poetry as a major literary form in Chinese literature.
The combination of poetry and music can be broadly divided into three periods. First, the pre-Qin period, represented by the "Book of Songs," with a predominant four-line structure. Second, the Han, Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties period, represented by Yuefu poetry, mainly in five-line and seven-line forms. Third, the Tang, Song, Yuan, and Ming-Qing dynasties, represented by ci poetry, sanqu, and folk songs, with variable-length lines. Among these, the Tang Dynasty's quatrain was particularly unique, some of which were set to music, while others were called "music poems" and could also be sung.
Traditionally, the term "poetry" referred to songs that were sung, but after the Tang Dynasty, this practice ceased. The Song Dynasty's Guo Maoqian compiled the "Collected Songs of Yuefu" in 100 volumes, collecting poetry from the Han to the Five Dynasties period and categorizing it into 12 sections. Thus, songs that could be set to music were also called "Yuefu poetry." The content of Yuefu poetry included court hymns for rituals and banquets, military songs, qin melodies, and some lyrical pieces. Among these, the "Xianghe Songs," "Qingjiang Songs," and "Miscellaneous Songs" hold particular value, as they mostly consist of folk songs and literary imitations, such as "Song of Drinking Horses on the Great Wall," "Lament of the White-haired Woman," "Ziyue Song," "Longing for You," and "Song of Xizhou." Some are heroic and grand, while others are tender and elegant, earning praise from critics throughout history. The "Miscellaneous Ballad Songs" contain fewer famous works, but "The Ode of the Xiele People" has been celebrated for centuries.
The Tang Dynasty's "New Yuefu Songs", written by literati in imitation of Yuefu, gained attention for reflecting reality, such as Bai Juyi's "Old Man Selling Charcoal" and Du Fu's "The Ballad of the War Wagons." These works achieved a perfect unity of content and form. The ci poetry of the Tang and Five Dynasties, as well as the qu of the Yuan Dynasty, were praised by Wang Guowei as "the literature of each era," and their relationship with music became even closer. Once their forms matured, they had to be composed according to musical scores. Due to their mixed-line structure, they could better express emotions and convey the charm of songs, quickly replacing poetry's role in vocal performance.
Whether it was poetry or the later-emerged ci and qu, both originated from folk culture, evolving from oral folk creations to imitations and creations by literati. In terms of content, they moved from the vernacular to the refined; in terms of form, from loose to strict. However, whether created by the folk or literati, the works that gained popularity were those close to life and aligned with the mindset of the common people, with popular works being particularly well-received.
The story of "Flag Pavilion Murals" from Xue Yongruo's Tang Dynasty legend "Collected Tales of the Strange" vividly illustrates this. The tale recounts how the great Tang poets Wang Changling, Gao Shi, and Wang Zhihuan once listened to singing girls perform. They agreed that the winner would be the one whose lyrics were sung the most. After a while, one singer performed "Cold Rain Connects the River at Night into Wu," and Wang Changling drew a line on the wall, saying, "One song." Another singer performed "Opening the Box, Tears Wet the Chest," and Gao Shi drew a line. Yet another singer performed "Scrubbing the Golden Hall at Dawn," and Wang Changling drew another line. Wang Zhihuan grew impatient and said, "These are all down-and-out music officials, singing nothing but vulgar lyrics." Pointing to the most beautiful singer, he added, "If she doesn't sing my poem, I'll admit defeat." When her turn came, she indeed sang Wang Zhihuan's "Song of Liangzhou," "The Yellow River Stretches Far Above the White Clouds," and the three burst into laughter.
Similarly, the enduring ci, qu, and folk songs are all of this kind. For example, the folk song "The Moon Is Curved, Illuminating the States—Some Are Happy, Some Are Sad," which is still performed today. The popularity of modern pop songs hinges largely on their simplicity, with most content revolving around love. Others express pessimistic views on life or advocate seizing the moment; in tone, they are gentle and flowing, or melancholic and exquisite. Only in this way can they appeal to the public and gain widespread acclaim.
The popularity of a song often depends on the fame of its lyricist and the reputation of its singer. For instance, during the Jin Dynasty's late period, Yuan Haowen composed the "Song of the New Rain Striking the Young Honeysuckle," with a stylish and spirited tune, depicting the fleeting nature of life and the passage of time, which easily resonated with people. It was performed by the renowned courtesan "Jie Yuhua" in the capital (modern-day Beijing), quickly captivating the masses and spreading far and wide.
The Song Dynasty's Liu Yong was famous for writing popular love songs, and at the time, courtesans took pride in singing his works, leading to the saying, "Wherever there is a well, people sing Liu Yong's lyrics." This trend of famous singers popularizing pop songs has continued to this day, though the fame of lyricists is no longer as critical.
Looking at ancient pop songs with modern eyes, due to differences in era and worldview, much of their content is no longer widely accepted. However, one thing remains constant: love, as a timeless theme of life, has not changed significantly in its content or emotion. Therefore, understanding ancient pop songs by focusing on their love-themed lyrics is undoubtedly a shortcut.
Since the function of poetry as a song has faded in the minds of most people, and popular works constitute only a small portion of the repertoire, this book focuses on selecting qu and folk songs from the Yuan and Ming dynasties onward. The selected works are primarily sourced from "Complete Yuan Qu," "Complete Ming Qu," Feng Menglong's "Huazhi'er" and "Mountain Songs," Wang Shaosu's "Nichang Continuation," and Hua Guangsheng's "White Snow Legacy." The order of the works is generally arranged chronologically. Works with known authors are annotated with their names and dates, while anonymous or folk works are not labeled.
Appreciating ancient works with modern perspectives has always been one of our goals. In terms of content and form, pop songs are undoubtedly the most suitable. Therefore, in addition to categorizing ancient love songs, this book features two special sections: "Dialogue Between Past and Present" and "Duet Between Past and Present." The former aims to connect the time tunnel between ancient and modern love songs, interpreting the past with the present; the latter seeks to link the emotions and lyrics of ancient and modern love songs, verifying the past with the present. Through this new format, readers can engage in deeper communication with ancient culture and achieve a better reading experience.
In the "Duet Between Past and Present," excerpts from modern pop love songs are included to illustrate and aid appreciation. Some songs that should have been fully quoted were omitted due to well-known reasons. We apologize for this and thank the original authors.