Song and Lyric Translation

Author: Liu Qingyun, Liu Jianguo
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-08-01
Features: The lyrics and tunes inherit the ideological content and mood of the Six Dynasties' Yuefu, which is almost a consensus among many researchers of lyrics and tunes. The most thorough yet concise explanation of this understanding comes from the Song Dynasty scholar Chao Yin. This series of books introduces knowledge of traditional culture to people, guiding them towards the gateway of traditional cultural arts, which is highly necessary. It is predictable that it will be well-received by a broad readership, especially young readers.
A lyric is a shortened form of a musical poem that can be sung to music. However, the creative method of lyrics is fundamentally based on filling words according to the melody (yishi tiwen) or following the tonal rules of the melody (yishengli tiwen). When the vocal patterns are known, lyrics are composed according to the musical tunes. When the vocal patterns are lost, lyrics are composed according to the tonal rules of the lyric forms (cipai). Therefore, the name "ci" (lyric) can more accurately express its relationship with music and tonal rules, making it a popular literary form that differs from classical and modern poetry but is also distinct from later qu (a type of song).
In summary, from a formal perspective, ci and qu show clear contrasts in sentence structure, tonal patterns, and rhythmic rules compared to regulated verse poems. Yet, the two forms (ci and qu) are extremely close to each other in certain aspects, and this situation is indeed quite intriguing.