Juyou Cao

Juyou Cao is the second of the ten Qin Cao⁴ set to lyrics by Han Yu (766-824). The lyrics, in the voice of Wen Wang (Civil King), father of Wu Wang (Military King), who founded the Zhou dynasty in the 12th century BCE. In the lyrics Wen Wang expresses gloom at his unwarranted detention at Youli.

The Han Yu lyrics are included with Juyou Cao in Yuefu Shiji together with lyrics attributed to Wen Wang himself. The introduction there consists of a quote from Qin Cao (seems to be an abbreviated version of the one in the Revised Edition), as follows,

Qin Cao says, "Wen Wang wrote it while detained at Youli. Wen Wang cultivated virtue....(translation incomplete) The lyrics in Yuefu Shiji attributed to Wen Wang, are as follows:

殷道溷溷，浸濁煩兮。
朱紫相合，不別分兮。
迷亂聲色，信讒言兮。
炎炎之虐，使我愆兮。
幽閉牢阱，由其言兮。
遘我四人，憂勤勤兮。

Those by Han Yu are included below.

Wen Wang (then called Chang) is said to have written Juyou Cao while detained at Youli by Zhou Xin, the last ruler of the Shang dynasty.⁵ As related in Chapter 3 of the Records of the Grand Historian,⁶ Chang's supporters were able to ransom him by sending to Zhou Xin beautiful women, valuable objects and fine horses. Zhou Xin then made Chang Lord of the West. From this position Chang and his son eventually ousted the wicked Zhou Xin and established the Zhou dynasty.

This title appears in three later handbooks, where the melodies differ to varying degrees.⁷

Original preface⁸

According to history, Zhou Xin did not have the Dao. The viscount of Ji had remonstrated him without effect, then (to save himself had to) act crazy and became a slave. (Zhou Xin's uncle Prince) Bi'gan remonstrated and died (at the hands of Zhou Xin). When Chang (Wen Wang) heard of this he sighed, and so (Zhou Xin) imprisoned (Chang) in Youli. This melody was written by Wen Wang while detained in this gloomy place. According to the Qin Record (Qin Lu), "Wen Wang was detained in You Li. He was unhappy and dejected. He played his qin and sang this, so it was called Detained in Gloom."

Music and Lyrics: One section⁹ (Translation not completed)
The setting of Han Yu's lyrics is largely syllabic, following the structure of the lyrics:

My eyes are covered, it is cold and I can't see. (4+4) x 2
My ears are diligent, I listen but can hear no sound.
In the morning the sun does not come out, at night I see neither sun nor stars. (5+6)
Knowing and not knowing, whether I will die or live. (5+4)
Call out! The vassal's transgression is punished, the heavenly king divine clear. (2+5+4)

Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a separate page)

^1. Juyou Cao 拘幽操
12249.31 A qin melody written by Wen Wang while detained in 羑里 Youli (29057.1 Yin dynasty jail name; place name, 河南湯陰 in Tangyin county of Henan province, now part of 安陽 Anyang city). YFSJ also has a Ju You Cao attributed to Wen Wang himself, but its lyrics are not set to music here. Zhu Changwen's biography of Wen Wang in Qin Shi says an alternate name is 離憂操 Liyou Cao and that Han Yu's poem was called Youli Melody.
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^2. Mode
Taigu Yiyin does not directly indicate mode.
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^3. 周文王羑里成 King Wen of Zhou's Youli
This is what is written horizontally over the gate and vertically on the left of the photo. Youli is a historical site and tourist attraction in Anyang city of Henan: see reference. Henan province online information says that some buildings here date from the Ming dynasty, adding that, according to one tradition, Wen Wang wrote the Book of Changes (易經 Yi Jing) during his seven years of captivity here (see Wikipedia and under Laozi).
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^4. All ten are set to music in Taigu Yiyin. The various versions of 琴操 Qin Cao are all somewhat different. For example, the one in the Qin Cao in 琴苑要彔 Qinyuan Yaolu (Yuan dynasty; Beijing reprint) has a longer introduction to Juyou Cao than the one here, but it is still much shorter than the one in the Qin Cao of 琴學叢書 Qinxue Zongshu (1910; see 唐健垣，琴府 Tong Kin-Woon's Qin Fu, p. 742.).
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^5. 紂辛 Zhou Xin had his capital in what is today Henan province. 羑里 You Li is in northernmost Henan. The home of 昌 Chang and the 周 Zhou people was in Shaanxi.
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^6. See Nienhauser, The Grand Scribes Records, pp. 50 and 58.
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^7. Tracing 拘幽操 Ju You Cao
Zha Fuxi's index 13/130/238 lists four versios, as follows:

1511: present version
1585 (same lyrics, related music)
1618 (same lyrics, different music [5-string qin])
1802 (same lyrics, different music).
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^8. Original preface
Not yet online.
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^9. Original lyrics
The original lyrics are:

目窈窈兮，其凝其盲。 (YFSJ: 目掩掩兮....)
耳肅肅兮，聽不聞聲。
朝不日出兮，夜不見月與星。
有知無知兮，為死為生。
鳴呼！臣罪當誅兮，天王聖明。
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