Wen Wang Cao

07. Wen Wang Melody
- Standard tuning: 5 6 1 2 3 5 6 played as 1 2 4 5 6 1 2

文王操
Wen Wang Cao ¹

According to tradition Wen Wang (Civil King) died before his struggle against the Shang was completed; in 1122 BCE his two sons Wu Wang (Martial King) and Zhou Gong (Duke of Zhou) completed this task, thereby establishing the Zhou dynasty. This song commemorates the pending victory.

The introduction Taigu Yiyin follows quite closely the one in Yuefu Shiji,² changing a few words and omitting the reference to unicorns. It also suggests that some sources attributed the melody to Wu Wang instead of Wen Wang.

This melody and lyrics survive in the qin repertoire only in Taigu Yiyin. There is no thematic or melodic connection to #9 Wen Wang Qu, which is set to poems 236-8 of the Shi Jing, or to Wen Wang Si Shun, which is usually called Si Shun, though it is sometimes called Wen Wang Cao or Wen Wang Qu in later handbooks.³

Original preface

According to the old Qin Cao⁴,

Zhou (Xin, the last Shang ruler) was a man without Dao, so all the world's noble people submitted to Wen Wang's change (to good government). At that time unicorns were seen at Jiao Sou and phoenixes nested at A Ge. Wen Wang thought the great disorders were about to be controlled, (and so) wrote this piece. It was (then) made into an instrument song.

Xie Xiyi's Qin Lun⁵ says,

Wen Wang Cao was created by Wen Wang."

Music and Lyrics: One section⁶
A largely syllabic setting, following the structure of the YFSJ lyrics ([4+4] x 6):

Wings flapping as it soars,
this phoenix, ah.
Letter in mouth it arrives on a ceremonial visit,⁷
in order to meet with me, ah.⁸
It looks as though Heaven has made plans,
and the Yin (Shang) dynasty is about to perish, ah.
The (plans of the) Great Heavens
are beginning to sprout, ah.
The spirits of the five directions combined essence,
and together set the plans for the Fang constellation.⁹
Flourish did my great enterprise,
looking for the arrival of the (sign of the) Ram.¹⁰

Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a separate page)

1 13766.36 says qin melody with lyrics from the Yue Fu. It then quotes the preface and the lyrics. (Return)
2 p.830. It quotes Xie Zhuang and others. (Return)
3 See Zha Fuxi's index 13/132/239 (only has #7 in Taigu Yiyin); 13/134/353 (only has #9 in Taigu Yiyin); and (11/115/194 [Wen Wang] Si Shun, 14 entries). (Return)
4 Yuefu Shiji did not say "old" Qin Cao". (Return)
5 謝希逸琴論. Entry #20 in Zhou Qinyun's Qinshu Cunmu (1914) quotes its contents extensively. Xie Xiyi is Xie Zhuang (421-466). (Return)
6 The original lyrics are as follows:

翼翼翱翔，彼鳳凰兮。
嫌書來儀，以會昌兮。
瞻天案圖，殷將亡兮。
蒼蒼之天，始有萌兮。
五神連精，合謀房兮。
興我之業，望羊來兮。 (Return) 7 In Taigu Yiyin the character is yi (儀 , ceremony); in Yuefu Shiji it is you (遊 wander). (Return)
8 The text has 昌 "Chang", the actual name of Wen Wang. (Return)
9 Instead of a zodiac, the traditional Chinese system had 28 constellations following the apparent path of the moon across the sky. The fourth day was 房 Fang, which consisted of four stars in the constellation Scorpio. (Return)
10 The translation here is based on the assumption that 羊 ram refers to the animal representing the 23rd day, 鬼 Gui, which consisted of four stars in the constellation Cancer. (Return)

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