Yi Sa Jin

Listen to my recording 聽錄音

07. A Bit of Scattered Money
- grouped with gong mode, standard tuning: 5 6 1 2 3 5 6, but actually no fixed mode

一撒金
Yi Sa Jin¹

Xilutang Qintong calls this melody Tiao Xian Pin (Tuning the Strings Melody)² and places it before all others, even the gong modal prelude, perhaps indicating it was intended as a warming up piece. However, in Fengxuan Xianpin (1539) it is the seventh piece, with a real title.

Pieces in Fengxuan Xianpin have no explanations, nor does Tiao Xian Pin in Xilutang Qintong, so its origins remain obscure. It is not musically related to Caoman Yin³ (Adjusting the Silk Strings Prelude), which developed into Xianweng Cao (Melody of the Transcendent Venerable One).

Section Two, which uses only the first to fourth strings, is pitched a fifth lower than Section One, which uses only the fourth to seventh strings. Otherwise the two sections are almost identical.

The lyrics are as follows:

1. Pearls and jade bright and shining
When first approaching the treasure storehouse, how to open the lock?
Upon entering the treasure storehouse, one finds gold and pearls aplenty.
Corals and pearls, with lustrous crust, brilliance to dazzle the eye, bright and gleaming.
Clear glorious crystal clean, tridac nagigus white, agate dark red, catseye's fire red,
Green jade a kingfisher color; treasures of such number people have rarely seen.
It is hard to describe their appearance: so how to do it? Undecided ponder expend estimates (?).
Like food / work, scattered money is thin, to treat it like precious gems is a clear mistake.

2. Elegant Essays
Past worthies to sages wrote essays, later people immediately realized they were bright pearls.
Prepare a poem about heroes, notice their strength, artful and excellent sentence technique.
To well arrange affairs, in beautiful style, thoroughly versatile, must know contemporary affairs.
If ugly then hide it, if beautiful then proclaim it. If worthy of joy and praise,
Wish to spread its sound, but there's no place, undecided ponder expend emotion.
Play the jade qin, begin the melody, gold sounds jade-like melodies go keng qiang.

You must not forget!

Original preface

None

Two sections
(untitled)

1.
2.
end

Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a separate page)

1 一撒金 Yi Sa Jin 1.xxx. 13019 Sa Jin says only "謂散金粉也 scatter gold powder. Zha Fuxi says "pre-Ming", but gives no source for this claim. (Return)

2 36488.92 tiao xian says "tune the melody of qin and se." For more information see Tiao Xian Pin (Return)

3 操縵引 Cao Man Yin; the earliest surviving version is in 太音傳習 Taiyin Chuanxi (1552). It is always the first melody in a handbook, often included among the essays. For more information see 仙翁操 Xianweng Cao, a common beginners' piece. (Return)

Return to the annotated handbook list or to the Guqin ToC.