STUDY IN CHINA GLOBAL (SCG)Song of Ten Drum-Shaped Carved Rocks
石 鼓 歌
周 宣 大 猎 兮 岐 之 阳
刻 石 表 功 兮 炜 煌 煌。
石 如 鼓 形 数 止 十
风 雨 缺 讹 苔 藓 涩。
今 人 濡 纸 脱 其 文
既 击 既 扫 白 黑 分。
忽 开 满 卷 不 可 识
惊 潜 动 蜇 走 云 云。
喘 逶 迤 相 纠 错
乃 是 宣 王 之 臣 史 籀 作。
一 书 遗 此 天 地 间
精 意 长 存 世 冥 寞。
秦 家 祖 龙 还 刻 石
碣 石 之 罘 李 斯 迹。
世 人 好 古 犹 法 传
持 来 比 此 殊 悬 隔。
Shi Gu Ge
Zhou xuan da lie xi qi zhi yang
Ke shi biao gong xi wei huang huang.
Shi ru gu xing shu zhi shi
Feng yu que e tai xian se.
Jin ren ru zhi tuo qi wen
Ji ji ji sao bai hei fen.
Hu kai man juan bu ke shi
Jing qian dong zhe zou yun yun.
Chuan wei yi xiang jiu cuo
Nai shi xuan wang zhi chen shi zhou zuo.
Yi shu yi ci tian di jian
Jing yi chang cun shi ming mo.
Qin jia zu long huan ke shi
Jie shi zhi fu li si ji.
Shi ren hao gu you fa zhuan
Chi lai bi ci shu xuan ge.
Song of Ten Drum-Shaped Carved Rocks
Zhou Xuanwang had big hunting parties on the south side of Mt. Qi
He had some mountain rocks engraved to express prosperity.
Drum-shaped rocks numbered only to ten
Years of wind and rain, rocks rough and moss-covered.
People now make paper stone rubbings of these writings
After pounding the paper, it is pulled off to reveal just white and black.
Unrolling the scrolls, not able to decode the old script characters
Startled out of their hibernation, they all move and come to life.
Meandering and breathless, they become entangled with each other
Only then do we know of Xuanwang’s minister Shi Zhou and his writings.
This calligraphy remains between the world of heaven and earth
For a long time we can access these elegant meanings from an obscure society.
Qin Dynasty’s great grandfather also engraved stones
Traces of Li Si’s tablets still in Zhi Fu.
Generations of good people try to copy them
Compared to today’s calligraphy, these writings are special and distant.
Notes:
Ten-drum shaped: they are also known as the “Stone Drums of Qin”; some of the oldest known stone inscriptions in China. Now housed in the Palace Museum in Beijing. Most of the words are from the Book of Songs (Shijing)
Zhou Xuanwang: Eleventh king of the Zhou Dynasty (1050-771 BC) who reigned from 825-782 BC.
Mt. Qi: Located in Shaanxi Province
Shi Zhou: He was a Prime Minister during Zhou Dynasty.
Qin Dynasty: (221-206 BC)
Li Si tablets: A politician (280-208 BC) from the Qin Dynasty. He was a famous Legalist writer and calligrapher, and also prime minister (246-208 BC). He was credited with unifying the laws and institutions of China, leading to their cultural unification.
Zhi Fu: Located in Shandong province
