To Hua Jingding
By Du Fu (Tang Dynasty)
Melodious music of zithers and flutes floats over Jincheng all day long,
rippling on the waves of Jinjiang and drifting leisurely into the cloud.
Such wonderful music should only be enjoyed by immortals.
How many times can ordinary people in the world listen to it in their lifetime?
赠花卿
杜甫（唐）
锦城丝管日纷纷，半入江风半入云。
此曲只应天上有，人间能得几回闻。
Creative background
This poem was written approximately in the second year of the Shangyuan reign of Emperor Suzong of Tang Dynasty (761 AD). Hua Jingding once performed meritorious deeds in suppressing rebellion, so he always boasted of his achievements, indulged in arrogance and lawlessness, and indulged his soldiers in plundering the East Sichuan region; He has no respect for the court and uses the music of the emperor without authorization. Du Fu wrote this poem for Hua Jing and used it to make a subtle satire and persuasion on Hua Jingding.
Introduction of related words
- Hua jingding: He is a general in Tang Dynasty and is subordinate of Chengdu Officer Cui Guangyuan. He suppressed the rebellion of Duan Zizhang but chased and suppressed the remnants of the rebel party all the way was unsuccessful due to exhaustion of troops. Later, he was killed by the rebels.
- Such wonderful music should only be enjoyed by immortals，how many times can ordinary people in the world listen to it in their lifetime? The two sentences are puns, using this to satirize and persuade Hua Jingding.
I have something to say
Why does Du Fu think Hua Jingding wrong? Because it’s in a feudal society.
In Chinese feudal society, the etiquette system was extremely strict, and even music had exceptionally clear hierarchical boundaries. According to the Old Book of the Tang Dynasty, after the establishment of the Tang Dynasty, Li Yuan, the emperor, ordered Taichang, the ancestor of Shaoqing and his grandson, to examine and revise the elegant music of the Tang Dynasty. "The emperor faces the porch and plays Taihe (A type of elegant music in the Tang Dynasty, played along with the emperor's movements.); the prince goes in and out and plays Shuhe; the crown prince hangs in and out and plays harmony;..." These music systems analyzed in detail are the established laws of the current dynasty, and if they are slightly violated, it is a disorder of the moral code and a great rebellion.
What kind of music is used for what occasions? This is a common etiquette in today's society, it’s different to the old dynasty, now it stands for culture.