Confucius
Institute
Song IV: Yue Diao: The little Red Peach
Yue Diao: The Little Red Peach
Video: Yue Diao: The little Red Peach
((Lyrics by Yang Guo; Music by Cao Guanyu)
(The video was previously displayed on YOUKU, a video hosting service based in Beijing, China)
“Yue Diao” is a particular music type of the Yuan Opera, a form of Han opera sung in Yuan Dynasty (1271 – 1368). Although its melody was lost due to various reasons, many lyrics under this music type fortunately had in fact been preserved. “The Little Red Peach” (written by Yang Guo in Yuan Dynasty) was one of them. During the period of her graduate study in Moscow, the composer Ms Cao Guanyu arranged a choral work and captured some of these lyrics to express her nostalgia – the beauty of its words reminds her of the serenity of East Lake during the summertime where people are enjoying boating whilst watching the floating lotuses on the peaceful lake. Each of the elements of music are like an ingredient in cooking. By adding some artistic ingredients, the composer was able to create a sense of hazy beauty and inner peace for this special piece of music.
To help you enjoy this beautiful choral piece, we provide the English translation of the lyrics and the Chinese version with Pinyin.
碧湖湖上采芙蓉 | Girls rowed boats on the lake and picked lotuses. |
人影随波动 | The reflection of their graceful postures swayed slightly in the waves. |
凉露沾衣翠绡重 | Dew wet their clothes. The thin green silk seemed to become a bit heavy. |
月明中 | Although in the bright moonlight, |
画船不载凌波梦 | meeting the legendary fairy on a beautifully decorated boat was only a distant story, |
都来一段 | with the lake covered by |
红幢翠盖 | the red lotuses and green lotus leaves, |
香尽满城风 | the refreshing fragrance would soon follow the breeze to fill the city. |
The University of Newcastle acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands within our footprint areas: Awabakal, Darkinjung, Biripai, Worimi, Wonnarua, and Eora Nations. We also pay respect to the wisdom of our Elders past and present.