Jian Sword Buddha

Ren Ren · 18th May 2021, 12:43 AM

These are the opening lines from "Song of the Precious Sword" 宝剑篇 by poet Li Qiao 李嶠 (654? -714?), included in a collection compiled by another poet of the Tang Dynasty, Cui Rong 崔融 (653-706).
Lines are broken, missing characters are enclosed in square brackets, line-by-line according to a modern Chinese source.

吴山开，
越溪涸，
三金合冶[成宝锷]。
淬绿水，
鉴红云，
五彩焰起[光氛氲]。

My translation is probably not very good - it is a complex poetic text filled with ancient symbols.
"Mount Wushan opened,
The stormy stream falling [from her] has dried up,
Three metals combined in an alloy [turned into a precious [double-edged] blade].
Tempered in crystal clear water
In the Hongyun (Red Cloud) vessel,
From the five-colored flame (magical spiritual power) [a brilliance of courage (prosperity)] appears".

Mount Wushan is located in Shaanxi Province. Hongyun may be the name of the mountain, or perhaps a proper name, it is not clear. The stormy stream falling from the mountains may be an allusion to the legendary beauty Xi Shi "destroying kingdoms".
The lines engraved on the blade are interrupted - the person who took the sword in hand had to finish them from memory. This is such a graceful Chinese game of education and erudition, widespread among scientists and officials. On this basis, we can confidently assume that the sword was unlikely to belong to a military man or a nouveau riche merchant.

18th May 2021, 12:43 AM	#30
Ren Ren Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Russia, Moscow Posts: 379	These are the opening lines from "Song of the Precious Sword" 宝剑篇 by poet Li Qiao 李嶠 (654? -714?), included in a collection compiled by another poet of the Tang Dynasty, Cui Rong 崔融 (653-706). Lines are broken, missing characters are enclosed in square brackets, line-by-line according to a modern Chinese source. 吴山开，越溪涸，三金合冶[成宝锷]。淬绿水，鉴红云，五彩焰起[光氛氲]。 My translation is probably not very good - it is a complex poetic text filled with ancient symbols. "Mount Wushan opened, The stormy stream falling [from her] has dried up, Three metals combined in an alloy [turned into a precious [double-edged] blade]. Tempered in crystal clear water In the Hongyun (Red Cloud) vessel, From the five-colored flame (magical spiritual power) [a brilliance of courage (prosperity)] appears". Mount Wushan is located in Shaanxi Province. Hongyun may be the name of the mountain, or perhaps a proper name, it is not clear. The stormy stream falling from the mountains may be an allusion to the legendary beauty Xi Shi "destroying kingdoms". The lines engraved on the blade are interrupted - the person who took the sword in hand had to finish them from memory. This is such a graceful Chinese game of education and erudition, widespread among scientists and officials. On this basis, we can confidently assume that the sword was unlikely to belong to a military man or a nouveau riche merchant.