「秦中吟十首。五弦（一作五弦琴）」白居易

清歌且罢唱，红袂亦停舞。赵叟抱五弦，宛转当胸抚。

大声粗若散，飒飒风和雨。小声细欲绝，切切鬼神语。

又如鹊报喜，转作猿啼苦。十指无定音，颠倒宫徵羽。

坐客闻此声，形神若无主。行客闻此声，驻足不能举。

嗟嗟俗人耳，好今不好古。所以绿窗琴，日日生尘土。

THE HARPER OF CHAO 

The singers have hushed their notes of clear song: 

The red sleeves of the dancers are motionless. 

Hugging his lute, the old harper of Chao 

Rocks and sways as he touches the five chords. 

The loud notes swell and scatter abroad:

 "Sa, sa," like wind blowing the rain.

The soft notes dying almost to nothing:

"Ch'ieh, ch'ieh," like the voice of ghosts talking.

Now as glad as the magpie's lucky song:

Again bitter as the gibbon's ominous cry.

His ten fingers have no fixed note :

Up and down — "kung," chih, and yü.*

And those who sit and listen to the tune he plays

Of soul and body lose the mastery.

And those who pass that way as he plays the tune,

Suddenly stop and cannot raise their feet.

Alas, alas that the ears of common men 

Should love the modern and not love the old. 

Thus it is that the harp in the green window, 

Day by day is covered deeper with dust. 

* Tonic, dominant and super-dominant of the ancient five-note scale.