Chōgonka
長恨歌
| [Genre] | Sokyoku |
| [Style] | Uta mono |
| [School] | Yamada Ryū - 山田 |
| [Also Known As] | Song of Everlasting Sorrow |
| [Composed] | Yamada Kengyō - Koto |
History (Tsuge Gen'ichi):
| 'Chokonka no kyoku' (or Chogonka) is one of Yamada Kengyo's 'Four Greatest Works.' The song-text is a free translation of Ch'ang hen ko ('The Song of Everlasting Sorrow') by Po Chu-I (772-846), a Chinese poet, which deals with the tragedy of the Emperor Hsuan Tsung and Yang Kuei-fei, his favorite court lady during the T'ang dynasty of China. In his grief over the death of Yang Kuei-fei, who was murdered during An Lu-shan's uprising, the emperor sends a sorcerer in search of the whereabouts of the departed soul of his mistress. The sorcerer finally meets her soul on the island of eternity. She tells the long story of her regret and everlasting love for the emperor. |
Poem (translated by Tsuge Gen'ichi)
| Long ago, In T'ang China, There lived an emperor Who treasured Beautiful women. The daughter of the Yang family Had the honor to be summoned By his majesty. And to become the object Of his deepest affections. Day and night- She attended him, Always At his side. In the palace Were three thousand Graceful maidens, But the imperial favor Was concentrated On one flower of spring. Soon the blossom faded- A sorcerer was sent By the emperor To search for her departed soul. Poling a boat Sleeping each night He journeyed to A far-off island, In the land of eternity The sorcerer found A soaring palace Glittering In five-hued clouds. Inside, alluring Fairy-maidens dwell. Most beautiful of all Is Yang Kuei-fei - Her snowy skin And flower-face Like a branch of pear blossoms Drenched with spring rain. When she saw the sorcerer Her words and tears Overflowed With sweet memories Of the past, And washed the balustrades. 'I recall The past in Li Shan. Ah, how happy I am - Someone from the capital! Though embarrassed, I recall lovers' talk Of a bygone night. I want to lament For our vows of love - Vanished like the dew. If I may regret - How blindly You love me, Like a deep inlet. But I resent the little time we had Like the thin ice of spring. At night, when We long for each other, Cherish the heart of she That trusts you, Who, waking from sleep Does not smooth over Her disheveled hair. My feelings are As deep-dyed As the crow's wings. Fate unraveled The deep-dyed threads Of our lover's vow - In vain I returned To this Island of Immortality. I grow melancholy When I recall the past, Still longed-for, Recall dancing to Rainbow Skirt and Feather Jacket. 'Unique! Turning her sleeves, The dancing-girl! Unique! Turning her sleeves, The dancing-girl!' Did he know the heart Of the one who turned Her sleeves? Anyway, I cannot see the emperor In the mortal world - I am a bird On the Island of Eternity. Bitter world though it was, How I long for the past! This is the story Of the past I long for!' In telling the old story, Months and days pass by. At last she entrusts Her ornamental hairpin To the sorcerer As a token of everlasting love For the emperor. A better keepsake Than a letter. The sorcerer returns To the capital At midnight of the Seventh Day of the Seventh Month, The vow to share a wing in the sky And a branch on earth, has Now become an empty dream. Though the heavens Be eternal, Though the earth Grows old, Will it ever end - This never ending grief? Ceaselessly, Endlessly, The story of her lament Remains to this day. | (maebiki) Ima wa mukashi morokoshi ni iro wo omonji tamaikeru mikado owashi mashishi toki wooka no musume kashikokumo kimi ni mesarete akekure no on-itsukushimi asakarazu tsune ni katawara ni hanberinu Miya no uchi no taoyame sanzen no chooai mo waga mi hitotsu no haru no hana (ai) chirite iroka mo naki tama no arika wo tazune minare-zao sashite harubaru yuku fune ni hooshi wa nami no ukine suru Tokoyo no kuni ni kite mireba rookaku reiroo to shite foun okoreri uchi ni namameku me no warawa koto ni sugurete gyokuchin no sugata wa izure rika isshi ame wo obitaru sono kehai miruyori sore to kotonoha mo namida koborete rankan wo hitasumo ikani naresomeshi (ai) risan no mukashi omoiyaru Ara natsukashi no miyako-bito hazukashi nagara arishi yo no sono mutsugoto mo kiehatsuru tsuyu no chigiri no usa harashi iutemiyo nara hitokata ni oboshimesuka ya fukaki e ni haru no koori no usuki wa iya yo omoi oo yo wa uchitokete nemidare-gami wo sonomama ni toritsukurowanu onago-gi wo kawayaugaranse karasu-ba no iro ni kono mi wo some-ito no musubime kataki katarai mo en tsukinureba itazura ni mata kono shima ni kaerikite nao natsukashiki inishie wo omoi izureba aware naru soyo ya geishoo ui no kyoku (gaku) Mareni zo kaesu otomego ga mareni zo kaesu otomego ga Sode uchifurishi kokoro shirikiya saru nite mo kimi ni wa konoyo aimin koto mo yomogiga shimatsu-dori ukiyo naredomo koishiya mukashi koishiya mukashi no monogatari tsukusaba tsukihi mo utsurimai no shirushi no kanzashi tamawarite miyako ni kaeru iezuto wa fumi nimo masaru fumizuki no nanuka no yowa no sasamegoto hiyoku-renri mo ima wa haya karegare narishi uki chigiri Ama no tokoshinaenaru mo tsuchi no hisashiku furinurumo tsukuru toki ari kono urami menmen rooroo to shite taema naku ima ni nokoseshi fude no ato |
Chōgonka appears on the following albums
| Album | Artist | |
| Sankyoku Ensembles For The Shakuhachi Of The Kinko-School Vol II |
Shakuhachi : Yamaguchi Gorō | |
| Sankyoku Gassō Dai Zenshū (zoku) vol. 24 (続三曲合奏大全集24) |
Koto : Takano Kazuyuki Shakuhachi : Yamaguchi Gorō Voice : Nakada Hiroyuki Koto : Nakada Hiroyuki Voice : Murooka Shōkō Shamisen : Murooka Shōkō | |
| Sokyoku Jiuta Taikei 47 |
Voice : Nakanoshima Kin'ichi Voice : Nakanoshima Keiko Koto : Suzuki Seiju | |
| Yamada Kengyo o Utao Disk 2 |
Koto : Fujii Chiyoga II | |
| Yamada-Ryū Sōkyoku Tokusen |
Voice : Nakanoshima Keiko Koto : Nakanoshima Keiko Voice : Fujii Chiyoga II Koto : Fujii Chiyoga II Voice : Yamase Shōin II Shamisen : Yamase Shōin II |