Introduction

This song is another version of that sung by Yang Zhi. It follows the same general outline: the birth of the brother and sister, Heaven's Nzha-di-ao and Earth's Nggu-nzai- shao, their preparation of a book containing a scheme for setting sky and earth in order, their visit to the Nine Lakes of Gi-nzyu, and thence to the edge of the world, their building of a fine town and their regulation of the movements of the sun and moon. What is not made clear in this version of the song is how these various episodes were related to each other. Thus the town which they built was not at the dwelling of Sun- maid and Moon-youth, but back in their own home country. It was indeed glowing and shining, but we are not told why, and the colour was yellow, not red hot with the scorching rays of the sun. Sun and moon were sent off on their journeys but no reason is given. The two points in the year when sun and moon exchange their courses do indeed fall in spring and autumn but the months actually named are one month later than in other songs.

This version is chiefly valuable as an example of the way in which oral tradition, while recording faithfully the events which happened, can easily lose the logic of cause and effect which give coherence and meaning to the whole.

At the end of this song, on page 12 of Document K, there is a note in Miao which reads,

There follow three lines of symbols which, for the most part, use small, elongated triangles, rather like cuniform writing, to replace the straight lines of the Miao script, and under each such symbol the corresponding script character is written. Miao schoolboys often experimented with fancy forms of the script, or tried to evolve a cursive form for writing it. This particular note, presumably devised by Zhang Ming, belongs to the same realm of fantasy, and is omitted entirely in Document L. The myth that once upon a time the Miao did have a form of writing was a well-known and valued tradition, but no one was likely to take this piece of fiction very seriously.

Translation
Literal Transcription
Notes

You can see the original documents for this song.

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Word97 Introduction
Word97 Translation
Word97 Transcription
Word97 Notes

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