汴京往事/ Once upon a time in Capital Bianliang—circa 1100

駕回儀衛

駕回﹐則御裹小帽簪花乘馬﹐前後從駕 ﹑臣寮﹑百司﹑儀衛悉賜花。大觀初﹐乘驄馬。至太和宮前﹐忽宣小烏﹐其馬至御前﹐拒而不進﹐左右曰﹕“此願封官。”敕賜龍驤將軍﹐然後就轡。蓋小烏平日御愛之馬也。莫非錦繡盈都﹐花光滿目﹐御香拂路﹐廣樂喧空﹐寶騎交馳﹐綵棚夾路﹐綺羅珠翠﹐戶戶神仙﹐畫閣紅樓﹐家家洞 府﹐遊人士庶﹐車馬無數。妓女舊日乘驢﹐宣政間惟乘馬﹐披涼衫將蓋頭背繫冠子上。少年狎客﹐往往隨後。亦跨馬﹐輕衫小帽﹐有三五文身惡少年控馬﹐謂之﹐“花褪馬。”用短韁促馬頭﹐刺地而行﹐謂之﹐“鞅韁。”呵喝馳驟﹐競逞峻逸。遊人往往以竹竿挑掛終日關撲所得之物而歸。仍有貴家士女小轎﹐插花不垂簾縸。自三月一日至四月八日閉池﹐雖風雨亦有遊人﹐略無虛日矣。

根據孟元老《東京夢華錄》的記載﹐北宋末年的汴京是一個和諧社會。皇家的金明池定期向百姓開放﹐從道君皇帝到市民妓女小流氓﹐各得其樂﹐同一個大宋﹐同一個夢想。

以前上 Stephen West （奚如谷）教授的課的時候﹐念過這一段﹐覺得太酷了﹐所以記憶猶新。

下面是 Stephen West 教授的翻譯, quoted from his paper, “Spectacle, Ritual, and Social Relations: The Son of Heaven, Citizen, and Created Space in Imperial Gardens in the Northern Song.”

“Ceremonial Guard of the Return of the Auriga”

When the Auriga returns, his head is wrapped in a small cap, and he has flowers stuck in his hair as he rides his horse. His retinue, the high officials, and hundred officials, and his ceremonial guard all are given flowers. At the beginning of the Daguan era, he rode a bayard. He would come to the front of the Palace of Grand Harmony and then suddenly call for Reddy and the horse would come before the emperor. The horse would be held back and not allowed to go forward and the servants would say, “By this he desires to be enfeoffed.” The emperor granted the title of Dragon Courser General, and then Reddy would take the bit. Now Reddy was the horse that the emperor really loved.

It was all:

Damask and brocade filling the capital,
dowers’ radiance flooding the eyes,
imperial scents sweeping the road,
grand music ringing discordant in the air,
jeweled mounts racing hither and yon,
bunted boxes lining the road.
Gauze and silks, pearls and kingfisher feathers—
door after door of spiritual transcendents;
painted galleries and red lofts—
every house a grotto precinct.
Roamers both noble and common,
horses and carts numbered in the thousands.

Singsong girls mostly road asses in the old days, but during the Xuanhe and Zhenghe reigns they only rode horses, mantled in their “cool dusters” with their head coverings tied to the backs of their caps. Young brothel rats often followed behind them, also astride horses and dressed in light gowns and small caps. Three or four tattooed young toughs controlled the girls’ horses, and they were called “flowers falling from the horse.” They controlled the horses’ heads with short tethers, and struck at the ground as they went along, which was called “breast tether.” They shouted and yelled as they raced and ran, competing to show off their spirited elegance. Roamers often went home with the goods they had won gambling the day long, hanging from a bamboo pole. As before, there were the young girls of noble families, in small palanquins studded with flowers, who neither let their curtains nor screens down. From the first of the third month until the eighth of fourth month, when they closed the Reservoir, there were always roamers, not a single day was ever skipped.

關於對“小烏”的翻譯﹐Stephen West 教授有如下註解﹕

Wu is shortened from the horse’s full name, Uhulan 烏護蘭, which is an Altaic word for “red.” (private communication from James Bosson). See Zhang Zhifu 張知甫, Keshu 可書 (SKTY ed.) (Shanghai: Shanghai guji chubanshe, 1991 photolith.) 2b; 1038.709.