Woxin episodes 22-28 (spoilers)
This is going to sound petty and churlish, but I was getting pretty sick of the officials going "大王！大王！" at every sign of weakness from or maltreatment of Gou Jian. One of them starts yelling and they all start yelling. I'm sure it reflects greatly on their devotion and loyalty, but it was irritating and I wished they'd stop. Then they did, because Gou Jian broke and stopped acting like a king, and that's much, much worse.
"Why did you ask to see me?"
"Gou Jian missed the High King."
WHAT. O___O
Aaaand we get to the much anticipated recitation. Brilliant, impassioned, and not... quite sane. Oh, I think he knows perfectly what he's doing. But those eyes and that suggestive little half smile, it's like something essential broke and can never be put together again. Which it did, of course. Here is the poem in both traditional and simplified script:
羞愧呀 罪人
羞愧呀 曾經有過的狂妄
羞愧呀 生著不如死亡
夢中熊羆啊 洪水茫茫
大禹在世啊 天下四方
仁慈的上王啊 你是拯救邪惡的力量
勾踐本不該生啊
既有鯤鵬展翅 何需燕雀翺翔
勾踐本不該生啊
既有英明的君主 魍魉怎敢安居廟堂
勾踐該去地府徜徉 該到那墳墓裏歌唱
不 勾踐不能死
勾踐死 怎知天恩之再造
勾踐死 怎仰那山岳之高昂
勾踐死 怎看到上王縱橫天下
勾踐死 怎看到上王霸業輝煌
英明的上王啊
你高車亮馬 金盾銀甲
沐千裏之雄風 卷萬裏之大塵
自東方而來 自九天而降
堯帝爲之歌 舜帝爲之唱
英明的上王啊
你是天下的霸主 仁慈的力量
你是天恩的化身 大露滋潤
勾踐激神岳之崔嵬 覽滄海之湯湯
羞愧呀 罪人
羞愧呀 曾经有过的狂妄
羞愧呀 生着不如死亡
梦中熊罴啊 洪水茫茫
大禹在世啊 天下四方
仁慈的上王啊 你是拯救邪恶的力量
勾践本不该生啊
既有鲲鹏展翅 何需燕雀翱翔
勾践本不该生啊
既有英明的君主 魍魉怎敢安居庙堂
勾践该去地府徜徉 该到那坟墓里歌唱
不 勾践不能死
勾践死 怎知天恩之再造
勾践死 怎仰那山岳之高昂
勾践死 怎看到上王纵横天下
勾践死 怎看到上王霸业辉煌
英明的上王啊
你高车亮马 金盾银甲
沐千里之雄风 卷万里之大尘
自东方而来 自九天而降
尧帝为之歌 舜帝为之唱
英明的上王啊
你是天下的霸主 仁慈的力量
你是天恩的化身 大露滋润
勾践激神岳之崔嵬 览沧海之汤汤
Let's talk about this thing Gou Jian and Fu Chai have got going. Uh, flemmings, at the rate I'm going you'll be well and thoroughly spoilered; so it's between the brackets in case you don't care.
[One day Fu Chai visits the encampment in a carriage drawn by four horses; he says they're going for walk and tells Gou Jian to lead the horses. Gou Jian does so, above the vocal protests of his officials; apparently taking Fan Li's advice, even though he suspects Fan Li of having sold out to the enemy, which is pretty intriguing right there. (Thus far Gou Jian has been as arrogant and uncooperative as you'd expect a humiliated king to be.) He leads them to the edge of a ravine and jumps down, probably intending to drag Fu Chai down with him. Well with four horses Fu Chai obviously manages to keep Gou Jian suspended; the rope has tangled round Gou Jian's arm. Fu Chai then tells Gou Jian that he doesn't care if Gou Jian lives or dies any more; that his curiosity has dimmed with time, that he doesn't need to break Gou Jian to prove his own greatness. Which would seem to validate a couple of the theories we were throwing around here. Then he says that because this is so, he will cut the rope and kill Gou Jian right there, ending their feud once and for all. But instead of doing so, he makes the horses drag Gou Jian up. And Gou Jian finally breaks, and submits.
I mean seriously WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?? I suppose this brush with death finally convinces Gou Jian that he really does need to submit to keep on living, and that he needs to live at all cost in order to have his revenge. And it can't be feigned submission; as Fan Li says, Gou Jian may be a slave in status but he's still a monarch at heart; only when heart and status are as one will he be allowed to live. And so he becomes Fu Chai's slave for real. But Fu Chai, seriously, who's he trying to kid. I suppose I can see and rationalise the fascination but why this visceral attraction.]
Also why is Jia Yiping (Fan Li) so pretty here and so completely ordinary in modern attire. I do not understand. Is it the beard? The hair? That soft dewy expression he gets sometimes? Whatever it is I wish he wouldn't cry even if it does make him look lovely and tragic because it makes me sad. Not that I was watching this series for the mad jollies, you understand.
And I've figured out why Xi Shi irritates me so. She's exactly like one of those earnest innocent shoujou heroines who fall down a lot. Gah.
"Why did you ask to see me?"
"Gou Jian missed the High King."
WHAT. O___O
Aaaand we get to the much anticipated recitation. Brilliant, impassioned, and not... quite sane. Oh, I think he knows perfectly what he's doing. But those eyes and that suggestive little half smile, it's like something essential broke and can never be put together again. Which it did, of course. Here is the poem in both traditional and simplified script:
羞愧呀 罪人
羞愧呀 曾經有過的狂妄
羞愧呀 生著不如死亡
夢中熊羆啊 洪水茫茫
大禹在世啊 天下四方
仁慈的上王啊 你是拯救邪惡的力量
勾踐本不該生啊
既有鯤鵬展翅 何需燕雀翺翔
勾踐本不該生啊
既有英明的君主 魍魉怎敢安居廟堂
勾踐該去地府徜徉 該到那墳墓裏歌唱
不 勾踐不能死
勾踐死 怎知天恩之再造
勾踐死 怎仰那山岳之高昂
勾踐死 怎看到上王縱橫天下
勾踐死 怎看到上王霸業輝煌
英明的上王啊
你高車亮馬 金盾銀甲
沐千裏之雄風 卷萬裏之大塵
自東方而來 自九天而降
堯帝爲之歌 舜帝爲之唱
英明的上王啊
你是天下的霸主 仁慈的力量
你是天恩的化身 大露滋潤
勾踐激神岳之崔嵬 覽滄海之湯湯
羞愧呀 罪人
羞愧呀 曾经有过的狂妄
羞愧呀 生着不如死亡
梦中熊罴啊 洪水茫茫
大禹在世啊 天下四方
仁慈的上王啊 你是拯救邪恶的力量
勾践本不该生啊
既有鲲鹏展翅 何需燕雀翱翔
勾践本不该生啊
既有英明的君主 魍魉怎敢安居庙堂
勾践该去地府徜徉 该到那坟墓里歌唱
不 勾践不能死
勾践死 怎知天恩之再造
勾践死 怎仰那山岳之高昂
勾践死 怎看到上王纵横天下
勾践死 怎看到上王霸业辉煌
英明的上王啊
你高车亮马 金盾银甲
沐千里之雄风 卷万里之大尘
自东方而来 自九天而降
尧帝为之歌 舜帝为之唱
英明的上王啊
你是天下的霸主 仁慈的力量
你是天恩的化身 大露滋润
勾践激神岳之崔嵬 览沧海之汤汤
Let's talk about this thing Gou Jian and Fu Chai have got going. Uh, flemmings, at the rate I'm going you'll be well and thoroughly spoilered; so it's between the brackets in case you don't care.
[One day Fu Chai visits the encampment in a carriage drawn by four horses; he says they're going for walk and tells Gou Jian to lead the horses. Gou Jian does so, above the vocal protests of his officials; apparently taking Fan Li's advice, even though he suspects Fan Li of having sold out to the enemy, which is pretty intriguing right there. (Thus far Gou Jian has been as arrogant and uncooperative as you'd expect a humiliated king to be.) He leads them to the edge of a ravine and jumps down, probably intending to drag Fu Chai down with him. Well with four horses Fu Chai obviously manages to keep Gou Jian suspended; the rope has tangled round Gou Jian's arm. Fu Chai then tells Gou Jian that he doesn't care if Gou Jian lives or dies any more; that his curiosity has dimmed with time, that he doesn't need to break Gou Jian to prove his own greatness. Which would seem to validate a couple of the theories we were throwing around here. Then he says that because this is so, he will cut the rope and kill Gou Jian right there, ending their feud once and for all. But instead of doing so, he makes the horses drag Gou Jian up. And Gou Jian finally breaks, and submits.
I mean seriously WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?? I suppose this brush with death finally convinces Gou Jian that he really does need to submit to keep on living, and that he needs to live at all cost in order to have his revenge. And it can't be feigned submission; as Fan Li says, Gou Jian may be a slave in status but he's still a monarch at heart; only when heart and status are as one will he be allowed to live. And so he becomes Fu Chai's slave for real. But Fu Chai, seriously, who's he trying to kid. I suppose I can see and rationalise the fascination but why this visceral attraction.]
Also why is Jia Yiping (Fan Li) so pretty here and so completely ordinary in modern attire. I do not understand. Is it the beard? The hair? That soft dewy expression he gets sometimes? Whatever it is I wish he wouldn't cry even if it does make him look lovely and tragic because it makes me sad. Not that I was watching this series for the mad jollies, you understand.
And I've figured out why Xi Shi irritates me so. She's exactly like one of those earnest innocent shoujou heroines who fall down a lot. Gah.