一曰和(ethical;harmonious;plain;natural;controlled) “和”在二十四况中处于首位,而且“和”的内涵几乎涵盖了所有二十四况,“其所首重者和也”。在对“和”况的说明中,作者首先讲到:“稽首至圣心通造化,德协神人,理一身之性情,以理天下人之性情”,这说明“和”受到了儒家“中和”思想的影响。《中庸》中说“发而皆中节,谓之和”,所以“和”首先指出古琴音乐应该是“合乎礼仪道德的”(ethical),是“禁止淫邪,正人心的”(forbidding people to have any lewd and vicious idea),而且是“乐以修德的”(Music is used to cultivate one’s virtue.)。“众音之款会,优柔平中”则说明“和”应该是“中庸的”(according with the doctrine of mean)、“和谐的”(harmonious)。“论和以散和为上,按和为次”则强调“和”是“不加雕琢的”(plain)、“自然的”(natural)。“弦与指和、指与音和、音与意和”则说明“和”应是“有节制的”(controlled)。“音从意转,意先乎音,音随乎意”则强调“意念”(idea)与“弹奏”(plucking)应该紧密结合,而意念应“神闲气静”(carefree and peaceful)、“蔼然醉心”(calm and intoxicated)。 “不以性情中和相遇,而以为是技也”,所以“和”强调演奏古琴不能仅仅注意演奏技巧,还应考虑演奏者的“道德修养”(morality)、“心理状态”(psychological condition)、“审美情趣”(aesthetic taste)都能达到良好的状况。 二曰静(quietness;calm) “静”首先是指“声音的安静”(quietness),“声厉则知指躁,声粗则知指浊”;其次是指“心理的平静”(calm),“淡泊宁静,心无尘翳”。而求静的方法则在于“调气”“练指”。“调气”就是“调整心理状态”(to adjust the psychological condition),使其达到“淡泊宁静”“心无尘翳”;“练指”就是“控制手指”(to control the fingers),避免弹出“粗厉之声”(the rough and disagreeable sound)。所以“调气则神自静,练指则声自静”。 三曰清(clear and melodious;pure) “指求其劲,按求其实,则清音始出”“不染纤毫浊气,傍弦绝无客声”,这两句说明“清”是指一种“清脆”(clear and melodious)“纯净”(pure)的音色,与“暗淡柔和”(faint)的音色相反。“究夫曲调之清,则最忌连连弹去,亟亟求完”则说明“清”与“静”一样,也要求演奏者要“从容婉转”(leisurely and agreeable),要“有控制”(controlled)。另一方面,文中还指出“清者,大雅之原本”(Qing is the origin of elegance),要求演奏者在演奏时,必须作到“地僻”(Music should be played in a secluded place.)“弦洁”(Music must be pure.)“心静”(The player must be calm.)“气肃”(The attitude of the player must be earnest.),使欣赏者能够联想到“澄然秋潭”(The music reminds the audiences of the deep pool in autumn)“皎然寒月”(and the moon in winter.),而且“令人心骨俱冷,体气欲仙”(The audiences are drunk in music so much that they want to transcend the worldly and become the celestial beings.)。 四曰远(remote;imaginative) “时为岑静也,若游峨眉之雪,时为流逝也,若在洞庭之波”,所以“远”的含义应是“悠远”(remote)“具有幻想性”(imaginative)的境界。“远以神行”“至于神游气化,而意之所之玄而又玄”,这两句说明求“远”的主要方法是利用“想象”(imagination),即让思想进入“神游”(mind’s travel)状态,使演奏与想象相结合,“在想象中演奏”(to play in one’s imagination),或“在演奏中想象”(to imagine in one’s playing)。同时,想象的范围应限制在“自然的山水中”(mountains and rivers in nature),“若游峨眉之雪,若在洞庭之波”,这样就能使音乐达到一种“悠远”的境界。所以“求之弦中如不足,得之弦外则有余”。 五曰古(primitive and plain;primitive and elegant) “然粗率疑于古朴”“而古雅自见”,这两句说明“古”的含义是“古朴”(primitive and plain)“古雅”(primitive and elegant)的音乐风格,与“时调”(the fashionable tune)相对。“时调”的特点是“声争而媚耳”(The tune seduces people with its noisiness),“疾速”(rapid);“古”的特点是“音澹而会心”(a plain music but it can move people)“延缓”(slow)。同时作者还强调“粗率”(being rough and careless)“疏慵”(to play the music slowly and without emotion)“似疑于古,而实病于古”,所以“必融其粗率,振其疏慵”。最后,作者还进一步说明“古”的意境就是“宛在深山空邃谷,老木寒泉,风声簌簌,令人有遗世独立之思”(The music makes people feel as ifin the high mountain and deep valley and see the old woods, touch the icy spring, hear the blowing of the wind and feel like flying away from the worldly.)。 六曰澹(plain;elegant;unsophistic- ated) “澹”是一种“淡泊”(not to seek fame and wealth)“平淡”(plain)“孤高岑寂”(to have a too high taste to be understood by others)的审美情趣。这种审美情趣有三种含义:一是“不入歌舞场中”“不杂丝竹伴内”,即不能用来作为“娱乐工具”(a means for entertainment);二是“祛邪而存正,黜俗而归雅,舍媚而还淳”,即它应是“正统的”(decent)“高雅的”(elegant)“淳朴的”(unsophisticated);三是“山居深静”“绝去炎嚣”“焚香静对”,即它应是“清高孤傲”(aloof from political and material pursuits)“不媚俗”(not vulgar)的。 七曰恬(pleasing) “恬”也是一种审美情趣,这种审美情趣是以“恬”这种气味来形容的。“操至妙来则可澹,澹至妙来则生恬”,所以“恬”应是弹琴达到一种境界后自然产生的“愉悦感”(pleasing)。但是这种境界应是“兴到而不自纵,气到而不自豪。情到而不自扰,意到而不自浓”,它让人产生的感觉是“不味而味”(The music has no taste but feels like tasty.)“不馥而馥”( The music has no fragrance but feels like fragrant.)。就像“水中之乳泉”(the sweetest water)“蕊中之兰”(the most fragrant flower)。 八曰逸(free from vulgarity;elegant;moral) “逸”在这里指的是演奏者的