莲花琴【英】

Lotus Lute (Lianhua Qin)

定义

唐代乐器，史书无记载，别处未发现，敦煌第217窟(盛唐)北壁上部自鸣乐中有莲花琴，造型独特，形象优美，音箱由四个花瓣构成，状似莲花，因莲花是佛国净土的象征，故命名为莲花琴。该乐器除音箱外，还是四弦、四轴、扶手等，琴头曲颈、头部菱形，结构完整。莲花琴体积较大，应属低音乐器。莲花琴产生比第220窟(初唐)出现的五弦花边琴要晚，其形制也不尽相同，所以也是件奇特罕见的乐器，它的出现，不仅增添了弹拨乐器的品种，而且也反映出了盛唐时代乐器的丰盛与辉煌。莲花琴与五弦花边琴一样，也应是敦煌本土乐器，再次证明敦煌地区当时社会乐器品种的繁盛。

A musical instrument from the Tang Dynasty, records of which have so far not been found in any historical documents or other sources. It is seen among the musical instruments on the north wall mural of Mogao Cave 217, built during the High Tang. The lotus lute is unique in form and beautiful in image, with the resonator (body) made of four petals, resembling a lotus. As the lotus is a symbol of the Buddhist Pure Land, the instrument is thus named. Besides the body, the instrument has four strings, four tuning pegs, a diamond-shaped head, and a curved neck. The lotus lute is relatively large, so it may have been a low-pitched instrument. It originated later than the five-stringed pipa depicted in Mogao Cave 220 (built during the early Tang Dynasty), and their shape and structure are not exactly similar, thus it is an unusual and rare musical instrument. Not only does its discovery indicate an addition to the category of plucked instruments, it also suggests that the High Tang was a period characterized by rich and splendid musical instruments. As with the five-stringed pipa, the lotus lute was also a local musical instrument from Dunhuang, which again proves that the area at that time was flourishing with a variety of musical instruments.