焦尾未成 · Before the Burnt-Tail Qin

An imagined Eastern Han workshop places Cai Yong beside a charred paulownia beam before its first strings. Close guqin phrases give the wood and cooling ash room to breathe, while a female silk-and-ink voice moves from intimate verses to a dignified chorus. The song is restrained, tactile, and quietly luminous, suited to late-night reading or a slow dawn.

[Intro / 引子] 桐火歇南窗 焦痕入木深 未有琴中曲 先闻炭底音

[Verse 1 / 主歌一] 汉苑秋声薄 孤灯照短襟 蔡氏临焦尾 听来似旧琴

[Chorus / 副歌] 焦尾未成琴 犹抱暮寒深 斧落余声在 弦前已识音

[Verse 2 / 主歌二] 斧痕停半寸 霜气入衣襟 莫使良材尽 留将木里吟

[Chorus / 副歌] 焦尾未成琴 犹抱暮寒深 斧落余声在 弦前已识音

[Bridge / 过渡] 万籁归空室 余灰冷未沉 一声从木出 如有故人临

[Final Chorus / 尾副歌] 焦尾未成琴 犹抱暮寒深 斧落余声在 弦前已识音

[Outro / 尾声] 桐影覆空案 灰痕冷到晨 未闻弦上曲 先留木里真