In 816, Bai Juyi wrote the long poem Song of the Pipa (琵琶行). He had been demoted the year before to a post at Jiujiang. In the poem, a woman from the capital plays the pipa on a boat at night. Her music slows, the strings seem to freeze, and the sound stops for a moment.
Bai writes: “A hidden sorrow and a secret grief arise. At this moment, silence is better than sound.” (别有幽愁暗恨生，此时无声胜有声) Then the music bursts out again, like a silver jar breaking.