Shi Jing, The Book of Odes: Lessons from the states, Odes Of Bei

[x_los]

This is a longer chapter than the previous two, and people are still catching up with the last two chapters/acclimating to the format. Thus we'll only do one chapter this week.

I'm going to post this week's poem translations in the body of the discussion to make commenting a bit easier. 

Get your 'odes of bae' jokes out early, before the rush.

Comments

44. 二子乘舟 - Er Zi Cheng Zhou

[x_los]

二子乘舟、汎汎其景。
願言思子、中心養養。

The two youths got into their boats,
Whose shadows floated about [on the water].
I think longingly of them,
And my heart is tossed about in uncertainty.

二子乘舟、汎汎其逝。
願言思子、不瑕有害。

The two youths got into their boats,
Which floated away [on the stream].
I think longingly of them,
Did they not come to harm?

Re: 44. 二子乘舟 - Er Zi Cheng Zhou

[between4walls]

I like this one, it's quite short but very evocative. I'm having trouble with a lot of these older odes but I'm enjoying the anthology of Tang and Song poets I have. I think the older poems depend so much on being sung, but Bei does convey more meaning that some of the poems we've looked at.

Anyway I'm reading Red Pine (pen name of translator Bill Porter) 's Poems of the Masters (Tang and Song poems) and really enjoying it. I don't have as much to say about these poems.

Re: 44. 二子乘舟 - Er Zi Cheng Zhou

[aeriallon]

I met Red Pine one year at an AWP, he's a lovely guy and those versions are legit gorgeous, that is all—

Re: 44. 二子乘舟 - Er Zi Cheng Zhou

[x_los]

The image of the shadow of the boats on the water has a curious precision.

Re: 44. 二子乘舟 - Er Zi Cheng Zhou

[aeriallon]

Well if this isn't about Lotus Pier—

Re: 44. 二子乘舟 - Er Zi Cheng Zhou

[x_los]

Ahaha I wasn't gonna say it. But.

Re: 44. 二子乘舟 - Er Zi Cheng Zhou

[phnelt]

love how easy it is to make a boat about yearning, and missing, and precarity.