Shi Jing, The Book of Odes: Lessons from the States, Odes Of Zheng

[x_los]

Back after the Christmas/New Year break! I'd really like to get through the Book of Odes in the next months, so we can enter into our next Tang or Song offering. I'll try to be more regulated in the poem posts accordingly. 

Some notes:

* Every week I search the poems' English results to see if I can find any scholarship or neat bits and pop the results in Resources. Here is this week's collection.

* I believe the reminder emails have stopped, so I'll seek a new service to run that. 

When the second batch of these is up and running, if you would like not to be on the list and there isn't an unsubscribe option in the email itself, please just respond 'unsubscribe' or something and I'll take you off the reminder roster.

* IF YOU HAVE FRIENDS WHO MIGHT LIKE TO JOIN or have other ideas, please let me know on this post.

* If you haven't read it yet, chapter one, on tetrasyllabic shi poetry, in How to Read Chinese Poetry is hugely useful for the Book of Odes, imo.

**NEXT BATCH FEB 1.**

Comments

88. 丰 - Feng

[x_los]

子之丰兮、俟我乎巷兮。
悔予不送兮。

Full and good looking was the gentleman,
Who waited for me in the lane!
I repent that I did not go with him.

子之昌兮、俟我乎堂兮。
悔予不將兮。

A splendid gentleman was he,
Who waited for me in the hall!
I regret that I did not accompany him.

衣錦褧衣、裳錦褧裳。
叔兮伯兮、駕予與行。

Over my embroidered upper robe, I have put on a [plain] single garment;
Over my embroidered lower robe, I have done the same.
O Sir, O Sir,
Have your carriage ready for me to go with you.

裳錦褧裳、衣錦褧衣。
叔兮伯兮、駕予與歸。

Over my embroidered lower robe, I have put on a [plain] single garment;
Over my embroidered upper robe, I have done the same.
O Sir, O Sir,
Have your carriage ready to take me home with you.

Re: 88. 丰 - Feng

[x_los]

'I did not fuck around--frankly, a mistake, on my part.'

Just guessing but: this whole poem is just a list of guys she didn't hook up with where she's like and to be HONEST, I could have gotten laid. what was I thinking?

So what's the structural end turn doing?

Re: 88. 丰 - Feng

[phnelt]

the reverse macarena

Re: 88. 丰 - Feng

[x_los]

Is this your attempt at revenge for Solemategate? Sad.

Re: 88. 丰 - Feng

[phnelt]

no i just really appreciate the artistry and structure of the macarena. solemategate's time will come. one day.

Re: 88. 丰 - Feng

[superborb]

I read the ending as her wishing that one day the guy will send the carriage (to marry her), even though her parents disapproved / denied them once?

The single garment that she puts on seems to be a cloak (to protect from the wind) from Baidu's gloss.