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Entry tags:
Shi Jing, The Book of Odes: Lessons from the states, Odes Of Zhou And The South
Odes Of Zhou And The South:
https://ctext.org/book-of-poetry/odes-of-zhou-and-the-south, or http://wengu.tartarie.com/wg/wengu.php?l=Shijing&no=1 (On the page, this string guides you through the Zhou poems: nº 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 .)
The sites have different set-ups for Chinese dual-facing text which are difficult to c/p, and if you'd prefer to access the poem in Chinese I'd suggest using your preferred external site. All English translations come from James Legge (on both sites, because as usual Chinese to English translation options are thin on the ground).
The titles are what the poem is traditionally known as in Chinese.
Guan ju
Guan-guan go the ospreys,
On the islet in the river.
The modest, retiring, virtuous, young lady : –
For our prince a good mate she.
Here long, there short, is the duckweed,
To the left, to the right, borne about by the current.
The modest, retiring, virtuous, young lady : –
Waking and sleeping, he sought her.
He sought her and found her not,
And waking and sleeping he thought about her.
Long he thought ; oh ! long and anxiously ;
On his side, on his back, he turned, and back again.
Here long, there short, is the duckweed ;
On the left, on the right, we gather it.
The modest, retiring, virtuous, young lady : –
With lutes, small and large, let us give her friendly welcome.
Here long, there short, is the duckweed ;
On the left, on the right, we cook and present it.
The modest, retiring, virtuous, young lady : –
With bells and drums let us show our delight in her.
Ge Tan
How the dolichos spread itself out,
Extending to the middle of the valley !
Its leaves were luxuriant ;
The yellow birds flew about,
And collected on the thickly growing trees,
Their pleasant notes resounding far.
How the dolichos spread itself out,
Extending to the middle of the valley !
Its leaves were luxuriant and dense.
I cut it and I boiled it,
And made both fine cloth and coarse,
Which I will wear without getting tired of it.
I have told the matron,
Who will announce that I am going to see my parents.
I will wash my private clothes clean,
And I will rinse my robes.
Which need to be rinsed, which do not ?
I am going back to visit my parents.
Juan Er
I was gathering and gathering the mouse-ear,
But could not fill my shallow basket.
With a sigh for the man of my heart,
I placed it there on the highway.
I was ascending that rock-covered height,
But my horses were too tired to breast it.
I will now pour a cup from that gilded vase,
Hoping I may not have to think of him long.
I was ascending that lofty ridge,
But my horses turned of a dark yellow.
I will now take a cup from that rhinoceros' horn,
Hoping I may not have long to sorrow.
I was ascending that flat-topped height,
But my horses became quite disabled,
And my servants were [also] disabled.
Oh ! how great is my sorrow!
Jiu Mu
In the south are trees with curved drooping branches,
With the doliches creepers clinging to them.
To be rejoiced in is our princely lady : –
May she repose in her happiness and dignity !
In the south are the trees with curved drooping branches,
Covered by the dolichos creepers.
To be rejoiced in is our princely lady : –
May she be great in her happiness and dignity !
In the south are the trees with curved drooping branches,
Round which the dolichos creepers twine.
To be rejoiced in is our princely lady : –
May she be complete in her happiness and dignity !
Zhong Si
Ye locusts, winged tribes,
How harmoniously you collect together !
Right is it that your descendants
Should be multitudinous !
Ye locusts, winged tribes,
How sound your wings in flight !
Right is it that your descendents
Should be as in unbroken strings !
Ye locusts, winged tribes,
How you cluster together !
Right is it that your descendents
Should be in swarms !
Tao Yao
The peach tree is young and elegant ;
Brilliant are its flowers.
This young lady is going to her future home,
And will order well her chamber and house.
The peach tree is young and elegant ;
Abundant will be its fruits.
This young lady is going to her future home,
And will order well her chamber and house.
The peach tree is young and elegant ;
Luxuriant are its leaves.
This young lady is going to her future home,
And will order well her family.
Tu Ju
Carefully adjusted are the rabbit nets ;
Clang clang go the blows on the pegs.
That stalwart, martial man
Might be shield and wall to his prince.
Carefully adjusted are the rabbit nets,
And placed where many ways meet.
That stalwart, martial man
Would be a good companion for his prince.
Carefully adjusted are the rabbit nets,
And placed in the midst of the forest.
That stalwart, martial man
Might be head and heart to his prince.
Fu Yi
We gather and gather the plantains ;
Now we may gather them.
We gather and gather the plantains ;
Now we have got them.
We gather and gather the plantains ;
Now we pluck the ears.
We gather and gather the plantains ;
Now we rub out the seeds.
We gather and gather the plantains ;
Now we place the seeds in our skirts.
We gather and gather the plantains ;
Now we tuck out skirts under our girdles.
Han Guang
In the south rise the trees without branches,
Affording no shelter.
By the Han are girls rambling about,
But it is vain to solicit them.
The breath of the Han
Cannot be dived across ;
The length of the Jiang
Cannot be navigated with a raft.
Many are the bundles of firewood ;
I would cut down the thorns [to form more].
Those girls that are going to their future home, –
I would feed their horses.
The breadth of the Han
Cannot be dived across ;
The length of the Jiang,
Cannot be navigated with a raft.
Many are the bundles of firewood ;
I would cut down the southern wood [to form more].
Those girls that are going to their future home, –
I would feed their colts.
The breadth of the Han
Cannot be dived across ;
The length of the Jiang
Cannot be navigated with a raft.
Ru Fen
Along those raised banks of the Ru,
I cut down the branches and slender stems.
While I could not see my lord,
I felt as it were pangs of great hunger.
Along those raised banks of the Ru,
I cut down the branches and fresh twigs.
I have seen my lord ;
He has not cast me away.
The bream is showing its tail all red ;
The royal House is like a blazing fire.
Though it be like a blazing fire,
Your parents are very near.
Lin Zhi Zhi
The feet of the Lin : –
The noble sons of our prince,
Ah ! they are the Lin !
The forehead of the Lin : –
The noble grandsons of our prince,
Ah ! they are the Lin !
The horn of the Lin : –
The noble kindred of our prince,
Ah ! they are the Lin !
https://ctext.org/book-of-poetry/odes-of-zhou-and-the-south, or http://wengu.tartarie.com/wg/wengu.php?l=Shijing&no=1 (On the page, this string guides you through the Zhou poems: nº 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 .)
The sites have different set-ups for Chinese dual-facing text which are difficult to c/p, and if you'd prefer to access the poem in Chinese I'd suggest using your preferred external site. All English translations come from James Legge (on both sites, because as usual Chinese to English translation options are thin on the ground).
The titles are what the poem is traditionally known as in Chinese.
Guan ju
Guan-guan go the ospreys,
On the islet in the river.
The modest, retiring, virtuous, young lady : –
For our prince a good mate she.
Here long, there short, is the duckweed,
To the left, to the right, borne about by the current.
The modest, retiring, virtuous, young lady : –
Waking and sleeping, he sought her.
He sought her and found her not,
And waking and sleeping he thought about her.
Long he thought ; oh ! long and anxiously ;
On his side, on his back, he turned, and back again.
Here long, there short, is the duckweed ;
On the left, on the right, we gather it.
The modest, retiring, virtuous, young lady : –
With lutes, small and large, let us give her friendly welcome.
Here long, there short, is the duckweed ;
On the left, on the right, we cook and present it.
The modest, retiring, virtuous, young lady : –
With bells and drums let us show our delight in her.
Ge Tan
How the dolichos spread itself out,
Extending to the middle of the valley !
Its leaves were luxuriant ;
The yellow birds flew about,
And collected on the thickly growing trees,
Their pleasant notes resounding far.
How the dolichos spread itself out,
Extending to the middle of the valley !
Its leaves were luxuriant and dense.
I cut it and I boiled it,
And made both fine cloth and coarse,
Which I will wear without getting tired of it.
I have told the matron,
Who will announce that I am going to see my parents.
I will wash my private clothes clean,
And I will rinse my robes.
Which need to be rinsed, which do not ?
I am going back to visit my parents.
Juan Er
I was gathering and gathering the mouse-ear,
But could not fill my shallow basket.
With a sigh for the man of my heart,
I placed it there on the highway.
I was ascending that rock-covered height,
But my horses were too tired to breast it.
I will now pour a cup from that gilded vase,
Hoping I may not have to think of him long.
I was ascending that lofty ridge,
But my horses turned of a dark yellow.
I will now take a cup from that rhinoceros' horn,
Hoping I may not have long to sorrow.
I was ascending that flat-topped height,
But my horses became quite disabled,
And my servants were [also] disabled.
Oh ! how great is my sorrow!
Jiu Mu
In the south are trees with curved drooping branches,
With the doliches creepers clinging to them.
To be rejoiced in is our princely lady : –
May she repose in her happiness and dignity !
In the south are the trees with curved drooping branches,
Covered by the dolichos creepers.
To be rejoiced in is our princely lady : –
May she be great in her happiness and dignity !
In the south are the trees with curved drooping branches,
Round which the dolichos creepers twine.
To be rejoiced in is our princely lady : –
May she be complete in her happiness and dignity !
Zhong Si
Ye locusts, winged tribes,
How harmoniously you collect together !
Right is it that your descendants
Should be multitudinous !
Ye locusts, winged tribes,
How sound your wings in flight !
Right is it that your descendents
Should be as in unbroken strings !
Ye locusts, winged tribes,
How you cluster together !
Right is it that your descendents
Should be in swarms !
Tao Yao
The peach tree is young and elegant ;
Brilliant are its flowers.
This young lady is going to her future home,
And will order well her chamber and house.
The peach tree is young and elegant ;
Abundant will be its fruits.
This young lady is going to her future home,
And will order well her chamber and house.
The peach tree is young and elegant ;
Luxuriant are its leaves.
This young lady is going to her future home,
And will order well her family.
Tu Ju
Carefully adjusted are the rabbit nets ;
Clang clang go the blows on the pegs.
That stalwart, martial man
Might be shield and wall to his prince.
Carefully adjusted are the rabbit nets,
And placed where many ways meet.
That stalwart, martial man
Would be a good companion for his prince.
Carefully adjusted are the rabbit nets,
And placed in the midst of the forest.
That stalwart, martial man
Might be head and heart to his prince.
Fu Yi
We gather and gather the plantains ;
Now we may gather them.
We gather and gather the plantains ;
Now we have got them.
We gather and gather the plantains ;
Now we pluck the ears.
We gather and gather the plantains ;
Now we rub out the seeds.
We gather and gather the plantains ;
Now we place the seeds in our skirts.
We gather and gather the plantains ;
Now we tuck out skirts under our girdles.
Han Guang
In the south rise the trees without branches,
Affording no shelter.
By the Han are girls rambling about,
But it is vain to solicit them.
The breath of the Han
Cannot be dived across ;
The length of the Jiang
Cannot be navigated with a raft.
Many are the bundles of firewood ;
I would cut down the thorns [to form more].
Those girls that are going to their future home, –
I would feed their horses.
The breadth of the Han
Cannot be dived across ;
The length of the Jiang,
Cannot be navigated with a raft.
Many are the bundles of firewood ;
I would cut down the southern wood [to form more].
Those girls that are going to their future home, –
I would feed their colts.
The breadth of the Han
Cannot be dived across ;
The length of the Jiang
Cannot be navigated with a raft.
Ru Fen
Along those raised banks of the Ru,
I cut down the branches and slender stems.
While I could not see my lord,
I felt as it were pangs of great hunger.
Along those raised banks of the Ru,
I cut down the branches and fresh twigs.
I have seen my lord ;
He has not cast me away.
The bream is showing its tail all red ;
The royal House is like a blazing fire.
Though it be like a blazing fire,
Your parents are very near.
Lin Zhi Zhi
The feet of the Lin : –
The noble sons of our prince,
Ah ! they are the Lin !
The forehead of the Lin : –
The noble grandsons of our prince,
Ah ! they are the Lin !
The horn of the Lin : –
The noble kindred of our prince,
Ah ! they are the Lin !
Re: Juan Er
The mouse-ear here is a little confusing because apparently many people throughout the world have thought, why, that leaf is about the size of: a mouse's ear. I shall call it--
But given that this can't be the European mouse ear, it seems like it's chickweed, 'a cosmopolitan weed in China, where it grows at elevations up to 4300 metres.' (This would explain why she's up a mountain.) It's edible (with at least one 'sacred spring time ritual' association in Japan), and has been used for bruises, anaemia, pulmonary issues, aching bones, "skin diseases, bronchitis, rheumatic pains, arthritis and period pain" in folk medicine. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stellaria_media#Uses)
Page 24 of this offers another translation: https://ses.library.usyd.edu.au/bitstream/handle/2123/1527/02whole.pdf;jsessionid=5F91A3A7DE9445D0BF6F3E3E7146664A?sequence=2
Juan Er 卷耳, “The Cocklebur” (Mao 3)53 :
采采卷耳，不盈頃筐 Gathering the cocklebur - but [I] cannot fill the small basket
嗟我懷人，寘彼周行 I sigh for the man I cherish, and put it down on that
circuit road54
陟彼崔嵬，我馬虺隤 I ascend that high peak, my horses, flagging, collapse
我姑酌彼金罍，維以不永懷Just for a moment, I pour from that bronze jug, so as not to
yearn forever
陟彼高罔，我馬玄黃 I ascend that lofty crag, my horses are sick and yellow
我姑酌彼兕觥，維以不永傷Just for a moment, I pour from that rhino-horn cup, so as not
to hurt forever
陟彼砠矣，我馬瘏矣 O, I ascend that mound, O, my horses are completely worn
out
我僕痡矣，云何吁矣 O, my servant is exhausted, O, such complete sorrow!
Apparently, per bottom p 25/top p 26 here (he takes a moment to bitch about Mao School Being Mao School), the bulk of commenters read this as "a single persona who takes on the imagined role of her [far-off, travelling] husband as a secondary persona". This is interesting as maybe that was a common formal device, or marked in the singing, in a way we can't easily access now, in translation.
This whole dissertation is pretty good shit, honestly:
'The first couplet offers a stark disjuncture: the characters caicai 采采, while a transitive verb in this line, can also be considered as inscribed with their meaning as a stative verb “greatly flourishing”. The compound caicai is reduplicative, indicating an intensification of the act of “gathering” and thus, by implication, an abundance of the plant being harvested. This is contrasted with the image of the basket which the persona does not fill. The relationship between the lines caicai juan er 采采卷耳 “gathering the cocklebur” and bu ying qing kuang 不盈頃筐 “but [I] cannot fill the small basket” is semantically one of opposition, with the second line disappointing the expectation of successful harvesting created by the first. In addition, then, to any other meaning arising from the opening couplet (for instance, the emotional evocation of sorrow, as in the Mao tradition), there is an atmosphere of non-achievement and insufficiency.'
In other news I'm gonna use the lines about drinking to forget missing your husband (or wife depending on the theory you're subscribing to) for fic reasons. It's free emotional real estate.
Re: Juan Er
I was also surprised at the unusual line lengths in the poem, so it was interesting to read the dissertation's speculation that it might be purposefully referencing an even older ritual language.