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dankodesOdes 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: Guan Ju
'In particular, the lines 窈窕淑女 "fair and good lady", 求之不得 "seeking and not getting", and 寤寐求之 "seeking day and night" have become well-known four-character classical idioms or set phrases (chengyu).'
So are these quite literal translations of these phrases?
'This usage of natural images in juxtaposition to human situations was given the term xing (興) by early commentators, and was regarded as one of the three rhetorical devices of the Shi Jing. It is not easy to find an equivalent in Western literature, but xing can be explained as a method of creating the mood, atmosphere or context within which the remainder of the poem takes place, and which exerts influence over the possible meanings of the rest of the poem’s action. It has variously been translated as "stimulus", "stimulates", and "motif".[3] Although there is no historical evidence to prove that the composer of "Guan ju" were intentionally employing such a rhetorical device, there have been a myriad of interpretations as to the purpose of the xing.'
That seems p pertinent to keep in mind.
'One century after the Maos, Zheng Xuan introduced an interesting twist to the Mao interpretation. In his eyes the "pure young lady" refers not to the queen herself, but rather to palace ladies whom their mistress, in her virtuous and jealousy-free seclusion, is seeking as additional mates for the king. Thus it is she who tosses and turns until finding them.[11]' This poly reading is just here for
Okay, so it seems broadly that *probably* these poems were orally composed in topolects as folk songs, were collected by officials/rewritten in courtly Chinese, were for many centuries read as heavily political allegories under a series of four interpretive schools (which doesn't really reflect their original composition, but was nonetheless an important, meaningful conceit for the centuries when it was active), and then (per the over-arching Classic of Poetry article), about 1200 CE this started being seriously questioned. Since then, and in 20th c crit, this is the kind of thought that's salient:
"Arthur Waley agreed with Granet that traditional readings distort the "true nature" of the poems, but he did point out that it was facilitated by the multivalent meanings of words and social practices. For Waley, the Shi Jing was a diverse collection which does not necessarily display a unified function, and, as such, cannot be approached merely with one reading strategy.
C. H. Wang has been vehemently critical of what he calls "a manifest distortion of this classic anthology" and argues that the earliest definition of poetry in Chinese tradition (in Shang Shu) links it with song rather than ethics.[16] He considers that the Shi Jing poems have their roots in oral transmission rather than literary composition, and directed contested the claims of the Mao school that the poems are the product of specific authors referring to specific events in their lives."
***
Poem Proper:
The opening with the (mating?) call does set everything up well.
'To the left, to the right, borne about by the current.
[...]
On his side, on his back, he turned, and back again.' That's a nice parallel, I wonder if it's an example of xing?
'Here long, there short, is the duckweed ;
On the left, on the right, we gather it.
The modest, retiring, virtuous, young lady : –'
Is there something going on, I wonder, with these commingled vignettes of harvesting, selection, preparation, service and the Qualities of the lady? Is she ripe, is she suitable, is she pressed into the rhythms of fertility/agricultural cycle/sustenance?
'With lutes, small and large, let us give her friendly welcome.'
This is just a dick joke.
Re: Guan Ju
And I felt, reading these, very strongly that oral folk tradition -- it's the repetitiveness, I think?