Of gentle maidens she most fair awaits me by the wall's corner she I love but see not there I scratch my head – a forlorner Of gentle maidens she most comely brings a red-hued reed to me the red-hued reed indeed is lovely pleasing is the girl's beauty She yields from the meadow a soft leaflet truly lovely! yea 'tis rare not that thou art comely but thou art the gift of one most fair
I first translated this poem more than 40 years ago. It came to mind today, and I've given it a fresh polish. My prior rendering of verse 1 had been:
Of gentle maidens she most fair
awaits me by the wall I know
she I love but see not there
I scratch my head bewildered so
My new translation of line 2 is more literal, more accurate.
If I recall correctly, Arthur Waley translated line 4 as:
"I scratch my head and pace up and down"
The Shi Jing -- an anthology of ancient folksongs -- is traditionally believed to have been compiled by Confucius. He makes reference to some of the poems in some of his discourses. This courtship poem has always struck me as quite special. And I like how the poet addresses the leaflet-gift (in the 3rd stanza) directly.
What sparked my recollection of this olden poem today? A terse tweet:
"what is the theme of this poem" liking boy
Pascale/Palaces @pascalepalaces
10:55 AM · Jan 4, 2021
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