Thursday, August 7, 2008

the most popular ancient poetry in China


关雎

关关雎鸠,
在河之洲
窈窕淑女,
君子好逑

参差荇菜,
左右流之
窈窕淑女,
寤寐求之

求之不得,
寤寐思服
悠哉悠哉,
辗转反侧

参差荇菜,
左右采之
窈窕淑女,
琴瑟友之

参差荇菜,
左右 之
窈窕淑女,
钟鼓乐之

A Fair Maiden

By riverside are cooing
A pair of turtledoves;
A good young man is wooing
A maiden fair he loves.

Water flows left and right
Of cresses here and there;
The youth yearns day and night
For the good maiden fair.

His yearning grows so strong
He cannot fall asleep;
He tosses all night long,
So deep in love, so deep!

Now gather left and right
The cresses sweet and tender;
O lute, play music bright
For the bride fair and slender!

Feast friends at left and right
On cresses cooked so tender;
O bells and drums, delight
The bride so fair and tender!


静女

静女其姝,
俟我于城隅
爱而不见,
搔首踟蹰

静女其娈,
贻我彤管
彤管有炜,
说怿女美

自牧归荑,
洵美且异
匪女之为美,
美人之贻

My Quiet Maiden

My quiet maiden is fair and tall;
She waits for me at the corner wall.
vasive, she can be found nowhere;
Scratching my head, I seek here and there.

Beautiful is my quiet lass;
She gives me a blade of crimson grass.
The crimson grass spreads a rosy light;
I love the grass so fair and bright.

My maiden comes back from the mead;
She gives me a beautiful rare reed.
It's beautiful not because it's rare; But it's the gift of my maiden fair.




氓之蚩蚩,
抱布贸丝。
匪来贸丝,
来即我谋。
送子涉淇,
至于顿丘。
匪我愆期,
子无良媒。
将子无怒,
秋以为期。

乘彼危垣,
以望复关。
不见复关,
泣涕涟涟。
既见复关,
载笑载言。
尔卜尔筮,
体无咎言。
以尔车来,
以我贿迁。

桑之未落,
其叶沃若。
于嗟鸠兮,
无食桑葚;
于嗟女兮,
无与士耽。
士之耽兮,
犹可说也;
女之耽兮,
不可说也。

桑之落矣,
其黄而陨。
自我徂尔,
三岁食贫。
淇水汤汤,
渐车帷裳。
女也不爽,
士贰其行。
士也罔极,
二三其德。

三岁为妇,
靡室劳矣;
夙兴夜寐,
靡有朝矣。
言既遂矣,
至于暴矣。
兄弟不知,
讥其笑矣。
静言思之,
躬自悼矣。

及尔偕老,
老使我怨。
淇则有岸,
隰则有泮。
总角之宴,
言笑晏晏。
信誓旦旦,
不思其反。
反是不思,
亦已焉哉!

The Faithless Man

A man seemed free from guile,
In trade he wore a smile,
He'd barter cloth for thread;
No, to me he'd be wed.
We went across the ford;
I'd not give him my word.
I said by hillside green,
"You have no go-between.
Try to find one, I pray.
In autumn be the day!"

I climbed the wall to wait
To see him pass the gate.
I did not see him pass;
My tears streamed down, alas!
I saw him passing by,
I'd laugh with joy and cry.
Both reed and tortoise shell.
Foretold all would be well.
"Come with your cart," I said.
"To you I will be wed."

How fresh were mulberries
With their fruits on the trees!
Beware, O turtledove,
at not the fruits you love,
For they'll intoxicate.
Do not repent too late!
Man may do what they will,
He can atone it still.
The wrong a woman's done
No man will e'er condone.

The mulberries appear
With yellow leaves and sear.
'er since he married me,
I've shared his poverty.
Desert'd, from him I part,
The flood has wet my cart.
I have done nothing wrong;
He changes all along.
He's fickle to excess,
Capricious, pitiless.

Three years I was his wife
And led a toilsome life.
ach day I early rose,
And late I sought repose.
He thought it not enough
And began to become rough
My brothers did not know,
Their jeers at me would go.
Mutely I ruminate
And then deplore my fate.

I'd live with him in vain;
I had cause to complain.
I love the ford of yore
And the wide rivershore.
When we were girl and boy,
We'd talk and laugh with joy.
He pledged to me his troth
Could he forget his oath?
He's forgot what he swore.
Should I say any more?


君子于役

君子于役,
不知其期,
曷至哉?
鸡栖于埘,
日之夕矣,
羊牛下来。
君子于役,
如之何勿思!

君子于役,
不日不月,
曷其有会?
鸡栖于桀,
日之夕矣,
羊牛下括。
君子于役,
苟无饥渴!

My Man's Away

My man's away to serve the state;
I can't anticipate
How long he will there stay
Nor when he'll be on homeward way.
The sun is setting in the west,
The fowls are roosting in their nest,
The sheep and cattle come to rest.
To serve the state my man's away.
How can I not miss him night and day?

My man's away to serve the states;
I can't anticipate
When we'll again have met.
The sun's already set,
The fowls are roosting in their nest,
The sheep and cattle come to rest.
To serve the state my man's away.
Keep him from hunger and thirst, I pray!

Here are most popular poetry in China. They have come down from time immemorial. The classical Chinese poetry paid much attention to implication.
Can you feel it?

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