Shi Ji Zhuan :: :: University of Virginia Library

It floats about , that boat of cypress wood ,
There in the middle of the He .
With his two tufts of hair falling over his forehead ,
He was my mate ;
And I swear that till death I will have no other .
O mother , O Heaven ,
Why will you not understand me ?

It floats about , that boat of cypress wood ,
There by the side of the He .
With his two tufts of hair falling over his forehead ,
He was my only one ;
And I swear that till death I will not do the evil thing .
O mother , O Heaven ,
Why will you not understand me ?

46. 牆有茨 QIANG YOU CI

牆有茨、不可埽也。
中冓之言、不可道也。
所可道也、言之醜也。

牆有茨、不可襄也。
中冓之言、不可詳也。
所可詳也、言之長也。

牆有茨、不可束也。
中冓之言、不可讀也。
所可讀也、言之辱也。

The tribulus grows on the wall ,
And cannot be brushed away .
The story of the inner chamber ,
Cannot be told .
What would have to be told ,
Would be the vilest of recitals .

The tribulus grow on the wall ,
And cannot be removed .
The story of the inner chamber ,
Cannot be particularly related .
What might be particularly related
Would be a long story .

The tribulus grow on the wall ,
And cannot be bound together , [and taken away] .
The story of the inner chamber
Cannot be recited ,
What might be recited ,
Would be the most disgraceful of things .

47. 君子偕老 JUN ZI XIE LAO

君子偕老、副笄六珈。
委委佗佗、如山如河、象服是宜。
子之不淑、云如之何。

玼兮玼兮、其之翟也。
鬒髮如云、不屑

[_]

也。
玉之瑱也、象之揥也、揚且之皙也。
胡然而天也、胡然而帝也。

瑳兮瑳兮、其之展也。
蒙彼縐絺、是紲袢也。
子之清揚、揚且之顏也。
展如之人兮、邦之媛也。

[_]

髟+也

The husband's to their old age ,
In her headdress , and the cross-pins , with their six jewels ;
Easy and elegant in her movements ;
[Stately] as a mountain , [majestic]as a river ,
Well beseeming her pictured robes : —
[But] with your want of virtue , O lady ,
What have you to do with these things ?

How rich and splendid
Is her pleasant-figured robe !
Her black hair in masses like clouds ,
No false locks does she descend to .
There are her ear-plugs of jade ,
Her comb-pin of ivory ,
And her high forehead , so white .
She appears like a visitant from heaven !
She appears like a goddess !

How rich and splendid
Is her robe of state !
It is worn over the finest muslin of dolichos ,
The more cumbrous and warm garment being removed .
Clear are her eyes ; fine is her forehead ;
Full are her temples .
Ah ! such a woman as this !
The beauty of the country !

48. 桑中 SANG ZHONG

爰采唐矣、沬之鄉矣。
云誰之思、美孟姜矣。
期我乎桑中、要我乎上宮、送我乎淇之上矣。

爰采麥矣、沬之北矣。
云誰之思、美孟弋矣。
期我乎桑中、要我乎上宮、送我乎淇之上矣。

爰采葑矣、沬之東矣。
云誰之思、美孟庸矣。
期我乎桑中、要我乎上宮、送我乎淇之上矣。

I am going to gather the dodder ,
In the fields of Mei .
But of whom are my thoughts ?
Of that beauty , the eldest of the Jiang .
She made an appontment with me in Sangzhong ;
She will meet me in Shanggong ;
She will accompany me to Qishang.

I am going to gather the wheat,
In the north of Mei.
But of whom are my thoughts?
Of that beauty, the eldest of the Yi.
She made an appontment with me in Sangzhong;
She will meet me in Shanggong;
She will accompany me to Qishang.

I am going to gather the mustard plant,,
In the east of Mei.
But of whom are my thoughts?
Of that beauty, the eldest of the Yong.
She made an appontment with me in Sangzhong;
She will meet me in Shanggong;
She will accompany me to Qishang.

49. 鶉之奔奔 CHUN ZI BEN BEN

鶉之奔奔、鵲之彊彊。
人之無良、我以為兄。

鵲之彊彊、鶉之奔奔。
人之無良、我以為君。

Boldly faithful in their pairings are quails ;
Vigorously so are magpies .
This man is all vicious ,
And I consider him my brother !

Vigorously faithful in their pairings are magpies ;
Boldly so are quails .
This woman is all vicious ,
And I regard her as marchioness .

50. 定之方中 DING ZHI FANG ZHONG

定之方中、作于楚宮。
揆之以日、作于楚室。
樹之榛栗、椅桐梓漆、爰伐琴瑟。

升彼虛矣、以望楚矣。
望楚與堂、景山與京。
降觀于桑、卜云其吉、終然允臧。

靈雨既零、命彼倌人。
星言夙駕、說于桑田。
匪直也人、秉心塞淵、騋牝三千。

When [Ding] culminated [at night fall],
He began to build the palace at Chu .
Determining its aspects by means of the sun ,
He built the mansion at Chu .
He planted about it hazel and chesnut trees ,
The yi , the tong , the zi , and the varnish-tree ,
Which , when cut down , might afford materials for lutes .

He ascended those old walls ,
And thense surveyed [the site of ] Chu .
He surveyed Chu and Tang ,
With the high hills and lofty elevations about :
He descended and examined the mulberry trees ;
He then divined , and got a fortunate response ;
And thus the issue has been truly good .

When the good rain had fallen ,
He would order his groom ,
By starlight , in the morning , to yoke his carriage ,
And would then stop among the mulberry trees and fields .
But not only thus did he show what he was ; —
Maintaining in his heart a profound devotion to his duties ,
His tall horses and mares amounted to three thousand .

51. 蝃蝀 DI DONG

蝃蝀在東、莫之敢指。
女子有行、遠兄弟父母。

朝隮于西、崇朝其雨。
女子有行、遠兄弟父母。

乃如之人也、懷昏姻也。
大無信也、不知命也。

There is a rainbow in the east ,
And no one dares to point to it .
When a girl goes away [from her home] ,
She separates from her parents and brothers .

In the morning [a rainbow] rises in the west ,
And [only] during the morning is there rain .
When a girl goes away [from her home] ,
She separates from her brothers and parents .

This person
Has her heart only on being married .
Greatly is she untrue to herself ,
And does not recognize [the law of] her lot .

52. 相鼠 XIANG SHU

相鼠有皮、人而無儀。
人而無儀、不死何為。

相鼠有齒、人而無止。
人而無止、不死何俟。

相鼠有體、人而無禮。
人而無禮、胡不遄死。

Look at a rat , — it has its skin ;
But a man should be without dignity of demeanour .
If a man have no dignity of demeanour ,
What should he but die ?

Look at a rat , — it has its teeth ;
But a man shall be without any right deportment .
If a man have not right deportment ,
What should he wait for but death ?

Look at a rat , — it has its limbs ;
But a man shall be without any rules of propriety .
If a man observe no rules of propriety ,
Why does he not quickly die ?

53. 干旄 GAN MAO

孑孑干旄、在浚之郊。
素絲紕之、良馬四之。
彼姝者之、何以畀之。

孑孑干旟、在浚之都。
素絲組之、良馬五之。
彼姝者之、何以予之。

孑孑干旌、在浚之城。
素絲祝之、良馬六之。
彼姝者之、何以告之。

Conspiciously rise the staffs with their ox-tails ,
In the distant suburbs of Jun ,
Ornamented with the white silk bands ;
There are four carriages with their good horses ,
That admirable gentleman , —
What will he give them for [this] ?

Conspiciously rise the staffs with their falcon-banners ,
In the nearer suburbs of Jun ,
Ornamented with the white silk ribbons ;
There are four carriages with their good horses ,
That admirable gentleman , —
What will he give them for [this] ?

Conspiciously rise the staffs with their feathered streamers ,
At the walls of Jun ,
Bound with the white silk cords ;
There are six carriages with their good horses ,
That admirable gentleman , —
What will he give them for [this] ?

54. 載馳 ZAI CHI

載馳載驅、歸唁衛侯。
驅馬悠悠、言至于漕。
大夫跋涉、我心則憂。

既不我嘉、不能旋反。
視而不臧、我思不遠。
既不我嘉、不能旋濟。
視而不臧、我思不閟。

陟彼阿丘、言采其虻。
女子善懷、亦各有行。
許人尤之、眾樨且狂。

我行其野、芃芃其麥。
控于大邦、誰因誰極。
大夫君子、無我有尤。
百爾所思、不如我所之。

I would have galloped my horses and whipt them ,
Returning to condole with the marquis of Wei .
I would have urged them all the long way ,
Till I arrived at Cao .
A great officer has gone , over the hills and through the rivers ;
But my heart is full of sorrow .

You disapproved of my [proposal] ,
And I cannot return to [Wei] ;
But I regard you as in the wrong ,
And cannot forget my purpose .
You disapproved of my purpose ,
But I cannot return across the streams ;
But I regard you as in the wrong ,
And cannot shut out my thoughts .

I will ascend that mound with the steep side ,
And gather the mother-of-pearl lilies .
I might, as a woman , have many thoughts ,
But every one of them was practicable .
The people of Xu blame me ,
But they are all childish and hasty [in their conclusions] .

I would have gone through the country ,
Amidst the wheat so luxuriant .
I would have carried the case before the great State .
On whom should I have relied ? Who would come [to the help of Wei] ?
Ye great officers and gentlemen ,
The hundred plans you think of
Are not equal to the course I was going to take .