Shi Jing – The Book of Odes

There was the millet with its drooping heads ;
There was the sacrificial millet into blade.
Slowly I moved about,
In my heart all-agitated.
Those who knew me,
Said I was sad at heart.
Those who did not know me,
Said I was seeking for something.
O distant and azure Heaven !
By what man was this [brought about] ?

There was the millet with its drooping heads ;
There was the sacrificial millet in the ear.
Slowly I moved about,
My heart intoxicated, as it were, [with grief].
Those who knew me,
Said I was sad at heart.
Those who did not know me,
Said I was seeking for something.
O thou distant and azure Heaven !
By what man was this [brought about] ?

There was the millet with its drooping heads ;
There was the sacrificial millet in grain.
Slowly I moved about,
As if there were a stoppage at my heart.
Those who knew me,
Said I was sad at heart.
Those who did not know me,
Said I was seeking for something.
O thou distant and azure Heaven !
By what man was this [brought about] ?

Legge 65

My husband is away on service,
And I know not when he will return.
Where is he now ?
The fowls roost in their holes in the walls ;
And in the evening of the day,
The goats and cows come down [from the hill] ;
But my husband is away on service.
How can I but keep thinking of him ?

My husband is away on service,
Not for days [merely] or for months.
When will he come back to me ?
The fowls roost on their perches ;
And in the evening of the day,
The goats and cows come down down and home ;
But my husband is away on service.
Oh if he be but kept from hunger and thirst !

Legge 66

My husband looks full of satisfaction.
In his left hand he holds his reed-organ,
And with his right he calls me to the room.
Oh the joy !

My husband looks delighted.
In his left hand he holds his screen of feathers,
And with his right he calls me to the stage.
Oh the joy !

Legge 67

The fretted waters,
Do not carry on their current a bundle of firewood !
Those, the members of our families,
Are not with us here guarding Shen.
How we think of them ! How we think of them !
What month shall we return home ?

The fretted waters,
Do not carry on their current a bundle of thorns !
Those, the members of our families,
Are not with us here guarding Pu.
How we think of them ! How we think of them !
What month shall we return ?

The fretted waters,
Do not carry on their current a bundle of osiers !
Those, the members of our families,
Are not with us here guarding Xu.
How we think of them ! How we think of them !
What month shall we return ?

Legge 68

In the valleys grows the mother-wort,
But scorched is it in the drier places.
There is a woman forced to leave her husband ;
Sadly she sighs !
Sadly she sighs !
She suffers from his hard lot.

In the valleys grows the mother-wort,
But scorched is it where it had become long.
There is a woman forced to leave her husband ;
Long-drawn are her groanings !
Long-drawn are her groanings !
She suffers from his misfortune.

In the valleys grows the mother-wort,
But scorched is it even in the moist places.
There is a woman forced to leave her husband ;
Ever flow her tears !
Ever flow her tears !
But of what avail is her lament ?

Legge 69

The hare is slow and cautious ;
The pheasant plumps into the net.
In the early part of my life,
Time still passed without commotion.
In the subsequent part of it,
We are meeting with all these evils.
I wish I might sleep and never move more.

The hare is slow and cautious ;
The pheasant plumps into the snare.
In the early part of my life,
Time still passed without anything stirring.
In the subsequent part of it,
We are meeting with all these sorrows.
I wish I might sleep and never move more.

The hare is slow and cautious ;
The pheasant plumps into the trap.
In the early part of my life,
Time still passed without any call for our services.
In the subsequent part of it,
We are meeting with all these miseries.
I would that I might sleep, and hear of nothing more.

Legge 70

Thickly they spread about, the dolichos creepers,
On the borders of the He.
For ever separated from my brothers,
I call a stranger father.
I call a stranger father,
But he will not look at me.

Thickly they spread about, the dolichos creepers,
On the banks of the He.
For ever separated from my brothers,
I call a stranger mother.
I call a stranger mother,
But she will not recognize me.

Thickly they spread about, the dolichos creepers,
On the lips of the He.
For ever separated from my brothers,
I call a stranger elder-brother.
I call a stranger elder-brother,
But he will not listen to me.

Legge 71

There he is gathering the dolichos !
A day without seeing him,
Is like three months !

There he is gathering the oxtail-southern-wood !
A day without seeing him,
Is like three seasons !

There he is gathering the mugwort !
A day without seeing him,
Is like three years !

Legge 72

Il cueille le dolic !
Un jour sans le voir me semble trois mois.
Il cueille l'armoise !
Un jour sans le voir me semble trois automnes !
Il cueille l'absinthe !
Un jour sans le voir me semble trois ans !

Granet XVIII.

His great carriage rumbles along,
And his robes of rank glitter like the young sedge.
Do I not think of you ?
But I am afraid of this officer, and dare not.

His great carriage moves heavily and slowly,
And his robes of rank glitter like a carnation-gem.
Do I not think of you ?
But I am afraid of this officer, and do not rush to you.

While living, we may have to occupy different apartments ;
But when dead, we shall share the same grave.
If you say that I am not sincere,
By the bright sun I swear that I am.

Legge 73

Le char du Seigneur, comme il roule !
sa robe a la couleur des joncs !
A toi comment ne penserais-je ?...
j'ai peur de lui et n'ose pas...

Le char du Seigneur, comme il roule !
sa robe est couleur de rubis !
A toi comment ne penserais-je ?...
j'ai peur de lui pour aller aux champs...

Vivants, nos chambres sont distinctes,
morts, commun sera le tombeau !
Si tu ne me crois pas fidèle,
je t'atteste, ô jour lumineux !

Granet XLIII.

On the mound where is the hemp,
Some one is detaining Zijie.
Some one is there detaining Zijie ; –
Would that he would come jauntily [to me] !

On the mound where is the wheat,
Some one is detaining Ziguo.
Some one is there detaining Ziguo ; –
Would that he would come and eat with me !

On the mound where are the plum trees,
Some one is detaining those youths.
Some one is there detaining those youths ; –
They will give me Jiu-stones for my girdle.

Legge 74

Sur le tertre il y a du chanvre,
et c'est là que reste Tseu Tsie !
Et c'est là que reste Tseu Tsie !
puisse-t-il s'en venir joyeux !

Sur le tertre il y a du blé,
et c'est là que reste Tseu Kouo !
Et c'est là que reste Tseu Kouo !
puisse-t-il s'en venir manger !

Sur le tertre sont des pruniers,
c'est là que reste ce seigneur !
C'est là que reste ce seigneur !
il me fait cadeau de breloques !

Granet XXVII.