See the original text for details:
The Millennium is frost. The so-called Iraqi people, the water side, follow it back, the road is long. Swim back from it, in the middle of the water
It's been a long time, and it hasn't changed for thousands of years. The so-called Iraqis are in the water. Tracing back and forth from it, the road is blocked and broken. Swim back from the inside and swim in the water.
Jia Cai, peace and prosperity have not passed. The so-called Iraqis are in the water. Go back and follow, the road is blocked and turn right. Swim back from the inside and swim in the water. Vernacular translation:
Large areas of reeds are green, and the morning dew is frosted. My love is standing across the river. Sailing against the current to pursue her, the road to pursue her is dangerous and long. Looking down the river, she seems to be in the middle of the river.
A large area of reeds is sad, and the dew in the morning has not dried. My ghost, she's on the other side of the river. Sailing against the current to pursue her, the road is bumpy and difficult. Looking downstream, she seems to be in a small continent in the water.
The reeds by the river are lush and continuous, and the dew in the morning has not evaporated. My suitor, she is on the river bank. Sailing against the current to pursue her, the road is tortuous and dangerous. Looking down the river, she seems to be on the beach in the water.
Appreciate:
The most valuable and striking thing about this poem is the universal artistic conception of "being on the water side". Artistic conception is a pattern and a structure, which has the performance of containing all heterogeneous things with similar patterns and structures. The structure of On the Water is: chasing troops-rivers-Iraqis. Because the "Iraqi people" in the poem has no specific reference, and the meaning of the river lies in the barrier, all the pursuits that are difficult to achieve because of being blocked in the world can be isomorphic and resonate here.
From this point of view, we might as well understand Jane's poems as a symbol and take On the Water as an artistic paradigm to express all the difficulties in social life. The "Iraqis" here can be talents, friends, lovers, achievements, ideals, prospects, and even blessed land, holy land and heaven; The "river" here can be high mountains and deep valleys, patriarchal clan system and ethics, or any other obstacles that may be encountered in real life. As long as there are pursuits, obstacles and disappointments, it is the world that it reproduces and expresses. In this way, the ancients interpreted it as persuading people to follow the etiquette, accepting talents and caring for others. Today, people regard it as a love poem, and some even regard it as a ritual of ancestor worship by the ancient water god. I'm afraid there is some truth. It seems inappropriate to stick to one family and exclude others, because they are all included in the symbolic meaning of "on the water side"