One of the oldest love poems in the world is an ancient Chinese epistolary love song, also known as "The Book of Songs·Guofeng·Zhou Nan·Guan Ju". This poem depicts a man's deep love for a woman and expresses his pain and desire to pursue her. Although the poem is over two thousand years old, its emotions and themes still have contemporary relevance. The following is the original Chinese text and English translation of this poem:
Guan Ju
Pre-Qin Poetry
Guan Guan Ju Jiu, in the Island of the River.
A graceful lady, a gentleman is a good man.
Scattered waterlilies flow left and right.
A graceful lady, I long for her.
I can’t get what I want, so I sleep hard and think about it.
It’s leisurely, tossing and turning.
Pick them from left to right.
A graceful lady, a harp and a harp.
There are different kinds of waterlilies, with leaves growing on both sides.
A graceful lady, played with bells and drums.
My dear, you are so beautiful that I am deeply fascinated.
Let me stand in front of you trembling.
Can I ask you to borrow ten dollars by the end of this week?
This ancient love poem expresses the beauty of love and the pain of pursuit in simple and profound words, and also contains some humor and fun. The images and metaphors in the poem also make people feel the culture and customs of ancient China. The translation of this poem allows people to transcend the barriers of time, space and culture and feel the beauty and power of love.