This is one of the few ballads in The Book of Songs that reflect cheerful labor. It reproduces the labor scene of ancient women gathering to pick plantain in Yuan Ye in summer with the style of Fu.
The original poem:
Pick the slugs, and pick them with thin words. Picking slugs, there are thin words.
pick slugs, and keep them short. Pick slugs and smooth them out with thin words.
pick and pick slugs. Pick and pick crickets, and make short remarks.
Translation:
Let's hurry to pick the luxuriant and bright-colored slugs. Lush and colorful slugs, let's pick them up quickly. Lush and colorful slugs, pick them off one by one. Lush and colorful slugs, stroke them down one by one. Lush and colorful slugs, lift your skirts and pocket them. Lush and colorful slugs, tuck up your skirts and come back.
Origin:
Interpretation of the Book of Songs
The moving charm of this poem is born from the simple rhythm of its typical folk songs. There are 12 sentences in three chapters in the whole poem, except for the transformation of the six verbs "pick, have, push, stroke, curl (holding the skirt) and curl (holding the skirt between the belts)", the rest of the words are exactly the same.
The repetition and layering of lyrics make the whole poem form a very simple and lively rhythm, which is naturally coordinated with the repeated and regular movements of women picking crickets, thus constructing a beautiful artistic conception echoing the labor melody. The ups and downs of singing not only make the workers forget their fatigue and immerse themselves in the joy of harvest, but also make the reciter infected and intoxicated with the fresh and simple poetic realm.