The poem "Guan Ju" expresses the longing and pursuit of beautiful love in the hearts of the ancient working people through a series of longings after a man meets his beloved, and highlights the healthy and sincere feelings of young men and women. Thoughts and feelings.
"Guan Ju" Pre-Qin·Anonymous
Guan Guan Jujiu, in the river continent. A graceful lady, a gentleman is fond of quarrels.
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. Leisurely leisurely, tossing and turning.
Pick them from left to right. A graceful lady, she is a friend of the piano and the harp.
There are different kinds of waterlilies, with leaves growing on both sides. The fair lady is played with bells and drums.
Translation:
The chirping doves inhabit the small island in the river. A virtuous and beautiful woman is a good spouse for a gentleman.
The uneven waterlilies are picked on the left and right sides of the boat. A virtuous and beautiful woman, I want to pursue her day and night.
I pursue her but I can’t get her. I miss her day and night. The constant thoughts make it difficult to fall asleep.
The uneven waterlilies are picked on the left and right sides of the boat. A virtuous and beautiful woman, play the harp, drums and harp to get close to her.
Pick the uneven waterlilies on the left and right sides of the boat. A virtuous and beautiful woman beats the bells and drums to please her. Extended information
The content of "Guan Ju" is actually very simple. It is about a "gentleman"'s pursuit of a "lady". He is distressed when he can't get a "lady" and can't sleep because of tossing and turning; He was very happy when he got a "lady", and asked people to play music to celebrate, and in this way made the "lady" happy.
The identity of the characters in the work is very clear: "Gentleman" was a general term for aristocrats in the era of "The Book of Songs", and if this "gentleman" has music of harps, bells and drums at home, he must have considerable talent. of status. In the past, this poem was often interpreted as a "folk love song", but I'm afraid that's wrong. It should describe the life of the aristocratic class. In addition, it is certainly true to say that it is a love poem, but I am afraid it is not an ordinary love poem. This turned out to be a wedding song, which was sung by the groom’s family to praise the bride and wish them a happy marriage.
Many ballads in "The Book of Songs·Guofeng" have general lyrical meaning, entertainment function, and ceremonial practicality. However, the original purpose of some poems is unclear to later generations. , just treat it as an ordinary song. Looking at "Guan Ju" as a wedding song, it is also joyful and appropriate, from "A graceful lady, a gentleman is a good man" to "Friends with harps and harps" and "Music of bells and drums".
The poem itself appears in the form of a love song about a man pursuing a woman. The reason for this is probably related to the fact that in general marriage relationships, the man is the active party. Even in modern times, when a girl falls in love with a guy, she always waits for him to speak first, and this was even more true for the ancients. When you come back with a bride, praise her as a beautiful and virtuous girl, a good spouse for a gentleman, and say that you missed her to the point of being lovesick, you will definitely please the bride very much.
Then in the music of harps, bells and drums, each other's feelings came closer to each other, and a happy marriage began from here. Even from the perspective of the emotional structure of the poem, from seeing Guan Ju and thinking about the lady to forming a good relationship with Qin and Se, some twists and turns are necessary in the middle: only hard-earned things are particularly valuable and particularly joyful.