"Guanyong" is the first poem in the "Book of Songs", the first collection of poems in ancient China. It is generally considered to be a love song describing the love between a man and a woman. Below, I will share with you the translation and appreciation of Guan Ju’s original text. I hope it will be helpful to everyone!
"Guan Ju"
Pre-Qin: Anonymous
Guan Guan Jujiu, in the river continent. A graceful lady, a gentleman is fond of quarrels.
The waterlilies are mixed and flowing from left to 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 the waterlilies from left to right. A graceful lady, she is a friend of the piano and the harp.
There are different kinds of water-lilies, with leaves growing on both sides. The fair lady is played with bells and drums.
Translation and annotations
Translation The chirping doves accompany each other on the small island in the river. That beautiful and virtuous woman is a good spouse for a gentleman. For the jagged watermelon, fish it from left to right. That beautiful and virtuous woman wanted to pursue her every time she woke up or went to sleep. I pursue her but I can't get her. I miss her day and night. The long thoughts make me toss and turn and make it difficult to fall asleep. The jagged water-lilies are picked from left to right. The beautiful and virtuous woman played the harp and harp to get close to her. The jagged watercress is pulled out from left to right. The beautiful and virtuous woman beat the bells and drums to please her. Notes ⑴Guan Guan: Onomatopoeia, the calls of male and female birds that echo each other.
Translation and annotations
Translation
The chirping doves accompany each other on the small island in the river. That beautiful and virtuous woman is a good spouse for a gentleman.
Pick up the jagged water-lilies from left to right. That beautiful and virtuous woman wanted to pursue her every time she woke up or went to sleep.
I pursue her but I can’t get her. I miss her day and night. The long thoughts make me toss and turn and make it difficult to fall asleep.
Pick the jagged water-lilies from left to right. The beautiful and virtuous woman played the harp and harp to get close to her.
Pluck the jagged watercress from left to right. The beautiful and virtuous woman beat the bells and drums to please her.
Notes
⑴Guan Guan: Onomatopoeia, the calls of male and female birds in response to each other. Jujiu (jū jiū): the name of a water bird, namely Wangjiu.
⑵zhou: Land in the water.
⑶Yaoyou (yǎo tiǎo) lady: a virtuous and beautiful woman. Slim, with a beautiful figure. Yao, profound, is a metaphor for the beauty of a woman's soul; Yao, graceful, is a metaphor for the beauty of a woman's appearance. Shu, good, kind.
⑷好馑 (hǎo qiú): a good spouse. Qiu, a borrowed word for "Qiu", matches.
⑸ Uneven: uneven length. Nymphoides (xìng): aquatic plants. The leaves are round and thin, and the roots are at the bottom of the water. The leaves float on the water and are edible.
⑹Flow left and right: sometimes to the left, sometimes to the right to select water plants. Here, struggling to get watercress is a metaphor for a "gentleman" striving to pursue a "lady". "Liu" has the same meaning as "seeking", here it refers to extraction. Which: refers to watercress.
⑺夤梅 (wù mèi): waking up and sleeping. Refers to day and night. Oh, wake up. Sleep, fall asleep. Also, Ma Ruichen's "General Notes on Mao's Poems" says: "Being asleep is like sleeping in a dream." It can also be understood.
⑻Sifu: miss. Accept, think. "Mao Zhuan": "To obey is to think about it."
⑼Youzai (yōu zāi) Youzai: It means "youyou", which means long. This sentence means that longing for you is endless. Yo, thoughts. See Guo Pu's annotation in Erya·Exegesis. Alas, modal particles. Carefree, leisurely, still saying "I miss you, I miss you".
⑽Tossing and turning: unable to fall asleep. Rolling, ancient characters are displayed. Turn around, that is, turn to the opposite side. On the other side, it's still overturned.
⑾Friends of the harp and harp: Play the harp, drums and harp to get close to her. Qin and harp are both stringed instruments. The zither has five or seven strings, and the harp has twenty-five or fifty strings. Friend: used as a verb, here it means closeness. This sentence says, use the harp and harp to get close to the "lady".
⑿芼(mào): choose, select.
⒀Zhonggu music: Use bells and drums to make her happy. Le, use the method to make...happy.
Reference materials:
1. Luo Yuming et al. Dictionary of Pre-Qin Poetry Appreciation. Shanghai: Shanghai Dictionary Publishing House, 1998: 1-6.
2. Zhu Xi． The Book of Songs ． Shanghai: Shanghai Ancient Books Publishing House, 1987: 1-2.
Appreciation
This short poem "Guofeng·Zhou Nan·Guan Ju" occupies a special position in the history of Chinese literature. It is the first chapter of the Book of Songs, the oldest classic of Chinese literature. Although judging from their nature, some mythological stories should have been produced earlier, but as written records, they are relatively late. So it can be said that when you look at the history of Chinese literature, the first thing you encounter is "Guan Ju". It is unknown whether the people who originally compiled the Book of Songs had any intention in arranging the poems.