A graceful lady, a gentleman is a good man.
From "Guofeng·Zhounan·Guanju" written by an unknown poet of the pre-Qin Dynasty
Guanguanjujiu, in the river continent.
A graceful lady, a gentleman likes to fight.
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 and right.
A graceful lady, a harp and a friend.
There are different kinds of water-lilies, with leaves growing on both sides.
A graceful lady, played with bells and drums.
Appreciation
"Guanyong" has always attracted people's attention because of its prominent position as the first chapter of "The Book of Songs". However, in the history of research on "The Book of Songs", people have many different understandings of the poetic meaning of "Guanyong". "Preface to Mao's Poems" believes that this poem praises "the virtues of concubines" and believes that only women who are loyal, virtuous, reserved and restrained can be worthy of princes. Therefore, this poem was placed at the beginning of the Book of Songs to provide enlightenment. Both Lu poetry and Korean poetry believe that "Guanyong" is a satirical poem that satirizes the monarch's inclination towards sex. Some scholars also believe that "Guanyong" is a love poem about marriage. We believe that "Guanyong" should be understood from two aspects: poetic meaning and music. In terms of poetic meaning, it is a "folk song", and the love between men and women is reflected as folk custom. According to legend, the ancients had the custom of gathering men and women in the mid-spring month. "The Rites of Zhou, Local Officials, and the Matchmaker" says: "The Matchmaker (i.e., the matchmaker) is in charge of the judgment (cooperation) of all people. ... In the month of mid-spring (February), men and women are ordered to meet, so at this time, those who run can't help but (Elopement is not prohibited); if the order is not given without reason, he will be punished, and the man and woman who have no husband will meet him. "The chant in "Guan Ju" may not be a record of this historical event, but this historical fact is there. It helps us understand the psychological state and customs of ancient men and women meeting each other, admiring each other and hoping to get married. The object of description in literary works is social life, and the description of social customs and habits can reproduce social life more truly and integrate social life into the picture of social customs, thus making it more realistic. "Guan Ju" describes the love affair between men and women in ancient times as a social custom. As far as the melody is concerned, the repeated chapters and refrains of the whole poem are all formed for the purpose of harmonious music. Zheng Qiao's "Tongzhi·Lelue·Zhengsheng Preface" says: "Anyone who composes his words is called a poem, and sounds his poems is called a song. There are no poetry writers who do not sing." Zheng Qiao emphasized in particular. The importance of rhythm. All the living and energetic poems in ancient times can often be sung, and the harmony of tones is important. The use of repeated chapters and refrains in "Guanyong" shows that it is sung and a poem that lives in people's mouths.
Some people believe that the dove is originally a ferocious bird, and "Guan Ju" uses the dove's pursuit of fish to symbolize a man's courtship. However, Han Confucian scholars regard it as a chaste bird and interpret the Guan Guan dove as a male and female singing in harmony, which is a metaphor for the harmony of husband and wife. This interpretation has influenced Chinese history for more than two thousand years.