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This is one of my more serious translations (with footnotes and all! ^_^ ). This was done when I was in taking Classical Chinese in my Master’s program at the University of Washington.
谷 風
Valley Winds[i]
習 習 谷 風 , 以 陰 以 雨 。 Continuously[ii], the Valley winds blow,[iii] Bringing in the clouds and rain.
黽 勉 同 心 , 不 宜 有 怒 。 I strove to be of one heart with you[iv]. You have no cause to be angry.
采 葑 采 菲 , 無 以 下 體 。 You pick turnips and radishes, Without regard to their valuable roots.[v]
德 音 莫 違 , 及 爾 同 死 。 Our lovers’ vows, do not break them.[vi] Til death do us part.
行 道 遲 遲 , 中 心 有 違 。 Slowly and reluctantly, I walk on the path away from you. Within my heart, I do not wish to go.
不 遠 伊 爾 , 薄 送 我 幾 。 The path is but a short distance, But you barely take a few steps to send me off.
誰 謂 荼 苦 , 其 甘 如 薺 。 Who said sow thistle is bitter? It is sweet like the shepherd’s purse.[vii]
晏 爾 新 昏 , 如 兄 如 弟 。 You feast with your new wife, Lovingly like brothers.
涇 以 渨 濁 , 湜 湜 其 沚 ; The Jing river is made muddy by the Wei River, But it is clear and still at the bottom.[viii]
晏 爾 新 昏 , 不 我 屑 以 。 You feast with your new wife, And treat me with disdain.
毋 逝 我 粱 , 毋 發 我 笱 。 Do not go to my fish weir. Do not disturb my fish trap.[ix]
我 躬 不 閱 , 遑 恤 我 後 ! Since I am no longer wanted, What care do I have for my future![x]
就 其 深 矣 , 方 之 舟 之 ; When the river ran deep, I used a raft or boat to cross it.
就 其 淺 矣 , 泳 之 游 之 。 Where it was shallow, I waded through it or swam across it.[xi]
何 有 何 亡 , 黽 勉 求 之 。 Whatever we needed or lacked, I strove mightily to get it.
凡 民 有 喪 , 匍 匐 救 之 。 When other people met with disasters, I was willing to crawl on my hands and knees to succor them.
能 不 我 慉 , 反 以 我 為 讎 。 However (even with all these virtues of mine), you could not bear to to have me around. You saw me as your antagonist.
既 阻 我 德 , 賈 用 不 售 。 You reject my virtues and goodness now, Like merchandise that cannot be sold.
昔 育 恐 育 鞫 , 及 爾 顛 覆 ; In the past, when we were destitute, I stuck with you through ups and downs.
既 生 既 育 , 比 予 于 毒 。 Now, after we have a stable livelihood and are affluent, You treat me like poison.
我 有 旨 蓄 , 亦 以 御 冬 。 I have good dried and salted provisions, which I keep to provide against the winter.[xii]
晏 爾 新 昏 , 以 我 御 窮 。 You feast with your new wife, And only know to use me to provision you against poverty.
有 洸 有 潰 , 既 詒 我 肄 ; You foam and fume towards me; You give me nothing but toil.
不 念 昔 者 , 伊 余 來 塈 。 You no longer remember the past, Only I still treasure that time.[xiii]
[i] This is a poem written with the voice of a woman who has been replaced in her husband’s affections and was being sent away.
[ii] 習 習 can also stand as the sound that the wind makes.
[iii] The character 谷 is associated with 穀. Therefore, 谷 風 could also be taken to mean the east wind (which is associated with blowing through the growing grain in the spring).
[iv] Refers to her husband.
[v] I have my worth (the fleshy root, which is hidden in the ground), although I am no longer young and pretty (the leaves, which are no longer green and tender). This refers to the husband taking a new young bride while discarding the old wife.
[vi] I took 德 音 to mean 善 言 “good words,” which refers to the vows that lovers take when they first fall in love. Conventionally, the phrase 德 音 means “reputation.” In which case, the sentence would translate as “I did nothing to harm my good name.”
[vii] You think that I am like the sow thistle, but I am more like the shepherd’s purse.
[viii] My physical appearance might not be beautiful any more (the muddied surface of the Jing River), but I still have worth (clear and still water at the bottom of the river).
[ix] She is giving the new wife a warning to stay away from her things.
[x] The character 後 is ambiguous. It could have three meanings: 1) her future 後 來; 2) her descendents 後 代; 3) when she dies 後 事.
[xi] Whatever the obstacles, I always found a way to surpass them. She is extolling her virtues as a wife.
[xii] She likens herself to the dried and salted provisions, which are dried up but still have value.
[xiii] The character 塈 is a loan word of 旡 with the radical 心 on the bottom, which is glossed as an older form of the character 愛.