Living

The Tung Mun Che Fun

by Shi Jing (The Book of Songs) poems c. 1000–600 BC; compilation traditionally ascribed to Confucius

Translated by James Legge (1876) · From The She King (1876), Part I, Book XII

Living

The white elms by the east gate grow,
And clumps of oaks crown Yuen-k‘ew’s head ;
There Tsze-chung’s daughter oft we see,
Dancing about beneath their shade.

On a bright morning they have fixed,
To seek the plain that southward lies.
Then from her task of twisting hemp,
See! dancing through the mart she hies.

The morning fair, young men and girls
Together go. You hear a youth
Say to his mate, “O sunflower bright,
Pledge me with pepper-stalk your truth !”

✦ ✦ ✦

Wanton associations of the young people of Ch‘in.

MLA

Shi Jing (The Book of Songs). “The Tung Mun Che Fun.” Translated by James Legge. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/shi-jing/132/.

Chicago

Shi Jing (The Book of Songs). “The Tung Mun Che Fun.” Translated by James Legge. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/shi-jing/132/.

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