Living
The Séaou Sing
Translated by James Legge (1876) · From The She King (1876), Part I, Book II
Behold those starlets small,
How three or five the east illume!
Swiftly we came when fell the gloom,
And now at dawn the hall
Of the harém we leave, nor dare gainsay
Our lot which grants us here no longer stay.
Behold those starlets small,
Orion and the Pleiads bright !
Swiftly we came as failed the light,
And here brought to the hall
Our coverlets and sheets. Now we return,
Nor our inferior lot presume to mourn.
Codex Note
The thankful submission to their lot of the inferior members of a harem.
Cite this poem
MLA
Shi Jing (The Book of Songs). “The Séaou Sing.” Translated by James Legge. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/shi-jing/20/.
Chicago
Shi Jing (The Book of Songs). “The Séaou Sing.” Translated by James Legge. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/shi-jing/20/.
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