History & Politics
The T‘éaou Che Hwa
Translated by James Legge (1876) · From The She King (1876), Part II, Book VIII
Deep yellow are turned
The bignonia flowers ;
And my wounded heart
Its sorrow outpours.
The flowers are all gone;
But green leaves are seen.
Than this fate have known,
Better not to have been !
In fish traps but stars !
Ewes thin, with large head !
While some may have food,
Most languish, ill fed.
Codex Note
The writer laments his misery amidst and in consequence of the general decay of the kingdom.
Cite this poem
MLA
Shi Jing (The Book of Songs). “The T‘éaou Che Hwa.” Translated by James Legge. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/shi-jing/228/.
Chicago
Shi Jing (The Book of Songs). “The T‘éaou Che Hwa.” Translated by James Legge. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/shi-jing/228/.
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