Love

Reforms in Love and Marriage

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

Translated by William Jennings (1891) · From The Shi King (Jennings, 1891), Part I, Book iv

Love

When comes a rainbow in the East,
None dares to raise a finger;
For maidens now go forth and wed,
Nor with the home-folk linger.

And when at morn one spans the West,
Ere noon the rain will tarry;
But maidens leave the home-folk now,
And go their ways and marry.

But oh, what kind of folk are those,
For marriage always yearning,
While greatly lacking faith and trust,
Nor laws of Heaven discerning!

MLA

Shi Jing (The Book of Songs). “Reforms in Love and Marriage.” Translated by William Jennings. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/shi-jing/337/.

Chicago

Shi Jing (The Book of Songs). “Reforms in Love and Marriage.” Translated by William Jennings. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/shi-jing/337/.

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