Living
Conflicting Duties
Translated by William Jennings (1891) · From The Shi King (Jennings, 1891), Part I, Book x
What flapping and flutter of gannets' wings,
Alighting now on the oak-tree tops!
Relentless biddings are those of kings:
None now can attend to his millet crops.
Who now is the stay of the aged pair?
O Heaven, thou vast and azure Heaven,
When, when shall we be as once we were?
What flapping and flutter of gannets' wings,
Alighting now on the copse of thorn!
Relentless biddings are those of kings:
None now can attend to his crops of corn.
And how do the aged parents fend?
O Heaven, thou vast and azure Heaven,
When, when may we now expect the end?
What flapping and flutter of gannets' wings,
As the mulberry grove beneath them sways!
Relentless biddings are those of kings:
None now can attend to his rice and maize.
On what do the parents sup to-day?
O Heaven, thou vast and azure Heaven,
When, when shall we live in the wonted way?
Cite this poem
MLA
Shi Jing (The Book of Songs). “Conflicting Duties.” Translated by William Jennings. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/shi-jing/379/.
Chicago
Shi Jing (The Book of Songs). “Conflicting Duties.” Translated by William Jennings. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/shi-jing/379/.
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