History & Politics
The T‘oh He
Translated by James Legge (1876) · From The She King (1876), Part I, Book VII
Ye withered leaves, ye withered leaves,
Blown by the wind away !
So tossed is Ch‘ing. My spirit grieves
To see its sad decay.
Ye uncles, nobles of the land,
Reform the State; we'll by you stand !
Ye withered leaves, ye withered leaves,
By winds so wildly tossed !
What grief my mourning heart receives
From Ch‘ng thus foully lost !
Uncles, your starting note we wait ;
We'll follow and reform the State.
Codex Note
An appeal from the inferior officers of Ch‘ing to their superiors on the sad condition of the State.
Cite this poem
MLA
Shi Jing (The Book of Songs). “The T‘oh He.” Translated by James Legge. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/shi-jing/81/.
Chicago
Shi Jing (The Book of Songs). “The T‘oh He.” Translated by James Legge. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/shi-jing/81/.
Read this poem with the Codex →