Chu Ci (Illustrated Text)

Author: Wu Guangping
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features:
Gushing, I fear I may not catch up,
For years are passing me by.
Morning I pluck the osmanthus on the hillside,
Evening I gather the fragrant grass by the shore.
[Notes]
① Gushing (yu): A Chu dialect term meaning "flowing swiftly," here referring to time flowing like a fast-moving stream. Not catching up: Unable to keep pace.
② Not waiting for me: An inverted form of "not waiting for me." These lines express the poet's fear that time will pass without him achieving his goals for the state.
③ Plucking (qian): A Chu dialect term meaning "to pick." Pi (pi): A Chu dialect term for a large hillside. Osmanthus: A fragrant tree, also known as the yellow-hearted tree, purple magnolia, with bark similar to cassia and a shape like the nan tree. It can grow several meters tall, and legend says it survives even if its bark is stripped.
④ Gathering (lan): To pick. Shore: Land in the water. Host-moss: A fragrant grass that survives winter. This grass can grow back even if its heart is pulled out. The osmanthus tree survives without bark, and the host-moss survives without its heart—both remain fragrant, symbolizing self-cultivation.
The days and nights pass swiftly,
Spring and autumn take turns.
I think of the withering of grass and trees,
And fear the beauty's twilight.
[Notes]
① Swiftly: Passing quickly. Drowning (yan): Staying long.
② Taking turns: Replacing one another.
③ Thinking (wei): Contemplating. Withering (lingluo): Drifting, falling.
④ Beauty: This term has varied interpretations in ancient and modern times. Some say it refers to King Huai, some to Qu Yuan himself, some to the prime of life, and some to virtuous scholars in general. Based on the following context, it is most likely referring to King Huai. Twilight (chimu): Aging. These four lines express the poet's fear that King Huai will not act promptly, delaying the future of Chu. The word "fear" fully conveys the poet's sense of crisis regarding state affairs, especially his urgent anxiety for the state's future and his deep worry about the state's destiny.
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