Gathering Grass
by Frank Watson
All morning, gathering grass,
Not enough to fill my hands.
I sing a tune, the words are sharp,
Then I go back to bathe.

All morning, gathering indigo,
Not enough to fill my pockets.
Been doing this for five days now,
And on the sixth he still has not returned.

He said he’s off hunting, bow in bag,
Or off fishing, with a line of silk.
Catching bream, catching carp,
Catching bream, catching carp.

I hope my words will pierce him.



 After an anonymous Chinese poem in the Shijing. The poem's narrator is a wife who's feeling abandoned by her husband while he goes off fishing and hunting for days at a time.

Original Chinese

Traditional
Simplified
Pronunciation
采綠
采绿
cǎi lǜ



終朝采綠，
终朝采绿，
zhōng zhāo cǎi lǜ ，
不盈一匊，
不盈一匊，
bù yíng yī jū ，
予發曲局，
予发曲局，
yú fā qū jú ，
薄言歸沐。
薄言归沐。
báo yán guī mù 。
終朝采藍，
终朝采藍，
zhōng zhāo cǎi lǜ ，
不盈一襜，
不盈一襜，
bù yíng yī chān ，
五日為期，
五日为期，
wǔ rì wéi qī ，
六日不詹。
六日不詹。
liù rì bù zhān 。
之子於狩，
之子于狩，
zhī zǐ yú shòu ，
言韔其弓，
言韔其弓，
yán chàng qí gōng ，
之子於釣，
之子于钓，
zhī zǐ yú diào ，
言綸之繩。
言纶之绳。
yán lún zhī shéng 。
其釣維何，
其钓维何，
qí diào wéi hé ，
維魴及鱮，
维鲂及鱮，
wéi fáng jí xù ，
維魴及鱮，
维鲂及鱮，
wéi fáng jí xù ，
薄言觀者。
薄言观者。
báo yán guān zhě。


Translation Notes


采綠
Gathering Greens


終朝采綠，
Late morning gathering greens,
不盈一匊，
Not fill one handful,
予發曲局，
I send-out tune [classifier],
薄言歸沐。
Stingy words return bathe.
終朝采藍，
Late morning gatherering indigo,
不盈一襜，
Not fill one front-pocket,
五日為期，
Five days do period-of-time,
[Do period-of-time = lasting]
六日不詹。
Six days not arrive.
之子於狩，
Them offspring at winter-hunting,
言韔其弓，
Words bow-bag his bow,
之子於釣，
Them offspring at fishing,
言綸之繩。
Words green-silk of rope.
其釣維何，
That fishhook preserve how,
維魴及鱮，
Preserve bream reach silver-carp,
維魴及鱮，
Preserve bream reach silver-carp,
薄言觀者。
Stingy words pierce him.

All writings and translations are Copyright © by Frank Watson, also writing as "Blue Flute" (2011-2014).
Year: 
2013