Hunan Lady
by Frank Watson
Link to a Chinese reading

Qu Yuan (343-278 B.C)

This poem originates from a festival to sacrifice for a water goddess in Hunan, China and tells the story of a Hunan gentleman longing for his woman, who promised to be with him, but is far away. He imagines that she comes to him in the form of the water goddess. In ancient Hunan, there was a courtship ritual whereby a woman sent her undergarments to the man of their desire, as a promise; this is reflected in the last two stanzas.


A man descends on the islet to the north,
With anxious eyes that gaze afar, and back-and-forth.
Autumn winds are spiraling up,
And river waves are flowing beneath the trees.

From rising grass, a full moon
Goes gliding to its evening tryst,
And in the trees, the birds are dense among the apples,
Flying down from the top, to catch their chosen fish.

One river has lilies, the other has orchids—
The man thinks of her, but dares not to speak.
He is far off in the country, watching the distance,
Seeing the water flow, and hearing the water rush.

But how can an elk find food in a water lake?
And how can a water dragon find the land he’s looking for?
In the morning I go swiftly, taking my horse to the river,
Then cross the western shore in the evening.

I hear the beauty’s decree—
We fly together, soaring away,
To build a house in the water’s midst,
A house with water lilies to cover it;

Iris walls, violet altar,
Scattered peppers scenting the hall;
Cassia beams and orchid rafters,
Wild beams across the medicine gate;

Evergreen shrubs and lichee form a tent,
And orchids stretch to make a partition.
This place is pure jade,
With sparse stones and lovely orchids.

This iris-thatched, lotus house,
With winds that blow about the birchleaves;
Hundreds of species of grass make the lake solid,
Building an aromatic corridor for the gate.

Mountain women mix in varied colors, side-by-side,
And then her spirit comes, like the clouds.
I greet her with clasped hands, standing in the river;
She gives me her underclothes and takes me to the riverbank.

Grasping the sandbar, its birchleaf pears,
I, who am far away, hold on to the clothes she gave.
We cannot hurry time
When strolling so far away!

Original Chinese

Traditional
Simplified
Pronunciation
九歌 湘夫人
九歌 湘夫人
jiǔ gē xiāng fū rén



帝子降兮北渚，
帝子降兮北渚，
dì zǐ jiàng xī běi zhǔ ，
目眇眇兮愁予。
目眇眇兮愁予。
mù miǎo miǎo xī chóu yú 。
裊裊兮秋風，
袅袅兮秋风，
niǎo niǎo xī qiū fēng ，
洞庭波兮木葉下。
洞庭波兮木叶下。
dòng tíng bō xī mù yè xià 。
登白薠兮騁望，
登白薠兮骋望，
dēng bái fán xī chěng wàng ，
與佳期兮夕張。
与佳期兮夕张。
yǔ jiā qī xī xī zhāng 。
鳥何萃兮蘋中，
鸟何萃兮蘋中，
niǎo hé cuì xī pín zhōng ，
罾何為兮木上。
罾何为兮木上。
zēng hé wéi xī mù shàng 。
沅有茝兮澧有蘭，
沅有茝兮澧有兰，
yuán yǒu chǎi xī lǐ yǒu lán ，
思公子兮未敢言。
思公子兮未敢言。
sī gōng zǐ xī wèi gǎn yán 。
荒忽兮遠望，
荒忽兮远望，
huāng hū xī yuǎn wàng ，
觀流水兮潺湲。
观流水兮潺湲。
guān liú shuǐ xī chán yuán 。
麋何食兮庭中？
麋何食兮庭中？
mí hé shí xī tíng zhōng ？
蛟何為兮水裔？
蛟何为兮水裔？
jiāo hé wéi xī shuǐ yì ？
朝馳余馬兮江臯，
朝驰余马兮江皋，
zhāo chí yú mǎ xī jiāng gāo ，
夕濟兮西澨。
夕济兮西澨。
xī jì xī xī shì 。
聞佳人兮召予，
闻佳人兮召予，
wén jiā rén xī zhào yú ，
將騰駕兮偕逝。
将腾驾兮偕逝。
jiāng téng jià xī xié shì 。
築室兮水中，
筑室兮水中，
zhù shì xī shuǐ zhōng ，
葺之兮荷蓋；
葺之兮荷盖；
qì zhī xī hé gài ;
蓀壁兮紫壇，
荪壁兮紫坛，
sūn bì xī zǐ tán ，
播芳椒兮成堂；
播芳椒兮成堂；
bō fāng jiāo xī chéng táng ;
桂棟兮蘭橑，
桂栋兮兰橑，
guì dòng xī lán liáo ，
辛夷楣兮藥房；
辛夷楣兮药房；
xīn yí méi xī yào fáng ;
罔薜荔兮為帷，
罔薜荔兮为帷，
wǎng bì lì xī wéi wéi ，
擗蕙櫋兮既張；
擗蕙櫋兮既张；
pǐ huì mián xī jì zhāng ;
白玉兮為鎮，
白玉兮为镇，
bái yù xī wéi zhèn ，
疏石蘭兮為芳；
疏石兰兮为芳；
shū shí lán xī wéi fāng ;
芷葺兮荷屋，
芷葺兮荷屋，
zhǐ qì xī hé wū ，
繚之兮杜衡。
缭之兮杜衡。
liáo zhī xī dù héng 。
合百草兮實庭，
合百草兮实庭，
hé bǎi cǎo xī shí tíng ，
建芳馨兮廡門。
建芳馨兮庑门。
jiàn fāng xīn xī wǔ mén 。
女嶷繽兮並迎，
女嶷缤兮并迎，
nǚ yí bīn xī bìng yíng ，
靈之來兮如雲。
灵之来兮如云。
líng zhī lái xī rú yún 。
揖余袂兮江中，
揖余袂兮江中，
yī yú mèi xī jiāng zhōng ，
遺余褋兮澧浦。
遗余褋兮澧浦。
yí yú dié xī lǐ pǔ 。
搴汀洲兮杜若，
搴汀洲兮杜若，
qiān tīng zhōu xī dù ruò ，
將以遺褋兮遠者；
将以遗褋兮远者；
jiāng yǐ yí dié xī yuǎn zhě ;
時不可兮驟得，
时不可兮骤得，
shí bù kě xī zhòu dé ，
聊逍遙兮容與！
聊逍遥兮容与！
liáo xiāo yáo xī róng yǔ！


Translation Notes


九歌 湘夫人
Nine Songs Xiang-province Husband Person
[Husband Person = Lady, Madam]


帝子降兮北渚，
Emperor offspring descends xi northern islet,
目眇眇兮愁予。
Eye blind-in-one-eye/minute blind-in-one-eye xi anxiety I/give.
[Blind-in-one-eye blind-in-one-eye = solitary, remote, gaze into the distance]
裊裊兮秋風，
Curling-upwards wavering-gently xi autumn wind,
[Curling-upwards wavering-gently = rising in spirals]
洞庭波兮木葉下。
Cave Courtyard waves xi tree leaves under.
[Cave courtyard = Dongting Lake, one of the largest in China, located in Hunan Province]
登白薠兮騁望，
Rise white type-of-grass xi gallop-horse/hasten full-moon,
與佳期兮夕張。
With good period-of-time xi evening stretch.
[Good period-of-time = wedding day, day of tryst]
鳥何萃兮蘋中，
Birds how dense xi apple midst,
罾何為兮木上。
Net-for-catching-fish how do xi tree top.
沅有茝兮澧有蘭，
Yuan-river has type-of-flowering-plant xi Lishui-river has orchids,
[Yuan River is in western Hunan and flows into Dongting Lake]
[Lishui River is in northern Hunan]
思公子兮未敢言。
Think duke offspring xi not-yet to-dare words.
[Duke offspring = son of nobility]
荒忽兮遠望，
Countryside suddenly xi distance gaze,
觀流水兮潺湲。
See flowing water xi sound-of-flowing-water rush.
麋何食兮庭中？
Elk/moose how eat xi courtyard midst?
蛟何為兮水裔？
Scaly-dragon-with-four-legs how do xi water progeny/frontier?
朝馳余馬兮江臯，
Morning go-quickly-or-swiftly my horse xi large-river to-praise,
夕濟兮西澨。
Evening cross xi western shore.
聞佳人兮召予，
Make-known/hear beautiful person xi imperial-decree I/me,
[Beautiful person = beautiful woman]
將騰駕兮偕逝。
Will fly soar xi together pass-away.
築室兮水中，
Build/erect house xi water midst,
葺之兮荷蓋；
Thatch ’s/of xi water-lily cover;
蓀壁兮紫壇，
Iris walls xi violet alter,
播芳椒兮成堂；
Sow/scatter fragrant peppers xi finished hall;
桂棟兮蘭橑，
Cassia/cinnamon beams xi orchid rafters,
辛夷楣兮藥房；
Bitter ancient-barbarian-tribes crossbeam-above-or-under-gate xi medicine house;
罔薜荔兮為帷，
Net/there-is-none evergreen-shrubs lichee xi is tent/curtain;
擗蕙櫋兮既張；
To-cut-and-open fragrant-orchid  partition-fan xi already stretched;
白玉兮為鎮，
White/pure jade xi is town,
疏石蘭兮為芳；
Sparse stones orchid xi is fragrant/beautiful;
芷葺兮荷屋，
Iris thatch xi lotus house,
繚之兮杜衡。
Winds-around ’s/of xi birch-tree measure.
合百草兮實庭，
Join one-hundred grass xi real/solid courtyard,
[One-hundred grass = all kinds of grass]
建芳馨兮廡門。
Build fragrant/beautiful aromatic xi corridor gate.
女嶷繽兮並迎，
Woman Yi-mountain-range flourishing/mixed-colors xi side-by-side receive,
靈之來兮如雲。
Spirit ’s come xi like clouds.
揖余袂兮江中，
Greet-by-raising-clasped-hands I/my sleeves xi large-river midst,
遺余褋兮澧浦。
Lose I abdicate-clothes xi Li-river riverbank.
[Abdicate-clothes = It was an ancient Hunan romantic custom for women to send their undergarments to their future husband.]
搴汀洲兮杜若，
Seize sandbar islet xi birchleaf-pear similar,
將以遺褋兮遠者；
Going-to therefore lose abdicate-clothes xi distant he-who;
時不可兮驟得，
Time no can xi gallop obtain,
聊逍遙兮容與！
Somewhat ramble/stroll far-away xi appearance for!

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