{"id":19484,"date":"2020-02-12T12:34:59","date_gmt":"2020-02-12T12:34:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chinesemoment.com\/chinese-culture\/we-pluck-the-bracken\/"},"modified":"2020-02-12T12:34:59","modified_gmt":"2020-02-12T12:34:59","slug":"we-pluck-the-bracken","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chinesemoment.com\/vi\/we-pluck-the-bracken\/","title":{"rendered":"WE PLUCK THE BRACKEN"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

\tWE PLUCK THE BRACKEN
\tfrom Xiaoya<\/strong><\/p>\n

\tWe plucked the bracken, plucked the bracken
\tWhile the young shoots were springing up.
\tOh,to go back, go back!
\tThe year is ending.
\tWe have no house, no home
\tBecause of the Xianyun;
\tWe cannot rest or bide
\tBecause of the Xianyun.<\/p>\n

\tWe plucked the bracken,plucked the bracken
\tWhile the shoots were soft.
\tOh,to go back,go back!
\tOur hearts are sad,
\tOur sad hearts burn,
\tWe are hungry and thirsty,
\tBut our campaign is not over,
\tNor is any of us sent home with news.<\/p>\n

\tWe plucked the bracken,plucked the bracken;
\tBut the shoots were hard.
\tOh, to go back,to back!
\tThe year is running out.
\tBut the king's business never ends;
\tWe cannot rest or bide.
\tOur hearts are very bitter;
\tWe cannot rest or bide.
\tOur hearts are very bitter;
\tWe went, but do not come.<\/p>\n

\tWhat splendid thing is that?
\tIt is the flower of the cherry-tree.
\tWhat great carriage is that?
\tIt is our lord's chariot,
\tHis war-chariot ready yoked,
\tWith its four steeds so eager.
\tHow should we dare stop or tarry?
\tIn one month we have had three alarms.<\/p>\n

\tWe yoke the teams of four,
\tThose steeds of strong,
\tThat our lord rides behind,
\tThat lesser men protect.
\tThe four steeds so grand,
\tThe ivory bow-ends, the fish-skin quiver.
\tYes, we must be always on our guard;
\tThe Xianyun are very swift.<\/p>\n

\tLong ago, when we started,
\tThe willows spread their shade.
\tNow that we turn back
\tThe snowflakes fly.
\tThe march before us is long,
\tWe are thirsty and hungry,
\tOur hearts are stricken with sorrow,
\tBut no one listens to our plaint.<\/p>\n

\t[NOTES]<\/p>\n

\tThis is a poem written by a soldier coming back from the frontier.<\/p>\n

\tXianyun: A minority in the north of China. It was called the Xiongnu in the Warring states period, and in the Qin and Han Dynasties.<\/p>\n

\tThat our lord rides behind: Orig–That our lord rides.<\/p>\n

\tThat lesser men protect: –Orig. That the soldiers seek protect from.HALLOA!
\tfrom Zhou Song
\tHalloa! King Cheng
\tHas called you here.
\tPrime your farm men
\tTo sow the grains.<\/p>\n

\tHorse-swift out tools:
\tFull thirty lis
\tAre yours to plough,
\tTen thousand paired.<\/p>\n

\t[NOTES]<\/strong><\/p>\n

\tThis poem was written in time of King Cheng, the second King of Zhou(1115-1079B.C.), showing the kind of mass farming employing 10,000 hands then in existence, supervised by the King himself.<\/p>\n

\tZhou Song: Festal Hymns and Songs of The Early Zhou.<\/p>\n

\tlis:<\/strong> The ancient li consisted of 300 mu, the mu being a unit of 100 paces square. Here "thirty lis" refers to private land.<\/p>\n