This poem is an interesting as it is translated from Chinese into Japanese and then into English.
Firstly, in terms of format, the poem has 4 stanzas, it has no rhyming pattern.
The first stanza talks about the girl meeting the boy when they were children and playing outside with their wooden toys and they did not have any conflicts within themselves. Then, at fourteen years old, they got married. This verse gives away that the poem was written decades ago when child marriage was still acceptable in Asia. Furthermore, she calls him "My Lord" which means she worshipped him, as usually Asian girls are taught to worship their husbands like God. The next verse though states that she never laughed and was shy, which could imply that she wasn't happy but accepted her marriage.
But in the second stanza she shortly mentions her change, how she wanted to love him, and did so, by "mingling my dust with yours". This could have a sexual connotation that she wanted to sleep with him, or it could be a figurative image that she wanted to connect their heart together, to love each other.
But in the third stanza, at 16 years, her husband left her to go to a river and he has been gone for five months now. I am not exactly sure what swirling eddies means in this context. The angry monkeys could maybe symbolize her angry emotions?
The last stanza describes how long it has been since he has left with descriptions of changes in nature and how the changes to winter (which could symbolize her growing emotions of sorrow and hurt), and how she is growing older (without him) and she is not liking it. The last two verses state that if he is coming back, he wants her to know beforehand so she can come greet him, which means he is eager upon his arrival. She does not want surprises.
Although I do like the poem, I feel that in all those translations, the feeling and emotions have been lost. From personal experience, whenever I have read a translated poem, I do not find them as interesting or reader friendly as poems that have been written in their original language. Yet, this is my personal opinion.
Firstly, in terms of format, the poem has 4 stanzas, it has no rhyming pattern.
The first stanza talks about the girl meeting the boy when they were children and playing outside with their wooden toys and they did not have any conflicts within themselves. Then, at fourteen years old, they got married. This verse gives away that the poem was written decades ago when child marriage was still acceptable in Asia. Furthermore, she calls him "My Lord" which means she worshipped him, as usually Asian girls are taught to worship their husbands like God. The next verse though states that she never laughed and was shy, which could imply that she wasn't happy but accepted her marriage.
But in the second stanza she shortly mentions her change, how she wanted to love him, and did so, by "mingling my dust with yours". This could have a sexual connotation that she wanted to sleep with him, or it could be a figurative image that she wanted to connect their heart together, to love each other.
But in the third stanza, at 16 years, her husband left her to go to a river and he has been gone for five months now. I am not exactly sure what swirling eddies means in this context. The angry monkeys could maybe symbolize her angry emotions?
The last stanza describes how long it has been since he has left with descriptions of changes in nature and how the changes to winter (which could symbolize her growing emotions of sorrow and hurt), and how she is growing older (without him) and she is not liking it. The last two verses state that if he is coming back, he wants her to know beforehand so she can come greet him, which means he is eager upon his arrival. She does not want surprises.
Although I do like the poem, I feel that in all those translations, the feeling and emotions have been lost. From personal experience, whenever I have read a translated poem, I do not find them as interesting or reader friendly as poems that have been written in their original language. Yet, this is my personal opinion.
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