Song of a Traveling Son, Meng Jiao (300 Tang Shi #45)

[lnhammer]

A caring mother, thread within her hand—
A traveling son, I lift up my clothes;
When I departed close, so close the stitches—
I’m afraid I’ll be late, so late returning.
Who says that these short grasses have a heart,
Announcing thus the splendid months of spring?

游子吟
慈母手中线，
游子身上衣；
临行密密缝，
意恐迟迟归。
谁言寸草心，
报得三春辉？

A quick break (while I rework the next poem in the sequence) for a folk-song-style poem from Part 2. 吟 (yin) is yet another term for an “old verse form” that seems best translated as the generic “song.” I’ve rendered idioms and syntax a bit more literally than usual, to try bringing out the folk-song flavor. That said, literally it’s “three (of) spring” with the “months” implied.

---L.

Comments

[sartorias]

I looked for the "hong" once I read the first line, because I was sure it had to be a ref to the red thread, but nope. Struck out again!

Enjoyed it, though.