詩経
芣苢
Anonymous
采采芣苢
薄言采之
采采芣苢
薄言有之
采采芣苢
薄言掇之
采采芣苢
薄言捋之
采采芣苢
薄言袺之
采采芣苢
薄言襭之
翻訳
Gathering, gathering plantain, come, let us gather it. Gathering, gathering plantain, come, let us get it. Gathering, gathering plantain, come, let us pick it up. Gathering, gathering plantain, come, let us strip it by hand. Gathering, gathering plantain, come, let us hold it in our lifted skirts. Gathering, gathering plantain, come, let us tuck up our skirts and carry it full.
解説
"Fu Yi" is one of the most distinctive labor songs in the Book of Songs. It has almost no plot and very little explicit emotion. Instead, it repeats the act of gathering plantain, turning work itself into rhythm and song. "Fu yi" is usually understood as a kind of plantain or plantain-like herb. The poem does not explain its use. What matters is the process of gathering. The poem feels like something sung by a group while working outdoors. The repeated phrase "gathering, gathering plantain" creates the basic pulse. The repetition suggests continuous movement: bending, reaching, plucking, lifting, carrying. It also suggests a collective voice, not just one person speaking privately. The phrase "bo yan" functions mostly as a rhythmic particle. The real development comes through the verbs: gather, get, pick up, strip, lift in the skirt, tuck into the skirt. These verbs show a complete sequence of labor. The workers begin to gather, collect more, handle the plants in different ways, and finally use their clothing to carry the harvest. So the poem is not empty repetition. It moves through the stages of work. The repetition gives it the feel of a work chant, while the changing verbs give it progression. The emotional tone is bright and healthy. Unlike "Juan Er," which turns gathering into longing, "Fu Yi" remains close to the bodily rhythm of labor. It expresses the satisfaction of movement, coordination, and harvest. The joy here is not romantic or dramatic. It is communal, practical, and physical. The poem's importance lies in its simplicity. It preserves something very old: people working together, repeating motions, singing in rhythm, and turning ordinary labor into shared song.
作者紹介
"Fu Yi" comes from the "Zhou Nan" section of the "Airs of the States" in the Book of Songs. Its author is unknown. The Book of Songs is the earliest anthology of Chinese poetry, containing more than three hundred poems from roughly the early Western Zhou to the mid-Spring and Autumn period. The "Zhou Nan" poems often concern love, marriage, household life, labor, and ritual culture. "Fu Yi" is a classic example of an ancient labor song, using minimal language and repeated structure to capture the rhythm, cooperation, and vitality of collective work.