Book of Songs
Quan Shui
Anonymous
毖彼泉水
亦流于淇
有怀于卫
靡日不思
娈彼诸姬
聊与之谋
出宿于泲
饮饯于祢
女子有行
远父母兄弟
问我诸姑
遂及伯姊
出宿于干
饮饯于言
载脂载舝
还车言迈
遄臻于卫
不瑕有害
我思肥泉
兹之永叹
思须与漕
我心悠悠
驾言出游
以写我忧
Translation
Clear flows that spring water, and it too runs into the Qi. I long for Wei; not a day passes without thought of it. Those lovely Ji women — let me speak with them and make my plans. I set out and lodged at Ji, then drank the farewell cup at Mi. When a woman goes in marriage, she goes far from father, mother, and brothers. I ask after my aunts, and then about my elder sister. I set out and lodged at Gan, then drank the farewell cup at Yan. The axles are greased, the linchpins fixed; turn the carriage and let it go. If I quickly reached Wei, what harm could there be? I think of Fei Spring, and for this I sigh long. I think of Xu and Cao; my heart stretches far and long. I will drive out for a while, to pour away my sorrow.
Analysis
"Quan Shui" is a poem of homesickness from the "Bei Feng" section of the Book of Songs. It is usually read as the voice of a married woman longing for her native state of Wei, her parents, siblings, female relatives, and the places of her childhood. Its sorrow is quiet, but deep. The poem begins with spring water flowing into the Qi River. Water can move naturally toward Wei's landscape, but the speaker cannot. This contrast between flowing water and constrained human movement shapes the whole poem. "I long for Wei; not a day passes without thought of it." Wei is more than a political state. It is home: the place of birth, family, kinship, memory, and identity. The speaker's longing is constant, not occasional. The line about the lovely Ji women suggests consultation with women of her clan or lineage. She wants to discuss her wish to return or visit. This matters because her desire is not simply private emotion; it is constrained by ritual, family structure, and marriage obligations. The second stanza states the social fact directly: "When a woman goes in marriage, she goes far from father, mother, and brothers." This is one of the poem's clearest lines. Marriage means relocation, and relocation means separation from the natal family. The speaker understands the rule, but understanding does not remove grief. She asks after her aunts and elder sister. These details make the homesickness concrete. Home is not only land; it is a network of people remembered by name and relation. In the third stanza, the carriage is ready: axles greased, linchpins fixed. The speaker imagines turning the carriage toward Wei. "If I quickly reached Wei, what harm could there be?" This rhetorical question reveals both desire and constraint. If there were truly no barrier, she would not need to ask. The final stanza names specific places: Fei Spring, Xu, and Cao. These place names deepen the poem's realism. The speaker does not long for an abstract homeland; she remembers particular waters, towns, and landscapes. "I will drive out for a while, to pour away my sorrow" closes the poem with partial relief, not resolution. Going out for a drive can ease sorrow, but it is not the same as returning home. Her longing remains. "Quan Shui" is moving because it gives voice to the divided life of a married woman in the ancient world. She belongs to her husband's household, but emotionally remains tied to her natal home. The spring water can return to the Qi; she cannot so easily return to Wei.
About the Author
"Quan Shui" comes from the "Bei Feng" 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. "Bei Feng" preserves songs associated with the region of Bei and the state of Wei, many of which concern marriage, family, politics, war, separation, labor, and emotional distress. "Quan Shui" is an important poem of female homesickness, using flowing spring water as an image for the speaker's longing to return to Wei and reconnect with her natal family and homeland.