Book of Songs
唐风·羔裘
佚名
羔裘豹袪，自我人居居。岂无他人？维子之故。
羔裘豹褎，自我人究究。岂无他人？维子之好。
Translation
You wear a lambskin robe with leopard-fur cuffs, yet toward me you are proud and distant. Are there no others in the world? It is only because of what once bound me to you that I still care. You wear a lambskin robe with leopard-fur sleeves, yet toward me you are cold and hard. Are there no others in the world? It is only because of the affection I once had for you that I cannot simply turn away.
Analysis
“Gao Qiu” is brief, but emotionally layered. The lambskin robe and leopard-fur trim suggest dignity, elegance, or social standing. Yet this outward refinement contrasts sharply with the person’s inward attitude: proud, distant, cold, and hard. The line “Are there no others?” sounds like wounded self-respect. The speaker insists that they are not without alternatives. But the following line turns the poem inward: “It is because of you,” “because of what was good in you.” The speaker’s attachment survives not because the present relationship is kind, but because memory still holds power. The poem therefore captures a difficult emotional truth: resentment and affection can coexist. Its restraint makes it more convincing. Instead of explaining the history between the two people, it lets clothing, tone, and repeated questions reveal the pain of being unable to detach.
About the Author
“Gao Qiu” is an anonymous poem from the “Tang Feng” section of the Book of Songs. Traditional readings often understand it as criticism of those in office who fail to care for others, though it can also be read as a poem of personal estrangement. Like many poems in the Book of Songs, it uses clothing and ornament to reveal character. The elegant robe becomes a contrast to the wearer’s emotional coldness.