Book of Songs

唐风·蟋蟀

Táng fēng · Xī shuài

佚名

Yì míng

Xī shuài zài táng, suì yù qí mù. Jīn wǒ bù lè, rì yuè qí chú. Wú yǐ tài kāng, zhí sī qí jū. Hào lè wú huāng, liáng shì jù jù.

蟋蟀在堂，岁聿其莫。今我不乐，日月其除。无已大康，职思其居。好乐无荒，良士瞿瞿。

Xī shuài zài táng, suì yù qí shì. Jīn wǒ bù lè, rì yuè qí mài. Wú yǐ tài kāng, zhí sī qí wài. Hào lè wú huāng, liáng shì jué jué.

蟋蟀在堂，岁聿其逝。今我不乐，日月其迈。无已大康，职思其外。好乐无荒，良士蹶蹶。

Xī shuài zài táng, yì chē qí xiū. Jīn wǒ bù lè, rì yuè qí tāo. Wú yǐ tài kāng, zhí sī qí yōu. Hào lè wú huāng, liáng shì xiū xiū.

蟋蟀在堂，役车其休。今我不乐，日月其慆。无以大康，职思其忧。好乐无荒，良士休休。

Translation

The crickets are in the hall; the year is drawing to its close. If we do not rejoice now, the days and months will pass away. Yet let us not sink into excessive ease; let us remember our duties and our place. To enjoy delight without falling into disorder—that is the alertness of a worthy man. The crickets are in the hall; the year is passing. If we do not rejoice now, the days and months will move on. Yet let us not become too complacent; let us think of affairs beyond ourselves. To enjoy delight without neglect—that is the diligence of a worthy man. The crickets are in the hall; the service carts have come to rest. If we do not rejoice now, time will vanish. Yet let us not indulge in ease; let us remember future worries. To love joy without waste—that is the measured calm of a worthy man.

Analysis

“The Crickets” meditates on pleasure and restraint at the end of the year. The sound of crickets in the hall marks the approach of winter and the passing of time. The speaker admits the brevity of life: if we do not rejoice now, the days and months will be gone. Yet the poem never becomes a simple call to indulgence. Each stanza pulls back with the warning not to fall into excessive ease. Joy is allowed, even necessary, but it must not make one forget one’s place, duties, or future anxieties. The poem’s depth lies in this balance: time is fleeting, but a worthy person remains measured. It combines a sense of mortality with an ethic of self-command.

About the Author

The airs in the Book of Songs were largely drawn from regional songs of the Zhou world, and their individual authors are unknown. They are therefore traditionally attributed to “Anonymous.” These poems preserve voices from folk singing, ritual occasions, labor, love, marriage, complaint, longing, and public life. Their language is simple yet highly shaped by repetition, rhythm, and image. Because they are not tied to a single named poet, they carry a broader collective memory of early Chinese society and form one of the deepest sources of the Chinese poetic tradition.