Book of Songs
郑风·出其东门
佚名
出其东门，有女如云。
虽则如云，匪我思存。
缟衣綦巾，聊乐我员。
出其闉闍，有女如荼。
虽则如荼，匪我思且。
缟衣茹藘，聊可与娱。
Translation
Going out through the eastern gate, I see women as many as clouds. Though they are as many as clouds, they are not the one I long for. Only the woman in white, with the dark-green kerchief, can bring joy to my heart. Going out beyond the outer gate, I see women as many as white reeds. Though they are as many as reeds, they are not the one I think of. Only the woman in white, with madder-red adornment, can share my delight.
Analysis
“Going Out Through the Eastern Gate” is a poem of fidelity amid abundance. The scene is crowded and bright: women are as numerous as clouds, as many as white reeds. Yet the speaker’s attention is not scattered. The many only make the one more distinct. The key lines, “though they are as many as clouds, they are not the one I long for,” turn abundance into contrast. The poem does not deny beauty in the crowd; it simply says that desire has already chosen its object. Love here is defined by singularity. The beloved is identified by clothing: white garments, a green kerchief, madder-red adornment. The poem does not offer a detailed portrait. Instead, color and dress become the marks by which memory holds a person apart from the crowd. The poem’s charm lies in this combination of public scene and private certainty. Outside, there is movement and multitude. Within, the heart remains fixed.
About the Author
The anonymous songs of the Book of Songs preserve early Chinese emotional life in compact, musical forms. The “Airs of Zheng” often use public spaces—gates, roads, riversides—as settings for love, encounter, choice, and longing.