Book of Songs
郑风·褰裳
佚名
子惠思我，褰裳涉溱。
子不我思，岂无他人？
狂童之狂也且！
子惠思我，褰裳涉洧。
子不我思，岂无他士？
狂童之狂也且！
Translation
If you truly care for me, lift your robe and cross the Zhen River to come to me. If you do not think of me, are there no others I could love? Ah, reckless boy, how reckless you are! If you truly care for me, lift your robe and cross the Wei River to come to me. If you do not think of me, are there no other men I could love? Ah, reckless boy, how reckless you are!
Analysis
“Lifting the Skirt” is a lively love song built on challenge rather than complaint. The speaker, a young woman, does not wait passively. She tells the young man that if he truly thinks of her, he should lift his robe and cross the river. If he does not, she is not without other choices. The poem’s repeated structure gives her voice clarity and force. The rivers Zhen and Wei are not merely geographical details. In the world of the “Airs of Zheng,” rivers often form spaces of encounter, courtship, and seasonal festivity. To cross the water is to turn feeling into action. The woman asks not for words but for proof. The final line, “reckless boy, how reckless you are,” is both rebuke and intimate teasing. It suggests irritation, affection, and playful authority all at once. The poem therefore captures not sorrowful longing, but youthful urgency, pride, and flirtation. Its lasting charm lies in the agency of the female voice. Love here is not passive waiting. It is a negotiation between desire and dignity, between invitation and refusal.
About the Author
The poems in the “Airs” section of the Book of Songs are mostly anonymous songs from different regions of the Zhou world. They preserve scenes of love, labor, ritual, war, social complaint, and everyday emotion. Their language is direct yet layered, often relying on repetition to deepen feeling. The “Airs of Zheng” are especially known for their vivid treatment of courtship and romantic exchange.