Book of Songs
郑风·野有蔓草
佚名
野有蔓草，零露漙兮。
有美一人，清扬婉兮。
邂逅相遇，适我愿兮。
野有蔓草，零露瀼瀼。
有美一人，婉如清扬。
邂逅相遇，与子偕臧。
Translation
In the open fields, trailing grasses spread, and round dewdrops shine upon them. There is a beautiful person, clear-eyed and gentle. By chance we meet, and it fulfills my heart’s desire. In the open fields, trailing grasses spread, and the dewdrops gleam in abundance. There is a beautiful person, gentle and bright-eyed. By chance we meet; with you, may all be well.
Analysis
“Wild Creeping Grass” is one of the most luminous encounter poems in the Book of Songs. It has no complex plot. It offers only fields, dew, beauty, and an unexpected meeting. Precisely because of this simplicity, the poem feels fresh and deeply moving. The opening images place us in a dewy field, perhaps in the early morning. The spreading grasses and round, abundant dew create a world that is moist, bright, and alive. Before the beloved appears, the landscape itself already carries expectancy. The beauty of the person is described as “clear and gentle.” The poem does not emphasize ornament or extravagance. It values brightness of expression, softness of manner, and natural grace. The beloved belongs to the freshness of the scene. The phrase “by chance we meet, and it fulfills my wish” gives the poem its emotional center. Chance and desire suddenly coincide. Love here is not laboriously pursued; it arrives like a gift from the natural world. The second stanza’s “with you, may all be well” extends the moment of meeting into a hope for shared happiness. The poem endures because it presents love in its least burdened form: clear, spontaneous, and as natural as dew on grass.
About the Author
The anonymous songs of the Book of Songs often begin with natural images and move gently into human feeling. Grasses, dew, birds, rivers, and trees become emotional settings. The “Airs of Zheng” include many poems of love and encounter, and “Wild Creeping Grass” is among the freshest and most radiant of them.