Sacred Texts  Confucianism  Index  Previous  Next 


The Book of Poetry, tr. by James Legge, [1876], at sacred-texts.com


p. 265

VII

The Ku Fêng; allusive. Some one complains of the alienation from him of an old friend, produced by the change for the better in the circumstances of the latter.

1Gently and soft the east wind blows,
  And then there falls the pelting rain.
When anxious fears pressed round you close,
  Then linked together were we twain.
Now happy, and your mind at rest,
You turn and cast me from your breast.

2Gently and soft the east wind blows,
  And then there comes the whirlwind wild.
When anxious fears pressed round you close,
  Your bosom held me as a child.
Now happy, and in peaceful state,
You throw me off and quite forget.

3Gently and soft the east wind blows,
  Then round the rocky height it storms.
Each plant its leaves all dying shows;
  The trees display their withered forms.
My virtues great forgotten all,
You keep in mind my faults, though small.


Next: VIII. Liao O