Chinese poem illustration: 邶风 雄雉/ Bei Wind – Male pheasant by Anonymous

邶风 雄雉

A Woman Complaining Poem(闺怨诗 or 宫怨诗) interpreted by Han scholars complains of the lords who is absent and clareless. While this interpretation obviously can not justify the last paragraph, especially the sentence : Thou Hundred of Lords(百尔君子). How could a wife complains about hundreds of lords, who are supposed to be her husband.

My new interpretation: a lord of Shang recalled Shang dynasty’ ancestors and glory and blamed the contemporary Shang people who are weak and careless, he was hopeless of the recovery of Shang’s glory. The 4th paragraph could be interpreted another way: You hundreds of lords today, you got no virtue nor feat. You are not brave, neither praying to god and our ancestors, what the hell you have done that make all of us such a huge misfortune.

The parallelled image of male pheasant is analysed with history record and archeology finding out. The meaning of Sun and Moon are explained and referenced.

Correction: 泄泄 should be pronounced as Yi4Yi4.

邶风 雄雉
佚名

雄雉于飞,泄泄其羽。
我之怀矣,自诒伊阻。

雄雉于飞,下上其音。
展矣君子,实劳我心

瞻彼日月,悠悠我思。
道之云远,曷云能来?

百尔君子,不知德行。
不忮不求,何用不臧?

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