It is generally believed that this is a joyful labor song. But when I read this poem again, it reminded me of the scene of picking bananas in our hometown when I was a child. I think this poem is a process of picking bananas and a kind of wisdom inheritance of labor. Why do you say that? From some key words in the article and the life scenes we experienced at that time, we can see that most of the poems of "national style" in the Book of Songs are life experiences at that time. On the other hand, if we want to better understand these poems, we can put them into our lives to restore the specific scenes at that time, and perhaps we can understand them well.
I. Original text
plantain
Pick slugs (1) and Bo Yan (2). There are 3 picking slugs. Pick slugs, thin words 4. Pick slugs and smooth your words (5). Pick the slug and talk about it (6). Pick and choose crickets and elaborate (7). [ 1]
Two. notes
1. Mining: lush appearance. It means that it is lush enough to be picked, so that the word "picking" can be well associated with picking, and it is much easier to understand and associate it. The old solutions are mostly verbs. 2. Fruy fü y ǐ: the name of the plant, that is, plantain seeds, seeds and whole grass are used as medicine.
3. Thin words: words are meaningless. When we say "thin" is an adjective, thin (picking), in my hometown, when I was a child, we were taught not to uproot wild vegetables, not to pick them too hard, and to leave room for wild vegetables that continue to grow behind and those picked by others. This way is called picking thin; Picking more leaves and leaving fewer leaves is called picking thick. This truth is the inheritance of ancient people's labor wisdom, which is the same as the truth that we can't exhaust our resources and fish.
4. yes: take it. Speaking of custody. This meaning accords with the above meaning. When picking wild vegetables or leeks in the countryside, you should leave a part for it to continue to grow in the back and not cut it off.
5. (Du Bu Duo): Answer it. If you fall to the ground here, you should pick it up to show the working people's love for plantains.
6. Touch (Lu Fei): Grab something by hand and take it off. The fruit of banana is a string, and it is faster to pick it by stroking. 7. Sister: Take things with your skirt. The word "Xie" is used vividly. Hold it in one hand and the skirt in the other. Just because it is connected with the skirt, it is directly next to the word "Yi".
8. Xie (xié association): Turn the skirt upside down and put it in the belt to get something. Say the same, pick and choose. In the specific labor scene, we should pick out the unqualified leaves and throw them away after picking. Because this is the choice in the pocket of clothes, it is also next to the word clothes.
Three. translate
As for the translation of this poem, direct translation also feels awkward. If we regard it as a rhetorical device of intertextuality, we can avoid blunt translation caused by intertextuality. The translation of intertextual rhetoric is often used in Mulan Poetry, for example, "A general dies after a hundred battles, but a strong man returns after ten years." The soldiers fought many wars, some died for their country, some fought for many years and returned home in triumph. And you can't literally translate it. Among several verbs in this poem, if we regard it as a rhetorical device of intertextuality, the translation will be much smoother.
We can imagine such a scene. A mother and daughter were walking on the road when they suddenly saw some bananas on the side of the road, but they didn't have any tools to carry them. The mother had a brainwave and thought of a way to teach her children how to choose.
First of all, choose bright and prosperous crickets that can be picked. Pay attention to protective picking (thin words) when picking, and don't uproot them. Leave room for others to choose next time.
Bright and prosperous slugs are carefully picked (not cruel to each plant), and those that accidentally fall to the ground should be picked up in time. If it's a string of slugs, you can row them down one by one.
Bright and lush slugs, picked thin, lifted their skirts and put them in their pockets. When picking, you can't uproot, mow, tuck your skirt and come back. If some leaves are not good, you can pick them out.
In this way, in the process of picking crickets, a mother and son feel the joy of labor, sing the joy of labor and teach the wisdom of labor. In the end, it was condensed into a poem that was sung through the ages-"National Wind Nan Zhou Waste".