Shijing #78

Shijing #78

John Bjarne Grover

Young Brother goes into the fields
and mounts his mounting horse
and takes the reins of silken cords,
the other side of reals.
Young Brother rests his head.
Heat of gene's implement
strips sleeves of tiger heat's intent
to let the public shed
protect him, uninclined to evil,
and guard the undistressed female.

Young Brother goes into the fields
when rises rising yellow.
Inside, a pair of sobbing fellows,
outside, wild geese unreal.
Young Brother rests his head on hot
genetic feel of state.
Young Brother's good to aim at fate
and good to drive the chariot
or, if you like, to beat the stone
and leave its escort all alone.

Young Brother goes into the land
along with gooselike bird,
a pair of pants the head had heard
when horses clapped like hands.
Young Brother rests his head:
Heat feels the fertile mound
will gather rapidness slowed down
collecting what he said.
Or, as one opens for a 'bing'
the spirit's bowing for the thing.

There is a sign 'ji' at the end of lines 17-20 and 27-30 which means 'superstitious fear, superstition, avoid, shun, be curious of, hate'. It is possible to translate line 17 with 'good to shoot at hate' - but I think my solution of 'good to aim at fate' is better after all. It should be 'peaceful', dont you think so?

It seems that this poem of Shijing could be the 'launchpad' of quite extensive 'unconstitutional secret intelligence service' plans and strategies. It is basically the story of Young Brother who rides out in the field as a symbol of human sexuality. It is possible to read it in hubris format of 'burning' passion and 'flames' of tiger heat, and there could be battle-axes and other things for those who are out for such interpretations. But it is certainly also possible to read it as the story of peaceful and creative intent. In the centuries before Christ, people naturally thought in terms of elements - all is water, all is fire - but today that can take ideas astray. The eventual sexual unity with the woman probably went through the element of fire in those days - while these lost roots of human reality today could be controlled by the 'secret intelligence services' (or sth like that) who can offer 'fire' if needed. This may be the theme and philosophy of those who go for the 'chemicals' as 'political' tool - that it can help them with a feel they otherwise have difficulties with arriving at. (Tried confession to a priest in church?) Or 'fire' on Lenin 1924 and his 'revolution' could be a comparable idea.

I mention some examples that could be telling of the relevance of this poem:

1) In the late 1970's I got from Terje Resell a booklet which he had made as part of his exam at the art school in Oslo - it was Tarjei Vesaas' "Mannen og hesten" = 'The man and the horse', illustrated with Resell's woodcuts, I think it was. It is possible that the booklet was issued in a quite small number. Unfortunately this norwegian publication went on the antiquariat dump of nearly all my norwegian books in early 2000 when I had to flee the country. Could be Jeffrey Preston Bezos' 'Amazon' could find it?

2) Bill Gates' 'Windows' of Seattle finds an interpretation in the beginning of the second half of the 30-line poem - in line 16 the three first words ('huo lie ju') have been interpreted in the three first words of line 6 (and they are also the beginning of line 26) and therefore the first new word of the second half of the 30 words is 'yáng' = (Matthews 7259) 'scatter, spread, winnow, publish abroad, praise' etc. Seattle spreads Windows published abroad etc? The 'proof' that this could be an interesting interpretation is in the word 'BING' in the second last line: I have searched in vain in Mathews and other chinese dictionaries for this word which resembles (plus an extra 'month'-ly cupboard) the sign NIU that 'lowered' Lenin at the end of line 9 - here it is the second last sign of line 29. The second last of line 19 is a 'KONG' = Mathews 3726. In Norway there was the science fiction author pair 'Bing & Bringsværd' - which was my first association to this 'bing'. The new Windows from Microsoft has a socalled 'bing bar'.

In my translation I have chosen to leave it untranslated - the 'strange' word that is let in to the sympathetic poem (or poetess) even if one knows not with certainty what it is. The gooselike bird is called a 'bustard' in Mathews 4953.

It is a pity if puerile 'services' have planned a coup d'etat by using this poem to cheat people into opening the door for the 'binge' that lets their spirit (Lenin-like) bow down to the 'thing', being 'lowered down' by it (due to the 'bill' at the 'gates'?). A lot of internet pages these days seem to ask for permission to be opened by 'Datenschutzerklärungen' etc - but some of these may call for an opening by the 'bing bar' of Windows? Or the 'bing bar' is something else. Could be all these things are protective, though, for taking the brunt out of such a potential planned 'agent coup' - could be an attempt to start a 'black sea loop', a veritable 'binge'. Why all this 'secret' intelligence - if all of it is one single poem that everybody pretends they havent heard about? Are you among those selected ones that have been let in to the secrets of the conspiracy? Or is this the current epidemic: Dont open for the 'bing'? The strange word could perhaps also have been associated with an 'evil inclination' in terms of a metal tool - as 'a division of ancient China' - hidden in the vagina, at the surprise of which the 'young brother' will bow down, be 'lowered down'.

The first word of line 9 is 'jiang' (Mathews 656) which means a number of things, including 'leader', 'thumb' etc. The head of the poem is the same 'shu yu tian' as #77 preceded by a 'Da' = 'great, big, tall, vast, noble, fullgrown, make great'. Could be, therefore, that the poem is not totally uninteresting for politics.

Is TIAN and KONG also interesting?

My driving licence was issued in the 1980's but the photo has faded away so much that it cannot be used for driving a chariot. Were it to tell of the genetics?

People still want their human sexuality - but that should not mean that they thereby have to want and accept power intrigues of unconstitutional kind. It is possible to read the poem without such intrigues. I take it that Trump's election program could have included the element that we do not want such intrigues. A quisling coup is not very 'great'.

Added on 23 march 2020: Chinese for 'Young Brother' is 'shu' - and there is arguably a 'berg' in the last stanza.

Source:

Simon, R.: Shijing. Das altchinesische Buch der Lieder. Chinesisch/Deutsch. Übersetzt und herausgegeben von Rainald Simon. Reclam Bibliothek 2015.