Oaths of Friendship by anonymous poets of Yüeh

1

If you were riding in a coach
And I were wearing a “li”*
And one day we met in the road,
You would get down and bow.
If you were carrying a “teng,”**
And I were riding on a horse,
And one day we met in the road
I would get down for you.

2

SHANG YA!
I want to be your friend
For ever and ever without break or decay.
When the hills are all flat
And the rivers are all dry,
When it lightens and thunders in winter,
When it rains and snows in summer,
When Heaven and Earth mingle—
Not till then will I part from you.

translated by Arthur Waley

*a peasant’s straw coat
**an umbrella under which wares are sold

4 thoughts on “Oaths of Friendship by anonymous poets of Yüeh

  1. I would like to share those 2 poems to my students in class as a Chinese teacher.

    But I wish to share the original Chinese poem with them. Is it possible to let me know the original poem either Chinese or pinyin will be fine for me? Your kindness help will be really appreciated.

    Chevy

    • Hi Chevy, I took those poems from Arthur Waley’s book 170 Chinese Poems which is not a bi-lingual edition. However, I checked amazon just now and another book is available with the Chinese originals that Waley used to compile his book. It’s title: 170 Classical Chinese Poems: the originals of Arthur Waley’s’s translations. The Chinese originals are in the same order as in Waley’s book. Those 2 poems are on page 57 of Waley’s book of translations. Hopefully that will help. Amazon has it in paperback. Good luck.

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