Sao P oe t ry : t He Lyr i cS of c h u 4135 I throw my jacket into the river, 捐余袂兮江中 ( juān yù mèi xi jiāng zhōng)
And leave my shirt in the mouth of the Li.12 遺余褋兮醴浦 (yí yú dié xi lĭ pŭ)
I pick lavenders in the fragrant isle, 搴汀洲兮杜若 (qiān tīng zhōu xi dù ruò)
And will give them to the one far away. 將以遺兮遠者 ( jiāng yĭ wèi xi yuăn zhĕ)
Time of happiness cannot be had repeatedly, 時不可兮驟得 (shí bù kĕ xi zhòu dé)
40 Let us now take our time and roam at ease. 聊逍遙兮容 與 (liáo xiāo yáo xi róng yŭ)
[CCBZ, 64–68]
C 2. 3
On Encountering Trouble 離騷 (Lí sāo)Scion of the high lord Gao Yang,15 帝高陽之苗裔兮 (dì gāo yáng zhī miáo yì xi)
Bo Yong was my honored father’s name. 朕皇考曰伯庸 (zhèn huáng kăo yuē bó yōng)
When the constellation She Ti pointed to the
first month, 攝提貞于孟陬兮 (shè tí zhēn yú mèng zōu xi)
On the day geng-yin I passed from the womb.16 惟庚寅吾以降 (wéi gēng yín wú yĭ jiàng)
5 My father, seeing the aspect of my nativity, 皇覽揆余初度兮 (huáng lăn kuí yú chū dù xi)
Took omens to give me an auspicious name. 肇錫余以嘉名 (zhào cì yú yĭ jiā míng)
The name he gave me was True Exemplar 名余曰正則兮 (míng yú yuē zhèng zé xi)
The title he gave me was Divine Balance.1 7 字余曰靈均 (zì yú yuē líng jūn)
As I mentioned, in “On Encountering Trouble,” Qu Yuan appropriated some
important features of these two poems, in particular their central motif of a love
quest and floral imagery, and transforms them into an integral part of its sym-
bolism. “On Encountering Trouble” is informed by an autobiographical voice that
presumably belongs to Qu Yuan, and so, before turning our attention to this long
poem, a brief consideration of his life will be useful.
Much of what we know about Qu Yuan is subject to controversy.13 According to
his disputed biography in the Shiji (Records of the Grand Scribe), compiled by Sima
Qian (145–86? b .C.e.), Qu Yuan was a member of the royal house of Chu and once
served as a high minister under King Huai (Chu Huai Wang, d. 296 b.C.e.). He
was a man of great learning and a talented statesman and diplomat. At first he en-
joyed the trust of King Huai, but later, the king succumbed to the vicious slander
and accusations against Qu Yuan from his political rivals at court. As a result, Qu
Yuan fell out of favor. After the death of King Huai, his successor, King Qingxiang
(Qingxiang Wang, r. 298–263 b.C.e.), continued the persecution of Qu Yuan and
eventually banished him. Qu Yuan spent a few years in exile and finally drowned
himself in the Miluo River.14
The most prominent feature of “On Encountering Trouble” is that it revolves
around a poetic persona, whose experience and contemplation dominate and
structure this otherwise convoluted poem. The persona integrates shamanism,
ancient history, and events and philosophical ideas of Qu Yuan’s time to form a
unique symbolism, one that serves as a powerful tool of self-expression.