Dancing Under the Elm Trees
The white elm trees outside the eastern gate cast cool shadows, and the oaks on Mount Wanqiu are lush and verdant. The young girl from Zizhong’s family, in the prime of her youth, dances gracefully under the green trees. Choosing a good day with favorable winds, the square outside the southern gate is bustling. Beautiful girls set aside their work with hemp to dance joyously in the market. It is a good day for gatherings and meetings; a young man crosses the crowd to block her way. Seeing her pink, smiling face like a hollyhock flower, she gifts him a handful of purple and red fragrant peppercorns.
This poem is written from the perspective of a young man, with the girl being the daughter of Zizhong. The opening lines describe the places where young men and women gather: the outskirts of the state of Chen, where a large flat land is filled with dense white elms and oaks. This is not only a literal description of the location but also sets the scene for the beautiful spring scenery. In such a wonderful time and place, a group of beautiful people is doing delightful things: Zizhong’s beautiful daughter dances with elegant grace. Spring has arrived, and so has the springtime of the young men and women, who attract each other’s affectionate gazes with their enchanting dance moves.
The poem mentions a significant and special time, “Gudang,” which helps readers understand the poem and appreciate the ancient customs and their original meanings, revealing the origins of certain festivals and the special holidays and customs that still exist among some ethnic groups. Similarly, the location “southern plains” is not an ordinary place.
“Gudang at Cha, on the southern plains.” “Gudang,” according to Mao’s Commentary, means “good.” Zheng Jian explains, “Dan means bright. Yu means day. Cha means select. The morning sun is bright, and the days are selected.” Wang Xianqian’s “Collected Annotations of the Three Schools of Poetry” explains, “Gudang means a good day.” Zhu Xi’s “Collected Transmissions of Poetry” states, “A good day is chosen for gathering on the southern plains.” “Southern plains,” according to Yu Shengwu’s “New Evidence on the Poetry of Zelu Residence,” means “the high and flat plains of the south.”
A good day for sacrificial celebrations is a day of revelry. There were various sacrificial festivals in ancient times, such as the Torch Festival and the La Ri Festival, which were agricultural societies’ time standards and prayers for a good harvest, as well as the Shangsi Festival, which was a sacrificial day to pray for the flourishing of the tribe. Different sacrificial festivals had different rituals and celebrations, such as expelling ghosts, eating cold food, and temporarily restoring free sexual intercourse between men and women. According to Zhu Xi’s “Collected Transmissions of Poetry,” the state of Chen was known for its love of musical and shamanistic activities. The ancient customs of Chen were well preserved, leading to such “Gudang” celebrations.
Ancient critics often criticized the so-called “music of Zheng and Wei,” considering it licentious. However, what they referred to as “licentious” was merely the passionate and exuberant music of men and women singing and dancing. This was not limited to the music of Zheng and Wei. The music of Chen, judging from the content of the poems, was also quite “licentious.” “The Book of Han: Geography” states, “The women of Taiji were noble and loved sacrificial activities, using shamans. Therefore, the customs favored shamans and ghosts, beating drums on Mount Wanqiu and dancing under the elm trees. They inherited the legacy of Taiji’s songs and dances.” This poem, in particular, is about the love between men and women, suggesting that this “Gudang” was a sacrificial festival to pray for the flourishing of the tribe.
The “like a hollyhock” girl mentioned by the poet is the same as the “daughter of Zizhong” in the first stanza, the one “not spinning her hemp, dancing joyously in the market” in the second stanza. She is the object of the protagonist’s admiration.
The poem is beautifully written. Under the white elm trees outside the eastern gate, by the oak forest on Mount Wanqiu, at a wonderful time, young men and women go there to meet and talk about love. The girl dances gracefully, and the young man sings affectionately. The flower of happy love is about to bloom. In the young man’s eyes, the girl is as beautiful as a hollyhock flower; in the girl’s heart, the young man is her hope and ideal, and she gives him a bunch of peppercorns to express her feelings.
The poem “” vividly portrays the lively and passionate interactions between young men and women in ancient times, set against the backdrop of a springtime sacrificial festival. The detailed descriptions of the time and place, along with the depiction of traditional customs, provide a rich cultural context that enhances the reader’s understanding of the poem. The interplay between nature and human emotions, as well as the celebration of love and youth, makes this poem a timeless piece that continues to resonate with readers today.