-Pre-Qin works

What a night tonight, roaming in the river.

What day is today? Together with the prince.

I'm ashamed. I don't deserve my humble opinion.

My heart is stubborn and uneasy, and I know the prince.

There are trees on the mountain and branches on the tree. My heart likes you. You don't know that.

Today's translation:

What a day it is today!

I am sailing in the middle of the river.

What a day it is today!

I can't believe I'm in the same boat as the prince.

The prince likes me (ouch, shy)!

I don't care about anything

My heart is like a deer,

I can't believe I saw the prince.

There are trees on the mountain, but trees have branches (knowledge)

(But) my heart likes the prince so much that he doesn't know (maybe, it's better not to know).

(Note: Prince refers to Xi, a gentleman in Hubei during the Spring and Autumn Period)

A boat with a leaf, a girl who loves spring. A happy song, a sincere feeling. The secret love of the ancients is like a slender but crystal clear landscape, jubilant but silent? Who made our secret love so bitter? Heart?

There is a historical story in Shuo Yuan compiled by Liu Xiang in Han Dynasty:

The neck of the State of Chu, dressed in gorgeous clothes, came down to the river surrounded by his entourage. Dr. Zhuang Xin happened to pass by. After seeing Xiang, he stood up and wanted to shake hands with Xiang. Shaking hands was a very serious act in ancient times, so Xiang was very angry and his face changed greatly. Zhuang Xin felt a little uncomfortable when he saw it. He turned to wash his hands and told Xiang a story about a gentleman in Hubei:

One day, the gentleman from Hubei province was sitting on a gorgeous cruise ship engraved with bluebirds, and he heard a Vietnamese boat manager singing with paddles. The song is euphemistic, and Mr. Hubei is very moved, but he just can't understand what he is singing. So Mr. E hired an interpreter to translate the lyrics of the rower into Chu language. This is a famous Vietnamese song in later generations. The lyrics are as follows:

What day is it today? In the middle of the boat; What day is it today? Must be in the same boat as the prince. I'm ashamed. I don't deserve my humble opinion. I feel a little agitated and know the prince. There are trees on the mountain and branches on the tree. My heart likes you. You don't know that.

After understanding the meaning of the lyrics, Mr. E immediately stepped forward, hugged the rower and put embroidery on him. After listening to this story, Xiang stepped forward and extended his friendly hands to Zhuang Xin.

The above story happened around 540 BC. At that time, although Chu and Yue were neighboring countries, their dialects were impassable, so the communication needed the help of translation. This "Song of Ren Yue" is the first existing translated poem in the history of China. This poem is close to the sentimental work of Chu Ci, and its artistic level is very high. Together with other Chu folk poems, it has become the artistic source of Chu Ci.

Note: According to legend, Yue Yue Ge was the first poem translated by China. Yue Nv, who was swimming in the river, worshipped him and sang a song in Vietnamese. Mr. Hubei asked someone to translate Chu Ci, which is a beautiful love poem. Some people say that after understanding this song and Yue Nv's heart, E Jun took her back with a smile.