Reed - A Three Thousand Years Old Love Poem

I composed this song over a poem selected from the Classics of Poetry, the oldest poetry collection in China, dating from 1100 BCE to 700 BCE. This recording becomes the outro musical score for the documentary Dancing with the Dead, featuring Red Pine, a renowned writer and Chinese classic poetry translator.

In the tradition of Chinese poetry, “beauty” or the “loved one” is often used a metaphor for the Inner Self, our truest essence, often masked by our attachment to worldly identities, desires or possessions. In the tender longings expressed by this poem, I was reminded that it is an ongoing journey to live our life in alignment with our truest essence.

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lyrics

By the river bank lush reeds grow,
covered in dew white as snow;
The beauty I want to know,
is somewhere along the river flow;
Wading against the running water,
along a tough and windy path I go;
Swimming down the river flow,
I find her right in the middle.

By the river bank dense reeds flourish,
covered in dew so fresh;
The beauty I want to search,
is somewhere along the sandy beach;
Wading against the running water,
a tough and strenuous path I pick;
Swimming along the sandy beach,
I find her on a shoal within reach.

By the river bank thick reeds multiply,
covered in dew reflecting light;
The beauty I want to find,
is somewhere along the water line;
Wading against the running water,
a tough and long path I tried;
Swimming along the water line,
I find her right on an isle.

蒹葭苍苍，白露为霜。所谓伊人，在水一方。

溯洄从之，道阻且长。溯游从之，宛在水中央。

蒹葭萋萋，白露未晞。所谓伊人，在水之湄。

溯洄从之，道阻且跻。溯游从之，宛在水中坻。

蒹葭采采，白露未已。所谓伊人，在水之涘。

溯洄从之，道阻且右。溯游从之，宛在水中沚。