In “Classic of Poetry,” ten poems offer several interpretations of morals and virtues that transcend time. Work ethic, loyalty, purity, and reverence for nature all permeate the lines in each poem, extolling the virtues of goodness and patience. “Fishhawk” repeats “Gentle maiden, pure and fair” several times throughout the poem, indicating that a woman is more attractive when her beauty radiates from within -- her purity (759-760). Followed by the “Peach Tree Soft and Tender,” the message of purity and loyalty continues to assert that a woman must be faithful to her family and husband, maintaining her purity once again (760). In “Plums Are Falling,” once again the the maiden must remain pure and faithful to the one who will become her husband. “Many men want me” repeats the narrator, who must choose amongst the fruit -- men -- courting her, but she can only be the “bride of one” (760). In contrast to the first three poems, “Dead Roe Deer” implies a young maiden has gone into the forest with a young man where they likely become intimate with each other against the cautions of the previous three poems.
“Huge Rat” and “She Bore the Folk” set more guidance for worth ethic and respect for nature. The narrator of “Huge Rat” pleads with a rat to stop eating their crops, seemingly ready to give up life due to the hardship caused by nature’s wrath upon their farm. Leaving the rat for somewhere happier seems to indicate the narrator is contemplating suicide, rather than determining a way to stop the rat from destroying the millet, wheat, and sprouts (764). Finally, Lord Millet grows into a prosperous farmer, cultivating crops to feed future generations and encouraging the successors to continue striving for bountiful harvests. Nature can give or take, but hard work and faith pay in dividends.
Works Cited
“Classic of Poetry.” The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Gen. ed. Martin Puchner. Shorter Third edition. Vol. 1. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2013. 759-766. Print.
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