陌上桑 日出东南隅, 照我秦氏楼. 秦氏有好女, 自名为罗敷. 罗敷喜蚕桑, 采桑城南隅. 青丝为笼系, 桂枝为笼钩. 头上倭堕髻, 耳中明月珠. 湘绮为下裙, 紫绮为上襦. 行者见罗敷, 下担捋髭须. 少年见罗敷, 脱帽著鞘头. 耕者忘绮犁, 锄者忘绮锄. 来归相怒怒, 但坐

The Roadside Mulberry
The rising sun from southeast nooks
Shines on the house of Qin, who
She calls herself Luo-fu.
She picks mulberry leaves still new
To feed silkworms in southern nook,
Her basket's bound with silk thread blue,
Of laurel bough is made a hook.
Her hair is dressed in pretty braid,
Like moonbeams her pearl earrings shine,
Of yellow silk her apron's made,
Her cloak of purple damask fine.
When she is seen by passers-by, Has a daughter of lovely looks;
The stroke their beards and there take root;
When she appears in young men's eye,
They doff their caps and make salute.
The ploughman thinks not of his plough,
The hoer leaves in field his hoe.
Back, they find fault with their wives now,
For they have seen Luo-fu aglow.
From the south comes the governor,
Whose carriage and five stop and stay.
He sends men to inquire of her.
"Who are you, pretty maid?" ask they
"I call my humble self Luo-fu."
"Pretty Luo-fu, how old are you?"
"My age is still less than a score,
But much more than fifteen, much more."
"Our lord bids us to ask Luo-fu,
Will you ride with our lord, will you?"
Luo-fu steps forth and makes reply:
"What nonsense you are talking! Why,
Your Excellency has his wife;
I have my husband dear for life.
There are more than a thousand steeds
In the east that my husband leads."
"But how can I your husband know?"
"Ah, by his horse as white as snow,
Whose tail is tied with a blue thread,
With golden halters round its head;
By the sword with its hilt of jade,
For which its weight in gold he paid.
"At fifteen he was a junior clerk;
At twenty he did a courtier's work;
At thirty he wore chamberlain's gown;
At forty he was lord of a town.
"His face and skin are white and fair,
A rather long beard he does wear.
In the court he walks to and fro,
And goes to the palace with steps slow.
Among the thousands in the hall,
He's deemed the most distinguished of all."