Pekinese Rhymes/13

by Guido Vitale

XIII

小白菜兒
地裏黃
七八歲兒
離了娘
好好兒跟着爹爹過
又怕爹爹娶後娘
去了後娘三年整
養了個兄弟比我強
他吃菜
我泡湯
哭哭啼啼想親娘

NOTES

Of all the popular songs that are in this collection, I think this one could claim any artistic value. It is very simple, subject and words, but the child's grief is movingly depicted. The boy likenes himself to a small cabbage which gets yellow and dry in the earth, because nobody takes care of it. The comparison is not poetical for us, but in China there is nothing peculiarly vulgar attached to the word cabbage. 過 kuo⁴ is here for 過日子 kuo⁴ jih⁴-tzŭ, to live, to get on. 三年整 san¹ nien² cheng³, just after three years. 泡湯 p'ao⁴ t'ang¹, to pour the gravy on the rice. 哭哭帝帝 k'u¹ k'u¹ t'i² t'i², weeping and wailing.

TRANSLATION

Like the small cabbage ― which has become yellow and dry on the ground ~ at the age of seven or eight years, I have lost my mother. ― I lived so well near my father ― only I was afraid he would take another wife ― and he has taken her; just after three years ― they have given me a brother who is more worthy than I am ― because he eats the food ― and I only may pour the gravy on my rice ― weeping and wailing I think of my own mother!