A Ballad of the Mulberry Road
A Ballad of the Mulberry Road - form Summary
Ballad as Portrait Vignette
This short ballad sketches a single figure, Rafu, through precise visual and material detail. It names her work—feeding mulberries to silkworms—and lists her clothes, ornaments and the basket she makes, anchoring her in craft and place. The poem ends by recording male onlookers’ reactions, turning the domestic scene into a publicized moment of admiration. The tone is observational and economy of detail builds character quickly.
Read Complete AnalysesThe sun rises in south east corner of things To look on the tall house of the Shin For they have a daughter named Rafu, (pretty girl) She made the name for herself: 'Gauze Veil,' For she feeds mulberries to silkworms. She gets them by the south wall of the town. With green strings she makes the warp of her basket, She makes the shoulder-straps of her basket from the boughs of Katsura, And she piles her hair up on the left side of her headpiece. Her earrings are made of pearl, Her underskirt is of green pattern-silk, Her overskirt is the same silk dyed in purple, And when men going by look on Rafu They set down their burdens, They stand and twirl their moustaches.
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