The author description
Introduction
The description of the period when the author’s hair was still cut across her forehead is imagery on her growth from childhood to adulthood. The husband and the wife whom the poem is based on are also described as small people further cementing the symbolism of the moment when they were married. The author also lightly mentions that she got married at fourteen years old and did not add anything to the statement; this creates the imagery of what marriages were in ancient China. People most likely married when they were young, and society was okay with that fact. The author also describes herself and her husband as “Small people” creating an image that teenagers were viewed as adults in ancient china.
The author also describes the games she was playing the times she met her husband as “pulling flowers” “pulling horse” and “playing with blue plums” generating the imagery of the games played by children in ancient china. Pulling flowers depicts young girls playing with flowers while pulling horse depicts a young boy imitating adults riding horses. The author describes her village as a place without dislike and suspicion painting the village as friendly and peaceful. The author also applies a metaphor “desired my dust to be mingled with yours” as imagery of marriage consummation. The mingling of the dust metaphor is followed by the author expressing her desire for husband forever, which is imagery for the attraction between the author and her husband at the time. The repletion of the words “Forever Forever Forever” to describe how long the author wants to be together with her husband is the imagery of her childishness.
The sorrowful noises of the monkeys depict the sorrow that followed the author’s husband departure. The author associates the monkey’s cries with her sorrow also painting the author’s sorrow as deep. Painting the image of the period that the author has been away, the author states that moss has since grown. The use of moss to depict time suggest that moss takes long to grow and the author’s husband has been gone for an extended period. The author goes further to say that the mosses have grown too deep to clear them, also painting the image of overgrown mosses that have developed over the years. The author also uses imagery to describe the changing seasons since her husband’s departure; the autumn leaves falling early in the wind and the butterflies pairing yellow with august. The changing seasons through which the author’s husband has been away indicating that the period has been gone for an extended period.
As imagery of the emotional trauma the author has gone through since the departure of her husband is painted by the hurt, the grass in the west garden is causing her as she grows older. The west garden, in this case, might be the place that reminds the author of her husband or a place significant to both the author and her husband.
Although disappointed and emotionally hurt by her husband being away for an extended period, her husband has been away, the author still cares and loves her husband. The author expresses her willingness to meet her husband along the narrows of river Kiang and escort him home, which is imagery for how much she has yearned for her. The author goes further to state that she is willing to come out and meet her husband as far as “Cho-fu-sa” on the day he returns home. The description of “Cho-fo-sa” is the imagery of the long distance the author is willing to travel to meet up with her husband.