《硕鼠》“逝将去女”正义

Explanatory notes on the version of “shi jiang qi nu” in Big Mouse

《诗经·魏风·硕鼠》“逝将去女”之“逝” ,注者多解作“誓”的假借 ,释义为表示决心的“誓言”或“发誓” ,这种解释值得商榷。本文认为 ,根据《诗经》的用字体例 ,用“逝 ,往也”即“离去”、“逃离”这个意义来释“逝将去女” ,不但词义有据 ,情理通顺 ,而且比诸多注释家释“逝”为“誓”的假借 ,同诗的主旨更切 。

The Chinese character of “shi” in the version “shi jiang qi nu” in Big Mouse of The Book of Poetry is commonly paraphrased as “promise”, which is worth being further discussed. The present author thinks that “shi” means “leave” or “escape”, which is more appropriate for the purport of the poem.