The Book of Songs (Alternative translations: "Classic of Poetry", "Canon of Odes")

Fav

桑柔

《大雅·荡之什》

菀彼桑柔，其下侯旬，捋采其刘，瘼此下民。不殄心忧，仓兄填兮。倬彼昊天，宁不我矜？

四牡骙骙，旟旐有翩。乱生不夷，靡国不泯。民靡有黎，具祸以烬。于乎有哀，国步斯频。

国步灭资，天不我将。靡所止疑，云徂何往？君子实维，秉心无竞。谁生厉阶，至今为梗？

忧心殷殷，念我土宇。我生不辰，逢天僤怒。自西徂东，靡所定处。多我觏痻，孔棘我圉。

为谋为毖，乱况斯削。告尔忧恤，诲尔序爵。谁能执热，逝不以濯？其何能淑，载胥及溺。

如彼溯风，亦孔之僾。民有肃心，荓云不逮。好是稼穑，力民代食。稼穑维宝，代食维好？

天降丧乱，灭我立王。降此蟊贼，稼穑卒痒。哀恫中国，具赘卒荒。靡有旅力，以念穹苍。

维此惠君，民人所瞻。秉心宣犹，考慎其相。维彼不顺，自独俾臧。自有肺肠，俾民卒狂。

瞻彼中林，甡甡其鹿。朋友已谮，不胥以穀。人亦有言：进退维谷。

维此圣人，瞻言百里。维彼愚人，覆狂以喜。匪言不能，胡斯畏忌？

维此良人，弗求弗迪。维彼忍心，是顾是复。民之贪乱，宁为荼毒。

大风有隧，有空大谷。维此良人，作为式穀。维彼不顺，征以中垢。

大风有隧，贪人败类。听言则对，诵言如醉。匪用其良，复俾我悖。

嗟尔朋友，予岂不知而作。如彼飞虫，时亦弋获。既之阴女，反予来赫。

民之罔极，职凉善背。为民不利，如云不克。民之回遹，职竞用力。

民之未戾，职盗为寇。凉曰不可，覆背善詈。虽曰匪予，既作尔歌！

Introduction to the *Book of Songs*:

1. The Book of Songs marks the beginning of ancient Chinese poetry and is the earliest anthology of poetry. It collects poems from the early Western Zhou Dynasty to the middle of the Spring and Autumn Period (11th century BCE to 6th century BCE), totaling 311 poems. Among these, six are "title-only poems"—that is, they have titles but no content—known as the Six Title-Only Poems (Nan Gai, Bai Hua "Hua Shu," "You Geng," "Chong Qiu," and "You Yi"), reflecting the social landscape over approximately five centuries from the early to late Zhou period.

2. The authors of the *Book of Songs* are anonymous; the vast majority cannot be verified. It is traditionally attributed to Yin Jifu for collection and Confucius for compilation. In terms of content, the *Book of Songs* is divided into three sections: *Feng*, *Ya*, and *Song*. The *Feng* consists of folk songs from various regions of the Zhou dynasty; the *Ya* comprises the formal and elegant music of the Zhou people, further divided into *Xiao Ya* (Minor Elegance) and *Da Ya* (Major Elegance); the *Song* consists of ritual songs performed at the Zhou royal court and in the ancestral temples of the nobility, further divided into *Zhou Song*, *Lu Song*, and *Shang Song*.

3. Confucius summarized the purpose of the Book of Songs as “without deceit” and taught his disciples to read it as a standard for both speech and conduct. Among the pre-Qin philosophers, many quoted the Book of Songs; for instance, Mencius, Xunzi, Mozi, Zhuangzi, and Han Feizi frequently cited passages from the Book of Songs to enhance the persuasiveness of their arguments.

4. Artistic Characteristics of the *Book of Songs*:

(1) The use of the three poetic techniques—direct narration (fu), analogy (bi), and evocation (xing)—is a hallmark of the *Book of Songs*’s artistic style and established the fundamental methods of ancient Chinese poetry composition.

(2) The verse structure is primarily based on four-character lines, though mixed-length lines are also used. Structurally, the work frequently employs repeated stanzas and parallel lines, enhancing the poetry’s rhythmic sense and musical beauty.

(3) The language is rich and varied, making extensive use of rhetorical devices such as alliteration, rhyme, and word repetition, which render the poetry vivid and visually striking, with harmonious sound and rhythm.