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

Fav

韩奕

《大雅·荡之什》

奕奕梁山，维禹甸之，有倬其道。

韩侯受命，王亲命之：缵戎祖考，无废朕命。

夙夜匪解，虔共尔位，朕命不易。

粲不庭方，以佐戎辟。四牡奕奕，孔修且张。

韩侯入觐，以其介圭，入觐于王。

王锡韩侯，淑旂绥章，簟茀错衡。

玄衮赤舄，钩膺镂锡，鞹鞃浅幭，鞗革金厄。

韩侯出祖，出宿于屠。显父饯之，清酒百壶。

其殽维何？炰鳖鲜鱼。其蔌维何？维笋及蒲。

其赠维何？乘马路车。笾豆有且。侯氏燕胥。

韩侯取妻，汾王之甥，蹶父之子。

韩侯迎止，于蹶之里。

百两彭彭，八鸾锵锵，不显其光。

诸娣从之，祁祁如云。韩侯顾之，烂其盈门。

蹶父孔武，靡国不到。为韩姞相攸，莫如韩乐。

孔乐韩土，川泽訏訏，鲂鱮甫甫，麀鹿噳噳。

有熊有罴，有猫有虎。庆既令居，韩姞燕誉。

溥彼韩城，燕师所完。以先祖受命，因时百蛮。

王锡韩侯，其追其貊。奄受北国，因以其伯。

实墉实壑，实亩实藉。献其貔皮，赤豹黄罴。

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.