the Book of Poetry

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采芑

《小雅·南有嘉鱼之什》

薄言采芑，于彼新田，呈此菑亩。方叔涖止，其车三千。师干之试，方叔率止。

乘其四骐，四骐翼翼。路车有奭，簟茀鱼服，钩膺鞗革。

薄言采芑，于彼新田，于此中乡。方叔涖止，其车三千。旂旐央央，方叔率止。

约軧错衡，八鸾玱玱。服其命服，朱芾斯皇，有玱葱珩。

鴥彼飞隼，其飞戾天，亦集爰止。方叔涖止，其车三千。师干之试，方叔率止。

钲人伐鼓，陈师鞠旅。显允方叔，伐鼓渊渊，振旅阗阗。

蠢尔蛮荆，大邦为仇。方叔元老，克壮其犹。方叔率止，执讯获丑。戎车啴啴，

啴啴焞焞，如霆如雷。显允方叔，征伐玁狁，蛮荆来威。

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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 known as "title-only poems"—that is, they have titles but no text—referred to 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 dynasty.

2. The authors of the *Book of Songs* are anonymous; the vast majority cannot be verified, though 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 the "Xiao Ya" and "Da Ya"; the "Song" consists of ritual songs for sacrifices at the Zhou royal court and in the ancestral temples of the nobility, further divided into the "Zhou Song," "Lu Song," and "Shang Song."

3. Confucius summarized the purpose of the Book of Songs as “free from evil,” and taught his disciples to read it as a standard for both speech and conduct. Among the pre-Qin philosophers, many cited the Book of Songs; for instance, Mencius, Xunzi, Mozi, Zhuangzi, and Han Feizi frequently quoted verses 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*’ artistic style and established the fundamental methods of ancient Chinese poetry.

(2) The verse structure primarily consists of four-character lines, though mixed-length lines are also present. Structurally, the collection frequently employs a form of repeated stanzas and verses, 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 evocative, with harmonious sound and rhythm.