the Book of Poetry

正月

《小雅·节南山之什》

正月繁霜，我心忧伤。民之讹言，亦孔之将。念我独兮，忧心京京。哀我小心，癙忧以痒。

父母生我，胡俾我瘉？不自我先，不自我后。好言自口，莠言自口。忧心愈愈，是以有侮。

忧心惸惸，念我无禄。民之无辜，并其臣仆。哀我人斯，于何从禄？瞻乌爰止？于谁之屋？

瞻彼中林，侯薪侯蒸。民今方殆，视天梦梦。既克有定，靡人弗胜。有皇上帝，伊谁云憎？

谓山盖卑，为冈为陵。民之讹言，宁莫之惩。召彼故老，讯之占梦。具曰予圣，谁知乌之雌雄！

谓天盖高，不敢不局。谓地盖厚，不敢不蹐。维号斯言，有伦有脊。哀今之人，胡为虺蜴？

瞻彼阪田，有菀其特。天之杌我，如不我克。彼求我则，如不我得。执我仇仇，亦不我力。

心之忧矣，如或结之。今兹之正，胡然厉矣？燎之方扬，宁或灭之？赫赫宗周，褒姒灭之！

终其永怀，又窘阴雨。其车既载，乃弃尔辅。载输尔载，将伯助予！

无弃尔辅，员于尔辐。屡顾尔仆，不输尔载。终逾绝险，曾是不意。

鱼在于沼，亦匪克乐。潜虽伏矣，亦孔之炤。忧心惨惨，念国之为虐！

彼有旨酒，又有嘉肴。洽比其邻，婚姻孔云。念我独兮，忧心殷殷。

佌佌彼有屋，蔌蔌方有谷。民今之无禄，天夭是椓。哿矣富人，哀此惸独。

Previous article. Return to the table of contents Next

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.