the Book of Poetry

荡

《大雅·荡之什》

荡荡上帝，下民之辟。疾威上帝，其命多辟。

天生烝民，其命匪谌。靡不有初，鲜克有终。

文王曰咨，咨汝殷商。曾是彊御？曾是掊克？

曾是在位？曾是在服？天降滔德，女兴是力。

文王曰咨，咨女殷商。而秉义类，彊御多怼。

流言以对。寇攘式内。侯作侯祝，靡届靡究。

文王曰咨，咨女殷商。女炰烋于中国。敛怨以为德。

不明尔德，时无背无侧。尔德不明，以无陪无卿。

文王曰咨，咨女殷商。天不湎尔以酒，不义从式。

既衍尔止。靡明靡晦。式号式呼。俾昼作夜。

文王曰咨，咨女殷商。如蜩如螗，如沸如羹。

小大近丧，人尚乎由行。内奰于中国，覃及鬼方。

文王曰咨，咨女殷商。匪上帝不时，殷不用旧。

虽无老成人，尚有典刑。曾是莫听，大命以倾。

文王曰咨，咨女殷商。人亦有言：颠沛之揭，

枝叶未有害，本实先拨。殷鉴不远，在夏后之世。

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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.