the Book of Poetry

崧高

《大雅·荡之什》

崧高维岳，骏极于天。维岳降神，生甫及申。维申及甫，维周之翰。四国于蕃。四方于宣。

亹亹申伯，王缵之事。于邑于谢，南国是式。王命召伯，定申伯之宅。登是南邦，世执其功。

王命申伯，式是南邦。因是谢人，以作尔庸。王命召伯，彻申伯土田。王命傅御，迁其私人。

申伯之功，召伯是营。有俶其城，寝庙既成。既成藐藐，王锡申伯。四牡蹻蹻，钩膺濯濯。

王遣申伯，路车乘马。我图尔居，莫如南土。锡尔介圭，以作尔宝。往近王舅，南土是保。

申伯信迈，王饯于郿。申伯还南，谢于诚归。王命召伯，彻申伯土疆。以峙其粻，式遄其行。

申伯番番，既入于谢。徒御啴啴。周邦咸喜，戎有良翰。不显申伯，王之元舅，文武是宪。

申伯之德，柔惠且直。揉此万邦，闻于四国。吉甫作诵，其诗孔硕。其风四好，以赠申伯。

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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.