the Book of Poetry

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泮水

《鲁颂·駉之什》

思乐泮水，薄采其芹。鲁侯戾止，言观其旂。其旂茷茷，鸾声哕哕。无小无大，从公于迈。

思乐泮水，薄采其藻。鲁侯戾止，其马蹻蹻。其马蹻蹻，其音昭昭。载色载笑，匪怒伊教。

思乐泮水，薄采其茆。鲁侯戾止，在泮饮酒。既饮旨酒，永锡难老。顺彼长道，屈此群丑。

穆穆鲁侯，敬明其德。敬慎威仪，维民之则。允文允武，昭假烈祖。靡有不孝，自求伊祜。

明明鲁侯，克明其德。既作泮宫，淮夷攸服。矫矫虎臣，在泮献馘。淑问如皋陶，在泮献囚。

济济多士，克广德心。桓桓于征，狄彼东南。烝烝皇皇，不吴不扬。不告于訩，在泮献功。

角弓其觩。束矢其搜。戎车孔博。徒御无斁。既克淮夷，孔淑不逆。式固尔犹，淮夷卒获。

翩彼飞鸮，集于泮林。食我桑黮，怀我好音。憬彼淮夷，来献其琛。元龟象齿，大赂南金。

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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.