The Book of Songs (Alternative translations: "Classic of Poetry", "Canon of Odes")

Fav

宾之初筵

《小雅·甫田之什》

宾之初筵，左右秩秩。笾豆有楚，殽核维旅。酒既和旨，饮酒孔偕。

钟鼓既设，举酬逸逸。大侯既抗，弓矢斯张。射夫既同，献尔发功。

发彼有的，以祈尔爵。

籥舞笙鼓，乐既和奏。烝衎烈祖，以洽百礼。百礼既至，有壬有林。

锡尔纯嘏，子孙其湛。其湛曰乐，各奏尔能。宾载手仇，室人入又。

酌彼康爵，以奏尔时。

宾之初筵，温温其恭。其未醉止，威仪反反。曰既醉止，威仪幡幡。

舍其坐迁，屡舞仙仙。其未醉止，威仪抑抑。曰既醉止，威仪抑抑。

是曰既醉，不知其秩。

宾既醉止，载号载呶。乱我笾豆，屡舞僛僛。是曰既醉，不知其邮。

侧弁之俄，屡舞傞傞。既醉而出，并受其福。醉而不出，是谓伐德。

饮酒孔嘉，维其令仪。

凡此饮酒，或醉或否。既立之监，或佐之史。彼醉不臧，不醉反耻。

式勿从谓，无俾大怠。匪言勿言，匪由勿语。由醉之言，俾出童羖。

三爵不识，矧敢多又。

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 "title-only poems"—that is, they have titles but no content—known 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 period.

2. The authors of the *Book of Songs* are anonymous; the vast majority cannot be verified. 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 *Xiao Ya* (Minor Elegance) and *Da Ya* (Major Elegance); the *Song* consists of ritual songs performed at the Zhou royal court and in the ancestral temples of the nobility, further divided into *Zhou Song*, *Lu Song*, and *Shang Song*.

3. Confucius summarized the purpose of the Book of Songs as “without deceit” and taught his disciples to read it as a standard for both speech and conduct. Among the pre-Qin philosophers, many quoted the Book of Songs; for instance, Mencius, Xunzi, Mozi, Zhuangzi, and Han Feizi frequently cited passages 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*’s artistic style and established the fundamental methods of ancient Chinese poetry composition.

(2) The verse structure is primarily based on four-character lines, though mixed-length lines are also used. Structurally, the work frequently employs repeated stanzas and parallel lines, 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 striking, with harmonious sound and rhythm.