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

Fav

斯干

《小雅·鸿雁之什》

秩秩斯干，幽幽南山。如竹苞矣，如松茂矣。兄及弟矣，式相好矣，无相犹矣。

似续妣祖，筑室百堵，西南其户。爰居爰处，爰笑爰语。

约之阁阁，椓之橐橐。风雨攸除，鸟鼠攸去，君子攸芋。

如跂斯翼，如矢斯棘，如鸟斯革，如翚斯飞，君子攸跻。

殖殖其庭，有觉其楹。哙哙其正，哕哕其冥。君子攸宁。

下莞上簟，乃安斯寝。乃寝乃兴，乃占我梦。吉梦维何？维熊维罴，维虺维蛇。

大人占之：维熊维罴，男子之祥；维虺维蛇，女子之祥。

乃生男子，载寝之床。载衣之裳，载弄之璋。其泣喤喤，朱芾斯皇，室家君王。

乃生女子，载寝之地。载衣之裼，载弄之瓦。无非无仪，唯酒食是议，无父母诒罹。

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.